Pros
- Roomy, 15.6-inch display
- Great multimedia and pretty good gaming
Cons
- Mediocre computing performance and battery life
- Heavy and chunky, with an oversize brick
Bottom Line
The entry-level Dell XPS 15 (L502X) will delight multimedia buffs, but it's too big and heavy for frequent travelers.
The Specs
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Display type | Glossy LCD with LED Backlight |
| Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixels |
| Display size | 15.6 inches |
| Processor | |
| Cache size | 3.0 KB |
| Processor count | 2 |
| Processor speed | 2300.0 MHz |
| Processor type | Intel Core i5 |
| Memory | |
| Memory speed | 1333.0 MHz |
| Memory type | DDR3 |
| Memory size | 4000.0 MB |
| Memory max | 8.0 GB |
| Storage | |
| Hard Drive Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drives included | 1.0 |
| Other storage |
|
| Drive type | Hard Disk Drive |
| Drive size | 500.0 GB |
| Storage Media | |
| Memory stick | 1 |
| XD picture card | 1 |
| Ports and Connections | |
| SD/MMC Card | 1 |
| Video Interfaces |
|
| MultiMedia Card (MMC) or MultiMediaCard (MMC) | 1 |
| Wireless connection | 802.11 n/b/g |
| Available Interfaces | eSATA |
| Slots |
|
| SDHC Card or Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) | 1 |
| Included Software | |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium |
| Other Features | |
| Devices |
|
| Docking Station Port | No |
| Input devices |
|
| Sound | |
| Speakers | Stereo |
| Dimensions | |
| Weight with Accessories | 7.6 pounds |
| Height | 1.5 inches |
| Weight | 6.2 pounds |
| Depth | 10.0 inches |
| Width | 15.0 inches |
| Networking | |
| Ethernet Type | 10/100/1000 Mbps |
Performance
| Overall Performance | |
|---|---|
| WorldBench 6 Score | 116 |
| Battery | |
|---|---|
| Battery Life | 4:10 (hh:mm) |
| Office Productivity | |
|---|---|
| Web Browsing | 231 seconds (lower is better) |
| Office Suite Use | 345 seconds (lower is better) |
| File Compression | 183 seconds (lower is better) |
| Power Usage | |
|---|---|
| Off power usage | 0.1 Watt hours |
| Sleep power usage | 1.2 Watt hours |
| Idle power usage | 12.6 Watts |
| Content Creation | |
|---|---|
| CPU Graphics Rendering | 376 seconds (lower is better) |
| DVD Burning | 332 seconds (lower is better) |
| Image Editing | 355 seconds (lower is better) |
| GPU Graphics Rendering | 330 seconds (lower is better) |
| Video Encoding | 198 seconds (lower is better) |
| Video Editing | 180 seconds (lower is better) |
| Multitasking | |
|---|---|
| World Bench 6 Multitasking | 282 |
| Gaming | |
|---|---|
| Dirt 2, High Quality, 800x600 | 50.5 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Dirt 2, High Quality, 1024x768 | 39.4 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Unreal Tournament 3, Medium, 800 by 600 | 132.18 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Far Cry 2, High Quality, 1024x768 | 33.5 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Far Cry 2, High Quality, 800x600 | 41.3 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Far Cry 2, Low Quality, 1024x768 | 56.3 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Unreal Tournament 3, Highest, 800 by 600 | 93.1 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Far Cry 2, Low Quality, 800x600 | 65.5 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Unreal Tournament 3, Medium, 1024 by 768 | 110.69 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Unreal Tournament 3, Highest, 1024 by 768 | 85.07 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Dirt 2, Low Quality, 1024x768 | 89.2 Frames per second (higher is better) |
| Dirt 2, Low Quality, 800x600 | 100.1 Frames per second (higher is better) |
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