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Artwork: Rick Rizner, Chris Manners
Dell Inspiron E1705
- Spec Navigator
- Processor
- Memory
- Display
- Storage
- Battery
- Dimensions
- Other Features
- Networking
- Multimedia
- Software
- Interface Connections
- Included Devices
Storage
| Total HD Size | 100 GB |
| Optical Drive Type | DVD+R DL/DVD±RW |
| Removable Optical Drive | No |
| Slots |
|
| Number of Media Slots | 3 |
Battery
| Number of Included Batteries | 1 |
| Standard Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Type of Batteries | Lithium ion |
| Vendor Rated Battery life | 304 hours |
Networking
| Bluetooth | No |
| Included network card | Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) |
| Modem Type | V.92 |
| Wireless LAN Type | 802.11g |
Multimedia
| Video chipset | nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GS |
| Installed video memory | 256 MB |
| Video integration | Discrete |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Laptops »
Pros
Excellent graphics performance
Cons
Big and heavy
Bottom Line
This solid-performing multimedia entertainment notebook turned in some of the best mobile graphics results we've seen.
Dell Inspiron E1705
Inspiron E1705 Review, by Carla Thornton April 28, 2006
Dell's first dual-core offering is both a workhorse and a multimedia star. It isn't cheap--our review unit cost $2949 as of March 27, 2006--but no other notebook in its class does a better job of providing instant entertainment on a 17-inch screen.
Equipped with a 2-GHz Core Duo T2500 processor and 1GB of RAM, the Inspiron E1705 earned a superior WorldBench 5 score of 97. To help you make the best use of your down time, the new E line (which includes the E1505, with a 15.4-inch wide screen) features Dell's one-touch MediaDirect button. With the notebook off and without starting Windows, you can press the button once to watch a DVD movie or to access videos, music, or photo slide shows stored on the hard drive, an optical drive, or a USB key or memory card placed in the five-in-one media reader. The only option that the E1705 lacks is instant-on live TV. To watch TV, you first have to launch the Windows Media Center Edition operating system.
At the time I looked at the E1705, it had the best graphics card Dell offered--a top-notch nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GS with 256MB of VRAM--and it showed in our gaming tests. (A new flagship gaming notebook alternative, the Inspiron m1710, should be available in April with an nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX card.) The E1705 finished first in all but one of our game tests, with results such as 98 frames per second in Doom 3 at 1280 by 1024 resolution and 32-bit color, with antialiasing turned off.
The E1705 will turn heads with its cream-colored trim and bright blue LEDs. At 8.2 pounds and with a 3-hour battery life (using the $79 nine-cell battery), it's a friendly travel partner.
The E1705 can be configured with up to 100GB of storage, and it comes with a whopping six USB ports, along with a cutting-edge ExpressCard slot and a DVI-D port for the latest flat-panel screens. This port isn't compatible with analog monitor adapters, but the unit includes a legacy VGA-out port as well. My one complaint about the design is that the DVD burner's eject button is flush with the case and hard to locate by touch.
It's something of a pain to keep track of Dell's external TV tuner, a USB unit slightly larger than a pack of playing cards. But because it's external, you can save a bit of travel weight by leaving it behind.
For people who plan on using an E line portable to replace a desktop, Dell sells Kensington USB 2.0 docking stations customized for Dell notebooks. A simple port replicator costs $79 and a better one including screen stand is $129.
Carla Thornton
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
-
91
-
78
-
74
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Laptops
91
69
44
66
Performance
| ACD Systems ACDSee | 616 |
| Adobe Photoshop | 324 |
| Adobe Premiere | 453 |
| Ahead Nero | 589 |
| Battery Life (Office Applications) | 3:04 |
| Discreet 3ds Max DirectX | 274 |
| Discreet 3ds Max OpenGL | 291 |
| Doom 3, 1024 by 768, 32-Bit | 98.43 |
| Far Cry, 1024 by 768, 32-Bit | 120.37 |
| Microsoft Office XP | 561 |
| Mozilla | 453 |
| Musicmatch Jukebox | 507 |
| Number of Included Batteries | 1 |
| Roxio VideoWave | 275 |
| Windows Media Encoder | 302 |
| WinZip | 384 |
| World Bench 5 Score | 97 |
| World Bench 5 Word Score | Superior |
WorldBench Tests
| World Bench 6 Multitasking | 538 |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Dell Inspiron E1705
2 Reviews Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 2 reviews
-
Reviewed by: trevormarsh
Duration of ownership: 4 Months
Strengths: Once I returned the first one the new one works great. It is very easy to work on as well as play games. Clean layout. Nice true life 17" display.
Weaknesses: 1 Gig of ram not enough with Vista. Get 2. My first E1705 was junk. Returned it 2 weeks after I got it. The new one has been great. More problems with Vista than the computer.
Overall: Not as heavy as my Inspiron 8100 & yet bigger. I like the "True Life" display. Rich! Keyboard layout takes some getting used to. Very high up in the footprint. Battery life is poor. Bad problems with the first one. Driver issues and video card problems. Should have got Nvidia graphics. ATI is ok. Sound is average. Paid for the upgrage but not impressed. Overall a good machine.
-
Reviewed by: globalcross
Duration of ownership: 3 Months
Strengths: Powerhouse/ functional deisign/ great screen/
Weaknesses: After 6 weeks crash of harddrive, video card and motherboard.61/2 hours on phone with TECH Support/ offered to replace it with a refurbished one. Had to complain for another 2 hours 2nd tier support/ FINALLY said would have a Tier 3 support call tommorrow to see if they can replace the system with a new one.....will let you all know. As a Doctor....I could have bought a new one with the hours I lost.
Overall: If it works...it is great.
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