Dell XPS M1730 gets a major graphics boost

Darius Chang | May 14, 2008

When we first reviewed the XPS M1730, its dual Nvidia GeForce 8700M GT graphics engine took gaming benchmark scores to new heights. As possibly the first SLI laptop in Asia, it truly deserved the title of extreme gaming rig and won our Editors' Choice award.

So how can you improve an already fast machine? Make it faster, of course. Dell is now offering the high-end dual Nvidia GeForce 8800M GT video cards for an extra S$960.86 (US$706.51) to the starting price. It may seem steep, but with a score of almost 13,500 on 3DMark06 (as tested by our US labs), this monster will eat even the most resource-intensive games for lunch and still have room for dessert.

There is one small thing, though. Dell's MediaDirect 3.3 software is not compatible with the Nvidia GeForce 8800M GT drivers. As such, upgrading to the new graphics card means losing pre-boot entertainment features. Dell is working on an update to the application but, according to its engineers, will require the user to reformat and reinstall the entire operating system. Hardly an elegant solution but that's the price to pay for an extreme gaming experience.

Filed under: Notebooks
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