Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 Notebook - Gaming and Performance
Introduction
Over the past year, it has been interesting to see the emphasis that the big names are willing to put on the "enthusiast" crowd, in regards to notebooks. In the past, notebooks have been targeted towards businessmen and the like. These days, however, the variety is so wide that there is a notebook targeted to just about every niche and need. Consider this: a few years ago there were a handful of names making true blue notebook gaming rigs, i.e. Alienware, albeit in small quantities. But as the gaming generation grows, so does the interest in these powerful systems. So, it really comes as no surprised to us to see Dell and HP joining the fray. The difference is that Dell has really gone after the "enthusiast" gamer, rather than the casual "once in a while" type gamer. This is really seen once you get into the design of their gaming notebook: the Inspiron XPS. Now in its second generation, let's take a more in depth look at this already popular notebook.
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| Processor •_Designed for Intel 90nm Dothan Pentium-M with 2MB On-Die L2 Cache •_Supports 533MHz FSB Chipset •_Intel 915PM/ICH6-M •_Supports maximum memory capacity up to 2GB Memory •_Two 200-pin SODIMM sockets •_Supports DDR2 400/533 Unbuffered Non-ECC memory •_Supports maximum memory capacity up to 2GB Graphic •_256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 Ultra PCI Express x16 ATA • Intel ICH6-M South Bridge: - 1 x ATA 100/66 - 2 x SATA 100/66 - 60GB/80GB/100GB Ultra ATA HDD (all 5400RPM or 7200RPM) - Optical device (CD-RW/DVD-ROM, DVD+-RW/CD-RW) Communications •_Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet •_Intel Wireless 2200BG (802.11 b/g) or Broadcom 802.11/b/g WiFi card •_Bluetooth (optional) •_56K v.92 Fax/modem Display •_17.0" WUXGA UltraSharp TFT LCD (native 1920 x 1200) with TrueLife Audio •_Compatible with AC'97 2.3 •_Built in dual speakers Dimension and Weight |
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Measuring in at 15.5" x 11.3" x 1.67" and with a weight starting at 8.6 pounds (our XPS Gen 2 sample weighed in at about 8.8 lbs.), the XPS Gen 2 is currently the largest and heaviest notebook to come from the design team at Dell and exceeds historical size specifications for past Dell notebooks. Obviously, this is not the mainstream notebook you should be buying if you are just looking to do some word processing or emailing. This notebook has been explicitly designed for the hardcore gamer and multimedia enthusiast looking for a notebook. The reason that Dell is making a big statement with this notebook is...well...because they are Dell. That name alone carries a lot of weight and bursting onto a scene that Voodoo, Alienware, Hypersonic, and others normally occupy is a huge deal when it comes to serious gamers looking to avoid a huge price tag.
