This high level of performance allows for regular office work, multitasking, multimedia and HD video applications to run at a high speed. This Dell XPS L701X battery is adequate for professional video editing and other high performance tasks. It also supports quite well games such as “Call of Duty 4”. This laptop is ideal for users who demand high speed performance.
Dell takes advantage of the slightly thicker rear of the chassis to house other ports, too. The gigabit ethernet port lives here, as do two digital video outputs: one HDMI and one mini-DisplayPort connector. You'll find no VGA port, we're happy to note.
XPS L701x is designed to be the loudest, clearest and cleanest laptops on the planet with built-in high-fidelity JBL speakers and Waves MaxxAudio® technology. Together they produce rich, full sound that delivers booming bass and razor-sharp clarity to your favorite movies, music and games.
I’m not going to make some half assed attempt at trying to justify why customers in the UK get shafted as opposed to customers in the USA. It’s been happening for years, and not just by Dell. The USA get cheaper prices, and more features. For example, I know you can pick up a backlit keyboard option for the whole range of Dell J70W7 battery for just $15 extra. The option doesn’t even exist yet in the UK, and it would have been something I would have definately gone with, because I do spend a lot of time typing in the dark, or with hardly any light on. That being said, the nice thing about the Dell XPS range is the fact that the parts are easily interchangable.
The GT 445M scores a little over 10K on 3DMark 06 at 1280x1024 on a bone stock machine. Vantage gave me a weird garbled screen, so I don't have any results for it yet. The chipset used is HM57, and memory is by Hyundai, but that might be different according to current stock at the factory I guess. The HDD on the lower right is the one I added in myself, the other one was factory installed. This machine also has 4 slots for DDR3 So-Dimm RAM. Dell XPS L701X battery delivered with an i5 processor have a different motherboard with only 2 slots. You can easily reach the RAM and HDD by removing a single screw on the bottom of the Dell XPS L701x.
However, what immediately catches the eye about the 17.3in XPS is its unapologetic bulk. With a starting weight of over 3.4kg and dimensions of 415 x 287.3 x 32.8-38.5mm, this laptop takes its role as a desktop replacement seriously.
The Dell XPS L701x's audio quality is impressive. Music playback is quite listenable, sounding fairly accurate and transparent, even when audio enhancements were disabled. Stereo imaging seems a little vague, but the JBL-designed speakers even deliver reasonable midbass content, though real bass was still absent.
This resolution allows the user to browse a website and skype at the same time, with the two windows open next to one another. High resolution video and picture editing might be problematic, while graphic design and low resolution editing are trouble-free. Gamers will need to afford a powerful graphic card to be able to support the native resolution. Most movies will be viewable with no black bars at the top and the bottom of the monitor.
Opening the XPS L701x up reveals a matt black screen bezel, which should make quite a few people happy. While the keyboard surround and palm-rest area are constructed from another single sheet of aluminium, this time it's in a brushed black finish matching the rest of the interior. Though fingerprints will be visible here, it's nowhere near as bad as something like Dell J70W7 battery, and is a small price to pay for the quality feel and solidity when resting your hands on it.
The clarity of the sound is still ok at this level. While demanding audiophiles will think of it as a disaster, the rest of us will find the sound experience provided by this laptop satisfactory when watching movies or playing games.
Speaking of price, it would cost you $1,149 to configure a Dell laptop like our review model - not too bad for a premium unit equipped with goodies such as discrete graphics and a Blu-ray ROM/ DVD+/-RW combo drive, enabling high-definition playback of Blu-ray movies with the included PowerDVD 9.6 software. The only difference is that Dell XPS L701X AC adapter (tested by our colleagues at PC World US) comes with two hard drives, an option which appears not to be available in the US.
Powerful graphics. Powerfully smart. The XPS L701x laptop has what it takes to take you to new levels of performance.
So far then, we're very impressed with Dell's new range. Unfortunately, the L701X's 17.3in screen is where we come across our first real disappointment. Dell still needs to differentiate its highest-end XPS Studio line, and one of the ways it has done this is by limiting the 'vanilla' XPS L701x to a maximum display resolution of 1,600 x 900. While this will be plenty for the vast majority of users, it can be a major caveat for those hungry for more desktop real estate. Because of this, sharpness isn't quite as good as on Full HD screens either, though it's certainly adequate for most and the lower resolution does make viewing small icons and text easier.
This Dell XPS L701x will be considered by most users to be on the heavy side. You might find it best to only move this notebook under exceptional conditions and use it as a desktop replacement. You will definitely notice the heavy weight when putting the notebook on your lap. If you factor the extra weight of the Dell XPS L701X charger, carrying around this computer will tire you, even if your praise yourself to be in good shape.
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