Dell XPS 13: A Different Kind of Ultrabook
by Dustin Sklavos on March 13, 2012 9:00 AM ESTSystem Performance
While Dell is able to differentiate the XPS 13 substantially in terms of its external design, the internals are still largely governed by the requirements of the ultrabook class. The XPS 13 benefits greatly from the Samsung 830 SSD, but we're still dealing with a Sandy Bridge ultra-low-voltage i7 and the accompanying HD 3000 graphics. If you want a better idea of how these graphics will perform, you can check out our Sony Vaio Z2 review as that notebook's HD 3000 should be comparable.
Our PCMark 7 results are mostly predictable, but the takeaway should really be that the Samsung 830 SSD is one of the best SSD solutions we've seen in an ultrabook thus far, even besting Sony's unusual RAID 0 configuration in the Vaio Z2. That lines up largely with conventional wisdom on desktop builds: a single 256GB SSD is generally preferable to a pair of 128GB SSDs in a striped RAID.
Unfortunately, you could argue the XPS 13 is also hitting some thermal limits as its application performance is a bit behind the curve. While the overall design of the XPS 13 is attractive, the cooling system causes the tiny fan to run at full bore just to keep temperatures manageable, and without that thermal overhead the chip has a harder time hitting and sustaining those high turbo clocks.
Our 3DMark results corroborate our other findings: where ultrabooks are concerned, the XPS 13 continues to be slightly behind the curve.
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Penti - Wednesday, March 14, 2012 - link
I think this is pretty much spot on, on connectivity actually. Mini-DisplayPort is a plus, especially if you are running a high-res monitor when you use this as your desktop replacement or main machine with your 27" or 30" monitor as you need the DisplayPort in order to put out and feed a 2560x1440 monitor or 2560x1600 monitor, or anything over 1920x1200 that HDMI on SNB/older graphics can handle. It's easily converted to HDMI or VGA, and having only one of those is a minus. I do miss ethernet, but it's no deal killer here. Display and resolution is too bad it's not better otherwise it does look like a good ultra-portable. It has no worse display then virtually any competition. A x220 with IPS wouldn't be much more expensive though. Personally I think mini-DisplayPort and USB3 is pretty good on the connectivity side for this market any how. Does look like a clean computer with understated but good styling. Certainly looks like a one of the better ultrabooks.MistahJayden - Thursday, March 15, 2012 - link
I love everything I've heard about the computer except for that screen resolution...it's freakin killing me here.Can they update it? Or would I need to look for another laptop in it's place?
It's not that bad, it's just I prefer a smaller looking interface.
EricZBA - Friday, March 16, 2012 - link
1366x768 is a crime against humanity. The predecessor to this unit, the Dell Studio XPS 13, had a gorgeous 13.3 inch LED LCD with 1280x800 resolution. I wish they would have built upon the awesomeness of that notebook.zlyles - Tuesday, April 3, 2012 - link
Just a heads up...When Dell first released this ultrabook, we ordered two for some of our sales reps. With i5, 4GB memory, 128GB SSD, and Win 7 Pro, the price was $1,192 before tax.
It took nearly a month to get the laptop, and we liked it so much we got a quote for two more. This time the quote came back at $1,500 per, with the same exact specs.
Our Dell rep informed us due to supply and demand, Dell had increased the price and $1,500 was as low as he could get now.
Personally I think it's BS to launch a product, then jack the price by over 25% within the first 3 weeks of it's release because of how well it is received.
On the bright side, it is the only wedge design ultrabook of this caliber I have found with TPM hardware for encrypting the hard drive.
WolfOfDeath - Monday, July 2, 2012 - link
The author isnt sold on the Ultrabook class? He must one of the most daft people in the world. Ultrabooks are and will take over the entire laptop market. Few if any people will want laptops now if for no other reason than battery life. How short sighted can someone be? Wow, just wow.