XPS 15 vs XPS 15z

Hey everyone,

Just had a quick question with the new release of the XPS 15z. I like to game on PC pretty often and I was wondering which model would be better for that? I like the 15z design a lot and price isn't a huge issue to me. Is the XPS 15z capable of running the same games an XPS 15 can?

I would be looking at the model with the i7 processor.

Thanks

 

Sure, the GT 525M is the same card as GT 540M, only that the former has a slightly higher GPU frequency (672MHz vs. 600MHz).
Bear in mind that the i7 that comes with the 15z is only a dual core and therefore, not comparable with a quad core in heavy CPU applications.

 

Thanks for the quick response. As someone that doesn't know too much about computers, will the lack of quad core be a major issue? I hope to play games like Starcraft 2/League of Legends/Diablo 3 when it comes out/etc.

 

blizzard games tend to be more cpu intensive, so yes it'll make a difference.

 

But can their games utilise multi core CPU's? Many can't and many games benefit from a faster Mhz clock speed than a spread of 2 or 4 core CPU's

 

IMHO ...XPS 15Z is much more sexier.
XPS 15 however has much more options to get the CPU/RAM/GPU as you need...
- Screen is the same (too bad it s glossy!!), i would pick the 1080p
- Design of 15z rocks, you have to see, the aluminium chassis looks is great.
-keyboard ok here i prefer the one of the XPS 15...(no pagedown) Why dell?
- Gpu (i m not convinced by the 3 go, i m sure 1 go is enough).
-Sound XPS 15 is a winner with 5* quality sounds.

At the end, it depends how you really use your computer and what you want to do with it, for a pro use i would take the XPs15z, for a personal use gaming, and fun, well the XPS15 is a wonderful laptop!

 

The screen is NOT the same.

 

Aside from the obvious design differences, the XPS 15 has the following advantages over the 15z.

XPS 15 has a slightly better 1080p screen because it is B+RGLED therefore resulting in a higher color gamut. It also has better speakers because they are JBL and most importantly, has a subwoofer. For some reason, Dell decide to downgrade the webcam on the 15z to 1.3mp vs 2.0mp on the XPS 15. And finally, there have been some reviews that the 15z could have some heat issues due to its smaller form factor.

Admittedly the XPS 15z was created with aesthetics in mind, however, I wish Dell went all the way and went with a unibody frame if they were going to copy the MBP. I think if they did that and included all the features that I mentioned the XPS 15 has, I would hop on the 15z in a heartbeat.

 

Some heat issues?


Thats 2.2Ghz instead of 3.2Ghz you get when you put the same processor in the xps 15.

And that is without dust.

 

Heh if you want to game you are already choosing the wrong notebooks.

Get the dv6, and add the 6770m (miles ahead of the gt 540m), and the i7 2630qm, all this with a 25% off coupon, coupled with a FHD screen, that is supposed to be the same as the one in the xps, however using the matte finish, thus of more quality

 

Not a single HP (except the envy 17 with 3D screen) is available with 1080p screen in Holland... only the xps 15(z), xps 17, asus N53, N73 (and G53/G73, MSI gamer series) have higher resolutions than 768p @ 15.6 or 900p @ 17 in my country... Sucks.

At least without paying premium for workstation-class build quality.

 

It's what it boils down to imo.

If you want a SUPER THIN 15" inch frame that is "fairly" game capable, go for the 15z. It's the Envy 15 but better in EVERY way, namely battery life and heat. The Envy 15 digustingly overrated laptop of the last year imo. Yeah I had one and I'm not one to stroke something I once owned (I've gone through literally 10+ laptops in the last 3 years).

If you can do without the thin frame, the Dv6 and the 6770m is a spectacular setup (especially w the 25% coupon).

It's a personal choice.

The 14-15" class of notebooks definitely blur at the moment with a lot of options that vary in gpu power, weight, size, price etc.

 

I pulled the trigger and went for the i7-2720QM L502X over the 15z not because of blu-ray (even though I got the writer) but because of A) The superior panel (about 40% more accurate color reproduction) B) The superior processor - the i7-2720QM blows the i7-2620M out of the water... It's just like comparing a proper notebook to a netbook, in that regard. Look at the benchmarks on notebookcheck using a not dissimilar 15-inch lappy (albeit better GPU equipped)...
Review Intel Sandy Bridge Quad-Core processors - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
The i7-2720QM offers the best value for money, especially with the Dell configs, vs performance. It isn't a major step down from the i7-2820QM as is the leap from the i7-2620QM to i7-2720QM.
I won't be using the speakers that much (share accommodation) or moving around that much with it. But I can see the advantages of the 15z if portability is your thing (even though it weighs within 400 grams of the xps 15) and you are looking to make a 'fashion statement'.
I will be still using my PS3 for blu-ray but having a back-up player on my machine won't hurt...

 

Similar to your decision, I am going to just stick with my XPS 15 chiefly because of the better screen, better webcam (I skype alot), and better JBL speakers w/ subwoofers which btw always amazes anyone that ever hears it. Sure the 15z may look sleeker but I'm a dude and don't really care for chic style and actually love the manly beastly appearance that the XPS 15 evokes.

 

yes speakers are amazing.

 

Im in the same boat trying to decide between the xps15z and xps15. every hour my opinion changes. Arrrgh

 

I'm having trouble deciding between the xps15 and the xps15z. I know the xps i7 is quadcore and supposedly better but I don't know if that is overkill for me?

I prefer the form factor of the xps15z.

For everyday use of using ms office and consuming media by downloading movies and playing the odd game, is the xps15z enough? I currently have an old acer core2duo 1.83ghz. Given that the i5 is still dual core, how much of an improvement would that be over my acer?

On that front I perceived that quadcore would be much more of a performance upgrade. But since not all apps are optimized to make use of four processors simultanously(as far as I know) that almost makes having the extra processors null.

I'm a little confused but have been doing research. Any advice on xps15z vs xps15 would be greatly appreciated.

I don't see myself doing heaps of Photoshop or video editing but I might want to convert big movie files from my digital camera to a smaller format using hand brake. Of Also like to play the odd game.

It's such a tough decision.

 

Ouch. If it had a quad core or the GT 540M like some people wanted, this thing would cook itself. The CPU isn't even running at its rated speed and it's already over 90C; if memory serves me right, I think this machine's cooling is actually worse than the 15" MBP.

 

That would be seriously impressive if it was worse than the 15" MBP, although I believe it. The last laptop I owned was a 15" MBP from 2008 - the 4,1 model, I believe. That thing got absurdly hot, and that would be just from extended everyday use, more or less. When I would try playing any game that stressed the system, it would heat up to the extent that it was almost dangerous if you touched it in the wrong place - it was like a frying pan! I swear to god, I was playing SC2 for several hours on low settings a few months ago, and the MBP was pushing up against the edge of a chair I was sitting in. It got so hot that there is now a permanent indentation in the left side of the chassis from where it was pushing up against - seriously, it got hot to the extent that the aluminum became pliable and warped.

I would expect similar things from the 15z. I would not recommend that thing to a single person based on what I've read - the build quality sounds incredibly poor. Read this excerpt from the engadget review:

Emphasis mine. All the factors of the 15z are like a recipe for one of the most poorly designed laptops we've seen from Dell in quite a while. I wouldn't touch that thing with a 10-foot pole - I bet we do hear reports of it melting and warping, given how it's going to heat up like nobody's business and is apparently so thin and flimsy that it restricts air flow from the slightest bit of pressure. God save whatever poor kid tries to play overclock the system and play Crysis 2, or something - it would probably explode in his face.

The regular XPS 15 might be thicker, but it seems like a way more reliable and intelligently designed system. If I were looking for something in that range, I would definitely think about getting it. By all accounts its got good bang/buck, and functions really well, and the 1080p screen especially has gotten great reviews. The 15z just seems like the epitome of a really, really bad idea - seems like they just made a system that looks as close to an MBP as they could get without giving any thought as to the functionality of the design or whether it was a good idea in the first place.

 

Don't even bother to read any of other comments.
I am serisouly impressed how ppl comment so much without REAL experiences.

It likes someone make up a great idea and datas then present to the boss, however, they wouldn't make it because all of informations are make up.

Come on,ppl
The cooling system is 100 times better than 2010 core i5 mbp, not even mention 2011. TRY them without comment, pls

Not only that, my friend bought a xps 15 refurbished from dell outlet 2 months ago, it is just so annoying because the fan is constantly on and off with super light tasking.Because we work together in library ,his xps 15 is kinda loud when everyone else notebooks stay silent.

About the last comment about build quality? U know what the heck is quality means, xps 15z is 100000000 times better than xps 15. Yes, it flex some because of material.
But who the heck is going to give high pressure on the case or pushing it hard everyday to see if it could not flex.

If u are going to see ur laptop in complex situation, u should have chosen business class notebook or Tough book because u are going to break it.

Get in real, don't comment too much on products if u don't ever touch them

 

Reading engadget for windows pc reviews is like reading pc magazine for MBP reviews. Of course they will compare a 1000 dell 15.6 INCH laptop to a 2000 MBP 15 INCH laptop and complain about some non diamond engraved Jesus blessed underside of the laptop bending when exerting force on it that no-one ever does.

But to the point, there will be heat disadvantages to a thinner case.. Some of them will probably be canceled out by the non quad processor, also if you went with i5 instead of i7. I was also thinking between xps 15, dv6tqe and xps15z. I really wanted to go with xps 15 for the great screen, but went with xps15z for the mobility and availability of i5 + 1080p.