Is the new xps 15 too big for a college kid?

I love the specs on the new xps 15 but it seriously doesn't seem portable at all...and it totally reminds me of the g73...large and strictly meant as a desktop replacement...for those of you buying them, what do you think? And what are you primarily using them for?

 

i have a xps 16 and i am in college. i can tell you it's heavier than I expected. BUT... it's not really a big deal when you walk around campus. To me 5 pounds difference between say... a macbook and a dell laptop isn't really that big, and I am not strong at all.

 

there's two things to consider: weight, and physical size. do you mind carrying around something 6+ lbs across campus? as for the physical size, that's kind of a "am i willing to lug something this large around campus?" question. some people like a 13", others want a 17".

regarding your original question: it shouldn't be a problem. i use my SXPS16 at work, so that means lots of walk-and-talks with it under my arm, and walking to and from the bus stop every work day. a little bit like campus, and i don't think it's too bad. then again, my pack is a 37L pack with a steel frame, complete with several load bearing features. so for me, neither weight not size are issues.

hasn't been that long since i've had to lug a laptop across campus (2 years), but i only had a 14" HP back in my last year of university. i did a lot of research work and tended to leave my stuff back in the lab. that said, i think 15" (or really, 16" as some prefer) is the "largest" size that a student should get. at 6+ lbs it becomes ungainly large if you have a lot of end-to-end walking across campus. however, if you get a good backpack it should not be much of a problem.

i don't know about your college campus, but i would replace the AC adapter's detachable cable if i were you (the 3-prong side). at least with teh SXPS16, that part of the adapter is far too short, and may not reach an outlet based on where you are sitting. i went ahead and replaced it with my HP's old cable, and now i get at least a good 6+ foot reach from wall to notebook.

 

I'm interested in your pack, please more info!!

 

don't want to go off-topic, so i PM'd you about this

 

Yes, it is way too big! Trust me I went through 4+ yrs of college with a 15" Dell laptop and regretted it. When you add that beast + 9-cell battery + AC adapter + all your books you're going to end up breaking your back. The XPS 15 is great but it's a desktop replacement.

Either get a desktop or a 17" for the dorm and a netbook for notes in class/studying -- or get a 13" notebook. I recommend the former if you have a little extra funds.

 

Unless the kid does bodybuilding or plays football it might be quite cumbersome after a while. The performance is good though.

 

I am currently going to college with my Studio XPS 1640. I would not trade it for anything else. The 16" size is perfect for everything I do. I really don't find carrying the laptop difficult at all. Carrying my books is more difficult than the laptop.

 

You need to give more info. How often do you want bring it to class? How far away is class? Do you bring it other places (library)? Do you have a desktop also?

Even then it's a matter of opinion. Mine is that using a laptop with a screen smaller than 15.4 inches as your primary computer is just too small.

 

If you plan on bringing i around you cant have a messenger bag. Trust me it hurts! and with added weight from ur books, dont even think about it. I have the sxps 1645 though. definitely get a backpack and you should be fine.

 

Well I brought my desktop to college (gaming rig), and right now I have a U52F-BBL9, the dimensions are 15.4 x 10.4 x 1.3 inches ; 6.4 pounds and i have no trouble whatsoever carrying it around day to day. But from the pictures of the xps 15, it looks extremely large. :



I mean that really puts it in perspective right there.

In the past 2 months i've owned this asus i've constantly had trouble so i just want a solid, macbook esque laptop, but since something like that is non existent (excluding the envy) this is the next best option, especially with the 1080p option.

My classes are spaced out so battery life will always be a non issue, and my quad is literally 5 minutes away from the lecture centers so weight isn't an issue either. But i guess it's just the principle. If this thing really is as large as it looks, i'm not sure if i want it anymore

My roommate has the studio 15 and a friend of mine has the 16 and it doesn't look big really (unless you count the 9 cell). Are they similar in size?

Also, does anyone know why they discontinued the studio xps laptops?

 

i think they discontinued the Studio XPS line due to several poor design flaws. i am sure you've read about the throttling problem, and the placement of the heat vent (blowing air on to the screen). otherwise, the unit is really quite an amazing machine.

excluding the 9-cell battery, the new XPS 15 is basically the same size as the SXPS 16 (15.15"x1.34"x10.02"), and is about 1" wider than the Studio 15 (14.6"x1.0"x10"). the 9-cell will add to the unit by about 1 inch.

i think you should base your decision on whether you really need a new notebook. your Asus is pretty decent as it is, but seems to lack a dedicated GPU.

do you play games? do you already have a console or desktop for gaming?

if you live so close to your lectures, then i think the XPS 15 is not big at all. my friend, being a bit of an idiot and a fanboy, bought a 17" Macbook and had to drag it to campus every single day for at least 3 years. he had a 3-hour transit ride - each way! - to and from campus. and my friend is by no means a line backer, so i think you would do fine.

if i may be so brazen as to say that you don't need a new notebook unless you want one with a dedicated graphics card.

 

I'm mainly getting a new laptop because I severely overestimated the HD graphics. I guess people were right; it's really only for video playback. Also yeah, I do have a desktop with me but i'd also like an in between device that has versatile performance. The U52F, in my opinion is really unbalanced. It's got great power...but only in one direction (processor). With a 460m, you'd expect some type of discrete graphics.

And if i do go down the route of buying a new laptop, what do you think of the envy 14? Especially now without the radiance display? I've read benchmarks stating that the ATI 5650 is slightly more powerful than the 420m included in the base price of the xps 15. So technically, having that 1080p screen would be a disadvantage if i wanted versatile performance, right?

Also, I guess i've been brainwashed by those here with large resolutions...part of me is really interested in what's so special about 15.6" panels with a 1080p. I assume it'd be a gigantic jump from 1366x768 but is it really that big of a deal? Most of the time i full screen whatever i'm doing anyway. I see where the benefit of having windows side to side comes from but if i were to get the envy, (or even 13x76 xps 15) should i consider small resolutions deal breakers? I guess it'd also feel insulting...since the 13" macbook air has a resolution of 1440x900....

S o for those of you who don't want to read my essay responses, i guess my main problem is :
1. I want something that looks sleek, stylish, has versatile performance, within the range of a normal sized laptop
2. The envy is the first laptop that comes to mind but the resolution seems to be a deal breaker...and i'd like to see what's so great about larger resolutions
3. XPS 15 is the next choice but it looks relatively large in comparison to what i'm looking for (macbook look, or something thats similarly thin)

 

your Asus seems much more tailored to the business minded who don't need it for anything but business, but your comment is equally justifiable - you were hoping for more out of the HD graphics. you just didn't know

i think the Envy 14 is pretty good. it's also pretty pricey. i don't know anything about benchmarks between the GPUs, but honestly i don't think there will be that much of a difference between them. you'll at least be able to play most games at Medium settings on 1600x900 resolution.

as for the 1080p resolution, i'm starting to have problems with it. recently i've become spoiled (by my standards) and begun using 3 LCD panels at work (2x Dell 22" LCD + built in 16"). all three panels are 1080p resolution, but the notebook's screen is just so "small" that text is really very small on the WLED. i can't set the DPI to 125% otherwise everything else in Windows 7 is enlarged when I don't need it.

though that's just my opinion/problem.

1. I think the XPS15 is a very good package: size, performance, price
2-3. If looks are your think, the Envy is a better choice. The Envy in my opinion is the best Macbook lookalike competitor (priced like it too!), with good hardware within.

 

Hey thanks for the advice. I think i'm going to go for the XPS 15.

 

hold yer horses there. might want to get more opinions from the others. i'm just one person on the interwebs with an opinion. better to gather more and figure out what's what from there.

you may want to poll the HP subforum for Envy 14 users, see what their rants and raves are for that particular model. get an idea for both the Envy 14 and the XPS 15 (though the latter may be a bit harder since it's newer). best have an informed decision than an impulsive one.

 

It's part of a marketing shakeup to clean up their brands and put a renewed focus on XPS as an upmarket performance line. Thus Studio XPS is making way for the improved XPS 14/15/17.

link: Dell marketing makeover simplifies brands, kills off Adamo altogether -- Engadget

 

Ehh.. What the..

Too big? What are you talking about? It's a 15", it's MEANT to be portable, and that's what it is. Seriously.

Anyways, I'd recommend you the XPS 15 as well. Just because it's best specs for least bucks.. And that's what it's all about right? The reviews of this laptop are very good as well.

 

Seriosuly? Are you saying that from experience of owning one of these for some time now or just by looking at it?

Portability was the whole reason I ordered the 14 over the 15. I'm a student too, but I need it to be portable as it will be used to DJ in clubs with, and from reviews including the Cnet one, they all said the 15 was too big to be carried around.

Are you saying the 15 is in fact light and small enough to be portable?

 

a six and a half pound laptop is extremely portable, if you have nothing else to carry around. Otherwise not so much, in my opinion; anything over 5.5 isnt meant to be carried around daily. that said, the usb 3 does make the 15 somewhat more tempting

 

Just like machiz said, those laptops are extremely portable. Not like 17" laptops which are not that portable.

Too big to be carried around is a no.. There are pictures and videos all over the internet, it's just the same as any other 15" laptop, which, are portable. It can easily fit into a backpack (I'd put the laptop in some kind of sleeve and put it in my backpack together with my other stuff). I'll receive the laptop tomorrow and take it with me to college every day so I'll give you a heads up , but I'm sure it's no biggie at all.

 

Haha damn, the 14 was already ordered last week. I thought I made the right choice on 14 vs 15. Noooooo

 

don't be so sure. most packs will definitely fit an XPS and its AC adapter, on their own. but when you have to throw in other stuff like a sweater and jacket, water bottle, and a notepad or two, you quickly run out of room in most conventional backpacks.

perhaps though, packs these days are designed with laptops in mind. but from my experience, you would be better with a "tall" pack so that your pack's zippers can completely close around the corners of the notebook. i've seen people with Dakine packs that were too small and wouldn't even fit a Macbook Pro 15".

 

I'm using a similar backpack to this one, a very "basic" backpack:
http://www.startfitness.co.uk/uploads/images_products_large/37350.jpg

And 15" notebooks do fit in there, together with a notepad (or two), water bottle, food and a jacket.

Going back to the actual subject, I don't think the 14" would make a difference on that part anyways.

 

My experience is that 15" laptops are a pain in the butt to carry all day, every day. Your mileage may vary but I've spoken to a lot of people who feel the same way. Once you start having a discussion about steel-frame backpacks and weight-distribution systems to carry your comp....I think that point becomes clear.

Anyway now that you can get netbooks for $300 and great 13" laptops like the Macbook 13 or Asus U30Jc (even the notorious iPad) ...I question why anyone would burden themself unnecessarily with something heavier. Apple has shown us the future: lugging around 15" >6lb laptops is the dark ages man. Your kids are going to laugh at you if you ever show them the huge beast you had to carry to class every day (and you can tell them how hard life was back in 2010.) In fact kids from the iPod generation might already be laughing at you about that.

There's also the question of battery life. The XPS 15 gets a tad over 3hrs in typical use with the 6-cell. The two laptops I just mentioned above are more like 8hrs. It is a real pain to go to class with your heavy laptop AND heavy AC adapter and then proceed to spar with 10 people over 2 AC plugs. And then everyone tripping over everyone else's wires strung over the aisles and floors like a christmas tree. It's kind of funny really.

 

Funny, but has nothing to do with the point .
My experience is that 15" laptops can easily be taken with you to school every day, without any complaints about a heavy backpack or anything. But that's just compared to what I'm used to I guess, taking a 20 lb backpack to my former school every day, full of books. The laptop I'm taking with me to my new school right now is just nothing.

Because many people don't like the OS Apple puts on their laptops. And same goes for the price, compared to the specs you get.

I personally don't want to do my designing work on a 13" netbook/laptop. And I haven't spoken anyone yet who feel the same way about the pain they go through by taking a 15" laptop with 'em every day.

It's all just a personal thing I think, everyone's opinion differs about it! Sorry for kinda "attacking" you in that first reply of mine though .

 

I have no probs taking a 15" laptop to campus everyday. If you have a problem carrying 7 lbs of laptop + AC adapter and a couple notebooks you should probably hit the gym or hit up a doc. It seriously isn't as difficult as people make it out to be.
The dark ages are full size textbooks, all of my textbooks can be had in digital versions. So if there is a chapter I need to review, I can pull it up anytime.
I hated pulling up my Powerpoints and .pdfs on a 13" screen, high resolution 15" screens are much easier to work with.
Personal preferences is what it boils down to.

 

I think it also comes down to what other stuff you own.

For me I am sitting on my 5 year running 20" monitor desktop - have never owned a laptop before and watch movies / tv etc on the tv in the family room.

So for me I suppose it seemed more sense to get something that fit into the range of what I had, no point getting something big thats almost like whats on my table already.

So many people I know go out and get laptops they never end up using after a few months when the novelty wears off, because they were too big. The few people I know using 13" or 14" have not complained.

I think 14" for me was a good choice. Especially coz of the club work it will be used for. I did lose out on USB3.0 though, that is my biggest gripe. But then again I've never complained about transfer speeds over the last few years, so should be right

@sprtnbsblplya. I completely agree. Personal preference. The 14" I got is purely a toy, slightly coz i hate burning CDs all the time, but mostly just coz I wanted a new toy. IF I did not have a desktop and was going to be using the laptop for uni work I would have thought twice about the bigger screen. It comes down to portability vs usability

 

I have no problem carrying around my 15-inch MacBook in my backpack. But of course, it's much thinner and a pound lighter than the Dell XPS 15...

 

screen size be damned. like everybody else, i would say it's personal preference.

is the OP even here anymore?

smart of you to get a backpack large enough.

at least around Vancouver, fashion and design trump anything else for whatever reason, and i hear needless complaints from people that their bag isn't large enough for even a 15"-er. just making sure that people have packs large enough to fit

i also agree that weight is not a problem. that said, it can be a problem in that messenger bags with a 10+ lbs load may cause shoulder/back problems for some people. just make sure your pack, whatever style, has been designed for good weight distribution - take care of your backs!