With the new XPS M170, Dell continues its dominance in the gaming laptop category. Replacing the company's high-octane XPS Gen 2 model, the extremely powerful XPS M170 gets some new components, most notably Nvidia's latest mobile GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256 3D graphics chip, though the case design and features have not changed. In addition to the new GPU, our fully loaded $3,642 test configuration was equipped with an Intel 2.26GHz Pentium M processor and 1GB of RAM--all of which resulted in a nice performance gain over the previous model.

At $3,642, our Dell XPS M170 test unit was quite expensive, even for a gaming machine. Still, our machine came richly configured with Intel's top-of-the line 2.26GHz Pentium M 780 processor, 1GB of fast PC 4200 DDR RAM, and a big 100GB hard drive spinning at a speedy 5,400rpm. The laptop's 3D graphics were handled by the new, top-shelf Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256 chip, which boasted its own 256MB of discrete memory. Though this chip will soon become widely available, it's currently exclusive to the XPS M170.

We gave the XPS M170 a full workout, and it burned our benchmarks to ash. Its SysMark 2004 performance was on a par with high-end mobile gaming rigs equipped with desktop CPUs, such as the VooDoo M790 and the HP zd8000. Further, the XPS M170 dominated in our gaming tests, thanks to its state-of-the-art graphics chip. It turned in a jaw-dropping 87.5 frames per second on our demanding Doom 3 3D benchmark test--significantly ahead of any other laptop we've seen so far, including the previous XPS Gen 2 model. In our battery drain test, the XPS M170 lasted for 145 minutes, about the same as the XPS Gen 2 and not bad for a desktop replacement.

Though Dell has moved to a 90-day warranty on its less expensive models, the company covers the XPS M170 with an industry-standard one-year warranty, which provides free parts and labor with mail-in service. For a $3,642 notebook, we believe that Dell should offer a longer support contract; and the upgrades are fairly pricey: a four-year warranty with at-home service, which Dell recommends, costs about $340. You can get help through Dell's 24/7, toll-free telephone line for as long as you own the laptop. Dell offers a special tech-support number exclusively for XPS owners, staffed by reps who can provide help with the latest games and technologies. The company also has a support Web site with downloads, FAQs, and hardware-specific user forums.

System configurations:

Dell XPS Gen 2
Windows XP Professional; 2.13GHz Intel Pentium M 770; 1GB PC4200 DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Go 256MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K80 80GB 5,400rpm (SysMark 2004), Fujitsu MHT2080AT 80GB 4,200rpm (Doom 3)

Dell XPS M170
Windows XP Media Center Edition; 2.26GHz Pentium M-780; 1GB PC 4200 DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256MB; Fujitsu MHV2100AH 100GB 5,400rpm

Toshiba Qosmio G25
Windows XP Professional; 2GHz Intel Pentium M 760; 1GB PC 3200 DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 128MB; (2) Fujitsu MHT2060BH 5,400rpm

Voodoo Envy m760
Windows XP Professional; 3.4GHz Intel Pentium 4 560; 1GB PC4300 DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; Nvidia GeForce 6800 Go 256MB; (2)Fujitsu MHT2080BH 80GB 5,400rpm

Ratings explained
Design: 8
Features: 8
Performance: 9
Service and support: 6

Verdict

The good: Excellent game performance; top-shelf processor and graphics engine; illuminated case; lightweight for a gaming machine; good multimedia features; full assortment of ports and connections.

The bad: Expensive.

The bottom line: Powered by a top-shelf processor and graphics engine, the Dell XPS M170 is one of the fastest and slimmest gaming machines we've ever seen.