new laptop needed s.o.s.

[landonr96]

does anyone have problems with your XPS 15? I really want the XPS 15 with 512 GB Storage, 16 GB DDR4 Ram and I7 7700 Processor. Note i know nothing when it comes to the inside of a computer but i do know the new 8th Gen Core is coming out so is it really worth it if i get a I7-7700H processor? I am business student, about to graduate, who loves gaming from time to time. I need something that can run, web browsers, Word and Excel smoothly but can also run a few games from time to time. Can you or anyone please give me some advice?

 

[umbrellacorp89]

Hi Landon, I've heard nothing but rave reviews of the XPS 13, so I can imagine that the 15 would be along the same lines. Personally, I prefer the HP Spectre X360. I have been setting some up for work (I work in Hospitality management) and the Spectres are truly great!! You can catch a good deal on them at Best Buy from time to time. The integrated Intel HD graphics will be enough to get you by to play even some games such as WoW, Overwatch etc. Let me know if you have any further questions!

does anyone have problems with your XPS 15? I really want the XPS 15 with 512 GB Storage, 16 GB DDR4 Ram and I7 7700 Processor. Note i know nothing when it comes to the inside of a computer but i do know the new 8th Gen Core is coming out so is it really worth it if i get a I7-7700H processor? I am business student, about to graduate, who loves gaming from time to time. I need something that can run, web browsers, Word and Excel smoothly but can also run a few games from time to time. Can you or anyone please give me some advice?

 

[jaguarskx]

I do not have a Dell XPS 15... and I am not sure when the 2018 Dell XPS 15 is expected to be released.

What I can tell you is that the new 2018 version can have up to the 6 core i9-9950HK. It is clocked around 500MHz faster than the 6 core i7-8850H. It also has a 33.33% more internal L3 cache compared to the i7. Without getting too technical that is basically very fast RAM built inside the CPU that can help improve performance a little bit when the CPU needs to make very complex calculations. Example would be video encoding and Monte Carlo financial modelling simulations. I assume most people would opt for the i5-8300H CPU which is basically like the "old core i7 CPUs". Both have Hyper Threading (HT) which means each core can process 2 sets of instructions instead of only 1 set of instructions.

Generally speaking, 7th gen Core i5 CPUs are only quad core CPUs. The 8th Core i5 CPUs are quad core CPUs, but they also have HT... Just like the 7th gen i7-7700HQ. The vast majority of games do not take advantage of HT. Overwatch and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six are 2 of 3 games I am aware of that can take advantage of HT. I cannot remember the 3rd game.

The new 2018 Dell XPS 15 will have the nVidia GTX 1050 Ti which offers better game performance compared to the GTX 1050 in the current Dell XPS 15. Also, the vast majority of games use 4 cores or less... Buying a laptop with an 8th gen Core i7 or Core i9 with 6 cores (and Hyper Threading) may sound awesome, but if what you do cannot make much or any use of the 5th and 6th cores, then you are basically spending extra money for nothing. I am sure there are a handful of games that can make use of more than 4 cores and HT, but I do not know of any other than Overwatch to a minor extent.

 

[landonr96]

So what core would recommend for games like fortnite or sea of theives? those are really the only games along with rainbow six or far cry ill play. Everything else will be business and school stuff.

I do not have a Dell XPS 15... and I am not sure when the 2018 Dell XPS 15 is expected to be released.

What I can tell you is that the new 2018 version can have up to the 6 core i9-9950HK. It is clocked around 500MHz faster than the 6 core i7-8850H. It also has a 33.33% more internal L3 cache compared to the i7. Without getting too technical that is basically very fast RAM built inside the CPU that can help improve performance a little bit when the CPU needs to make very complex calculations. Example would be video encoding and Monte Carlo financial modelling simulations. I assume most people would opt for the i5-8300H CPU which is basically like the "old core i7 CPUs". Both have Hyper Threading (HT) which means each core can process 2 sets of instructions instead of only 1 set of instructions.

Generally speaking, 7th gen Core i5 CPUs are only quad core CPUs. The 8th Core i5 CPUs are quad core CPUs, but they also have HT... Just like the 7th gen i7-7700HQ. The vast majority of games do not take advantage of HT. Overwatch and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six are 2 of 3 games I am aware of that can take advantage of HT. I cannot remember the 3rd game.

The new 2018 Dell XPS 15 will have the nVidia GTX 1050 Ti which offers better game performance compared to the GTX 1050 in the current Dell XPS 15. Also, the vast majority of games use 4 cores or less... Buying a laptop with an 8th gen Core i7 or Core i9 with 6 cores (and Hyper Threading) may sound awesome, but if what you do cannot make much or any use of the 5th and 6th cores, then you are basically spending extra money for nothing. I am sure there are a handful of games that can make use of more than 4 cores and HT, but I do not know of any other than Overwatch to a minor extent.

 

[jaguarskx]

I think all you really need is the i5-8300H in the new Dell XPS 15. Having 4 cores and Hyper Threading is more than enough for most people.

I would not consider getting a 6 Core CPU unless you know that you will be doing some really CPU intensive tasks like complex financial modelling. Sure there may be a game out there that might be able to use more than 4 cores, but the chances are pretty slim that will be the case.