Still can't decide! e1705 or m1710. . . .

[Taikero]

All right. I’ll admit right up front that I’m a computer newbie in the most literal meaning of the term.

That aside, I’m looking to get a notebook. I’ll be heading to college next semester, and my parents have agreed that I need a notebook before packing up for the university. So, essentially, I’m looking for a desktop replacement that’ll last a few years.

Portability is nice, but performance is more important in the end. I’ll have a backpack with me pretty much everywhere I go, so the weight and size of these two models isn’t too much of an issue.

Since this’ll be an investment my parents are making, and the fact that I’m going to be an extremely poor college student for the next half decade or so, it needs to last, but I also want to be kind on my parents’ pocketbook. :P

I’ve scoured the ‘net for all the information I could find. One of the better sources I came across washttp://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=2766

This review should answer all of my questions, right? Well, the review was done before the e1705 had an option for the 7900 ge card, which has caused me so much indecision lately. :P

The 7800 ge they reviewed performed a bit below acceptable levels, but I’ve read that the 7900 ge offers nearly double the performance of that. However, since I’ll be getting the UXGA monitor option regardless of which notebook I get, I’m concerned with the GPU’s performance at the native resolution, as I’ve heard that’s where the GTX shines.

Also, just to note–I’ve played World of Warcraft for the past year and a half religiously (165 played 24-hour days on one character . . .) on an nVidia 5500 FX. I think I’d pull my hair out if I had to deal with 5-7 fps average in a game again. Probably why I’m so concerned about this purchase. Well, at least the framerates made PvP interesting! Hah!

–

Basically, the metallic black m1710 configured with about everything top-of-the-line is 3,100 or so shipped. (Oddly, the black m1710 configured identically to a red m1710 counterpart is $300 cheaper, the only difference being that the red has a 2-year warranty. The black’s is one.) The e1705, also with maxxed options, is 2,000 with the automatic 20% discount, over $1,000 cheaper.

The only differences my very untrained eye saw were the smaller battery, slightly slower RAM (?), and obviously the GPU.

I was once a very avid gamer – back when titles such as Rogue Spear, The Sims, and Age of Empires II were big. I know, I know. :P I’m interested in getting back into that, hoping I have free time with this change of education. Titles like Half-Life 2 and Oblivion have caught my eye, hence my concern in the GPU difference.

–

So what do you guys think? Is the GPU difference worth 1k? Am I missing some other crucial something that the m1710 has that the e1705 does not?

I know the GPU in the e1705 can be upgraded to the GTX manually, which is probably cost-effective, but once this notebook is purchased (by my parents >_>), I’ll likely have no cash remaining, as most my age would(n’t)–once this purchase is made, that’s going to be it for a few years until I nab a job while in school. Will this hold out even while DX10 games are being released? I know DX9 cards won’t support the extra eye candy that the DX10 cards will, but . . . Playable? Maybe?

Long-winded post, I know. I’ve just been trying to make this decision myself for the past few days and . . . It’s not happening. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and I certainly have my heart set on those fancy little lights the m1710 is sporting.

[stormlifter]

E1705 - if loooks don't bother you, the machine is great, a 7900 GS can perform very closely with the m1710's option as long as you overclock it (see my site in sig for details) Also 2GB of RAM can be picked up at newegg. The RAM isn't slower, that's something that I still havn't been convinced of... And remmember though, 677 ram has higher latency, so you trade of speed for latency, also I'm not even sure the CPU can take the 677 and use it completly, so your basically throwing out latency on a whim.

Take the E1705, $1000 is a lot of money, use that money to do something else.

edit: I can't believe I just posted on the internet at 6:11 AM

[HomerJ]

I don't want to cause even more confusion, but have you looked at the M90? You save a bit by not getting the blinking lights, and it offers the same options as the 1705 and 1710 as far as GPU (Actually, the GPUS are not the same, but are equal performance in games and such).

It could be a nice compromise between the 1705 and 1710, you pay slightly less but you get less 'bling'.

[ACHlLLES]

I would go for M90 from outlet for todays prices.

[warlord]

And whatever one you choose make sure you get complete care warranty, in the college and mobile world it can be a life saver...trust me....

Specs Dead 8600 1.7, 128Mb Nvidia 5650FxGo, 15.4 WSXGA+, 80Gig HD, 1300Wireless, 4xDVDR+RW

Replacement/ Under warranty + complete care- Still waiting word

[Imperil]

I totally agree with warlord.. having 3 year complete care on a college laptop is a MUST and not an option.

[IllegalEagle]

http://www.notebookforums.com/forums/thread163450.html

Tech's M1710 for sale thread. Check it out for some awsome deals. You can get one maxed with 3 year complete care (Throw it down the stairs get a new laptop waranty)for $2700.


http://www.notebookforums.com/forums/thread151717.html

Carlabs's for sale thread. You can get the M1710 for $2100 with the 7900GTX (Best graphics card on a notebook)

http://www.notebookforums.com/forums/thread170698.html

The check this out, LOADED M1710 for $2100 with 3 year complete care waranty.

Hope this helps a bit, at least with the money side, and don't worry, these guy's are ligit, and have been selling these for months.

[Maconi]

Check out my sig... pretty much the best E1705 money can buy (minus the card) for $1400 off eBay. If you wanna shop around for a week or two and can avoid scammers (pretty much, only buy off ppl from the US using PayPal, safest way for ppl that can't tell the difference).

My E1705 is basicly identicle to a M1710 except the videocard, which I can upgrade at anytime (preferably when the prices go down lol). Only difference is no LED lights... big deal when you want performance right?

Goodluck and Happy Hunting .

-Mac

[Harry1]

theres a guy in the forums named tech in the for sale threads he has really good price go check him out hes one of best and has cheap rpices

[WeAreNotAlone]

Originally Posted by Imperil

I totally agree with warlord.. having 3 year complete care on a college laptop is a MUST and not an option.

Addtionally it's a "no-brainer" to not buy a external hard drive to back up DATA to...

Example: Apricorn Firewire/USB 2.0 Enclosure for 3.5-Inch Hard Drive ( EZ-BUS-DTC-KIT )

http://www.amazon.com/Apricorn-Firew...957601?ie=UTF8

[Taikero]

Yeah, thanks for all of the replies, everyone. I'll probably end up searching for an m90 in the outlet, and if I can't find one of those reasonably soon I'll either grab an e1705 direct from Dell or perhaps a m1710 from these boards. I'm kinda glad I waited, though, now that the core 2 duo processors are out. =D

I might grab the e1705 just because it's more discreet when it comes to appearance. Then again, the m1705, along with the new processors, also comes with free internal 802.11n and an 802.11n router for free too. Haha, we'll see. Thanks for the opinions.

[Taikero]

All righty, sorry for the double post, but I finally placed my order -- a month later. I grabbed an e1705 pretty much maxxed out for about 1,700. In the end, I'm somewhat glad it took me as long to decide as it did, because now I get Merom. ^_^

Now, any suggestions on games to grab to play with once the new lappy gets here? I'm pretty excited as I'm coming from a rig with an nVidia 5500 FX, 512 RAM -- an upgrade like this is more than substantial.

Hmm, mebbe Oblivion, Battlefield 2, and Half-Life 2. We'll see . . .

[jeffcmfrt]

As for games now that you will have a machine which will play them well. Far Cry, Half Life 2 and HL 2 Episode one, Fear, Prey, Splintercell Chaos theory are some great ones.

Also consider geting one of those large footlockers if you will be in a dorm to protect your valubles. Never leave your laptop unatended because someone will swipe it and it only takes a second.

Best wishes

[jdm_98r]

With everything put aside, you're really only paying for aesthetics when you purchase a m1710. You can build an e1705 to nearly the same specs as a m1710 and save yourself close to $1000. The only option that your missing out on is 7900gtx and the LED's. The 7900 go is a decent card and should be adequate enough to handle the newest games for the next 1 1/2 years. The 7900 gtx will probably last for about 2 years (this is the usual time that a high end card becomes obsolete).

hth

[armandoban]

I've found up close the e1705/9400 are not built the same as the M1710/M90. The M90 is the one I'd call "nearly identical" to the XPS M1710 other than the detailing.

The e1705/9400 as shipped within the US has a less solid feel to it than an M90/M1710 and uses different parts (such as the keyboard, frame, case, and motherboard). The frame on the e1705 feels lighter and is a little too flexy. There are usually more screen hinge issues, damaged ports on the back, and case cracking a few years down the road with Inspirons than with Latitude/Precision (XPS) frames. The Inspiron also doesn't have a docking port (if you need one). IN addition I have also (only heard) the baseplate gets quite a bit hotter than an M1710/M90 if you install a dual-pipe GPU because there's more plastic, less metal inside. Thing is DELLs are weird, some you get are totally different inside than others. My statements apply to the majority I've seen, so unless somebody knows otherwise I'd say there are definite differences between Inspirons and XPS/Precisions beyond just the configuration.