Dell laptops aim to game

Gamers need both performance and panache. Dell, in its continuing effort to attract the younger PC crowd, introduced a flashy new notebook Tuesday that features both. The XPS M1710 has the horsepower needed to stay afloat while playing demanding games, with Intel's Core Duo processor and Nvidia's GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics chip. Its predecessor, the M170, used Intel's single-core Pentium M processor.

The new notebook looks a bit like the XPS M170 but is available in either black or red. The Special Edition Formula Red model costs more than the Metallic Black notebook, but it also comes with a faster processor and 512MB of memory dedicated to the graphics processor.

Dell has stepped up its pursuit of the gaming market over the last few quarters with the introduction of its XPS line. Gamers tend to splurge on tricked-out systems beyond the needs of average PC buyers, making them a more profitable and highly coveted customer. Dell recently increased its investment in the gaming community by snapping up boutique PC vendor Alienware in a rare acquisition designed to boost Dell's standing in the gaming community.

The Metallic Black M1710, priced at $2,600, contains Intel's Core Duo T2400 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, and a 60GB hard drive. The Formula Red model, which will be available in the US and Canada only, has a T2500 processor, an 80GB hard drive, and a $3,400 price tag. Both notebooks feature Microsoft's Windows Media Center Edition operating system.

More detailed specifications are available on Dell's Web site.