What Laptop to buy? Alternatives to the new Dell XPS 15. Light, fast, quiet, dedicated GPU.

lisali

lisali

lisali

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Joined
17 Oct 2014
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17
Hi all,

I need to buy a new laptop, and I would really appreciate some recommendations! Here's what I need:

- Light, fast (i5/i7)
- IPS screen, does NOT have to be 4K or touch-screen
- Dedicated GPU, nVidia GTX 950m and above
- Quiet. I know that a dedicated GPU will mean it's not silent, but there are loud machines and quiet ones.
- Screen: 15-17''
- Good battery life
- Good sound
- Good build quality
- SSD as main drive or upgradeable
- Budget: around £1200, country: UK

I will mostly use this at home, but good battery life is still important. I have been looking at the new Dell XPS15, but I don't really like that the speakers are turned downwards from the bottom of the machine.

Any other suggestions similar to the Dell XPS15 specs, but with good speakers?

Thank you!
 
I've spent quite a bit of time and effort trying to find a laptop like the XPS 15 and have ended up buying.... an XPS 15.

There is litterally nothing else out there like it that doesn't compromise in at least one area.

No matter where the speakers are on a laptop they will be crap. Use headphones.
 
Skeeter said:
I've spent quite a bit of time and effort trying to find a laptop like the XPS 15 and have ended up buying.... an XPS 15.

There is litterally nothing else out there like it that doesn't compromise in at least one area.

No matter where the speakers are on a laptop they will be crap. Use headphones.
Click to expand...

I've had a few laptops, from HP, which has AWFUL sound, to the old Dell XPS 17, which had a great, crisp, loud sound, so sound quality does differ hugely between machines. I do not want to use headphones, to be honest.

What other makes/models were you looking at? How happy are you with the sound on your XPS 15?
 
I looked at all sorts, from top gaming laptops (too big/heavy), to ultrabooks, to even Macs. The closest that were good were the Razer machines, but they are ruined by the stupid screens.

My first XPS 15 I had for a week before it broke, and my second is currently somewhere between here and China :). But its to replace a 3 year old work laptop, and in 3 years I can't honestly remember a time when it wasn't on mute or had headphones plugged in. I doubt I will ever use the speakers on the 15 so can't really comment. Literally not a single thought was given to them when looking.
 
Skeeter said:
I looked at all sorts, from top gaming laptops (too big/heavy), to ultrabooks, to even Macs. The closest that were good were the Razer machines, but they are ruined by the stupid screens.
Click to expand...


we are so on the same page

wonder if any new dell precisions will be out this year ?
 
lisali said:
Hi all,

I need to buy a new laptop, and I would really appreciate some recommendations! Here's what I need:

- Light, fast (i5/i7)
- IPS screen, does NOT have to be 4K or touch-screen
- Dedicated GPU, nVidia GTX 950m and above
- Quiet. I know that a dedicated GPU will mean it's not silent, but there are loud machines and quiet ones.
- Screen: 15-17''
- Good battery life
- Good sound
- Good build quality
- SSD as main drive or upgradeable
- Budget: around £1200, country: UK

I will mostly use this at home, but good battery life is still important. I have been looking at the new Dell XPS15, but I don't really like that the speakers are turned downwards from the bottom of the machine.

Any other suggestions similar to the Dell XPS15 specs, but with good speakers?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

HI Lisali,

GIGABYTE provides a few options for you in different sizes, that could be a good fit for what you're looking for within your price range. See below:

P57W-CF2 - 17"
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...r4-256gb-m.2-ssd-1tb-hdd-win10-lt-075-gi.html

Intel Core i7 6700HQ
NVidia GTX 970M
256 GB SSD + 1TB HDD + Hot Swappable ODD/HDD Slot / 16 GB DDR4 RAM (Supports up to 32 GB)
17.3" Full HD 1920x1080 Wide View Angle Display / Anti Glare

P35W V5-CF1 - 15"
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...x-970m-6gb-gddr5-gaming-laptop-lt-066-gi.html

Intel Core i7 6700HQ
NVidia GTX 970M
128 GB SSD + 1TB HDD + Hot Swappable ODD/HDD Slot / 16 GB DDR4 RAM (Supports up to 32 GB)
15.6" IPS FHD Wide Viewing Angle (1920 x 1080)

You might be able to get some feedback/experience from some of the other users on the forum that have purchased the newer models. With the new Skylake processor and improved cooling design, you'll find these new models running much cooler, thus more quiet than previous iterations as well.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any questions or if we can be of anymore assistance!

Cheers,

R~
GIGABYTE NB
 
Last edited:
Links worked for me just now

Ryu_86 Any chance of a look at the power adapter for the P35W V5-CF1? No pictures on the product page

Yes it's a gaming laptop but some people still need to travel with them and it seems crazy that very little attention is paid to the size and weight of the power adapters.
 
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