Dell XPS M1730
The Dell XPS M1730 is an absolute beast of a laptop, with an almighty 2.4 GHz processing power as a minimum (and with upgraded specs can be overclocked to a mammoth 3.2 Ghz) courtesy of it’s Intel Core 2 Extreme Edition X9000.
It’s thick size and huge 17 inch display do, however, mean that it’s not likely to be the most portable laptop you’ll ever own. It weighs about the same as you do, which makes travelling with it a bit of a chore.
With that in mind though, if you’re looking for a desktop replacement this laptop is absolutely incredible. It’s also particularly brilliant if you’re a gamer or if you often run very graphically intensive programmes. Upgradeable to 6 GB of RAM, it’s capable of opening and running programms at lightning speed. If you do choose to get the XPS M730 though, it’s worth upgrading from the base 2 GB of RAM though (frankly, it’s a bit surprising that they offer this as the minimum – it should really be 4GB so that the memory can keep up).
The M1730 is a cross between the Dell XPS M1530 and the Alienware M17x, with the core features of the regular XPS lines but the styling of the Alienware machines. The Dell logo now lights up, for example, and the colour of the trackpad backlighting can be customised just like the Alienware lines. The distinctive backing also looks very Alienware, and is available in a range of colours, including white (as shown), blue and grey.
All in all, the Dell XPS M1730 is an incredibly powerful desktop replacement – brilliant for gaming and intensive games, but it is fairly expensive for what it is. If you want a powerful laptop that you can take with you, the 15 inch XPS, Alienware M15x or the 15 inch Apple MacBook Pro might be better suited for you, but if you want an insanely powerful (non-portable) games machine, the M1730 might be the laptop for you.
