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Dell XPS 15 Review
Product Summary
Ready for a bulky beast of a computer that has some serious power under the hood? Dell’s got you covered. You’re not going to be carrying this laptop around town (unless you’re looking for a workout), but if you’re okay with staying at your desk and doing some high-speed gaming, browsing, and computing, this computer will more than do the job. With its beautiful picture, rockin’ sound system, rocket-fast processor, and bottomless pit of a hard drive the Dell XPS 15 delivers in every area—except looks.
The Features
First think, “What do I want to use my laptop for?” If the answer is to flash around town getting impressed looks from jealous computer owners, then move on now. If the answer is watching videos or gaming on a large, beautiful screen, keep reading. The XPS 15 has a 15.6” LED HD display with TrueLife technology and a stunning maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The clarity is truly astounding. Do you want to use your computer for high-speed browsing, downloading music or videos almost instantaneously, or for a multi-tasking extravaganza? Try on the XPS 15’s Intel i7 quad-core 2 GHz processor with a turbo boost of up to 2.9 GHz. This is a processor that can handle just about anything you’re looking to do with a laptop. In fact, it’s the best processor out there. Period. You want storage? XPS 15 has storage and memory. It comes with a whopping 8GB of RAM and 750GB of storage! Holy moly that’s a lot of storage. Hope you’re hosting a week-long movie marathon from your laptop’s hard drive, because that’s the only way you’re going to use that infinite amount of space. For your networking needs the Dell XPS 15 comes with integrated Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 wireless networking, and supports Ethernet LAN. For sound, it’s the top of the line. Quite possibly the best in the business. Video is up there as well. With its NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M graphics the XPS 15 makes it a joy to view all types of media. The operating system does not disappoint either. Windows 7 Home Premium Edition will help you stay organized and float you around your interface with intuitive ease. Take pictures or chat with friends and family using the integrated HD camera, or watch a BluRay disc using your BluRay rewriteable DVD drive. What about outputs you say? The Dell XPS 15 comes with ports for HDMI, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MSXC, and has two USB ports (one that is a USB and eSATA combo port). The price is not as low as some may like, but for these features a starting price of $799 is not too shabby at all.
The Design
The design is just something you’re going to have to overlook on this computer. It’s unfortunate that Dell didn’t find it necessary to style the XPS 15 to be a little more attractive, but it would appear they were busy loading it down with other specs. The XPS 15 is bulky; there’s no way around it. 15” wide, 10.4” deep, and 1.5” thick is big. And at 6.7 lbs, it could be used as a dumbbell for some of us desk-jockeys. The giant battery protruding from the bottom doesn’t help its image either; nor does the flat metallic exterior casing. The backlit keyboard is a nice touch though. And did I mention the screen? The screen is very nice. Very, very nice.
What Users Say
Users of the XPS 15 love the performance. They say the battery life is tops, the features are “awesome,” as are the screen and graphics card. Users wish, as we all do, that the design was not so bulky and that the XPS 15 could drop a few pounds, but most were happy to over look these negatives and focus on the clarity of the display, the high quality sound system, and the ridiculously powerful processor.
Final Thoughts
If you travel a lot with your computer, buyer beware, this is not the most portable laptop out there. However, if you are a strapping young lad, or use your laptop mainly from the comfort of your home office (as I do), have a look at this computer. Have more than a look; seriously consider buying this computer. $799 is a little on the high end for a PC, but next to pretty much any Apple device, this still looks cheap, and is as good or better in every area compared with the MacBook Pro. This is a great computer at a reasonable price that goes over and beyond to fulfill you highest expectations for buying a new laptop. So build some arm muscles, acute sense of style aside and buy this laptop.