Dell Inspiron E1705

The Dell Inspiron e1705 is a 17" widescreen notebook and the first Inspiron to be released with the new Intel Core Duo processor. The "e" in e1705 stands for "Entertainment", with various media features available, fast Core Duo processor, a generous amount of ports and the option for a high-end graphics card in the form of the nVidia Go 7800 the e1705 certainly can be a lot of fun.

Dell e1705 17" screen notebook

An important note on the e1705 is the fact that the Dell Inspiron 9400 sold via the Dell Business site is the same notebook as the e1705 offered through the Dell Home online store. The only difference is that the Dell e1705 offers Windows Media Center Edition as an OS, along with an external USB TV Tuner option. Prices and offers may vary between each Dell online purchase channel, so you'd be wise to configure and price similar notebooks on each site to see what the better deal is at the time you order.

That note aside, let's focus on the Dell e1705 under review, the specs for the notebook in hand are the following:

Specs of the Dell Inspiron e1705 Being Reviewed:



* Processor: Intel T2500 2.0GHz Core Duo


* Motherboard Chipset: Intel Calistoga i945GM/PM


* Hard Drive: 100GB 7200RPM SATA (Hitachi TraveStar)


* Memory/RAM: 1GB (1,024MB) Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (667MHz)


* Screen: 17.0" UXGA TrueLife (1900 x 1200 pixel resolution glossy screen)


* Graphics: nVidia GeForce Go 7800 256MB


* Optical Drive: DVD +/-RW with DL DVD+R write capacity


* Battery: 9-cell (standard size 6-cell, 9-cell extended life optional)


* Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (802.11 a/b/g)


* User Input: Touchpad


* Dimensions: 15.5" x 11.3" x 1.6" (Width x Depth x Height)


* TV Tuner: Optional external USB TV Tuner with remote control upgrade for $104


* Weight: 8.1 lbs


* Ports:


o 6 USB 2.0 ports


o IEEE 1394 (FireWire)


o Digital Video Interface (DVI-D)


o VGA out (monitor out)


o S-Video Out


o RJ-45 (Ethernet LAN)


o RJ-11 (56-Kbps Modem)


o Audio line out for headphone/speakers


o Microphone





* Slots:


o 5-in-1 Multi Card Reader (MS, MS Pro, SD, MMC, xD)


o 1 ExpressCard 54 slot





* Buttons:


o Power on/off


o Volume up/down/mute (3 buttons)


o Media buttons (play, forward, back, stop)


o Battery charge test button


o Battery lock and release





* Price: about $2,200 for given configuration (as of time of review e1705 prices range from $999+ depending on configuration and current Dell.com site offers)