My system: 2.4G core 2 duo, 4GB memory, 7200 rpm HD, ATI 4670 w/ 1GB video memory, RGB LED display.

Gripe 1 (Achilles’ heel and the deal killer)

The biggest problem with the 1640 is it’s horrible thermal design. It cannot handle the ATI 4670 (or probably even the 3670) and they should have never offered this type of graphics solution in a thin suffocating chassis with poor airflow. Let me explain: Air intake is on the bottom of the chassis and there is only one fan. Both the CPU and Video card heat pipes actually join in the same area where the single fan attempts to remove heat. The exhaust is blown out thru vents on the back of the chassis. However, the 16″ display panel when opened blocks this exhaust vent!! Seriously? Yes seriously!

The result: When web browsing and doing other routine stuff, the system gets pretty hot to the point where just touching the mouse pad gets a bit uncomfortable. When gaming, forget it. You can run about 10-15 minutes with the fan running full blast before the system overheats and begins to throttle back… way back and this is on a flat cool surface where airflow is optimal. Don’t even think about putting this thing on your lap. Game over… literally.

The XPS 16 will have a short lifespan due to its poor thermal design. The heat will cause stress fractures to occur in solder joints over time due to expansion and contraction. If you use it regularly, expect this thing to last between 12 and 24 months before a hardware failure occurs. This may be the only product I’ve ever owned where it actually may have made sense to buy an extended warranty. But I sent it back

In contrast, my previous generation Dell e1705 with the Nvidia 7900GS has separate fans and heat pipes, one on each side of the chassis. Air intake is on the sides and blown out the rear. The panel when open does not block the vents. You can set it on your lap or on a pillow on your lap or on the couch and run demanding games without worry of overheating.

Gripe 2

The highly vaunted RGB LED display. I read nothing but glowing reviews about how *stunning* this display was. What a MAJOR disapointment this thing is! First off, there is horrible LED bleed along the sides of the screen which, among other things, means it can’t reproduce black, not even close. Best it can do is a very uneven dark gray. To add to the problem, Dell chose to put glass in front of the panel (to make it sexy of course) which reduces its ability to reproduce black even further. It can’t reproduce white either. White has a horrible ‘burnt blue’ tint to it which is somewhat common with LED backlights. I can live with the white, but not the black.

So it can’t reproduce black or white very well at all. On the plus side, the LED display is BRIGHT and crisp and most people are immediately hypnotized by this. Supposedly (according to the reviews), accurate color reproduction is it’s strength but this isn’t my area of expertise. But quite frankly, the 17″ 1920×1200 CCFL backlit panel on my Dell e1705 is superior IMO.

Gripe 3

The finish. OMG, like a finely polished chrome bumper, this thing is a fingerprint magnet only chrome bumpers don’t get ham fisted 10 times a day. I knew that going into the deal but still was not prepared for how bad it actually was. Back in the olden days, shiny black plastic was used only for prototypes before the nice ‘textured plastics’ were put on. Apparently not any more. You can’t even open the lid on this thing without putting a thumbprint on the screen.

Notebooks are meant to be ‘handled’. And they get handled a LOT. Use this thing just one time and it looks horrible. You always feel compelled to wipe it down… but it’s futile. Forget it.

Recommendations:

If you are going to buy an XPS 16, don’t use it for gaming. Get the lowest graphics solution (which is I believe is still the powerful heat generating ATI 3670) with the least amount of video memory. Get it in *white* not black. As for the screen, get the 1920×1080 but don’t pay the xtra bucks for the RGB LED. The WLED will probably perform just as bad for less money. The 1600×900 will look like lego vision so don’t even consider that resolution unless you are elderly. And last but not least, if you must waste money on this thing, waste a little more and buy and extended warranty.

I hate to bash Dell cause I’ve always bought their systems and own their stock. But a bad design is a bad design. All companies have their share of them. Can’t really recommend an alternative gaming notebook (altho I was considering the Sony Vaio) since I haven’t owned any of the current generation from others. However, for a gaming notebook, I would roll the dice next time with Alienware as they seem to be focused on producing good designs in this category. And they are owned by none other than Dell.