Laptop will keep gamers happy

The XPS is massive and powerful by the standards of most laptops.
By MATT SLAGLE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
The new Inspiron XPS laptop from Dell Inc. aims squarely at video game players.
Similar to products from rivals such as Alienware Corp. and VoodooPC, the so-called desktop replacement packs a wallop in just about every way: performance, weight, appearance and especially price.
Gamers with deep pockets will find this 9.5-pound beast to deliver excellent performance. Non-gamers wanting portability or good battery life, however, should look elsewhere.
The XPS is massive by modern laptop standards, measuring 14.1 inches wide, 10.8 inches deep and a portly 2 inches thick.
The $3,279 price tag would be equally daunting, if not for the impressive components: a 3.4 gigahertz desktop version of the Pentium 4 processor, a gigabyte of fast memory and a 60-gigabyte hard drive.
With ATI Corp.'s new 128-megabyte Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics chip, the XPS also surmounts the biggest shortcoming with most laptops I've used for gaming: speedy graphics.
Putting it to the test
For a real test, I played several games that have pushed my other computers -- desktops included -- to the limit.
"Deus Ex: Invisible War," a three-dimensional sci-fi video game whose performance I previously dismissed as shoddy, loaded fast and ran smoothly on the XPS. It was like playing a different game.
The XPS also blazed through more mundane tasks such as word processing and Web surfing.
All that power drained the machine's lithium-ion battery in about two hours, even while doing menial tasks such as Internet browsing. For best performance, I wouldn't bother playing games without access to an electrical outlet.
The XPS also produced a lot of noise. To keep the top-shelf parts from overheating, internal cooling fans occasionally whirred like a hair dryer during prolonged game sessions.
To compensate, I cranked up the system's excellent stereo speakers. The bottom part of the case looks like a separate docking station, but it's actually a subwoofer, which added some extra oomph.
The laptop comes with a crisp 15.4-inch display, a bit of a disappointment. For the lofty price (and the occasional DVD movie), I expected a 17-inch screen, which I've seen on similarly hefty models from Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Despite its integrated Wi-Fi for roaming Web access, I suggest you find a permanent place to use the XPS. Even with the included backpack, this monster is too much of a burden to tote around.
The XPS has integrated Bluetooth, though I've yet to own a cell phone or other device that would actually make use of the short-range wireless technology.
Dell should, however, be commended for addressing a well-known issue with gamers and nongamers alike -- pre-installed software bloat.
My stripped-down XPS came loaded only with Microsoft's XP Professional operating system, programs to burn and play CDs and DVDs and several basic Dell utilities to manage battery life and Wi-Fi.
I was relieved to see such a sparse collection. From a gamer's perspective, all those software extras only sap resources better devoted to the games I'm playing! Of course, you can opt for the extras through Dell's build-to-order Web site.
Packaging
In an added touch, the silver and black-toned machine I tested had a picture of two human skulls on the back side of the flip screen, just above a Dell logo. I suppose a 14-year-old gaming junkie might say it "rulez," but I thought it was ugly.
Dell offers a more conservative metallic look as well as some really out-there designs in red and green hues.
If Alienware, VoodooPC and their ilk are the Ferraris of computer makers, then Dell's XPS laptop is one those pricey new GT supercars from Ford. Sure, it's domestic, but it's got more than enough horsepower to keep up with anything on the track.