Dell Inspirion 1720 Laptop Review - Page 2 of 3

Conclusion – The farmer in the Dell

As I stated at the beginning of this review, I searched high and low for a laptop that would give acceptable performance in modern MMORPGs without requiring that the game be run all in low graphics settings, and without breaking the bank. In addition, I wanted something that would allow me run games using DX10 in the future. Sounds like something that would be easy to find, right? Not really.

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Again, as I stated earlier, at the time I put this laptop together on the Dell website no other major laptop manufacturer had the GeForce 8 mobile series available in their configurations. Even Dell's own XPS line did not have them. What's more, Alienware – now owned by Dell – did not have them either. The only other manufacturers I could find that allowed you to choose the GeForce 8 series were iBuyPower and CyberPower. Judging by the fact that both companies have an incredible amount of negative feedback floating around the web, I decided that Dell was the clear choice for DX10 support.

Even aside from the DX10 issue, the Inspiron 1720 was the clear price leader. As configured, this laptop showed a price tag of about $1800 (as of the time of this writing, the closest configuration to this one shows a price tag of $1730.) Dell is almost always having a sale, and when I configured this laptop it was on sale for $250 off the final price, for a total price of around $1650 (as of the time of this writing, this Inspiron's closest match is $1474) However: A quick search with Google will almost always net you a coupon for at least $300 off Inspiron laptops. (When I configured this one, there was a valid coupon for $350 off the total price. As of this writing, I could find one for $325 off any Inspiron.) The coupon does not combine with the sale, but the coupon almost always offers greater savings than the sale.

So, the total price for this laptop as configured was just about $1550. HP, Acer, IBM – none of these companies offered anything close to the performance configuration of this laptop within this price range. A quick check with Alienware, ABS, and Falcon Northwest showed that a similar configuration – albeit with DX9 compatibility only – was at least $1200 more expensive. In Alienware's case, almost the exact same configuration with a 17” widescreen monitor, using a GeForce 7950 instead of the 8600M, was over $2000 more expensive, leading me to believe that they overcharge for the name brand and a fancy enclosure. (Granted, the 7950 is, overall, a faster graphics card.)

Also, I put together a 15” Inspiron 1520 with the exact same components that ended up costing $10 more than the 1720. Save $10, get a numpad and get a bigger monitor in the process? You bet!

What I think of it:

I am very satisfied with the Inspiron 1720. Not only can I take my MMORPGs on the road with me (or to the in-laws' house...), but I can play my favorite shooter games as well. Granted I can't crank the graphics up all the way in everything like I can on my desktop, but I didn't expect to be able to. The goal was a sub $2000 (actually as close to $1000 as I could manage) laptop that would allow me to play MMORPGs without totally turning off all the graphical goodness. The Inspiron is all that and then some. Not only can I play without everything turned off, but I can play a lot of games with most of the goodies turned on and/or cranked up pretty high. The 17” widescreen and the numpad were added bonuses allowed by the extremely low cost of the Inspiron line.

The keyboard is nice and firm on this laptop. In fact, I would compare it to the Razer Tarantula in feel, rather than a normal laptop keyboard. There is no flex, unlike a normal laptop keyboard. The keys feel very solid, and they are nice and responsive.

The screen itself is gorgeous. In fact, it makes me wish my Dell desktop monitor came with a glossy coating. Colors are vibrant and rich, and there is no visible ghosting in fast paced games.

There are a few negatives, of course. I wouldn't be much a reviewer if I didn't point out the bad as well as the good. The Inspiron 1720 runs hot. When gaming, the bottom reaches a temperature akin to the outside of a coffee mug containing a steaming hot latte. It probably won't burn you, but you wouldn't want it sitting directly on your lap for long either.

As I mentioned earlier, it's heavy. For a laptop, 8 pounds says desktop replacement to some people, not airplane entertainment. Of course, that's all a matter of opinion, as I cart this puppy back and forth with me every day, take it on all my trips, and the size and weight don't bother me at all.

Battery life: Actually, this isn't much of a negative, since all laptops tend to burn through battery power when gaming. Playing games, the average life of the battery was about 1 hour and 45 minutes. That's pushing it, as I usually called time when the laptop shut itself off due to lack of power. Casually browsing the internet or using office programs nets around 3 hours and 30 minutes of battery life. Basically, you want to keep it plugged in unless you absolutely cannot find a power plug. (Like when you're eating your snackwraps at lunch and hogging McD's bandwidth so you can explore Azeroth, instead of filing those TPS reports...) All in all, I'm happy to be using the Inspiron 1720 for my mobile gaming needs.

Who I think can benefit the most:

Let's face it, not everyone feels the need – or can afford – to take their games everywhere they go. But for those people who want to be able to, and who don't want to sell their children into slavery, the Inspiron 1720 is a great choice. It's also a good desktop replacement for someone who is looking to play MMORPGs, but doesn't want a desktop system sucking up all the room on their desk.

You can give those gaming boutique laptop retailers over $2500 just to get a laptop that performs exactly the same as the cheaper Inspiron line. Take the extra money you save and buy your significant other something nice, so s/he doesn't kill you for spending all your time ignoring them in-game.

Conclusion:

Buying a gaming laptop is patience trying experience, and it can cost a lot of money. The Dell Inspiron 1720 makes for a good, lower cost alternative to a high end specialty laptop, and gives excellent performance for the money.

I give the Dell Inspiron 1720 9 Dudes! Out of 10.

Head over to Page Three for more detailed information on the laptop's hardware!