Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 Laptop Review: Pretty Much A MacBook Pro 17

Ginormous display. Can Dell dominate the 17-inch market the same way it captured the 15-inch market? The XPS 17 is surprisingly compact with specifications that read like something twice the size, but a few small details miss the mark.

Allen Ngo 👁, Published 07/15/2020 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 ...

The XPS 17 9700 is Dell's newest (and biggest) family member in its venerable XPS series. It inherits most of the physical attributes of the smaller XPS 13 9300 and XPS 15 9500 including the 16:10 aspect ratio, super-sized clickpad, chassis design and materials, and the narrow bezels on all four sides of the display.

Internally, the larger form factor has allowed Dell to incorporate both vapor chamber cooling and a faster GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU while keeping the same CPU options as found on the XPS 15. SKUs start with the quad-core Core i5-10300H CPU, 8 GB of DDR4-2933 RAM, 256 GB SSD, and 1200p 500-nit non-touch display for $1400 USD while higher-end SKUs double the native resolution and add touchscreen support, octa-core Core i7-10875H options, and GeForce GTX 1650 Ti or RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics for up to $3000 USD. A Core i9-10980HK option is planned for the near future.

Our test unit is the higher-end configuration equipped to the brim, but expect another review on a lower-end Core i5 SKU in the near future to get a bigger picture of the XPS 17 series. Competitors to the XPS 17 include other high-performance 17-inch multimedia or professional laptops like the HP Envy 17, Gigabyte Aero 17, MSI Creator 17, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro 16.

More Dell reviews:

Test device courtesy of Dell US

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Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q (XPS 17 Series)

Processor

Intel Core i7-10875H 8 x 2.3 - 5.1 GHz, Comet Lake-H

Graphics adapter

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q - 6 GB VRAM, Core: 975 MHz, Memory: 1375 MHz, GDDR6, 442.92, Optimus

Memory

32 GB

, SK Hynix DDR4 PC4-25600, 21-21-21-47, Dual-Channel

Display

17.00 inch 16:10, 3840 x 2400 pixel 266 PPI, 10-point capacitive, Sharp LQ170R1, IPS, SHP14D6, Dell P/N: 7JXK8, glossy: yes, HDR, 60 Hz

Mainboard

Intel WM490 (Comet Lake PCH-H)

Storage

Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK, 1024 GB

Soundcard

Nvidia TU106 - High Definition Audio Controller

Connections

4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 4 USB 3.1 Gen2, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, 4 Thunderbolt, 4 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo, Card Reader: SD reader, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor

Networking

Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s (ax = Wi-Fi 6/), Bluetooth 5.1

Size

height x width x depth (in mm): 19.5 x 374.45 x 248.05 ( = 0.77 x 14.74 x 9.77 in)

Battery

97 Wh Lithium-Polymer

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

Camera

Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix 720p

Additional features

Speakers: 2.5 W x2 + 1.5 W x2, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, USB-C to HDMI and USB-A adapter, Dell Power Manager, Update, Mobile Connect, CinemaColor, Digital Delivery, 12 Months Warranty

Weight

2.49 kg ( = 87.83 oz / 5.49 pounds), Power Supply: 426 g ( = 15.03 oz / 0.94 pounds)

Price

3000 USD

Links

Dell homepage
Dell notebook section

Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

see all specifications

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Rating	Date	Model	Weight	Height	Size	Resolution
87.9 %	07/2020	Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q	2.5 kg	19.5 mm	17.00"	3840x2400
82.5 %	07/2020	MSI Creator 17 A10SGS i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q	2.4 kg	20 mm	17.30"	3840x2160
80.9 %	06/2020	HP Envy 17t-cg000 i7-1065G7, GeForce MX330	2.7 kg	19.3 mm	17.30"	3840x2160
87 %	04/2020	Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q	2.7 kg	21 mm	17.30"	3840x2160
87.4 %	06/2020	Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz i7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q	2.7 kg	19.9 mm	17.30"	1920x1080

Case — An Enlarged XPS 15

It's easy to become enamored by the design and visual style of the XPS 17. This is one of the best-looking 17-inch laptops available as Dell has translated the look and feel of the already excellent XPS 15 to a 17-inch size almost perfectly.

We have to say "almost perfectly" because some aspects of the chassis feel weaker than they do on the XPS 15. The display and base, for example, flex and creak slightly more when twisting its corners while the hinges could be stiffer as well to give a better sense of longevity. Thicker and larger 17-inch laptops like the Razer Blade Pro 17 have the advantage in this regard.

Much like how the XPS 15 has some of the smallest footprints of any 15.6-inch laptop, the XPS 17 is probably the most portable 17-inch laptop we've seen. This is partly due to its slightly smaller 17-inch screen size when compared to the more common 17.3-inch, but the taller 16:10 aspect ratio makes up for this difference.

The system is still hefty at 2.5 kg despite its smaller dimensions as vapor chambers are traditionally heavier than standard copper heat pipes. If you plan to travel frequently with a 17-inch laptop, then this or the LG Gram 17 would be your two best options.

Familiar carbon fiber palm rests as on the XPS 15 and XPS 13. The white fiberglass option, however, is not available

Lid opened to maximum angle of ~150 degrees

Expect fingerprints to accumulate quickly yet again on the rubberized black surfaces

Fingerprint-enabled Power button. Speakers grilles are now larger along the sides, but the actual speakers are identical to the XPS 15

The visual XPS design translates very well to a 17-inch form factor

The bottom magnesium panel rises around the sides much like on the XPS 15 9500

The front edge has no grip which makes opening the lid slippery and difficult

Small hinges for such a large screen size. The display creaks slightly when adjusting its angle

HP Envy 17t-cg000 Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB MSI Creator 17 A10SGS Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Apple MacBook Pro 16 2019 i9 5500M DIN A4 ❌

Connectivity — Copying the MacBook Pro to a Tee

During a conference call with HP a few months ago, a company rep had this to say about the MacBook Pro 15:

"What are you going to do with four Thunderbolt 3 ports?"

We're not really sure, either, but one thing's for certain: be prepared to carry a bunch of adapters with you. It's a bit unfortunate that Dell couldn't squeeze in any other ports despite the larger 17-inch form factor. The HP Envy 17t, for example, integrates both HDMI and USB Type-A in addition to USB Type-C.

Annoyingly, the ports are packed tightly together along the edges so thicker adapters and docking stations may block access to adjacent ports.

Right: 2x USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3, SD card reader, 3.5 mm combo audio

Left: Wedge lock, 2x USB Type-C + Thunderbolt 3

SD Card Reader

The integrated SD card reader returns very fast transfer rates much like on the XPS 15. Moving 1 GB of pictures from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes just 5 to 6 seconds. Note that the card reader is not spring-loaded.

Fully inserted SD card still protrudes by a few millimeters

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	208.5 MB/s ∼100% +7%
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	207 MB/s ∼99% +6%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	195.4 MB/s ∼94%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	75 MB/s ∼36% -62%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	245 MB/s ∼100% +24%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	208.3 MB/s ∼85% +5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	197.9 MB/s ∼81%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)	82.6 MB/s ∼34% -58%

Communication

The Wi-Fi 6-enabled Killer 1650 comes standard on all SKUs. We would have preferred the Intel AX200/201 instead because Killer Wi-Fi typically targets gamers and the XPS 17 is not marketed as a gaming machine. Nonetheless, we didn't experience any issues when connected to our Netgear RAX200 test router.

The WLAN module is soldered at not user-removable

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x Wireless Network Adapter (200NGW)	1410 MBit/s ∼100% +64%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1297 (574^min - 1585^max) MBit/s ∼92% +50%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1283 (1089^min - 1413^max) MBit/s ∼91% +49%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1270 MBit/s ∼90% +47%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s	862 (667^min - 971^max) MBit/s ∼61%
iperf3 receive AX12
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x Wireless Network Adapter (200NGW)	1390 MBit/s ∼100% +5%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1382 (726^min - 1504^max) MBit/s ∼99% +5%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1340 MBit/s ∼96% +1%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650s	1321 (1216^min - 1419^max) MBit/s ∼95%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	1182 (1085^min - 1338^max) MBit/s ∼85% -11%

Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1321 (1216-1419)

Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø862 (667-971)

Webcam

ColorChecker Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q: 10.3 ∆E min: 3.57 - max: 18.89 ∆E

Maintenance

The bottom panel is secured by eight T5 Torx screws and it's generally more difficult to open up than the XPS 15 7590 since the edges and corners are tighter and sharper. A plastic edge like an old credit card is recommended to avoid any finger cuts.

Two DDR4 SODIMM RAM slots are available alongside two M.2 2280 slots for storage.

Accessories and Warranty

The retail box includes a handy adapter for both USB-A and HDMI 2.0 connectivity which is more than what we can say for the MacBook Pro 15. Other USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 docking stations and monitors will be a natural fit for the system.

The standard one-year limited warranty applies with plenty of extension options if ordered directly from Dell.

Input Devices — Like Typing on an XPS 15

Keyboard

Dell uses the same keyboard keys and layout between the XPS 15 9500 and XPS 17 9700 for a similar typing experience between them. Thus, if you're comfortable typing on the XPS 15, then you'll feel right at home on the XPS 17 as key sizes are identical. Key travel is shallower than an HP Spectre or Dell Latitude but feedback remains crisp with moderate clatter.

Touchpad

The clickpad is the same size as the one on the latest XPS 15 (~15.1 x 9 cm) with similar traction for easy scrolling and cursor control.

No matter how big and roomy the clickpad may be, however, it can't replace the more tactile and accurate feeling of dedicated mouse buttons. The integrated buttons here are soft in feedback for an unsatisfying click when pressed. Multi-touch actions like dragging and dropping are much easier to perform with two hands due to the sheer size of the clickpad.

Exact same keyboard and clickpad as on the XPS 15 9500 with essentially no differences in size or feel

Expect unsightly fingerprints to build up quickly on the Precision clickpad and palm rests surfaces

Key travel is shallower than we would like at 1.3 mm, but it's not as shallow as the MagLev keys on the XPS 15 9575

Up and Down arrow keys are still cramped to use

Display — Highest Screen-to-Body Ratio On Any 17-inch Laptop

Sharp is once again responsible for the XPS display and it is easily one of the best aspects of the XPS 17. Open up the display for the first time and most everyone will be taken aback by how huge the screen is relative to the rest of the chassis. Perhaps not by coincidence, measured brightness, response times, and contrast ratio are very close to what we observed on the MacBook Pro 16 which uses a high quality panel as well. Nonetheless, Dell still edges out the MacBook Pro display due to its higher PPI and wider gamut for deeper colors.

One of the highest screen-to-body ratios we've seen on any 17-inch laptop

The bezels are so narrow that it's easy to accidentally touch the corners of the touchscreen when trying to close the lid or adjust the angle

Crisp RGB subpixels from the glossy screen. Onscreen content is almost grain-free

Minor-moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge. The center screen appears "pinched" on our test unit as well


473.6 cd/m²	479.8 cd/m²	497.9 cd/m²
464.5 cd/m²	539.4 cd/m²	499.2 cd/m²
455.3 cd/m²	529.1 cd/m²	506.3 cd/m²

Distribution of brightness

Sharp LQ170R1

X-Rite i1Pro 2

Maximum: 539.4 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 493.9 cd/m² Minimum: 33.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 539.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 1686:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.12 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 3.91
ΔE Greyscale 1.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
100% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
90.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
99.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
90.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.15

Download ICC File (X-Rite i1Pro 2)

	Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Sharp LQ170R1, IPS, 17.00, 3840x2400	Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Sharp LQ173M1JW02, IPS, 17.30, 1920x1080	MSI Creator 17 A10SGS B173ZAN05.0 (AUO278E), Mini-LED IPS-Level, 17.30, 3840x2160	HP Envy 17t-cg000 AU Optronics AUO168E, IPS, 17.30, 3840x2160	Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB AUO B173ZAN03.2 (AUO329B), IPS, 17.30, 3840x2160	Apple MacBook Pro 16 2019 i9 5500M APPA044, IPS, 16.00, 3072x1920
Display		-16%	-9%	-2%	-1%
Display P3 Coverage	90.5	72.2 -20%	82 -9%	86.2 -5%	86.5 -4%
sRGB Coverage	100	98.5 -1%	97.5 -2%	100 0%	100 0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage	99.8	73 -27%	84 -16%	99.8 0%	100 0%
Response Times		80%	72%	10%	6%	-6%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *	51.2 ?(27.2, 24)	5.6 ?(2.6, 3) 89%		45.2 ?(24, 21) 12%	55.2 ?(26.8, 28.4) -8%	52.4 ?(23.9, 28.5) -2%
Response Time Black / White *	32 ?(18, 14)	9.6 ?(5.2, 4.4) 70%	8.8 ?(1.2, 7.6) 72%	29.6 ?(16.4, 13.2) 7%	26 ?(9.2, 16.8) 19%	34.9 ?(17.8, 17.1) -9%
PWM Frequency			26600 ?(83)			131700
Screen		-46%	-6%	-46%	17%	12%
Brightness middle	539.4	328 -39%	996 85%	383.4 -29%	487 -10%	519 -4%
Brightness	494	329 -33%	952 93%	382 -23%	475 -4%	477 -3%
Brightness Distribution	84	78 -7%	93 11%	86 2%	95 13%	86 2%
Black Level *	0.32	0.35 -9%	0.68 -113%	0.34 -6%	0.38 -19%	0.39 -22%
Contrast	1686	937 -44%	1465 -13%	1128 -33%	1282 -24%	1331 -21%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *	4.12	4.74 -15%	4.21 -2%	6.24 -51%	1.19 71%	2.28 45%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *	7.65	8.99 -18%	6.79 11%	10.18 -33%	2.43 68%	6.54 15%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *	3.91	2.12 46%	2.03 48%	3.7 5%	0.5 87%	0.86 78%
Greyscale dE 2000 *	1.5	6.8 -353%	4.1 -173%	6.6 -340%	1.45 3%	0.9 40%
Gamma	2.15 ^102%	2.2 ^100%	2.207 ^100%	2.272 ^97%	2.21 ^100%	2145 ^0%
CCT	6438 ^101%	6446 ^101%	7491 ^87%	5973 ^109%	6557 ^99%	6572 ^99%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)	90.4	64.8 -28%	84 -7%	88 -3%	88 -3%	78 -14%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)	100	98.6 -1%	97 -3%	100 0%	100 0%
Total Average (Program / Settings)		6% / -24%	19% / -1%	-13% / -31%	7% / 12%	3% / 9%

* ... smaller is better

Color space covers all of sRGB and over 90 percent of AdobeRGB to be similar to most professional laptops like the MSI Creator 17 or Gigabyte Aero 17. The typical consumer Ultrabook covers about 60 percent of AdobeRGB in comparison.

The display is well calibrated out of the box with average grayscale DeltaE and ColorChecker values of just 1.5 and 4.12, respectively. Attempting to calibrate the panel even further ourselves would result in insignificant changes and so an end-user calibration is not necessary.

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White
32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 18 ms rise
32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 14 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 83 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms).
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
51.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↗ 27.2 ms rise
51.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined	↘ 24 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.5 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18982 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is tolerable when under shade even though there will be some glare from the glossy screen. We recommend setting the brightness to maximum and increasing the font scale to avoid squinting. Direct sunlight will wash out colors and should be avoided.

Wide IPS viewing angles. Colors degrades only slightly even from extreme angles

Performance — Now with GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q Options

Much like the XPS 15, Dell is targeting both multimedia users and high-performance users with the XPS 17. Users who just want to use the system for schoolwork, browsing, or video can go with a Core i5 UHD graphics SKU while more demanding users can configure with the Core i7 and discrete GeForce GTX 1650 Ti or RTX 2060 Max-Q. Dell says Core i9 options will be coming in the near future, but it's kind of a bummer that there are no Ryzen options planned.

Nvidia Optimus comes standard with our GeForce configuration while RAM is expandable up to 64 GB-2933. All benchmarks below were performed on Dell's Ultra Performance mode for the highest possible scores.

Processor

CPU performance is essentially identical to the Razer Blade Pro 17 while being slightly faster than the XPS 15 9500 all equipped with the same Core i7-10875H CPU. Upgrading from the lower-end Core i5-10300H option or last year's Core i7-9750H will net roughly 60 percent and 40 percent faster multi-thread performance, respectively. Thicker systems like the Alienware m17 R2 or MSI GE75 with the older Core i9-9880H will still outperform our Dell system by virtue of having larger cooling solutions for higher sustained clock rates.

Jumping from the i7-10875H to the i9-10980HK will likely just bring just minimal benefits again much like what we observed on the XPS 15.

See our dedicated page on the Core i7-10875H here for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.

Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1366 (1339.18-1451.59)

Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1362 (1352.68-1494.38)

Alienware m17 R2 P41E GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, i9-9980HK, 2x SK Hynix PC601 NVMe 512 GB (RAID 0); CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1640 (1625.22-1699.96)

Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1773 (1724.58-1815.79)

MSI GE75 9SG GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile, i9-9880H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø1619 (1602.44-1728.31)

Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.2 - 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core)
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	4339 Points ∼100% +30%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	4288 Points ∼99% +29%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E Intel Core i9-9980HK	4136 Points ∼95% +24%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	3883 Points ∼89% +17%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	3712 Points ∼86% +12%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (1986 - 4176, n=32)	3455 Points ∼80% +4%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	3329 Points ∼77%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	3224 Points ∼74% -3%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	3178 Points ∼73% -5%
Dell G5 15 5590 Intel Core i7-8750H	2707 Points ∼62% -19%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR Intel Core i7-9750H	2357 Points ∼54% -29%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	2107 Points ∼49% -37%

Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core)
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	495 Points ∼100% +2%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	489 Points ∼99% +1%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (430 - 524, n=32)	486 Points ∼98% +1%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	483 Points ∼98%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	481 Points ∼97% 0%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E Intel Core i9-9980HK	478 Points ∼97% -1%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	460 Points ∼93% -5%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	446 Points ∼90% -8%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	441 Points ∼89% -9%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	428 Points ∼86% -11%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR Intel Core i7-9750H	422 Points ∼85% -13%
Dell G5 15 5590 Intel Core i7-8750H	403 Points ∼81% -17%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	1892 (1814.88^min - 1892.51^max) Points ∼100% +30%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	1863 Points ∼98% +28%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E Intel Core i9-9980HK	1754 Points ∼93% +21%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	1737 (1552.73^min - 1737.47^max) Points ∼92% +20%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	1721 Points ∼91% +19%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (1003 - 1833, n=38)	1554 Points ∼82% +7%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	1452 (1339.18^min - 1451.59^max) Points ∼77%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	1398 (1313.46^min - 1397.77^max) Points ∼74% -4%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	1347 (1253.05^min - 1347.16^max) Points ∼71% -7%
Dell G5 15 5590 Intel Core i7-8750H	1191 Points ∼63% -18%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR Intel Core i7-9750H	1097 Points ∼58% -24%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	889 (827.87^min - 893.75^max) Points ∼47% -39%

Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (190 - 220, n=37)	204 Points ∼100% +1%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	203 Points ∼100% 0%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	202 Points ∼99%
Alienware m17 R2 P41E Intel Core i9-9980HK	195 Points ∼96% -3%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	193 Points ∼95% -4%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	189 Points ∼93% -6%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	189 Points ∼93% -6%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	189 Points ∼93% -6%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	186 Points ∼91% -8%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	178 Points ∼87% -12%
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GXR Intel Core i7-9750H	173 Points ∼85% -14%
Dell G5 15 5590 Intel Core i7-8750H	165 Points ∼81% -18%

Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	508 Seconds * ∼100% -54%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	347 Seconds * ∼68% -5%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	345 Seconds * ∼68% -5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	330 Seconds * ∼65%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (259 - 535, n=30)	327 Seconds * ∼64% +1%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	297 Seconds * ∼58% +10%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	293 Seconds * ∼58% +11%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	286 Seconds * ∼56% +13%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	262 Seconds * ∼52% +21%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (5071 - 5780, n=31)	5360 MIPS ∼100% +1%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	5336 MIPS ∼100% 0%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	5316 MIPS ∼99%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	5026 MIPS ∼94% -5%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	4924 MIPS ∼92% -7%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	4889 MIPS ∼91% -8%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	4699 MIPS ∼88% -12%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	4634 MIPS ∼86% -13%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	4471 MIPS ∼83% -16%

7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	51468 MIPS ∼100% +24%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	48577 MIPS ∼94% +17%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	46591 MIPS ∼91% +12%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	45938 MIPS ∼89% +11%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (29844 - 49562, n=31)	43117 MIPS ∼84% +4%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	41529 MIPS ∼81%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	36693 MIPS ∼71% -12%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	36370 MIPS ∼71% -12%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	24388 MIPS ∼47% -41%

Geekbench 5.2 - 5.5 / Single-Core
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	1305 Points ∼100%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (1233 - 1371, n=29)	1304 Points ∼100% 0%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	1302 Points ∼100% 0%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	1219 Points ∼93% -7%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	1218 Points ∼93% -7%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	1197 Points ∼92% -8%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	1183 Points ∼91% -9%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	1108 Points ∼85% -15%

Geekbench 5.2 - 5.5 / Multi-Core
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	8666 Points ∼100% +11%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	8068 Points ∼93% +3%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	7825 Points ∼90%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (5715 - 8620, n=29)	7734 Points ∼89% -1%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	7675 Points ∼89% -2%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	6298 Points ∼73% -20%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	5260 Points ∼61% -33%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	4399 Points ∼51% -44%

HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	13.1 fps ∼100% +18%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	12.5 fps ∼95% +13%
Asus Zephyrus G14 GA401IV AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS	12.19 fps ∼93% +10%
MSI GE75 9SG Intel Core i9-9880H	11.86 fps ∼91% +7%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (7.27 - 14.1, n=27)	11.7 fps ∼89% +5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	11.1 fps ∼85%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	10.5 fps ∼80% -5%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	9.27 fps ∼71% -16%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	7.28 fps ∼56% -34%

LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	95.8 s * ∼100% -103%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	64.1 s * ∼67% -36%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	63.6 s * ∼66% -35%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	55.3 s * ∼58% -17%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	51.9 s * ∼54% -10%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (30.2 - 84.3, n=30)	50.3 s * ∼53% -7%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	47.1 s * ∼49%

R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i5 Intel Core i5-10300H	0.646 sec * ∼100% -9%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R5FT AMD Ryzen 5 4600H	0.626 sec * ∼97% -6%
MSI GE75 Raider 10SE-008US Intel Core i7-10750H	0.617 sec * ∼96% -5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H	0.59 sec * ∼91%
Average Intel Core i7-10875H (0.546 - 0.662, n=29)	0.582 sec * ∼90% +1%
Asus Strix Scar 17 G732LXS Intel Core i9-10980HK	0.581 sec * ∼90% +2%
MSI Bravo 17 A4DDR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H	0.568 sec * ∼88% +4%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit

1452 Points

Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit

144 fps

Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit

99.6 %

Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit

202 Points

Help

... in comparison

System Performance

PCMark benchmarks are within single-digit percentage points of the XPS 15 9500 with the exception of our much higher Digital Creation score due to the faster GPU. We recommend that users become familiar with the pre-installed Dell Power Manager application as its settings more closely influence system performance, battery life, and fan behavior than the standard Windows power profiles.

PCMark 10 | PCMark 8

PCMark 10
Score
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	6483 Points ∼61% +14%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	6290 Points ∼60% +11%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB	5758 Points ∼55% +2%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	5672 Points ∼54%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	4102 Points ∼39% -28%
Essentials
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	10024 Points ∼48% +5%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	9831 Points ∼47% +3%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	9507 Points ∼46%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB	9303 Points ∼45% -2%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	7822 Points ∼38% -18%
Productivity
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	8176 Points ∼65% +6%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	8028 Points ∼64% +4%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	7683 Points ∼61%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB	7633 Points ∼61% -1%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	6847 Points ∼54% -11%
Digital Content Creation
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	9022 Points ∼44% +33%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	8560 Points ∼42% +26%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB	7296 Points ∼36% +8%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	6781 Points ∼33%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	3499 Points ∼17% -48%

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	5217 Points ∼78% +43%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	3762 Points ∼57% +3%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	3649 Points ∼55%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	6317 Points ∼89% +44%
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	5267 Points ∼74% +20%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	4385 Points ∼62%

PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2		3649 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2		4385 points
PCMark 10 Score		5672 points
Help

DPC Latency

LatencyMon shows high execution times caused by ACPI.sys even though interrupt times are short. 4K video playback is otherwise smooth and with no dropped frames recorded.

DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95
HP Envy 17t-cg000 GeForce MX330, i7-1065G7, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	3071 μs * ∼100% -371%
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	1933 μs * ∼63% -196%
Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Lite-On CA5-8D512	1030 μs * ∼34% -58%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB2T0HMLB	973 μs * ∼32% -49%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H, Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	652 μs * ∼21%
Asus Zephyrus S17 GX701LXS GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR	453 μs * ∼15% +31%

* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

The two internal M.2 2280 storage slots support PCIe SSDs with one supporting SATA as well. Dell sources SSDs from a handful of OEMs so it's a gamble between Micron, SK Hynix, Toshiba, and Intel based on our experience with previous XPS systems. The 1 TB Micron 2200S in our unit is still fast even if it doesn't quite seem to reach the speeds of a 1 TB Samsung PM981.

Two M.2 2280 PCIx x4 slots with copper head spreaders just like on the XPS 15

Unlike on the XPS 15, however, the battery must be removed first before the M.2 slots become accessible

	Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK	Razer Blade Pro 17 RTX 2070 Max-Q 300 Hz Lite-On CA5-8D512	HP Envy 17t-cg000 WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G	Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ	Apple MacBook Pro 16 2019 i9 5500M Apple SSD AP1024 7171	Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro 17 W700G3T Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB1T0HALR
AS SSD		19%	20%	79%	39%	104%
Seq Read	1141	2019 77%	1161 2%	1762 54%	2531 122%	2958 159%
Seq Write	994	1314 32%	809 -19%	2309 132%	2289 130%	2350 136%
4K Read	31.98	46.61 46%	40.63 27%	49.45 55%	15.85 -50%	56.6 77%
4K Write	61	90.2 48%	138.6 127%	117.1 92%	39.88 -35%	106.1 74%
4K-64 Read	790	665 -16%	857 8%	1237 57%	1267 60%	1836 132%
4K-64 Write	845	813 -4%	1041 23%	1986 135%	1749 107%	1789 112%
Access Time Read *	0.063	0.058 8%	0.067 -6%	0.076 -21%	0.122 -94%	0.061 3%
Access Time Write *	0.679	0.167 75%	0.026 96%	0.032 95%	0.095 86%	0.036 95%
Score Read	966	913 -5%	1013 5%	1463 51%	1536 59%	2189 127%
Score Write	1005	1034 3%	1260 25%	2334 132%	2018 101%	2130 112%
Score Total	2448	2392 -2%	2783 14%	4581 87%	4317 76%	5411 121%
Copy ISO MB/s	1732	1715 -1%	1350 -22%		1995 15%
Copy Program MB/s	717	622 -13%	766 7%		584 -19%
Copy Game MB/s	1343	1506 12%	1190 -11%		1135 -15%
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6		48%	11%	53%	22%	53%
Write 4K	64.1	119 86%	124.2 94%	123.4 93%	55.5 -13%	147.6 130%
Read 4K	39.93	51.9 30%	46.11 15%	45.59 14%	16.21 -59%	47.57 19%
Write Seq	1191	2258 90%		2320 95%	1959 64%	2222 87%
Read Seq	1418	2283 61%		2013 42%	1763 24%	2543 79%
Write 4K Q32T1	450.3	491 9%	447 -1%	489.3 9%	398.5 -12%	459.2 2%
Read 4K Q32T1	365	540 48%	350.1 -4%	559 53%	648 78%	515 41%
Write Seq Q32T1	1563	2253 44%	1463 -6%	2979 91%	2727 74%	2167 39%
Read Seq Q32T1	2683	3172 18%	1751 -35%	3432 28%	3242 21%	3430 28%
Write 4K Q8T8			445.5
Read 4K Q8T8			926
Total Average (Program / Settings)		34% / 29%	16% / 17%	66% / 68%	31% / 33%	79% / 83%

* ... smaller is better

CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6

AS SSD

DiskSpd

Micron 2200S 1TB MTFDHBA1T0TCK

CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2683 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 1563 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 365 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 450.3 MB/s

CDM 5 Read Seq: 1418 MB/s

CDM 5 Write Seq: 1191 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 39.93 MB/s

CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 64.1 MB/s

Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8

No graph data

GPU Performance — Gaming Capable, But Not Gaming Optimal

The XPS 17 is the second laptop ever to ship with the uncommon GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (the first being the Asus Zephyrus G14). Though it's about 10 to 15 percent slower here than the standard mobile RTX 2060, it's still significantly faster than the GTX 1650 options as found on the XPS 15 series or less expensive XPS 17 SKUs by about 50 percent each.

It's too bad that Dell isn't offering a GTX 1660 Ti option as raw gaming performance is nearly identical to the pricier RTX 2060 Max-Q sans ray-tracing acceleration.

See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q for more technical information and benchmark details.

3DMark | 3DMark 11

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	19655 Points ∼100% +38%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	19338 Points ∼98% +36%
Alienware 17 R5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H	17792 Points ∼91% +25%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	16808 Points ∼86% +18%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H	15334 Points ∼78% +8%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (14129 - 15650, n=4)	14900 Points ∼76% +5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H	14241 Points ∼72%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, i7-10875H	9930 Points ∼51% -30%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK	8532 Points ∼43% -40%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	7732 Points ∼100% +44%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	7372 Points ∼95% +38%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	6280 Points ∼81% +17%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H	5744 Points ∼74% +7%
Alienware 17 R5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H	5689 Points ∼74% +6%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (5357 - 5914, n=4)	5637 Points ∼73% +5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H	5357 Points ∼69%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, i7-10875H	3601 Points ∼47% -33%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK	3353 Points ∼43% -37%
2560x1440 Time Spy Score
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	7878 Points ∼100% +40%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	7482 Points ∼95% +33%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	6600 Points ∼84% +17%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H	6045 Points ∼77% +7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (5390 - 6171, n=4)	5813 Points ∼74% +3%
Alienware 17 R5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H	5640 Points ∼72% 0%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H	5637 Points ∼72%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, i7-10875H	3774 Points ∼48% -33%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK	3676 Points ∼47% -35%

3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	26413 Points ∼100% +40%
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	26292 Points ∼100% +39%
Alienware 17 R5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H	23414 Points ∼89% +24%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	22629 Points ∼86% +20%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H	20793 Points ∼79% +10%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (18863 - 21105, n=4)	19881 Points ∼75% +5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H	18863 Points ∼71%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, i7-10875H	12865 Points ∼49% -32%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK	12388 Points ∼47% -34%
1280x720 Performance Combined
MSI Creator 17 A10SGS NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, i7-10875H	15591 Points ∼100% +4%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q, i7-10875H	15054 Points ∼97%
Eluktronics RP-15 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile, R7 4800H	13824 Points ∼89% -8%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop), R7 2700X	13742 Points ∼88% -9%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (12071 - 15054, n=4)	13423 Points ∼86% -11%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, R7 4800H	13311 Points ∼85% -12%
Dell XPS 15 9500 Core i7 4K UHD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile, i7-10875H	13027 Points ∼84% -13%
Alienware 17 R5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile, i7-8750H	11288 Points ∼72% -25%
Dell XPS 15 7590 9980HK GTX 1650 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i9-9980HK	8801 Points ∼56% -42%

3DMark 11 Performance		18021 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score		31845 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score		13173 points
3DMark Time Spy Score		5637 points
Help

... in comparison

Gaming Performance

Dell doesn't market its XPS series to gamers, but the XPS 17 is wholly capable of playing the latest games nonetheless. However, a couple of roadblocks prevent it from being a "proper" gaming machine. Response times on the 4K panel are somewhat slow so gamers can expect a lot of ghosting when playing fast-paced games. There are certainly better alternatives out there if you're going to spend this much on a laptop for gaming.

The Witcher 3 | Shadow of the Tomb Raider

The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q	75.3 (63^min) fps ∼100% +34%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop)	72.7 (61^min - 82^max) fps ∼97% +30%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, AMD Radeon RX 5600M	66.1 (62^min - 70^max) fps ∼88% +18%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (51.2 - 62.9, n=4)	57.2 fps ∼76% +2%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q	56.1 (51^min - 61^max) fps ∼75%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile	55.6 (53^min - 60^max) fps ∼74% -1%
MSI Bravo 15 A4DCR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, AMD Radeon RX 5300M	38.3 (31^min) fps ∼51% -32%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR Intel Core i5-10300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile	37.7 fps ∼50% -33%
Asus TUF FX705GM Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile	36.5 fps ∼48% -35%

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T
Gigabyte Aero 17 HDR XB Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q	99 (78^min) fps ∼100% +52%
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Desktop)	90 fps ∼91% +38%
Asus TUF A17 FA706IU-AS76 AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile	73 fps ∼74% +12%
Average NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q (65 - 74, n=2)	69.5 fps ∼70% +7%
Dell G5 15 SE 5505 P89F AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, AMD Radeon RX 5600M	68 fps ∼69% +5%
Dell XPS 17 9700 Core i7 RTX 2060 Max-Q Intel Core i7-10875H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q	65 fps ∼66%
Asus TUF FX705GM Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile	47 fps ∼47% -28%
MSI GF75 Thin 10SCXR Intel Core i5-10300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile	44 (35^min - 73^max) fps ∼44% -32%
MSI Bravo 15 A4DCR AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, AMD Radeon RX 5300M	36 (24^min) fps ∼36% -45%

(September 9, 2020 update: We reran our Witcher 3 test on a newer second unit with better results. The dips recorded below did not appear during a re-test on the second unit.)

Idling on Witcher 3 should result in stable frame rates throughout, but that is not the case on the XPS 17 as frame rates would begin to periodically dip to to the 10 to 20 FPS range after the first 30 minutes into the stress test. We re-tested this twice on Dell's Ultra Performance profile and results would remain the same. We're not sure what is responsible as we can notice no dip in GPU clock rates while running the game, but this is extremely unusual and not something we've recorded before on any other laptop.