Dell m1730: The Gaming "Beast"

The XPS M1730 gaming notebook—the machine othe development team used to call "the beast"— is one of the best gaming laptops ever.

Here are the main features that makes it "the beast":

1)It supports the latest Intel processors, including the Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor overclocked to 3.2GHz (Bin+2).

2)It supports dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT graphics cards in SLI mode.

3)All models come with a bright 17" Ultrasharp 1920x1200 display with a 7ms response time.

4)It's the first notebook in the world to support AGEIA PhysX 100M mobile physics card.

5)It supports two hard drives in a RAID 0 or 1 configuration

6)It's the first notebook that integrates Logitech's GamePanel LCD, which displays stats and in-game details for a growing list of game titles.

7)It also features a full-sized backlit keyboard that has a 10-key number pad..

Decimate the competition with the enormous power of Dell’s XPSTM M1730, a mobile gaming powerhouse which pushes the boundaries of performance with cutting-edge technologies.

Before buying this laptop, check out one of the top contenders, the Alienware Area-51 m15x

Alienwire Area-51 m15x: The fastest gaming laptop

Get ready to enjoy the ultimate gaming bliss!

With unparalleled performance, top-of-the-line components, Blu-ray playback, HDMI out and a new power-saving option, the Alienwire Area-51 m15x is probably the fastest gaming laptop as of now.

The two key components are the 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000 mobile 'Penryn' processor and GeForce Go 8800M GTX graphics chip, both of which pack a punch and also bump the price up to stratospheric levels.

As can be expected, the 8800M will drain the battery when they’re working at full tilt during a game, but it’s a different story when you’re surfing the web or writing emails as the power saving features in 8800M are surprisingly effective.

Thanks to the backlit keyboard, touch-pad border, logo, alien head, and screen border, the m15x looks nothing short of a well-lit Christmas tree (but note that the backlit keyboard is a $50 add-on). The Alienware Command Center is a software app used to control the lighting, and you can assign different colors to every section or use one color across all the lights. Unlike Dell's XPS M1730, the lights won't strobe or flash, but the backlit keyboard is especially cool, and it's good for accurate typing in low-light situations.

The 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,920x1,200 native resolution, something that is found in the highest-end 17-inch systems (most 15-inch laptops have 1,280x800 resolutions). A real treat to the eyes for watching Blu-ray movies via the optional Blu-ray optical drive, as well as for cranking games up to the highest resolution possible. Text can look tiny at such high resolutions on a 15-inch screen, but never mind.

Here are the main technical features:

Processor: 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000
Memory: 4GB DDR2
Storage: 200GB hard drive; 320GB removable hard drive
Optical Drives: Blu-ray burner/DVD±RW
Display: 15.4-inch TFT
24e1 Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX (512MB)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium

To talk about the few issues, the laptop has a bland, flimsy case design with some awkward touch controls/mouse. Also, some reports have come from users saying that the laptop gets overheated quickly. So, make sure you get to thoroughly check the downside before fishing out your money for the best gaming laptop.