Dell's New XPS M1710 Blu-ray Disc Notebook Computer

[Jerry Jones]

http://tinyurl.com/y8hxka

Dell's new XPS M1710 Blu-ray Disc notebook computer points to the very reason why I feel now is still not an ideal time for budget videographers to upgrade their studios to high definition.

- This notebook costs more than $3,700.

- This notebook does not support the "HD DVD" format; only "Blu-ray Disc."

When notebook computers like this are available for less than $2,000 with dual-format high definition DVD disc burners, that's when I'll be upgrading.

By then, the AVCHD camcorders will be priced at less than $1,000.

Until then, I'll let my deeper-pocketed friends splurge on stuff like this.

I'm going to sit tight.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Hulk]

Crazy pricing!

I recently bought a Dell 640m notebook. Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz, 120GB drive, 1GB memory, wireless n/g/b, 14.1" high res screen, DVDRW, firewire, etc... for $962 including tax and shipping.

- Mark

[DGhost]

http://tinyurl.com/y8hxka

Dell's new XPS M1710 Blu-ray Disc notebook computer points to the very reason why I feel now is still not an ideal time for budget videographers to upgrade their studios to high definition.

- This notebook costs more than $3,700.

- This notebook does not support the "HD DVD" format; only "Blu-ray Disc."

When notebook computers like this are available for less than $2,000 with dual-format high definition DVD disc burners, that's when I'll be upgrading.

You forget that the M1710 is one of the most expensive laptops out there, and has been rated the fastest laptop in it's size category. It is not a home usage or even a business laptop - it's a pure gaming laptop. Hence the XPS brand.

Come on, this is the laptop brand that has 4 different sets of LED lights with user selectable colors - in the speakers in the front, in the fans on the side, for the XPS logo on the lid, and in the friggin touch pad.

My main computer right now is an "old" XPS Gen2/M170 laptop. It has a 2.13Ghz Pentium M, 2GB of Ram,a 7800GTX Go, and an LCD panel capable of displaying 1920x1200. The only thing it doesn't have that is better than my main workstation is the fact it only has one monitor. And this laptop is considered *old* - the product line has been out for almost two years now and I know I could watch HD-DVD's on it.

The big thing about the XPS line is that the normal Inspiron line often has the same base components but can scale lower - I wouldn't be suprised to see the Inspiron M1705 sporting blu-ray or HD-DVD very soon at far more reasonable rates.


Hulk - I have an e1405 sitting here. same laptop as the 640m, just a different name. It's a nice little portable laptop. Runs Vista pretty good too. Just has a few driver issues to work out...

[Hulk]

The Dell XPS line is a nice computer, no doubt about it. But I think they *can* be over priced. My last computer was a Dell 4550. I had it from 2002-2006, the longest I ever had the same system. Before that I was building. I tried the Dell and loved the stability and quietness. But the lack of expandability really started to get annoying. The proprietary parts like the motherboard and power supply for example.

I just built a new computer with very good components for $1200 and it is much sytem and performance more than I could have got from Dell at twice the price. I have a solid overclock to 3.2GHz on my Core 2 Duo. Completely stable and unbelievably fast. Plus I have unlimited upgrade options now since all parts are "standard" off the rack.

I am loving the 640m. The Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz is really a screamer.

- Mark