Dell XPS 17 Best Review

With the Dell XPS 17, Dell has controlled to create a steady and capable alternative to the MacBook Pro yr in and year out. Though users that recollect portability as crucial as electricity will gravitate towards the smaller fashions, the Dell XPS 17 exists for those who need all the display screen actual picture and energy they could get to attend to their productiveness workloads.

And, the XPS 17 (2021) stays real to that way of life. Take our assessment version – it’s about as effective as a Windows computer as you’ll locate available on the market right now. It comes with the type of additives that can preserve up with effective desktop computers, together with its 11th-gen Intel Core i7, 32GB of RAM, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. More impressively, it’s relatively slender for such a powerhouse, measuring handiest zero.Seventy seven inches thick.

All that performance doesn’t come reasonably-priced, but. The version we reviewed will set you lower back $ 2,949 (approximately £ 2,130, AU $ 4,020) and is probably now not the proper configuration for quite a few people. You can discover other portables that set you returned an awful lot much less and is probably a higher fit, in particular if picture layout or heavy video editing is not a part of your ordinary workload. Even if you need something mainly for gaming, you may discover one which’s less expensive, just like the Razer Blade with similar specifications.

The Dell XPS 17 is for the creative professional on the move that needs a very powerful and versatile PC, however one’s fashionable and may not appear out of place in an office. However, its thinness does end up being sort of its bane in that regard, as the port choice isn’t always pretty what you may need to see.

The Dell XPS 17 2021 is available beginning at $ 1,549 (1,649, approximately AU $ 2, one hundred ten). That configuration will get you an eleventh-era Intel Core i5-11400H, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 17-inch 1200p display.

Of direction, you can upgrade basically each aspect to a greater effective version, and we might without a doubt suggest you do so. That base configuration is good enough for normal computing, but there’s no purpose to pay extra for a 17-inch pc if you’re not using it for some type of heavy lifting.

That’s one beefy pc. The configuration indexed to the right could be a bit extra on hand, costing $ 2,949. That 4TB SSD inside the totally maxed out model might be fine, however it is honestly not worth the greater $ 800 tacked onto the price – especially due to the fact that you could upgrade the SSD later.

For maximum humans, we might advocate trimming down the RAM to 16GB and the display screen to the FHD alternative from the model we reviewed. Unless you are doing heavy video modifying paintings you are now not definitely going to note the distinction in performance. Making the ones modifications brings the fee all the way down to $ 2,399 (approximately 1,730, AU $ three, 270) that’s lots more competitive with similarly speed laptops.

Design

This is probably now not tremendous surprising, but the Dell XPS 17 is an excellent computer. All silver with a Dell emblem on the returned of the display screen, it seems like the MacBook Pro competitor that it’s miles. And, not like the MacBook, it has this tender finish at the deck of the laptop that makes the computer lots extra comfortable to paintings on.

The 17-inch size of course additionally lets in for the XPS 17 to have tons more area at the keyboard deck, and it is kind of unexpected how Dell placed it to use here. Instead of setting a complete keyboard with a numpad, like many laptops in this size class, Dell as an alternative puts a well known computer keyboard in and surrounds it with speakers instead.
That way that the Dell XPS 17 has a very comparable layout to the MacBook Pro on this regard, and we certainly like it. There are certainly folks that are going to need a complete keyboard, however the audio system that Dell became able to install right here sound fantastic.

Even when paying attention to notable bass-heavy music like Kittie’s “What I Always Wanted”, the speakers are clean and can maintain up with the crunchy guitars and screams.

They’re nevertheless now not higher than having a few PC audio system or headphones to listen to track, but at least it’s no longer going to butcher your track like some other Dell laptops do – searching at you Dell XPS thirteen.

The display is likewise truely awesome. Dell sent us the 4K contact version, and at the same time as the OLED Dell XPS 13 continues to be better – it is OLED in any case – this is nevertheless one of the first-class pc displays we’ve used.

The display hits a mean of 464 nits of brightness and covers more than a hundred% of the sRGB color spectrum. This makes the display superb for media work, even though it nevertheless falls quick of the 99% DCI-P3 color spectrum that might make it a in reality professional-grade show.
But despite the fact that Dell did not certainly amplify the keyboard beyond what it is on the Dell XPS 15, it’s nevertheless a well-spaced and snug keyboard. Travel is first-class and deep and all of the keys are clean to attain.

The handiest thing that sort of sucks is the smaller up and down arrow keys – though with a view to simplest affect you in case you’re spending plenty of time in Excel or Google Sheets.

For a 17-inch computer, the Dell XPS 17 is fairly small. It measures simply zero.Seventy seven inches thick and weighs simply five.34 lbs (2.Forty two kg), which makes it smooth to throw into your backpack and bring to work – something this is genuinely first-rate to have whilst you keep in mind the high amount of electricity that this pc has to offer.

The thinness of the XPS 17 does have one drawback, though, and that is ports. All you get is four Thunderbolt four ports, an audio jack and an SD card slot: the laptop directly up isn’t thick enough for anything else to match at the chassis.
So, whilst we might instead there be as a minimum one USB-A or HDMI port, we definitely get why Dell could not suit those ports at the Dell XPS 17. Still, it’s something you have to be aware of when considering this laptop.

You can upgrade the Dell XPS 17 as well, which ought to assist you to keep a piece prematurely. All you want to do to open it up is get rid of eight hex screws on the bottom of the computer and pry off the lowest of the case.

It’s a chunk of a pain the first time round, however you need to be capable of getting into the computer eventually. Once you are in there, you could without problems improve your RAM and device storage, and the Dell XPS 17 will aid as much as 64GB of RAM.

Because the Dell XPS 17 is packed with an eleventh-generation Intel Core processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, it possibly shouldn’t be super sudden that it definitely chews through maximum workloads.

The devoted GPU right here makes it capable of keep its own in video games, without difficulty averaging around 52 fps in Metro Exodus at 1080p with the entirety at Ultra. Turn down some settings, and you’re going with a purpose to get a stable 60 fps enjoy out of even the maximum stressful games at 1080p. But it really is no longer absolutely what the Dell XPS 17 is for.

Battery existence

With the quantity of high-powered hardware and the 4K display right here

it’s probably not unexpected that the Dell XPS 17 isn’t always going to be prevailing any awards with regards to battery existence.

This pc changed into able to get a chunk over 7 hours within the PC Mark 10 battery lifestyles test, which simulates various actual-world packages. That’s now not horrible by using any method, however these days it’s fairly commonplace to discover a laptop so one can get you thru a full eight hour workday on an unmarried fee.

But we don’t think it really is wonderful essential right here. It’s not just like the Dell XPS 17 is going to die in a couple hours, and that is virtually a computer most humans are in all likelihood going to be the use of even as plugged right into a wall running anyways.
Camera and microphone

Unfortunately, even if we have all been working from domestic extra regularly and need to apply our laptops for more and more video conferences, the Dell XPS 17 handiest has a 720p webcam. It’s truely not the worst we’ve got used, and in case you’re in a nicely lit room, you may nevertheless get masses of detail out of the camera.

It gets the task achieved, basically, but you might need to invest in a webcam in case you’re going to be the use of this computer whilst plugged into a screen besides.

Luckily, the built-in microphone fares plenty higher. Our voice comes via excellent and clear, and we did not want to attain for a standalone mic in any of the various conferences we took at the Dell XPS 17.
Software and features
Because this is a Dell, it’s loaded up with a collection of software. Most of this may live from your way, and will simplest be necessary when you want to update or connect with your telephone. However, it’s also geared up with a tribulation of McAfee, which we needed to cast off, as we saved getting popups asking us to buy a subscription.

But once you get that out of there, and replace it with one of the exceptional antivirus programs, the pc is pretty exact at just letting you do your factor.

The Dell XPS 17 additionally has each Windows Hello through the webcam and a fingerprint scanner, so you can use whichever form of biometric login with you maximum cushty.

Both are extremely quick to liberate in our revel in, and the fingerprint scanner is the same button that turns the laptop on, so you do not ought to move your hand too much simply to start using the laptop.

Buy it if …

You’re an innovative at the circulate
The Dell XPS 17 isn’t just a powerful computer, but it’s also thin and light, which is good news for creative specialists that need to tour.

You need a stylish prosumer computer
Like another Dell XPS computer, the XPS 17 is a terrify piece of kit, and you may be glad to show it off.

You like to look at content to your downtime
The Dell XPS 17 has one of the most stunning 4K shows we have seen in a laptop, and has a few quite strong audio (for a laptop). It’s an exquisite preference for watching a few Netflix at the same time as on break.