NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Dell Forums › Dell Home (Inspiron, XPS, Studio) › Performance Difference: 1705 vs. 1710
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Performance Difference: 1705 vs. 1710

post #1 of 23
7/25/06 at 7:55pm
Thread Starter 
Greetings fellow laptop-ites

First off, just wanna make a general comment that I really enjoy and appreciate all the information sharing that goes in this community. I've been lurking around, for the most part, the last couple of weeks and am trying to narrow down my decision on my next laptop purchase.

Seeing as I've settled between the 1710 and 1705, I'd like some opinions/advice. Keep in mind that this will be my first laptop for which I'll be paying attention to gaming performance. Other than that, I'll be doing some web-design, programming, and am really looking into installing Linux as a second OS.

Given that, from what I can see the only discernable difference appears to the grfx card (7900gtx vs. 7900gs), is that enough to justify the gap in cost between the two systems? I know some may say the extra cost is worth it for the looks, etc. of the 1710, but that's not the point I'm looking to compare here.

Anyone out there have experience with both/either system and can advise as to whether the 1710 is THAT MUCH better? I've seen a few threads about overclocking the 7900gs and optimizing the 1705's performance in other aspects. Does that close the gap even more?

Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks.

JEEV
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeevman
Greetings fellow laptop-ites First off, just wanna make a general comment that I really enjoy and appreciate all the information sharing that goes in this community. I've been lurking around, for the most part, the last couple of weeks and am trying to narrow down my decision on my next laptop purchase. Seeing as I've settled between the 1710 and 1705, I'd like some opinions/advice. Keep in mind that this will be my first laptop for which I'll be paying attention to gaming performance. Other than that, I'll be doing some web-design, programming, and am really looking into installing Linux as a second OS. Given that, from what I can see the only discernable difference appears to the grfx card (7900gtx vs. 7900gs), is that enough to justify the gap in cost between the two systems? I know some may say the extra cost is worth it for the looks, etc. of the 1710, but that's not the point I'm looking to compare here. Anyone out there have experience with both/either system and can advise as to whether the 1710 is THAT MUCH better? I've seen a few threads about overclocking the 7900gs and optimizing the 1705's performance in other aspects. Does that close the gap even more? Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks. JEEV
The 1705 and 1710 boards are almost identical. The 2 major difference's are that: 1. 1710 has a Gig LOM and the 1705 has a 10/100 LOM 2. 1710 has a dock connector and the 1705 doesn't. Otherwise, same chipset, same BIOS family and so forth...
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
The 1705 and 1710 boards are almost identical. The 2 major difference's are that:

1. 1710 has a Gig LOM and the 1705 has a 10/100 LOM
2. 1710 has a dock connector and the 1705 doesn't.

Otherwise, same chipset, same BIOS family and so forth...

Thanks JEDI.

1. Is the LOM referring to the ethernet? If so, does it make much of a difference yet?
2. I don't have a seperate screen I'mm looking to dock with, so that won't be a consideration.

So, will the gaming experience be THAT MUCH different? Enough to justify the higher price?

JEEV
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeevman
Thanks JEDI. 1. Is the LOM referring to the ethernet? If so, does it make much of a difference yet? 2. I don't have a seperate screen I'mm looking to dock with, so that won't be a consideration. So, will the gaming experience be THAT MUCH different? Enough to justify the higher price? JEEV
Sorry .. LOM = Lan on Motherboard = Network card :-) As far as performance-wise, not unless your games require a 7900GTX class card. You can alway order the card + pwr supply later... Right now I think the combo will run you about $600 In the future (Q3?) the current XPS will get a new video card. So the price of the 7900GTX should in theory come down. So, to make a short story.. long :-D .. Nope.. not in my view. See my sig below to see what I own.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:22pm
kind of off topic, but what distro do you plan on installing?
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:27pm
Because, I game alot.. I'm stuck with Windows...
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanilla Jedi
So, to make a short story.. long :-D .. Nope.. not in my view. See my sig below to see what I own.

Mind if I ask how you got such a deep discount? $3800 seems to be quite a high before-discount price for the 1705, even with everything you have (or am I wrong?)

Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzedlightyear
kind of off topic, but what distro do you plan on installing?

Well, from the research I've done on that topic, Ubuntu seems to be getting a lot of rave review, especially for someone who is new to the OS. Got any suggestions?

JEEV
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanilla Jedi
Because, I game alot.. I'm stuck with Windows...

Jedi - from what I've heard, doesn't Cedega take care of that problem?

JEEV
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:46pm
I was in the same situation: 1705 or m1710.

It all comes down the 7900 gs vs the 7900 gtx. (27%) performance difference, stock speeds) The GS overclocks very very well, so it's maybe a 8% difference.

You are paying for a shiny case (wooo? I look at the screen, not the case), leds (dorky), and "prestige".

I went with the 1705.

Here's what I got:

Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)

Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition

17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™

FREE!1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz

256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS

100GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability



I'm replacing the XP home with Pro (got a CD @ home).


All of this for a grand total of.......... $1271.00


vs the starting price of m1710.......$2400.


Go for the 1705, the m1710 is a rip.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 23
7/25/06 at 8:51pm
@jeevman: Only on certain games. While Cedega (and Wine) are getting better all the time, they are still not as good for certain games.

And, before I get flamed to hell, let me mention that I know that some games actually run better under Cedega than under Windows. However, we are already starting to see demos of games running under DX 10. Just going to Cedega's page shows that even games rated as supported and working usually have small quirks and problems.

So, while I have used Cedega before (to run Baldur's Gate II: SOA and TOB), I have returned to dual-booting for now.

Regards,

zakaluka2.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 23
7/25/06 at 9:01pm
It really depends alot on the game. Some people would say the cost was well worth it.

Another option to consider is the Precision M90, it has every feature the 1710 except the LED's and it can be had a few hundred dollars cheaper.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 23
7/25/06 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hardee17
I was in the same situation: 1705 or m1710.

It all comes down the 7900 gs vs the 7900 gtx. (27%) performance difference, stock speeds) The GS overclocks very very well, so it's maybe a 8% difference.

Just to be fair, the 7900GTX also overclocks very well.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 23
7/25/06 at 9:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowlt4
It really depends alot on the game. Some people would say the cost was well worth it.

Another option to consider is the Precision M90, it has every feature the 1710 except the LED's and it can be had a few hundred dollars cheaper.

How does the M90's grfx card (Quadro) compare to the 7900gtx and 7900gs? I've seen where it's slightly less than the 7900gtx because it's architecture is optimized more towards 3d-business apps.

JEEV
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 23
7/25/06 at 9:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeevman
How does the M90's grfx card (Quadro) compare to the 7900gtx and 7900gs? I've seen where it's slightly less than the 7900gtx because it's architecture is optimized more towards 3d-business apps.

JEEV
The Quadro 2500m performs identical to the 7900GTX. In all benchmarks I have run there has been no difference between the two. Every indication is the Quadro is using the same GFX chip as the 7900GTX.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 23
7/25/06 at 9:18pm
Thread Starter 
Also, with the 35% coupons and the weekly Dell coupons, a 1705 can be had for a really good price. I just spec'd out the following:

Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2500 (2GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
100GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless and Bluetooth
Microsoft Office Basic
No Security Subscription
80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
2Yr Ltd Warranty, 2Yr At-Home Service, and 2Yr HW Warranty Support
CompleteCare Accidental Damage Svc to 2Yr Lim Warranty
Free Promotion for 17 inch Skin
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition re-installation CD
\Starter Entertainment Pack - Basic digital Music, Photo and Game experience
TOTAL2035.02

JEEV
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 23
7/26/06 at 1:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeevman
Mind if I ask how you got such a deep discount? $3800 seems to be quite a high before-discount price for the 1705, even with everything you have (or am I wrong?) JEEV
Price-wise the reason it was soo high was because the T2600 was commanding a fairly high premium. Somewhere around $200... plus the 2GB of RAM from Dell. Not to mention the prices have come down since April when I bought it... Why, I got such a high discount.. I'd rather not say.. :-D
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 23
7/26/06 at 2:24am
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 23
7/26/06 at 1:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanilla Jedi
The 1705 and 1710 boards are almost identical. The 2 major difference's are that:

1. 1710 has a Gig LOM and the 1705 has a 10/100 LOM
2. 1710 has a dock connector and the 1705 doesn't.

Otherwise, same chipset, same BIOS family and so forth...


So, you think that the E1705 BiOS can be flshed with the M1710 BIOS? I am having DVI issues due to a GO 7800 GTX installed in my system, maybe flashing to a BIOS that by default supports this kinds of cards it will be resolved... There are people, including myself that the LCD backlight does not turn off when the display is supposed to go on standby. This might correct it too. So, Anyone tried? could it be possible?
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 23
7/26/06 at 1:12pm
I just went through the same thing and I ordered a 1705 yesterday. Here is what I got for $1500 with tax/shipping(After $750 off coupon):

2 Ghz
2GB RAM(Included, I would have gotten from Newegg otherwise)
60GB(ordered a 100GB 7200 from Newegg for cheaper than the upgrade price and I can sell the 60GB)
7900GS
Truelife
XP Pro
Extra 9 cell
Bluetooth

The same thing in the 1710 would have been at least $1000 more for basicially a different chassis.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 23
7/26/06 at 1:14pm
Alot of this thread is correct....

For the most part the E1705 with the 7900GS is like a Plain Pontiac Bonneville SE coupe, 215HP V6.

The 1710 is like a Pontiac Bonneville SSEI with all the bells and whistles, lights, heads up display, body moldings, Shiny alloy wheels, and the 240HP SC V6.

Is the 240HP really all that much more than 215HP in real life, well not much more, but it is still better, the other items otherwise that effect looks, etc. Thats what you pay for. Same thing goes for the E1705/1710 comparison. You pay for the extras, even if they do not seem to be of any real use, just like saying you own an SSEI wooptydoo!

hehe. (BTW this analogy can work with other alternatives BMW 530 vs M5, Plain waffles vs blueberry waffles, or Jennifer Aniston vs Carmen Electra, take your pick )
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Dell Forums › Dell Home (Inspiron, XPS, Studio) › Performance Difference: 1705 vs. 1710