Dell XPS 15 9510 vs Dell XPS 17 9710: Which is Better?

Introduction

Dell updated their brand new 15-inch and 17-inch laptops in the XPS category. In the recent past, the XPS 17 was the obvious choice for most customers who wanted raw computing and graphics performance for high-intensity tasks. However, with some recent upgrades that have come into the XPS 15, lots of people have started wondering which computer best suits their requirements. In this blog, we will attempt to answer that question for you and in the end, chalk out the direction in which you should go about choosing the best XPS for yourself.

Specifications

Pricing

Both these computers can be ordered directly from the Dell website and both of them come with a large number of customization options. The base model of the XPS 15 comes at around $1249 with a Core i5 processor. However, this can be upgraded to an i9 processor (with other upgrades) to max out at $3500 approximately. With the Dell XPS 17, the base specifications are exactly the same as the XPS 15 but cost $300 more because of the larger screen and body. The XPS 17 maxes out with 64GB RAM at $3850.

Performance

In Geekbench performance standards, the XPS 17 goes ahead of the XPS 15 in spades. This is because of a couple of factors. The GPU in the XPS 15, despite being a TI version of the same graphics card, is slightly less powerful than the 17-inch model. The XPS 17 graphics card which runs at 60 watts per hour is way ahead in terms of performance of the XPS 15 which runs at 45 watts per hour. Hence, if you use these computers for traditional work like emailing and typing up documents or browsing the web, you will not notice these changes. However, if you’re involved in video editing or gaming, the XPS 17 is simply better than the XPS 15.

Heating and cooling

As mentioned earlier, if you’re using these powerful beasts for casual web surfing or sending emails, you won’t notice a difference between the two at all. However, if you’re a regular gamer or want to edit videos or create content using these computers, there is a definite advantage in using the XPS 17. The XPS 15 has a heat pipe cooling system while the XPS 17 has a vapor chamber cooling system. While running thermal standard tests, the XPS 15 throttles way earlier than the XPS 17 because of better cooling mechanisms.

During Cinebench tests, the XPS 15 redlined at around 99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit until it got stuck. When this happens, the system tries to lower the power consumption by reducing CPU performance or even shutting down a core or two temporarily. However, when the XPS 17 was exposed to the same benchmarks, it got warm but didn’t thermal throttle at all, which is indicative of a much better heat dissipation system and efficient management when things get hot.

Portability

While the obvious choice under this category would be the XPS 15 because it’s a smaller device, things are not often what they seem. The XPS 15 has two Thunderbolt ports, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, and an additional USB-C port. However, the XPS 17 all that plus another pair of Thunderbolt ports. However, a giant 17-inch laptop does need specialized bags or a lot of other space to carry around every day.

Conclusion

In the end, it is obvious that the Dell XPS 17 performs way better than its counterpart in terms of power and heat dissipation. However, not many people need such a huge powerhouse for their everyday tasks and if you think that lugging around a 17-inch computer is not your cup of tea, you should get the Dell XPS 15. Otherwise, the XPS 17 is the obvious choice.