Dell Revs M1710 Gaming Laptop to Core 2 Duo

Dell is revving up its XPS M1710 gaming laptop, plugging in a Core 2 Duo processors, letting users overclock the system, and - hey! - blinky lights!

As part of its Digital Life annoucnements, computer maker Dell revved up its XPS M1710 gaming laptop, running in a new Core 2 Duo processor running at speeds up to 2.16 GHz…and, perhaps under the influence of newly-acquired Alienware, for the first time Dell is letting users overclock the processors for improved performance.

The new M1710s include a Nvidia GeForce 7950 GTX graphics controller with 356 or 512 MB of video memory, a 17.1-inch widescreen WUXGA LCD display (1,920 by 1,200 pixels), a 60 or 120 GB hard drive, 802.11g Wi-Fi, 1 GB of RAM (supports up to 4 GB), gigabit Ethernet, standard DVD/CD combo drive (upgradeable to dual-layer DVD writer), an Express Card slot, a 4-in FireWire port, a whopping 6 USB 2.0 ports, S-video, DVI, and component connectors, and 5-in-1 media card reader. And just to make it cool—or gauche, depending on your point of view—users can customize the new M1710s with Dell-exclusive XPS LightFX technology which can strobe, pulse, and fade the system’s 16-color lights to the beat of a song or to game events like firing, moving, or…well, needing a “new guy.” The systems ship with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Dell says the new M1710’s are available immediately (ship dates say October 31, though) with prices starting at $2,299 with a Core 2 Duo T7200 processor and $3,498 with a Core 2 Duo T76000G processor—and the special edition red case is still available, too.