Dell XPS and Inspiron Laptops: a Balance of Features, Performance, and Price...

Choosing personal computers today is influenced by a user centric criteria. These include size, power and graphics, convenience, price, and style. People are opting to buy computers that save on space and can be lugged around for long trips. They want desktop replacements (which perform just as well as PCs, but consumes less space and is portable), and sub notebooks (the new name for the small and ultraportable version of laptops). Among the brands that try to balance features, style, user convenience, and price is Dell.

Shining among Dell XPS laptops is the Dell XPS M1730, one you could say was designed for the gaming masses. With strong SLI graphic, an integrated game panel LCD, a convenient backlit keyboard, this laptop can even let you play media files even without booting to the installed operating system. With its massive hard drive and top of the line video graphics, it's a gaming laptop that's more than a replacement desktop. Dell also offers the new Alienware M17X a superb notebook for gamers with Alienware’s BinaryGFX technology, where users have the ability to switch between discrete or integrated graphics. Also Stealth Mode — While in Stealth Mode, discrete graphics cards are turned off and other components throttle down to achieve a 65W power limit.

If you're going for thin and light and hardly a compromise, go for the Dell XPS Notebooks. The Dell XPS M1530, for example, is a fine one. At 5.7 pounds, it's no Mac Air, but it doesn't compromise of features. It's got an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics and 256MB of video memory, more than what you need for YouTube and just enough for the artist's image tweaking and high resolution DVD playback. It's 4 GB of memory is certainly more than what most of the current no compromise notebooks offer. This thin notebook is good enough as a desktop replacement for most people. But not for the hard core gamers.

Dell Inspiron notebooks are a mix of entry level features and pricing. The Dell Inspiron 15, for example, has been released with improvements after consumers provided feedback on the earlier models. This one sports a thinner and lighter frame, and a 2GB RAM along with Intel Core 2 Duo engine. Not bad, except for the plastic feel.

On the cutting edge of newness are the Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbooks. The name itself gives away what people on the move would use this for: Internet surfing. Weighing only a little above two pounds, and at just ten inches, it looks perfect for pulling out on Starbucks to catch up on a friend's blog, or check out maps, and do some Twitter'ing. It's got editions that run Ubuntu Linux and Windows XP. Dell Inspiron Laptops are just amazing.

So, let's recap. When you're buying a laptop, here's the criteria:-

• Space (you don't want one that consumes your desk, power and graphics (you want to be able to have fun surfing and yet open multiple spreadsheets and applications).
• Convenience (you don't want to spend more time tweaking and fixing your PC than actually using it).
• Price (you don't want to loan a lot or save up for months for it).
• Style (gone are the days when awkward and squarish corners looked futuristic).

Dell does a very good job of offering a line of notebooks and laptops that meet these needs, your needs.