Dell XPS M2010 Review

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Overview and Introduction

The Dell XPS M2010 is Dell’s largest and most fully featured notebook computer. While people argue whether or not it truly qualifies as a notebook, in my opinion, it forms a new class of personal computer that can best be described as a transportable (notebooks in the 19-20 inch form factor).

The system is not quite as powerful as a full on desktop or nearly as useable as a laptop, but provides some luxuries of both segments that uniquely creates a tantalizing and seductive combination that may be just what you are looking for, or maybe not. The configuration I bought from Dell’s Outlet (Certified Refurbished) consisted of the following specs when purchased for $2,440:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200
• Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 graphics card
• Wireless: Dell 350 Bluetooth, Intel Wireless 3945ABG
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 667mhz RAM
• Hard Drive: 120gb 5400rpm HD (Hitachi Travelstar)
• Screen: 20.1&quot; high definition widescreen (1680x1050)
• 1.3MP built-in web camera
• Array microphones
• 8 integrated speakers and subwoofer
• Detachable Bluetooth keyboard and mouse
• Remote control
• Dual DVI out
• Portfolio design with integrated carry handle
• Dimensions
  • Width: 18.85&quot;
  • Height: 2.90&quot;
  • Depth: 15.90&quot;
• Weight (lbs): 18.3

I currently run it with 1.5GB RAM, but have a 2GB stick on order and due to arrive any day. I also replaced the HD with my own Hitachi Travelstar 7k100 100gb 7200rpm drive.  Everything else remains the same.

Dell XPS M2010 (view large image)

Reasons for Buying

Having recently graduated from college, I figured I don’t need a laptop computer anymore to carry back and forth from home and school, I never really did use it in classes anyway. Still, the idea of a million wires sticking out the back of a desktop and the reliance on a power outlet wasn’t terribly appealing. The XPS M2010 struck the perfect balance; a full sized computer that could have one wire coming out the back (power), and was an all in one solution (large screen for everyday usage).

Where and How Purchased

I bought my XPS M2010 from Dell Outlet. It came with a 3-year next day at home service warranty, at a grand total for $2,440 and change.

Build &amp; Design

The Dell XPS M2010 in its closed position (view large image)

This is easily one of the most stunning computers you will find, and the comments I’ve gotten from it range from “WOW” to slightly more expressive expletives of shock and envy. The build is very solid. The hinge allows a great deal of freedom for the monitor -- the hinge is very stiff and does not wobble. The top and bottom of the system feel like faux leather, while the handle feels and looks like real leather. The Dell Logo on the system top glows blue, and pulses while in standby. The blue LEDs on the computer’s main console are incredibly bright (a bit annoyingly so), but nice looking anyway.

The LED lights are very bright (view large image)

Screen

A look at the XPS M2010 screen (view large image)

The screen on the XPS M2010 is absolutely stunning for a “laptop” computer, though I would expect no less. It’s brightness is very high, with excellent side to side and decent vertical viewing angles. It falls a bit short of my Dell 1907FP, though not by much. I tilt the screen a little bit downwards, as for some reason, the bottom washes out far less, or not at all, compared to the top of the screen.

The XPS M2010 has good viewing angles (view large image)

All in all, there is absolutely nothing out in the notebook segment that could compare. I’ve had 17-inch, 15.4-inch, 14.1-inch, and 12.1-inch notebooks with various respective screens, and this puts them all to shame. I would say from my previous laptop screen experiences, the 12.1 Dell Inspiron 700M ranks the highest, while the 14.1-inch Asus A8jp and 17-inch XPS Gen2 rank the lowest in terms of clarity, contrast, and viewing angles.

(view large image)

Speakers

The speakers are amazing, though they will not compete favorably with a good pair of subwoofer powered 2.1s. The highs and mids are extremely clear, while the bass is more punchy than booming. Having had a great number of speakers and headphones, this computer’s sound is better than the Altec Lansing XT2, a bit worse than the Logitech V20s, and worse than my Dell 2.1s and the Logitech Z-10s. What this  means is that you really don’t need separate speakers, as these are adequate for most listening experiences, but by no means excellent or passable to an audiophile.

Processor and Performance

Performance under Windows Vista in general is not much different than what I’ve previously encountered under similarly configured systems (Asus A8jp w/ T7200 and Dell E1505 w/ T7200, 2GB RAM). Vista’s Aero however seems smoother due to the much faster X1800 graphics card being present. In terms of gaming prowess, I would not suggest this system, though it is capable of running all games adequately, but by no means with eye candy turned up or even native resolution. I wouldn’t even consider Windows Vista at this point if you are a gamer, as the benchmarks I ran show (below), the X1800 performs pretty miserably. The T7200 is plenty fast for all other applications though, ranging from HD-TV (via Hauppauge HVR-950) to every day multitasking. I would not even install Vista without at least 1.5gb of RAM though. I currently also have a (Sandisk Extreme III) 2gb SD card in the computer for Vista’s Readyboost feature, which does make the system more snappy and responsive.

Benchmarks

Super PI is used to test CPU performance by calculating pi to 2 million digits of accuracy.

Super Pi Comparison Results

Notebook	Time
Dell XPS M2010 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7200)	1m 05s
Lenovo ThinkPad T61 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7300)	59s
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo T7200)	1m 03s
Toshiba Satellite P205-S6287 (1.73 GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T5300)	1m 24s
Toshiba Satellite A205 (1.66GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 34s
HP Compaq 6515b (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52)	2m 05s
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T2400)	59s
Dell Inspiron e1705 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 02s
Toshiba A100 (2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 18s
Samsung X60 (1.66GHz Core Duo)	1m 29s
HP dv5000z (2.0GHz Sempron 3300+)	2m 02s

 

The 3DMark05 synthetic graphics benchmark results. It's quite apparent that the ATI X1800 performs very well:

3DMark05 Comparison Results

Notebook	3D Mark 05 Results
Dell XPS M2010 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7200, ATI X1800)	5,035 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad T61 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7300)	911 3DMarks
Toshiba Satellite P205-S6287 (Intel 1.73GHz T5300 + GMA 950)	559 3DMarks
HP Compaq 6515b (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52, ATI x1270)	871 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	2,013 3D Marks
Dell Inspiron e1705 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)	1,791 3D Marks
Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 256MB)	4,236 3DMarks
Alienware Aurora M-7700 (AMD Dual Core FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	7,038 3D Marks
Asus V6Va (2.13 GHz Pentium M, ATI x700 128 MB)	2,530 3D Marks
Fujitsu n6410 (1.66 GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB)	2,273 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1210 (2.16 GHz Core Duo, nVidia Go 7400 256MB)	2,090 3D Marks

 

 

PCMark05 is a synthetic benchmark that tests overall system performance.

Comparison table for PCMark05

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Dell XPS M2010 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7200, ATI X1800)	4,659 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad T61 (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Intel T7300)	4,084 PCMarks
Toshiba Satellite P205-S6287 (Intel 1.73GHz T5300 + GMA 950)	2,981 PCMarks
HP Compaq 6515b (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52, ATI x1270)	2,420 PCMarks
Toshiba Satellite A135 (Core Duo T2250, Intel GMA 950)	3,027 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	4,234 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook A6010 (1.66GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA 950)	2,994 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)	5,597 PCMarks
Sony Vaio SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)	3,637 PCMarks
Toshiba Tecra M6 (1.66GHz Intel T2300E, Intel GMA 950)	2,732 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400, Nvidia Go 7400)	3,646 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FE590 (1.83GHz Core Duo)	3,427 PCMarks

The XPS M2010 scored a respectable 4.5 on the Vista Experience Index benchmark

Windows Vista Experience Index

(view large image)

Heat and Noise

The console runs very very hot, but the system is for the most part, dead quiet. The only times the fans are noticeable are during gaming benchmarks. Taxing the CPU doesn’t affect the fan speed at all. I do however, have a small issue with my system that I hope will be resolved when a replacement system arrives (detailed later): the right side of my system makes a high pitched whine/buzz. It could be a fan or even the GPU, as this problem has been quite common on some laptops. It is only noticeable in a quiet environment however, so it is not the biggest deal breaker.

(view large image)

Keyboard and Touchpad

The system comes with a detachable Bluetooth Keyboard with built in trackpad. I am amazed that the system is able to fire up the Bluetooth in time to boot into the setup menu… some fancy BT Bios drivers at work there I assume, but certainly impressive. The keyboard’s battery life, under heavy usage, I would assume would be months. I have used it for literally a week without charge, and it still reports a full charge. I certainly hope this reading is accurate, but since it does not charge anymore when I snap it back into place, it is pretty safe to say the battery life is astounding.

Dell XPS M2010 collapsed open (view large image)

The system also comes with a fully functional Bluetooth mouse (made by Logitech I assume, as it uses Setpoint). It has a side scrolling click wheel, plus forward and back buttons, all of which can be programmed with Logitech’s Setpoint software. Amazingly, there is no identifiable lag with either the mouse or the keyboard, in sharp contrast to my previous experience with radio frequency based wireless mice and keyboards from Logitech (such as the VX revolution, various wireless keyboards). Absolutely impressive, even suitable for gaming.

The included mouse (view large image)

Input and Output Ports

The system comes with 4 USB 2.0 ports, an Express Card slot, FireWire, IR, Compact Flash reader, SD/MMC/MS/XD reader, some standard audio/microphone inputs, S-video, DVI, and modem/Ethernet ports. Dell really did go all out on expandability, though I find the Compact Flash reader pretty useless, I would rather have an old PCMCIA slot.

Wireless

The Intel 3945ABG wireless the system comes with is just as strong as all the other (identical 3945ABGs) I’ve used, and achieves a full signal in my home network, while picking up dozens of neighboring networks.

Battery

The standard battery lasts about 2 hours on Balanced/Performance, but can squeeze to 3 hours with some power saving features turned on (Wifi Off, screen dimmed etc). Pretty impressive for such a massive system, but then again the battery feels like a bit like the weight of some table PCs and ultraportable laptops alone!

Operating System and Software

The system came with Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit edition. I use it instead of XP for Vista’s Superfetch and Readyboost features, which allow a beasty system like this to fly just as fast, if not faster than XP running most daily usage programs. Everything I use and run works fine with Vista, though I haven’t figured out how to configure my HVR-950 HDTV tuner to work with Media Center yet.

Customer Support

I have had a few issues with this system, which warranted a few support calls. First of all, the speakers came unbalanced, with the left speakers significantly louder than the right. Some balance tweaking in the sound options fixed it, but it was a bit annoying. The buzz/whine was also suspected to be the speakers, so a technician came and replaced the speakers (which involved replacing the whole back panel). Unfortunately, the system was marred cosmetically and the battery has been reported as missing more than once by Windows, and the problems were not solved. A complaint to Dell immediately authorized the build of a brand new system specced to be equal or greater than my current system, to be shipped to me as a replacement in 8-10 days. Having bought a ton of Dells in the past, I am not surprised at all. All I have to say is that Dell has hands down the best customer support of any computer manufacturer, in the world.

Conclusion

People who balked in the past at the absurd price tag of the Dell XPS M2010 no longer really have that excuse. I think $2,440 is a very reasonable amount (though it would vary based on the deal you get and state tax), an amount  which many buyers of Sony and Apple products are readily willing to shell out. With 3-year at home service and warranty (Ok, to be honest, perhaps I will convince the Dell tech to let me replace the part in the future if need be) is absolutely phenomenal. This system is not for everybody though. It doesn’t really come close to matching a desktops power, and isn’t terribly useful as a portable laptop. However, it will certainly appeal to a niche audience of which I belong to, people who want a clean, stylish, powerful and functional system that allows transportability without sacrificing useability. It could easily be your media center, gaming PC, work PC, center of envy and status symbol all in one. For my needs, there really isn’t a better system.

 

 

Wow, yeah it's such a monster of a 'notebook.'

I'd imagine it only appeals to a really small, niche market.

 

Nice to see a review of this machine.

How does the 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA+) resolution feel on a 20.1" monitor? Considering that this is offered on many 15.4" screens, it seems like 1900 x 1200 (WUXGA) would be more at home, but perhaps that's just my own opinion.

 

Prettttty spiffy...

 

Yea, that would be my response.

I find it disappointing that the X1800 is not that much faster than the X1600/1700. Thats really what kills this for me. With all the weight and size, they couldn't manage to put a decent GPU into it.

 

The X1800 is a bit disappointing compared to other high-end DX9 GPUs, but it might not matter if you dont play too many games.

Another 20" notebook,
the Clevo M590KE (20.1" w/ SLI 7950GTX's) was a freakin beast when I got to see it in person, the 3DMark06 score reach the 10000 mark... that was impressive. Although the screen was so big that a normal notebook user might need to get an external keyboard to use it at a small distance from such a huge LCD.

If I had the choice, I would personally go for the Clevo... just for the raw gaming power.
______________________________________
As for CPU power, CitizenPanda...

would you do a wPrime (multi threaded) benchmark and post it here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=123570

SuperPI (single-threaded) has diminished in being accurate for CPU measurements, especially for this era of dual cores.

 

I think it's an ideal resolution. I come from 1280x1024 19" monitors, so even now I run with 120 DPI in Windows on my M2010. I would rather see text and images clearly (and from farther away) than have to squint, even if it means sacrificing a bit of desktop space.

I agree that the X1800 is severely underpowered for the serious gamer, but I think the target audience this system will appeal to will rarely play beyond games like the The Sims. More so, people like me who will soon be working full time will not have any time for games at all. A social life might even be a stretch save for the weekends.

 

That's a pretty slick machine. It's not for everyone though - but it seems you're a good fit for it. It looks so futuristic!

 

ATI card for the lose.

 

I'd think the target market for such a DTR would be users who need extreme power with comfortable portability ( like LAN party gamers ) .

At that size and price Dell could have put in a desktop GPU ( or at least a 79xx GTX ) , a 2nd HD etc. and give it an extra edge ( as they did with the 8 speakers ) .

 

Nice review, really love that Dell, if only it wasnt so expensive here

as for the bluetooth KB/mouse in setup, i had a logitech MX900 bluetooth mouse and when Im installing windows, the mouse worked fine. i think they might work via something like an internal USB interface so the bluetooth connection itself is only between the device and the installed receiver which goes through a USB port or something

 

I still do not understand why they put in a x1800 in there, they should have used at least a x1900 or gone with Nvidia entirely and put a pair of 7950 GTX's in their.

 

I totally agree with the author that it's nice to have something that doesn't force you to deal with a bunch of wires like a desktop, but for someone like me that thrives on being portable (I like to travel and often travel to tech shows for "work") this sized notebook just wouldn't work. What would work is having this and then an ultraportable for the road though.

That screen looks really glorious. Dell added the option of Blu-Ray last month so you've got that advantage going to use with hi-def movies if you want.

Well done on the review!

 

That would bump up the price beyond what anyone would pay for it

Nice review, good looking lappy!

 

Nice review!

 

Great review! So is it just a myth that Dell support is notorious?

 

Back in August 2006 at a local LAN party we had a local Dell reseller sponsor the event. There were XPS M1210s, M1710s and couple of M2010-s given out to the organizers to use. The M2010 was a rather hulking beast compared to the other XPS-es, though it ran CS:S rather well (not as well as the M1710) and was quite easy to move around thanks to the handle, despite its weight.

 

I think a good market for this would really be someone who would buy an iMac. You get the same feel (an all-in-one solution with large screen and good performance), but whereas the iMac is strictly a desktop (with laptop parts), it makes it inconvenient to move around. With this, you can easily leave it sitting on a desk all the time and just move it from one room to another rather easily since it has a handle. Is it really a notebook? Probably not. Like I said, it's more of a portable desktop, which the detachable keyboard really adds to.

 

Wow, that is huge! Nice review btw!

 

Have you experienced any problems resuming from standby mode?

I have a Logitech Marblemouse. I wound up un-installing Setpoint because it wouldn't allow my system to suspend. (Maybe I should have another look at that.) Although I liked some of Setpoint's features, I was unimpressed with Logitech's implementation.

Update: I just installed SetPoint 3.30 and it works very well indeed. No problems with suspend. I had one hang (no reboot necessary) but we'll give it a try and see what happens.

 

In some places like here in Australia, you can get it equiped with the Nvidia Geforce 7950.

 

Nice review. Anyone else impressed/surprised by the 2 hour battery life? Somehow I expect this machine to get less than an hour wish such a large and bright screen.

The MR X1800 may not be as fast as a comparable Nvidia Go7900 but it is certainly no slouch. It can handle the latest games fine.

 

Thanks for the review!

I must say the resolution is a little dissapointing. I'd expect the screen resolution to be 1920 x 1200.

 

How? I just checked Dell Australia and the only GPU available is X1800.


w00t, 500th post.

 

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. Read your review of the Dell M2010. Are you still happy with it? I need something I can move between two offices.Wonderd if you could make any spec's recommendations having had the 2010 for awhile now. Alos would you recommend the Dell outlet - I see you bought yours there. Thank you for any info you can provide.

 

anyone know if the dell is gonna update M2010 with new GPU and CPU, like m8800GTX and penryn or something like that?

 

Just a slight bump here - has anyone tried the keyboard with other laptops?

I'm hoping to get just the wireless keyboard and pair it with my Asus laptop. Or does it have drivers specifically for the M2010?

I'm searching for a wireless keyboard with touchpad or an optical trackball - and so far, this Dell is the only Bluetooth one I know, everything else is RF.

Thanks!

 

Ask in the Dell forum, or the accessories forum, not here

 

CitizenPanda,

Saw your review and was wondering now that you have had it for a while how you like it. I am looking at this sytem for mainly CAD use. Would stay on the desk most of the time and an occasional trip to customers for "show and tell" and presentations. Do you know how swappable the video card is for say a Nvidia Quadro FX 1600M? That seems to be what a lot of the mobile workstations are running for CAD type graphics. This would be a work machine and not really for gamming. I'll probably run Vista to take advantage of the 4g ram. Dell outlet now has several for under $2k. If I configure a system thru Dell or Sager, I'm in the $2500-$3000 range pretty fast. Looks like I might be able to get a faster system by stepping down to a 17" monitor but I'm not a computer guy so I'm not really sure how much difference I'd see by going to a 2.66ghz, 2.8ghz or 800mhzFSB vs 667mhzFSB or 4mb L2 cache vs 6mb. Sager even has a system with 2.66ghz, 1333mhzFSB, and 12mb L2 cache and 4gb-800mhz ram. Sounds impressive to a non tech guy just because all the numbers are higher than all the others. Not a good reason to drop $2900 if it really doesn't get me much for my application. I run Proe (3D CAD) but don't do much serious applications like Mechanica (FEA analysis). Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Kevin
[email protected]