Dell XPS 15 9560 - worth it?

Looking at the model which costs around £1600 with i7 processor, 512gb SSD, GTX 1050 and 16GB RAM.

I want an all round laptop for uni (and also to become my main PC), so great performance is a must and I game occasionally but not heavily (at the moment all I play is Rocket League).

It seems like the perfect laptop for me as it has the performance in addition to good battery life/portability (apparently despite it being 15", it easily fits into a 13" laptop bag).

Anybody any thoughts/experiences with this. The price doesn't put me off. I know I'm spending a lot for portability and reliability, but to me that's worth it. Especially considering the same amount of money would get me an inferior macbook. My current laptop is the Inspiron 7559, great gaming machine but awful battery life, not really portable at all and I've been having a few hardware problems with it.

Reply 1

RandomStudent_

Original post by Samiz

I think that it's slightly overkill for university. I would downgrade to an i5 processor because the difference in threads between an i5 and i7 isn't significant. The Gtx 1050 is a really good option but if the xps supports usb type c or thunderbolt 3 you could use an external gpu dock, but that's if you want maximum perofrmance. Good luck!

Reply 2

Samiz

Original post by RandomStudent_

Thanks mate. In my spare time I do like to do some video editing/compilations for fun which is why I'm looking at the i7 :smile:

nothing too extreme but yeah I should've included that in the first post. I do think it's possibly a bit overkill, but I just want a laptop to last me through uni and beyond, so I'm okay with spending a bit more

Reply 3

username612415

Original post by Samiz

Thanks mate. In my spare time I do like to do some video editing/compilations for fun which is why I'm looking at the i7 :smile:

To be honest it's overpriced rather than being overkill, you're getting the spec sheet of a £900 laptop and paying nearly double that for them to cram everything into a tiny chassis and for the large SSD. I'm honestly shocked they gimp you with a 1080p panel at this price, I would have assumed £1500+ would get you their 4K panel.

You seem to have your heart set on it though, so I doubt I'll be changing your mind. It will meet your needs just fine through uni and beyond, as long as your gaming itch doesn't progress beyond low demand esport titles. You're just paying way over the going rate for a machine capable of doing it.

Reply 4

Samiz

Thanks for the help. I do think it's costly and I completely agree with your last point but as I've said I'm going to be carrying the laptop around a lot, so I'm personally happy to overpay a bit for the portability, battery life and build quality.

Also I don't want to get my hopes up but I found an official refurbished a few days ago one for £1100 so I do think that'd be worth it.

Completely agree about gaming, I'm not a hardcore gamer, as long as I can smoothly play Rocket League and Football Manager I'll be happy.

Also I could be wrong but it seems like specs-wise the XPS is better at gaming than my current dying laptop, the inspiron 7559, which has a 960M.

Anyway I wouldn't say I have my heart set on it but I'm getting there, I'm not that knowledgeable with PCs but I can't find a laptop in that price range which offers the performance/gaming/portability combination. Obviously I'd be open to suggestions.

And I've looked into the buying a gaming desktop and a cheap laptop, but for me I'd find it easier with just one machine.

If I can get the XPS 15 with marginally better specs than the 7559, and the build quality, for around £1100 then that seems a decent deal to me? (Depends if it's still in stock refurbished though)

Thanks again

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 5

XavierD

Surely it has 4k resolution, for that price it has to have it. Plus it has the infinity edge touchscreen which is great. However, if it has 4k resolution there might be some scaling problems with some applications, but you could always go for the 1080p mode.

Reply 6

stoyfan

Original post by Samiz

Overpay for battery life? If you want more battery life you would need to underpay. Why? Because the 4K screen is going to use up more charge than the 1080p screen. Not to mention it is a touch screen.

You need to consider whether paying 200 quid more on the 4K screen is worth the shortened battery life and the price.

I'll search for some benchmarks on the battery life.

EDIT: Wait no! Linus techtips made a review on your laptop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDpdalpmeIQ

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 7

username612415

Original post by Samiz

Completely agree about gaming, I'm not a hardcore gamer, as long as I can smoothly play Rocket League and Football Manager I'll be happy.

Yep, it will be fine for those. There's just not a lot of headroom for if something more graphically demanding comes out that catches your eye.

Also I could be wrong but it seems like specs-wise the XPS is better at gaming than my current dying laptop, the inspiron 7559, which has a 960M.

It's going to be in a similar ballpark, roughly a 10% increase.

Anyway I wouldn't say I have my heart set on it but I'm getting there, I'm not that knowledgeable with PCs but I can't find a laptop in that price range which offers the performance/gaming/portability combination. Obviously I'd be open to suggestions.

The Aorus X3 I linked to in the other thread is well worth a look. The jump from a 1050 to 1060 is substantial, you get a far higher resolution display, it's marginally larger but still weighs the same at 1.8kg. It's also well built and Gigabyte are a very popular brand among gamers.

If I can get the XPS 15 with marginally better specs than the 7559, and the build quality, for around £1100 then that seems a decent deal to me? (Depends if it's still in stock refurbished though)

If you're happy with refurb then I would gladly shave a third of the price tag off.

Original post by XavierD

Nope, it's 1080p.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 8

Samiz

Original post by stoyfan

The model I'm looking at is the 1080 screen mate, I don't want the 4K touchscreen as, as you say, it massively degrades the battery life.

Thanks for linking that video!

Reply 9

Samiz

Thanks for the help, I think if I can still get it refurbished for around £1000 then I'll do that, if not then I think I'll look more into the Aorus which does seem better value for money than the XPS at retail price