I just speced out a XPS M1710 and an Inspiron E1705 with close if not identical spec's and the M1710 can to around 3800 bucks while the E1705 come to about 2350 bucks.  WTF?  Is Dell messing with people hoping they will buy the "new", "bigger", "better" computer without looking at other cheaper options that can be configured the same?  Or am I missing something?
 
I'm also assuming any Core Duo can be upgraded to a Core 2 Duo?  Or do you need to have a certain chipset to do that?

The Inspiron E1705 does not have the fancy video card that the XPS has, If you are very serious about gaming or do 3d rendering/video work then the XPS is the way to go. The XPS is supposed to have very good build quality with excellent heat dissipation unlike many other dells, however the E1705 with the 7900GS should more than satisfy the average gamer.
 
Also dont forget about those ever so important color changing LED's.
 
Im not sure about the upgrade to core 2 duo, according to intel it is possible but thats all i have heard.
 
Check out KillerNotebooks Executioner, Its got everything the XPS has and does not cost as much because it does not have stupid color changing LEDs and other such nonsense. Still waiting for a review on the Executioner.
 
It also has a modular optical drive that can be used for a second hardrive.
 
good luck.

Dont forget the coupons, you can get $750 off the insperon that you can't on the xps.  you can easely mod the 1705 to take a 7900gtx(just remove some plastic around the left vent), but the card cost about 1k and it voids your warrinty.  Meroms have been tested and they work, but it depends on your notebooks bios version. so check first,  Notebookforums.com have some good threads on this subject.

I t all comes down to how much you want to spend. And what you need it for.  Me I would not spend the money dell wants on their XPS. I would buy from Killernotbooks. You save more money.

I also noticed the big difference in price.  I speced out a XPS with the 7900 GS card and T2600 with some extras = $3155
 
Same proc and video card 7900GS on the Inspiron = $2544
 
Same screen, Hd, memory config, OS.  The instant $400 off the Inspiron helps, but there is still a $200 descrepency without the rebate.  It would seem to me that the Inspiron is the better buy, at least as far as I can tell.
 
I was also looking at the Wakizachi, which is about $450 cheaper than the Inspiron, but the graphics are x1600 and the screen is smaller.  Which begs the question, how much better is the 7900gs than the x1600 as far as games go?  
Or, how much of an upgrade is the Excecutioner with its 7900GTX and $400 more than the 7900GS Inspiron?
 
Clint

Check KN web site for the graphic specs. But I think the X1600 beats the 7900GS. The 7900GTX is the top card for Laptops now. Untill ATI releases their X1900XTX.

I can get you 7900 GTX cards with 512 MB for $650.
 
In that price range you should look at the Executioner, which I can get you a Core 2 Duo T7400 for and already has the 7900 GTX w/ 512MB.  
 

I may be interested in that card, once I get school paid for (prolly october).  do you know if its the same one dell uses?  also any chanbce youll be selling core 2s?(once again a couple months down the road)

He allready sells the core2. Now that Intel has released them.

I did a bit of searching and found this ->  
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/sh [...] i=2766&p=1
 
It's comparing the XPS to a go 7800 model Inspiron, so I would assume the 7900gs card with its higher clock speeds would produce numbers somewhere in the middle of the GTX and the 7800

Thanks for all the feedback guys.  Good info.

HardwareBoss,  
 
Did Intel release the T series notebook Core 2 Duo's? I didn't see that.
 
I do have the T7400 Core 2 Duo's right now, yes. They work in the Executioner no problem. i am awainting a BIOS update for the Wakizachi to recognize them.

Don't hold your breath while waiting.

Well right now, my supplier says there is only 2 other notebooks out right now that support Core 2 Duo's w/o a BIOS upgrade. I kind of lucked out with the Executioner.

 
It's even worse...Dell offers two price points for the E1705 with a duo proc. One is advertised as a great deal - offering a free 2GB memory upgrade "A $300 Value!" - most would chose this option and upgrade the proc and possibly the GPU...but beware - the upgrade costs for the less expensive unit are almost twice as much as the most expensive unit. You would actually pay more to upgrade the less expensive unit than the more expensive version. I could understand this if you were talking about two different laptops with different builds - but it's the exact same model! Dell is banking that most will pick the cheaper unit and upgrade accordingly. It's a bit of a sham.
 
E1705 Expensive Model:  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2600 (2.16GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [add $260 or $7/month1]  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2500 (2GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [add $146 or $4/month1]  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [add $49 or $1/month1]  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2250 (1.73GHz/533MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [Included in Price]  
 
E1705 Lower Price Model:
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2600 (2.16GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [add $400 or $12/month1]  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2500 (2GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [add $225 or $7/month1]  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [add $75 or $3/month1]  
Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2250 (1.73GHz/533MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) [Included in Price]  
 
All the other options have a similar spread to this (even the OS!)...sure you could say that's how Dell is making money - by bundling - but just be warned. Cost all models and chose what works best for you economically. Don't trust anyone as it relates to a Dell PC - do the costing work yourself...then call the sales staff with the lowest cost you have in hand and try to negotiate down from there.

Because DELL is a freaking SCAM!  
 
At $2,350 you are so close to an Executionerthat is so much more machine, that you have to ask yourself a question, "Do I feel lucky? - Well... do you punk?"
Chassis  
Executioner SXGA+ 17"
CPU  
Core-Duo 2.0 T2500  
Memory  
1 GB DDR2-533 Low Latency  
Hard Drives  
100 GB 7,200 SATA  
N/A  
Wireless Network Card  
108 Mbps a/b/g/G+ w/ RangeMax Extender and Dual Ant.  
Video Card  
7900 GTX 512 MB  
Optical Drive  
CDRW ComboDrive  
Total $2,555
 
I even have one sitting right here a customer bought, promptly lost his job 3 days later and needs to sell with a 7900 GTX 256 MB, internal t.v. tuner with remote, 2 Gigs DDR2-533, WUXGA 1920 x 1200 res. screen, Dual Layer DVD Burner and carbon fiber gaming skin for $2,7500. Thing can ship Monday! Have it before DELL can even translate your order to Chinese and send it in to their assembly line (unlike their commercial where they pretend they are at least assembelled in America).

Here is a update on what I'm looking at.  They are the Hypersonic Aviator CX7 Duo, the Dell XPS M1710, and the Dell E1705.  Spec's are as follows:
 
System 1:
Inspiron E1705 Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)  
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Professional  
LCD Panel 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™  
Memory 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz  
Video Card 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
Hard Drive 100GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive  
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem  
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0  
Combo/DVD+RW Drives FREE!8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability  
Sound Options Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition  
Wireless Networking Cards Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless and Bluetooth  
Office Software (not included in Windows XP) Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Word, Excel, and Outlook email  
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) McAfee Security Center with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 36-months  
Primary Battery 80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery  
Hardware Warranty 3 Year Limited Warranty plus 3 Year At-Home Service plus Nights and Weekend  
Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months of America Online Membership Included  
Free SKIN Promotion 17 - Free Promotion for 17 inch Skin  
Future Operating Systems Windows Vista™ Capable  
Operating System Re-Installation CD Genuine Windows® XP Professional re-installation CD  
Dell Digital Entertainment Deluxe Entertainment Pack - Starter plus a total Music and Photo package  
 
 ACCESSORIES  
 Notebook Expansion Dock  Qty     1    
  Dell Part# 80370971 Unit Price    $66.00    
TOTAL:$2,047.20  
 
 
System 2:
XPS M1710 Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)  
Operating System (Office software not included) Genuine Windows® XP Professional  
LCD Panel 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™  
Memory 2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ, 2 DIMM  
Video Card 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GTX
Hard Drive 100GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive  
Network Card and Modem Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card and Modem  
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0  
Combo/DVD+RW Drives 8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability  
Sound Options Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition  
Wireless Networking Cards Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless and Bluetooth  
Office Software (not included in Windows XP) Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Word, Excel, and Outlook email  
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) PC-cillin Internet Security: AntiVirus, Firewall, Spyware removal 15-months  
Primary Battery 80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery  
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support  
XPS Specialized Support Inspiron XPS, Specialized Support  
Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months America Online Internet Access Included  
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service, Support  
Future Operating Systems Windows Vista™ Capable  
Dell Digital Entertainment No preinstalled software  
TOTAL:$3,507.00  
 
 
System 3:
Aviator CX7 Duo: High Performance 17" Centrino Duo Gaming Notebook - Qty: 1  
Aviator CX7 in Silver with Tinted Brushed Aluminum Cover - Qty: 1  
1.83GHz Intel® Core Duo Processor T2400 / 2MB Cache/ 667MHz FSB - Qty: 1  
Intel® 945PM chipset + ICH7M Mobile Motherboard (CX7-Duo) - Qty: 1  
1024MB Mushkin PC5400 DDR2-667 SODIMM - Low Latency (5-5-5-15) - Qty: 1  
1024MB Mushkin PC5400 DDR2-667 SODIMM - Low Latency (5-5-5-15) - Qty: 1  
Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX PCI-Express 512MB GDDR3 - Qty: 1
100GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Hard Drive with NCQ & 8MB Cache - Qty: 1  
8X DVD ± R/W Drive Dual Layer w/ DVD Recording Software - Qty: 1  
17" WUXGA 1920x1200 VividView™ Display w/ Super Clear Glossy Surface - Qty: 1  
Built-in High Definition 3D Sound System for CX7 - Qty: 1  
Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Controller - Qty: 1  
Internal 802.11A/G 54Mbps Wireless Mini PCI for CX7 - Qty: 1  
Internal Bluetooth™ Module for CX7 - Qty: 1  
Integrated V.92 56K Fax/Data Modem - Qty: 1  
MS Windows XP Home Edition CD & Manual SP2 Pre-Installed & Configured - Qty: 1  
Custom Hypersonic Disaster Recovery DVD (Recommended) - Qty: 1  
1 Year Platinum Warranty with 24/7 Toll-Free Tech Support - Qty: 1
TOTAL:$2,713.00
 
So here's the deal, according to this review http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/sh [...] i=2766&p=1 the E1705 and M1710 are vertually the same computer if you add some options to the E1705.  The review makes it look like the M1710 is a better machine in the end but the E1705 they tested had 1G of ram while the M1710 had 2G.  The E1705 was also tested with the 256MB 7800 while the M1710 had the 512MB 7900 GTX.  The only thing you can't get on the E1705 is the 512MB 7900 GTX but is that really worth 1,500 more then the 256MB 7900GS which is what I spec'd on my E1705.  Here is a compare of the video cards tested and spec'd.
 
Tested 7800 vs 7900 GTX:
http://www.gpureview.com/show_card [...] &card2=393
 
Spec'd 7900 GS vs 7900 GTX:
http://www.gpureview.com/show_card [...] &card2=393
 
So basically they are all the same other then video cards, which, will all be obsolete in 6-12 months when Vista rolls out. Correct?  Anyone see any reason to spend 700-1500 dollars more?  I bet in a month after the release of the Core 2 Duo for notebooks and with Dell's ficsal year rebates the E1705 will drop another 400-500 bucks....what ya think?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B [...] 39?ie=UTF8
 
Similar specs to the Dell, better price.  Check it out
 
If you wanted to jump up to a 7900gtx I'd go with an Executioner.  I wonder if  KN would put a 7900gs in an Executioner?