Game on! – Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 Gaming Laptop

Just when you thought laptop gaming had it’s back to the wall, the Inspiron XPS Gen 2, (the Dell equivalent of the Sundance kid) enters the gaming saloon – Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra guns blazing. The release of the Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 gaming laptop, has been eagerly anticipated by the notebook gaming public. That’s because the XPS Gen 2, or XPS2 for short, is powered by an Intel Pentium M 2GHz Processor, and the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra mobile graphics card.

The XPS Gen 2 weighs in at a hunky 8.6 pounds and has a 17 inch UltraSharp Wide Aspect display with TrueLife, which Dell insist offers up to 76% more viewing area than a regular 17inch WXGA+ screen. Dell haven’t skimped on audio quality either, as the Inspiron XPS 2 includes a dedicated subwoofer to give game sound effects more punch and depth.

Dell also allow you to customize your XPS Gen 2 with personalized printed gaming covers, although this option may be aimed at younger buyers, we feel this gimmick is not required. Bottom line is how will the XPS2 perform, and how will that battery last when the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra is at full throttle?

At the time of writing (February 2005) Dell are offering 500 dollars off the price of an Inspiron XPS Gen 2, bringing the cost down to 2,249 dollars. If you’re looking for a new laptop to play the latest 3D games on, (and to use as a desktop replacement) Dell’s XPS 2 may well be worth a look.

Update october 2005! – Dell recently replaced this notebook with the deluxe gaming M1710 notebook.

By Lucy Layman

Friday, February 25, 2005