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As a Dell affiliate, I get periodic emails about new offers and discounts. If you’re in the market for a new laptop or desktop, this is a good time of year to take the plunge.

Dell XPS deals

• $100 instant savings on all XPS One™ purchases
• XPS M1330 notebook only $1399 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling) after $799 instant savings
• XPS M1530 notebook only $1399 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling) after $669 instant savings
• XPS 420 desktop only $1998 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling) after $600 instant savings
• XPS 420 desktop$499 after savings when purchase of 4 yr limited warranty* & 36-mo Trend security for an addl $338.Total price is $837.
• XPS M1330 notebook $599 when you purchase 3 yr limited warranty* and 36-month Trend security for an addl $338.Total price is $937.
• XPS M1530 notebook $599 after purchase of 3yr limited warranty* & 36-mo Trend security software for an addl $338.Total price is $937.

Dell Inspiron coupon codes

• Save $350 on all Inspiron™ Desktop purchases over $999 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling) Coupon Code: DT6M$B97BDKSVB
• Save $300 on all Inspiron™ notebook purchases over $1199 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling)Coupon Code: XJ60HV47FLT0TH
• Save $200 on all Inspiron notebook purchases over $899 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling)Coupon Code: X21$35FPTXHQTB
• Inspiron530 desktop for $99 after purchase of 3yr limited warranty* & 36-month Trend security for an addl $269.Total price is $368.

However, Dell’s new Latitude XT tablet PC seems like a pretty poor value. It’s priced over $1000 more than a comparable Lenovo ThinkPad X61, though it is thinner and has a cool capacitive touch screen.

Save $200 on all Dell XPS notebook purchases over $1499 - coupon code: TQHN5R8KB90DFM.

Save $200 on all Dell XPS desktop purchases over $1499 - coupon code: TQHN5R8KB90DFM
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Dell just officially released it’s monster gaming rig, the XPS M1730. This thing is insane. For $2999 (and up) you get:

• Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom) T7700 (2.4 GHz)
• 17 inch LCD WUXGA (1920 x 1200)
• dual 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8700 graphics cards (running in SLI mode)
• 2.0 megapixel webcam, noise-cancelling earbuds (for the online gaming set)
• a dedicated “AGEIA PhysX” processor for advanced physics rendering
• secondary LCD display, funky space age exterior, running lights

not to mention all sorts of options like twin hard drives in a RAID array and a Blu Ray DVD burner. Notebook Review.com has a preliminary review that has no real surprises; the M1730 is basically an all-in-one desktop replacement and gaming rig, and is not really designed for lugging around campus or on your business flight.

I’ve been flogging the idea that desktop PCs, as a form factor, are obsolete. The trend is towards monster rigs like the M1730, or smaller machines that plug into a desktop environment loaded with external devices. I tend to favor the latter, but that imposes a fundamental performance hit (though external graphics cards can help ameliorate this). Even a beast like the M1730 is still going to be second fiddle to a true desktop gaming rig, but still has enough horsepower to satisfy the average gamer.

$200 off XPS M1210 Notebook: $999 after instant savings. (no coupon code required)

Save $300 on select Inspiron notebook purchases of $999 or more, code: 3WBWBT01KSXPCS | Save $500 on select Inspiron notebook purchases of $1499 or more, code: 05SF554JGRJZSF | $525 off Inspiron E1705, code: C?52LZZM5NRTW5 | $120 off GPS Garmin Nuvi 350, code: 98Z67W$TJXLJB0 | $100 off GPS TomTom GO 910, code: KSPK5D5FG04M39

Save $300 off select Inspiron purchases of $999 or more | Save $450 off select Inspiron purchases of $1499 or more | Playstation 3 units in stock!

Nintendo DS Lite units are now in stock at Dell.com.

Inspiron E1405 with Intel Dual Core Processor, 2GB RAM, 120GB hard drive, and CD-DVD Writer - $799 after $305 off. Coupon code: PZZ0Q3PZF27H1Z

I’d like to ask a question of you, my seven readers. For some time now I’ve had access to coupon codes at Dell Computer for significant discounts (25-40% off, etc) on new systems, especially notebooks. I usually just delete these because I am not in the market for a new notebook until next year. But if there is sufficient interest, I can post them here at Haibane.info instead. If anyone actually used one, I’d get a referral payment of about 5-10 dollars depending on the configuration, which would help with my hosting costs (I’m firmly in the red, I don’t have enough traffic for the google ads to really help. But that’s a price I pay willingly for my enjoyment). However I’d rather not put the codes up and take up space if they won’t be of any potential use to anyone. Your thoughts?

Tom’s Hardware does the legwork. They conclude:

Though AMD has not landed a great coup with the Turion 64 X2, the first 64 bit CPU with two execution units for laptops, the engineers in Dresden and Sunnyvale deserve commendation. They have succeeded in developing a laptop CPU that provides considerably more performance than its single-core predecessor Turion 64, but whose power consumption is the same or only slightly higher.

However, compared to an Intel platform based on the Core Duo and the company’s own GM 945 chipset, the combination of AMD CPU and ATI chipset is inferior in terms of battery time and multitasking performance. Therefore, under equal conditions, it can only be regarded as the second choice - if it is worth getting at all. The Core Duo 2, Intel’s next generation of laptop processors is already at hand, and first measurements show that the Core Duo 2 is even more powerful while not consuming more power.

This is not to say that buying a Turion laptop is a mistake; after all, the laptop decision rests on a number of other axes, including price, features, weight, etc. There is a lot of room for innovation and the CPU performance is not the sole metric by which consumers make their choices. The Turion looks to be a decent chip at a reasonable price, and its presence in the market is a positive thing overall. With Dell already selling AMD desktops and soon to follow with its notebook lines, the new Turion simply means more choice.

Still, it will be fun to see Sharikou’s reaction to these benchmarks He hasn’t posted yet…