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Dell XPS M1730: SLI with added PhysX

The chaps at Dell have just announced what could be the greatest ever gaming laptop. The XPS M1730 is the first to feature a dedicated PhysX card

Rory Reid

The chaps at Dell have just announced what could be the greatest ever gaming laptop. The XPS M1730 is the first to feature a dedicated PhysX card alongside a pair of Nvidia SLI graphics adaptors. What we're saying is: it does for graphics what Deborah did for Dallas.

For those not in the know, the Ageia PhysX Accelerator 100M is designed to handle complex physics processing in 3D games. It leaves the CPU free to focus on other tasks as it processes collisions, particle effects and all manner of other graphical niceties.

The XPS M1730's 17-inch screen can be cranked all the way up to 1,920x1,200 pixels, so you can enjoy 1080p 'Full HD' -- an unusual feature for a portable PC. Driving games at this resolution would need a hefty graphics solution, so it's no surprise to find twin GeForce Go 8700 GS cards are an option. Oh, and you can get a ludicrously fast Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 CPU and 4GB of RAM, too. We forgot that bit.

It's littered with other features. There's up to 500GB of disk space (or an optional 32GB solid-state hard drive) and optional Blu-ray drive. There's even a front-lit keyboard like on Lenovo laptops, HSDPA mobile broadband, and four different colours: black, blue, red and white.

It's available now from £1,479 from the Dell site. You pretty much have our blessing to buy one, but you can bet your bottom dollar we'll review it soon. -Rory Reid