Dell's M1710 systems are the mid-range of their beefed-up XPS portable computer lines. These laptops offer excellent performance and great components, yet aren't quite as expensive nor as heavy as their big brothers, the M2010 systems.

The M1710 systems start out at $2,299 powered by a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor which pairs two processing cores on a single chip. You can step that up to a 2.16GHz Duo or a 2.33GHz Duo at cost upgrades of $175 or $425 respectively, but the default CPU will be plenty fast for almost any user.

Dell pairs that processor with an excellent 1GB of 667MHz memory. This amount of fast RAM is perfect for multitasking and even graphics editing. And if you need more memory, these portable computers support up to 4GB of RAM, so you can always upgrade later.

The large 17-inch widescreen display on the M1710 is brilliant and sharp, providing a huge image for watching DVDs, opening multiple windows and playing games. It offers a hefty resolution of 1920X1200 pixels, so objects appear crisp and even small text is quite readable.

And speaking of gaming, these XPS 1710 portable computers can handle pretty much any game you want to throw at them. With an NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics chip that features 256MB of dedicated video memory, they'll run today's 3D games without problem. You can even upgrade the graphics, opting for the GeForce Go 7950 GTX version with double the video memory, although that will add close to $400 to the price tag.

This portable computer also features built-in stereo speakers, including an integrated subwoofer. It doesn't compare to a stand-alone surround-sound set, but it delivers rather impressive sound for a portable computer.

These systems just feel fast. The metallic black backing exudes power, and they weigh in at 8.8 pounds--not too bad for a desktop replacement-class portable computer. And Dell ships these portable computers as "road ready," meaning they've been tested for tough conditions and incorporate built-in hard drive shock absorbers.

Speaking of hard drives, it starts out at 60GB and spins at 7,200rpm. This fast drive means you won't be bottlenecking when you're reading or writing data during gaming or other activities, but that size may not suit the needs of users who store a lot of multimedia files. Luckily, Dell offers a range of drive upgrades to choose from. You can move up to a 100GB 7,200rpm drive for $100, or if speed is less of a concern than space, you can opt for a 120GB 5,400rpm drive $45.

On the optical drive side, you get a 24X CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive. These drives burn audio and data CDs and play DVD movies on that large widescreen, but doesn't have the ability to burn to DVD. An upgrade to a double layer DVD writer is an inexpensive option at only $30. This 8X DVD-RW drive can burn to traditional DVDs as well as high-capacity DL media that let you store up to 8.5GB of data on a single disk.

You have a wide range of connectivity options on these portable computers, including a built-in modem, integrated wireless, and gigabit Ethernet that lets you hook up to high-speed networks like you'll find at LAN parties. You can also add Bluetooth connectivity for hooking up wireless peripherals and synching up to a Bluetooth cell phone or PDA for an additional $20.

Wired peripherals can be plugged into the Firewire port or any of the six available USB 2.0 ports. There's also a 5-in-1 memory card reader for transferring files and photos from your PDA, digital camera or MP3 player.

The M1710 portable computers ship with Windows XP Media Center Edition, so you have the option of adding an external TV tuner complete with a remote control ($130) that allows you to watch and record live TV on your notebook. You'll probably also want to beef up the hard drive if you go this route, as recorded video eats up space quickly.

Dell offers a one-year limited warranty on these portable computers, which of course you can extend for additional cost. You can add accidental damage protection which protects your system from drops, spills and power surges for the length of your warranty as well.

Dell's XPS M1710 systems are some of the most powerful traditional portable computers we've seen. They offer great components for everything from graphics editing to gaming and still manage to hold to a respectable size and price tag.

Pros: Powerful core, good gaming machines
Cons: Fairly pricey


[Note: In 2006, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of about 2.7 million lithium-ion battery packs used in Dell laptop computers. To learn more, follow this link]

Warranty
1-year limited