Dell XPS 13 9300 Core i5 vs. Dell XPS 13 9300 Core i7: What's the Difference?

We recently reviewed two separate XPS 13 9300 SKUs: one equipped with the Core i5-1035G1 CPU and just 8 GB of RAM while the other came with the Core i7-1065G7 CPU and 16 GB of RAM. Dell charges an additional $400 to $500 for doubling the RAM, doubling the storage, and jumping from the Core i5 to the Core i7. If you're on a tight budget, our benchmarks below comparing the two SKUs should help decide if it's worth investing hundreds more on the pricier Core i7 version.

In short, users who know they can exploit the GPU advantages of the Core i7 should consider the Core i7 over the Core i5. Otherwise, the Core i5 version will offer similar runtimes, similar temperatures, similar power consumption rates, and the same excellent 1200p display. The biggest differentiator between the Core i5 and Core i7 lies in their graphics and not their processor performance; the Core i7 is about 70 percent faster in graphics while being only about 20 percent faster in multi-thread CPU performance.

If you occasionally edit photos or videos or play League of Legends, then the Core i7 and its integrated Iris Plus G7 will be of immediate benefit. If you mostly email, browse, and video stream, then save yourself a few hundred dollars by going with the Core i5. Our favorite aspect of the new XPS 13 9300 by far is its larger 16:10 13.4-inch display as it helps distinguish the Dell laptop from most other competing Ultrabooks available in the market.