Need to choose between XPS 15 9560 and Inspiron 7567 (with 4k IPS screen).

I need to decide between these two models.

I am talking about XPS 15 9560 with 1tb ssd and 32gb ram, i7 7700hq, nvidia 1050 and 4k infinity edge display.
The Inspiron configuration I considering is 16 gb ram, 512 ssd, i7 7700hq nvidia 1050ti gtx and 4k IPS display.

I need to decide between these two models.

I did not see a configuration for Inspiron with 32gb ram and 1tb - so I have been wondering, how easy is it to upgrade the ram and memory?

Now I know that XPS is probably "better built, lighter, etc" but how is the build quality of the Inspiron? Is it strong enough?

Network connectivity. It seems that the new XPS does not have an Ethernet adapter. I tend to work in environment with bad wireless access but I have access to fast Ethernet. Are there standard external Ethernet adapters available for XPS (how pricey do they tend to get)?

Thunderbolt: Do I really need it?

Thermal throttling. I have heard that XPS has throttling issues under heavy load. (But that is what I hear about every laptop I check... ). How often do they occur for tasks that are not editing, browsing etc? It just seems pointless to buy a laptop with 1050 card if it can not handle a game on medium settings...

What about the Inspiron? Has anyone using the the 7567 model has experienced any form of themral throttling (CPU/GPU)? My tasks can be computation intensive - scientific computing, basic training of deep learning models (small examples - small models due to memory limits) and graphics programming. I can play a game (not highest settings) occasionally. Are there any thermal throttling issues with inspiron as well? (Please do not offer to repast etc, I do not have experience with that, and I can use warranty just for opening the laptop myself).

Battery: Does XPS drop performance when unplugged? How bad is it?

Linux support - How hard is to install linux on either machine?

SSD performance: Are they on par?

Thanks.

 

You're comparing a Mercedes to a Trabant, friend.

XPS 15 is better in pretty much every possible way. Battery life is better (XPS has a 97Wh vs 74Wh on the 7567), stock SSD is much better, Linux should work the same on both.

As for thermal throttling, the XPS 15 needs a bit of extra VRM cooling - that's all that needs to be sorted for heavy continuous load. That's done by adding a few thermal pads on top of the VRMs - easy and simple. You don't even need to unscrew anything inside.

XPS series also come with superior customer support including Dell's NBD service whereas the Inspiron is Collect & Return.

 

The VRM cooling thing - I still need to open the chassis - right?
It can result in losing the warranty, unfortunately.
As for easy part... I am not an hardware person. The last time I did anything non-trivial with hardware (except replacing a light bulb) was like 10 years ago in high school. Is it really as "easy and simple" as you describe? Have you done it yourself?
What is the possibility of messing something (which the warranty will not cover afterwards?). Can it be done by a person without any experience?

Could you elaborate on the SSD part?

And about "better in every possible way" - 1050ti is faster than 1050 by 30% or something like that, isn't it? (And let's not forget the price issue ).

And what about the Ethernat adapter?

- Thanks.

 

XPS 15's wireless card is pretty good - and you can easily run ethernet from the USB 3.0 ports via adapter

Unless the 7567 is offering Samsung NVMe drives, the XPS 15 is certainly going to be better. From what I've seen, the inspiron series come with mediocre TLC-based SATA 3 SSDs, not NVMe drives with MLC flash storage.

1050 Ti is faster, yes but both are horrible at 4K - even a 1070 has problems at 4K with modern demanding games. And the 4K screen in the Inspiron is nowhere near the quality of the 4K screen in the XPS

VRM mod is simple - open, put 3-4 thermal pads on top of the VRMs, close.

Opening up the back cover does NOT void warranty IF there are no stickers on the screws - generally, Dell allow upgrading memory and drives so it should be fine. I mean, unless you start drilling holes in the motherboard, there's very little to worry about in terms of messing up. Though you can just contact Team LHZ ( @iunlock @Mobius 1 @DeeX ) and they should be able to help you out with that.

 

I would not call the 7000 series a trebant. by any means...more like a Mercedes versus a mazda.....

 

you forgot @zergslayer69 (stan)

 

The 1080p TN panel is pure garbage - It's a Trabant. Take it from someone in Eastern Europe. VX15 and 7567 are the lowest end of gaming laptops.

Sorry, I am learning the members as I go along

 

In this case I think both models the OP is deciding between have 4K displays.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Speak for yourself. I have used it and its fine.

 

So have I and it's not - it's the exact same screen as the 2014 Y50 - that screen was garbage at the time and it's even worse now.

Doesn't change a lot - XPS 15's 4K screen is brighter, more colour accurate and has a touch option. (from what I remember, Inspiron didn't have a touch option at all)

 

The general build quality of Inspirons is going to be lower.
What I mean by that is, the costs will be cut on the LCD, the chassis, even the keyboard.
Since it is a gaming laptop the one thing it should have going for it is proper cooling and power.
The clear intent of Inspiron (gaming model or other wise) is to be the "budget".
I base this on common sense when it comes to Dell's clear pricing model, plus years of encountering Inspirons.

With that said something to consider is the XPS isn't exactly designed or marketed as a gaming laptop.
Don't get me wrong it does fair very well with gaming but it is meant to be a productivity, Macbook type laptop.
I personally would choose the XPS as it is very nice looking, it has a really nice build quality, and it can hold its own.
Inspiron has its place and for someone that cannot afford an XPS I would suggest it.
It also should be noted that the size of the laptops are different. The XPS is basically the footprint of a 14" laptop because of the infinity edge display. So the Inspiron will be much bigger and bulkier.

In the end since they fit different needs it really comes down to what you think is important.

 

Does the inspiron have a true 4K screen?

I think they're all pentile displays.

 

The inspiron 7000 I used had touch capability...maybe it was the 4k screen in that one...

 

These are radically different in price -- even with the MicroCenter 9650 version (which differs from yours only in that there is 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD -- both of which are easy to upgrade), the Inspiron is less expensive.

Those are about the easiest things to upgrade on a laptop. As long as you're willing to open it up, it should be simple on both the XPS and the Inspiron.

Dell has a pretty expensive Thunderbolt dock which connects to Ethernet and many other things. A plain USB 3.1 to Ethernet adapter costs between $10 and $20 on Amazon (or you can spend a bit more for one that has extra USB 3.0 ports). I have not found another use for Thunderbolt yet.

This can vary significantly from machine to machine. If the thermal paste was not properly applied, the machine will overheat whether it is an XPS or an Inspiron or anything else. I just bought an XPS which is tweaked only in that I undervolted the CPU with an offset of -0.110V (this does not require opening it -- you just download your choice of Intel XTU or ThrottleStop and change a few parameters). In pure CPU stress tests, it runs at maximum boost. There is no noticeable GPU throttling in Torment: Tides of Numenera (the RPG I'm currently playing) or in the Unigine Heaven benchmark, but XTU says that there is power limit throttling (which has no noticeable effect because the CPU is underutilized). I suspect that it is possible to get a noticeable effect if you run a game which heavily uses the CPU regardless of which GPU it is paired with, but this should be rare -- the 7700HQ is overkill for the 1050.

Again, it varies from machine to machine. Most scientific computing is CPU-only and the CPU is same for both machines. If you want to do CUDA stuff... well, I would suggest a different set of machines altogether.

I haven't tried it, but I think the XPS can be configured to perform the same when plugged and when unplugged. That said, if you configure it that way, the battery life will be very low.

Linux should not be difficult to install on either machine. I am running Fedora 25 on my XPS, but I'm doing so using VirtualBox (i.e. create a virtual machine within Windows 10 and run Fedora inside of that). I have not tried a native Linux installation or dual-boot, but a cursory internet search shows that it should be fairly straightforward as long as you're willing to deal with the usual issues with Nvidia and Linux.

The SSD you get is a roll of the dice. Lucky XPS 15s come with a Samsung model which is very fast, but you're more likely to wind up with a Toshiba or a LiteOn. I haven't noticed a difference except in benchmarks.

Here's a basic list of differences -- I don't know what your priorities are:

XPS is smaller, thinner and lighter with the same 15" size.
XPS has a better display.
XPS looks professional (the Inspiron has the "gamer" styling which is not desirable in many settings).
Inspiron is cheaper.
Inspiron has the better GPU.

 

Sounds like I am talking about a different 7000 than others here. the one I used was slim, sleek and very professional looking,....not a gamer rig.

 

Erm, yeah.

 

Oh.....that would explain it....I was thinking the 7000 series...that does not look like that. XPS all the way then!

 

That's the Inspiron 7567 from the 7000 gaming series

 

GOTCHA!

 

I think the 7567 4K panel is close to the XPS. It's the SHP1450 from the AW15, which if I'm not mistaken it's high gamut too. EDIT: Not as high Adobe RGB as the XPS. Still good though.

Also true 4K not PenTile like last year's Inspiron 4K model.

EDIT: And yeah. I class the Inspiron differently depending on whether you're looking at the 1080p TN or 4K IPS model, since I think a good display vs a not-good one is a very noticeable difference. If Dell were to switch back to IPS 1080p panels, I would class the Inspiron 7567 the same as the Acer VX, but right now it's lower by my metrics.

 

Why though? From what I've read, VX 15 and 7567 use the same TN panel - it's also the same one used in the original Y50 from 2014.

 

The pre-production models and it seems some of the earlier-release 7567 models used low-quality TN, but the ones available now, in the US and many other countries at least, use an IPS panel. https://www.reddit.com/r/SuggestALa..._cheaper_acer_aspire_vx_15_configs_available/

 

Holy ****, I didn't know such garbage IPS panels existed - 40% color gamut is laughable even on TN screens, let alone IPS. Regardless, most version of the VX15 are still TN. Even on Acer's site you see TN models. And IPS options are not available in europe at all.

 

People are just messing about here on purpose. On Inspiron 7567 the low end screen is terrible, but from what I have seen on reviews the 4K screen is pretty good. Performance wise it is a bit better than XPS 15 and additionally it offers 2 storage bays, which can be handy for many users. The black model is (especially the ones with white backlighting) are quite business like. I have been considering myself also between these two machines. Yoga 720 looks also pretty enticing with 15 inch 4k and GTX 1050 combined with a very nice keyboard and properly positioned web cam.