Dell Inspiron e1705 with nVidia 7800 Graphics Review (pics, specs)

The Dell Inspiron e1705 is a 17" widescreen laptop that can be classified as a desktop replacement. Itwas one of the first Inspirons, behind the e1505, that uses Intel's Core Duo. The e1705 acts as an entertainment machine which comes with Microsoft Media Center installed. Upgrading the video card to an nVidiaGeForce Go 7800 (256MB)puts this laptop among the class of being a gaming notebook.

Dell Inspiron e1705 (view large image)

Configuration of my e1705

• Processor- Intel T2300 1.66GHz Core Duo
• Hard Drive- 60GB 7200RPM SATA
• Memory- 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (533MHz)
• Screen- 17.0" UXGA TrueLife
• Video Card- Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 256MB
• Optical Drive- DVD +/-RW with DL DVD+R write capacity
• Battery- 53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
• Wireless- Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card (54Mbps)User Input: Touchpad
• Dimensions: 15.5" x 11.3" x 1.6"
• TV Tuner: None
• Weight: 8 lbs
• Ports:
  o6 USB 2.0 ports
  oIEEE 1394 (FireWire)
  oDigital Video Interface (DVI-D)
  oVGA out (monitor out)
  oS-Video Out
  oRJ-45 (Ethernet LAN)
  oRJ-11 (56-Kbps Modem)
  oAudio line out for headphone/speakers
  oMicrophone
• Slots:
  o5-in-1 Multi Card Reader (MS, MS Pro, SD, MMC, xD)
  o1 ExpressCard 54 slot
• Buttons:
  oPower on/off
  oVolume up/down/mute (3 buttons)
  oMedia buttons (play, forward, back, stop)
  oBattery charge test button
  oBattery lock and release
• Price: $2,100 before coupons or shipping and handling

Reasons for Buying:

I was looking for a cheap laptop with a great graphics card that could run Windows Vista in the near future. The e1705 does exactly that.

Where and How Purchased:

Purchasedvia Dell.com and used a $750 Dell coupon.

Build & Design:

Dell e1705 closed lid above view (view large image)

Similar to the earlier Inspiron 9000 series, the e1705 has a mostlysilver coating with a magnesium alloyfeel to it. The Dell logo in the center is quite small, smaller than I expected based on pictures I had seen. The whitetrimming along the edge is the color of that of a white iBook / MacBook. Although this notebookis not slim in comparison to say a slim model Samsung, it certainly still is minimal compared to some of the largerHP laptops I've used.

The construction of the e1705 is not made out of flimsy plastic. The hinges and screws have gone through certain "Road Ready"tests performed by Dell to make sure the laptop lasts a long time. Dell claims to use a magnesium alloy construction on the lid and bottom of the notebook for extra protection, but the magnesium alloy hasn't stopped my cat from clawing it! From what I hear the hard drive has an anti-shock system and that the case is solid enough to protect from falls,however I have never actually dropped my laptop to test this.

Dell e1705 right side view (view large image)

The greatest thing about this laptop that Ilike is the screen. Unlike some iBooks I've used,the laptop screen does not wobble when I'm in the car nor does it fall downwhen I turn it upside down. Designed to replace a desktop,I see no reason why this laptop wouldn't last just as long as a durable desktop machine.

Left side view of the e1705 (view large image)

Screen

Mye1705 isequipped with the UXGA TrueLife screen,other configurations can be had with the WXGA+ screen. The UXGA screen is great. The widescreen allows you to openmultiple applications, this is great because I love to play Counterstrike Source and surf the web at the same time. The native UXGA resolutionof 1900 x 1200 should not be changed or the words and screen will become blurry. Notebook screens are always viewed best at their native resolution. The only down side for the UXGA is icons and text onweb pagesappear very small. I heard a lot abouta light leakage problem with the e1705but with the UXGA screen I have no such problem. Due to the resolution and the widescreen display some games are stretched out, but if you're not paranoid it won't affect your gaming. If you run the game in a window it should be fine.

Speakers

The e1705 speakers are not its greatest strength. Although being loud,their quality is not that of a movie theater for sure. As a gamer it's easier to use headphones than it is to use the internal speakers.The e1705on board sound quality is still better then that of an onboard speaker for a desktop system though.

Processor and Performance

Gaming on the e1705 (view large image)

For mye1705 configuration I have a Core DuoT2300 processor running at1.66 GHz.. Its performance is fantastic!With theCore Duoprocessor combined with the 2GB ofRAM in my systemit is powerful enough to play Counterstrike Source while watching a video on media center. Opening applications is alwaysquick. I have never had a problem with speed and everything seems to open as I click it. The main reason I had bought this laptop was for gaming and that is exactly what it does well. There are two main settings for graphics that I have experienced. If I plug the power cord into the outlet I get higher FPS, almost by 4x. I tried out two games, Halflife 2, which uses Direct X, and Doom 3 which uses OpenGL. It seems that Halflife 2 pulled out greater FPS and better performance than OpenGL but altogether it was pretty close. The test I ran was at a resolution of1024 x 1280 getting around 40-50 FPS. Consider getting a 7200RPM hard drive, it helps a lot with performance.

Valve's Steam asviewed on the e1705 screen (view large image)

More gaming... (view large image)

Benchmarks

The following benchmarks were garnered using factory Settings - look above for configuration of the laptop.

SuperPi

Super Pi is a program that forces the notebook processor to calculate Pi to 2-million digits of accuracy. The e1705 took 1m 14s to calcuate this value with its 1.66 GHz Core Duo processor, here's how it stacked up to other notebooks:

Notebook	Time
Dell Inspiron e1705 (1.66 GHz Intel T2300)	1m 14s
Dell XPS M1210 (2.16 GHz Intel T2600)	1m 11s
Dell Inspiron 710m (1.7 GHz Pentium M)	2m 04s
IBM ThinkPad T43 (1.86 GHz Pentium M)	1m 45s
IBM ThinkPad Z60m(2.0 GHz Pentium M)	1m 36s
Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 (1.73 GHz Pentium M)	1m 48s
Dell Inspiron 6000D (1.6 GHz Pentium M)	1m 52s
Dell Inspiron 600M (1.6 GHz Pentium M)	2m 10s
HP Pavilion dv4000(1.86 GHz Pentium M)	1m 39s
Asus V6Va(Pentium M 1.86 GHz)	1m 46s
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 18s

HD tune Results

(view large image)

Everest Benchmarks

Memory latency (view large image)

Memory Read speeds (view large image)

Memory Write speeds (view large image)

Heat and Fan

The heat for the e1705 is not as big a problem as its DVD noise. I'm not saying that its DVD noise is loud and obnoxious, butthe heat is just not really evena factor. Whenever I am surfing the web or dealing with simple applications the bottom does not get hot and I am able to still keep it on my lap. When I game on my laptop its bottom does start to become quite hot, but not so hotit will burn you. Besides, most everyone does gaming with the notebook on a desk or table anyway.

Input and Output Ports

The e1705 comes with six usb ports, 6 in 1 memory card reader, Ethernet adapter, headphone jack, microphone, and both a digital and analog device.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Keyboard and touchpad area on the e1705 (view large image)

The keyboard for the Dell e1705 is not terrific, but it will do. Its buttons are a little small for my liking and its easy to hit the wrong key. But there is no problem with flexing and its buttons push down with ease. What I don't like in the design is thatits hard to adjust to the wide empty space and the overallthickness of the keyboard. Sometimes my wrists get sore from the amount I have to elevate them to use the keyboard, and if you're doing business constantly on this laptop at home I advise you to buy an externalkeyboard and mouse. Thetouchpad of this laptop is like every other, it comes with side scroll bars and the program that Dell bundles to configure it is great. Although I don't use the touchpad often I still like its ability tonavigate and clickaccurately. When I first bought the e1705 I didn't know that tapping thetouchpad acts as a mouse click, ifyou want to change this it can be changed by going into the touchpad options and turning it off.

Battery

Despite my conscience saying otherwise,I stayed with the default battery 6-cell. The upside to a 6-cell battery is that it is lighter then the 9-cell . The battery, on average, lasts for 1.5 hours and when the battery gets low the wi-fi turns off and brightness decreases. Getting a 9-cell battery isn't that bad of an option if you want longer batterylife whenaway from a power outlet. The charging time is quite fast,it can charge within an hour from empty.

Wireless

The laptop's wireless card consists of a Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card (54Mbps). Its pickup is amazing, if your neighbors forget to close off their networks it is easy for the e1705 to detect.

Software

The e1705 comes with Windows XP Home Edition Service pack 2 along with Windows XP Media Center. Dell usually chucks a bunch of freeware with its productsso I just went to the Windows add/remove programs featureand uninstalled a bunch of unnecessary software / freeware. The great thing along with this laptop is the MediaDirect software in which you are able to quickly start-up andview or listen to media without booting into Windows XP

Service and Support

Unlike many others who claim Dell has exceptionally awful customer support, I had actually a great time with its services. Although I have not used it for my e1705,I have used Dell support for my Delldesktop. Let's just say Dellsolved my problems with great support in the past.

Conclusion

Dell's Inspiron e1705 is a great desktop replacement notebook with tremendous features and agreat display. Waiting for a coupon code that works for you would certainly make this laptop a very good purchase. This laptop easily can be used as a business, gaming, or media machine which cranks out both insane graphics and unmatchable speed.

Pros

• 17 inch display
• Great duo core with 2 gigs of ram
• GeforceGo 7800 is a must for any gamer.
• Design
• Price

Cons

• Weight, Size
• Battery life
• Some times crashes at startup

Other Dell Inspiron e1705 Reviews from NotebookReview.com

Dell Inspiron e1705 with ATI X1400 Graphics Review (pics, specs)

Dell Inspiron e1705 Review (pics, specs)

 

Excellent review! Thank you.

 

How would this graphic card compare to the 7800gs AGP in my desktop

 

Great review!

Jackyz your 7800GS is much better then the 7800Go. Even it is AGP, it is the fastest AGP card out there. So no doubts about that one.

Charlie-Peru

 

I just can't buy a dell anymore. The overall quality bothers me everyime I use the laptop

 

which one do you have?

 

Nice review - looks like a decent machine, but I think it's time for Dell to rethink the housing for their machines. Boring colors and meh build quality = it's time for a change.

 

I'm curious too agni.

Very nice review, I'm glad it's working well for you.

 

I had a dell inspiron 1100. I just couldn't take it anymore. Keyboard key comming off, loud fan, heat !!!. I had to donate it. The build quality was horrible. Now I'm buying IBM z61t. I'm spending close to $2000 but I think I will be happy, instead of cursing everyday.

I have nothing against dell. But it's time for them to build some quality laptops even if means little expensive.

 

That's a really old model, isn't it?

They have improoved somewhat since then, I myself am typing on an old Dell, I need an upgrade badly, i have to tilt this thing up about 30 degrees and run a table fan on high to keep it cool. Otherwise, just playing a movie full screen makes it go over 85c. Well, said movie was using divx to play, the newest divx player isn't exactly old machine friendly either...

The laptop this review is on is actually built very well, magnesium case, which is rare on such a low priced laptop.

Besides, Dell caters to the cheap, mostly, it does however have more expensive business lines and luxury (XPS) lines that have not quite lenovo, but excellent build quality for the price.

 

I think the notebook design is what you have to settle for with Dell's prices being what they are. It doesn't have a glowing apple on the back of it you know! Decorate/improve yours yourself; that's what I did. Check the photo.

 

Good review ,

I see its almost the same old 9300 with improved CPU/GPU , Dell should upgrade other parts as well including the outer shell design , heres whats I like to see :

1. more screens options with better quality not just res .
2. improved speakers & subwoofer .
3. improved heat & noise if they can .

A stylish case , not flashy just not those white bumpers around , something simple and understated would be fine . Nice job on the modding but if you do that you probably void your warranty .

Quality wise most of those notebooks should last no more then 2 years anyway , thats why I don't buy pricy premium notebooks , they become outdated ( for gaming ) even before the warranty expires .

 

"cons: Some times crashes at startup"

Could you explain a bit more?

My friend has a dell inspiron 6400 that crashes at least once whenever we get together for a big LANing session. Is this a problem with (new) Dells generally?

My old inspiron 510m is slow and bulky but it doesn't crash as much as these new duo core notebooks

 

Very creative

And I'm not exactly saying that Dell start wrapping their laptops in fingerprint attracting glossy plastic (AARRGH a clean freak's worst nightmare), but I'd love to see a darker matte finish instead of the bright and shiny grey plastic.