Dell xps gaming laptop 2012

A chrome Dell insignia sits in the center of the silver machined aluminum lid instead of the backlit, half-eaten Apple logo. An thin band of silver aluminum wraps around the sides. The MacBook Pro similarities end there. Inside you'll find a magnesium alloy deck with a matte black soft touch finish. This material not only looks cool, it feels comfortable on the wrists when typing.

A black, backlit keyboard sits in a slightly recessed area in the center of the deck. The rubberized motif continues on the bottom of the laptop. A gray matte soft touch band sits along the notebook's silicone underside surrounding a black soft touch panel with a small metal panel in the middle. Although the design feels solid and premium, the XPS 15 is relatively hefty. It weighs 6 pounds and measures Both the Acer Aspire VG 0.

Click to Enlarge The XPS 15 screen is a sight to behold; it's easily one of the best we've seen on a inch notebook. The full HD panel x pixels delivered rich, vibrant color and crisp text on its edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass display. While watching a p "Total Recall" trailer, we saw a pair of orange-and-gold koi swimming on a translucent screen hiding a woman clad in a blood red dress, which made for a visually sensuous scene.

We could easily see the scars from probable bullet wounds on Colin Farrell's body, though there was a hint of graininess in darker scenes.

When we watched a p trailer for Skyfall, details like the stubble on his beard were sharp. Better still, the display offered wide viewing angles; colors remained true as we moved as much as 90 degrees to the right and left of center. However, the display's glossiness was a distraction at times, reflecting everything from the lights to ourselves. The remaining presets Music, Gaming, Voice and MaxxSense didn't deliver the volume or high level of audio quality of the Movies preset.

As we listened to Frank Ocean's "Thinking Bout You," Ocean alternated between his staid monotone tenor and a lilting falsetto. After streaming a video at full screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured a cool 79 degrees, the space between the G and H keys was 93, and the middle of the underside was just 90 degrees.

All are below 95 degrees, the threshold we consider uncomfortable. However, the fan on the XPS 13 was noticeably loud, and would turn on at regular intervals. Click to Enlarge While it has a standard resolution of x , the While watching the trailer for "The Avengers," explosions were bright and firey, and we could make out details such as windows in skyscrapers and Iron Man's suit.

Despite the glossy finish, viewing angles were fairly good, too. We could sit on either side of the notebook and still see the action on-screen comfortably. However, the Asus UX31 sports a higher resolution of x pixels, and the inch MacBook Air x also has a sharper panel.

Dell claims the XPS 13's display has a brightness of nits. We measured its brightness at lux, which beats out the Folio 13 lux and the Lenovo Us lux , but falls short of the Toshiba Z and the UX31 Even better, the Waves Maxx Audio control panel went a long way in improving the sound.

With the feature turned on, Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" everything from bass to midtones to treble got boosted. We liked that we could tweak the settings, too. The 1. On PCMark07, the laptop notched 3,, which is about 1, points above average, and points higher than the HP Folio 13, which has the same processor. The UX31 scored slightly higher, at 3, For the original German review, see here. The concept of an ultrabook was coined by Intel to make PC makers sell more machines with designs that could compare to the extremely popular MacBook Air which is seen as a pioneer, focusing on the portability and design.

The Dell XPS 13 follows suit with a similar design by putting in a inch display in a inch case making it an extremely small footprint.

The hallmarks of the notebook are the excellent materials of construction, low power consumption and decent performance.

The late model has updated hardware components that should provide much better performance than the earlier version. Windows 8 is now used as the operating system of choice. The case is made of a carbon fiber to keep the weight down and reinforced with aluminum bits to keep the chassis stiff. This has been carried over from the last iteration of the laptop and offers great stability and resistance to deformation.

The laptop is well put together. The display warping is kept to a minimum and the hinges are strong and hold the display in place without any significant wobbling. The wrist rest is rubber-coated which makes it easy to clean and feels pleasant to use. The bottom is composed of a single large plate which has a nice textured finish that is resistant to any deformation.

You can find the hardware as well as the non-removable battery under the cover. Contrary to advertising, the Dell XPS 13 is not a real inch form-factor but a very slim inch laptop in terms of size. The XPS 13 weighing 1. The MacBook Air 11 is the lightest of the bunch at grams although it is an inch notebook and cannot exactly be placed in this category. Due to the ultrabook form factor users will have to settle for a number of compromises in the connectivity department.

Users will have to be content with 1 powered USB 2. An adapter for the mini DisplayPort is not included. A memory card reader and an RJ Ethernet port are missing. Due to the wedge-shaped design, all interfaces are found towards the back of the case which is good for keeping cable clutter to a minimum and out of the way of the user. Intel's wireless Centrino Advanced-N incorporates two antennae and transmits in both the 2.

We tested the signal at three different locations and varying distances but did not observe any irregularities. The Wi-Fi chip also sports a Bluetooth 4. Dell's XPS 13 does not have much more to offer apart from a 1. The ultrabook also lacks a conventional network socket for cabled networking.

The Dell XPS 13 does not come with any accessories despite its premium price point. The bottom is fastened via 10 Torx-5 screws and can be easily removed. Dell has, as often before, included detailed instructions in the Owner's Manual. Which components can be exchanged is also explained here. The fan is accessible and easy to clean. The mSATA drive and wireless module can be replaced but not the working memory. It features a capacity of 8 8GB and is soldered which makes it impossible to upgrade.

The 8GB RAM is installed in two banks enabling them to work in dual-channel mode which is very different from what is stated in the manual. The Dell XPS 13 includes a one year on-site hardware service for the next business day in addition to the statutory warranty. The keyboard in our test model features high-contrast, standard-sized keys with dimensions of 19 x 19 mm and is available in the German layout.

The enter key is a bit small and the vertical arrow keys are a bit cramped. The short key drop and soft stroke need getting used to, but they compensate that with quiet typing noise. However, we ascertained a area around the "U" and "I" which are louder than the rest of the keys on the test model. The keyboard fit is not quite right which is a rather large problem for a premium device. The very bright keyboard backlight proves to be very beneficial in dark work environments.

Regrettably, the settings are only limited to two levels. The relatively large touchpad offers a lot of room and features pleasant gliding traits. Inputs are accepted well and enable a smooth work flow.

Individual settings can be found in the Cypress driver and range over the usual one and two finger inputs up to four-finger gestures that can be enabled or disabled individually. The touchpad buttons incorporated in the pad need familiarization and their reliability decreases toward the center which is construction-related. According to the key specifications, Dell's Truelife screen resolution is only standard fare.

With a resolution of x pixels dpi and the reflective surface , this is one of the worst displays on a premium device. The Asus Zenbook UX31 , for example, has a resolution of x pixels and the Samsung X3 provides a matte surface. Light spots, clouding or other brightness differences are not visible to the naked eye.

The integrated light sensor responds to the ambient light without delay and usually finds the right brightness level. This would be beneficial on a matte screen, but many users will likely disable this feature due to the glare-type screen.

It is difficult to work outdoors without strain on cloudy days even when using maximum brightness and depending on the screen's positioning. The reduced brightness cannot be changed in either the BIOS or in the energy settings. The contrast of surpasses many standard screens and reproduces saturated colors and dark blacks at ideal viewing angles.

This is particularly good for pictures, movies and games since they look more vivid. The TN panel is of standard fare and hence provides very poor viewing angle stability. The image quality is extremely susceptible to shifts in the vertical viewing angle. The image fades or inverts as soon as the screen is tilted to the front or back beyond that the ideal. Changes in the horizontal viewing angles result in a reddish hue and loss in brightness. The Dell XPS 13 is currently available in several preconfigured versions.

Sign up. This product hasn't been reviewed yet. Dell XPS. Engadget - Not yet scored. Critics 5 reviews. Users 4 reviews. Dell XPS 15 mid Dell XPS 15 review. You can get similar components to our Core i7 Dell XPS 15 configuration for less, but the rock-solid design makes this feel like a premium machine. Read Full Review. PC Mag. Dell XPS 15 Summer Laptop Magazine. Dell XPS 15 Review.