Face Off: The Better Multimedia Notebook with GTX 1050 Graphics

The keyboard keys on the HP are slightly softer and clatter less loudly than on the Dell or MSI. This is due to its less rigid base surrounding the keys, so depressing one key will warp the chassis around it just slightly. The keyboard bases of the Dell and MSI are firmer for overall better tactile feedback. We find the keys on the Dell to be higher-pitched than on the MSI when pressed, but travel feels similar between them. Instead, the biggest difference between these three systems is the lack of a NumPad on the Dell. The MSI system utilizes full-size Arrow keys as well, so data entry users may prefer this option over the two competitors. Keyboard backlight is available only on the Dell and HP.

The trackpad is poorest on the HP as its surface flexes too easily during use and feedback is very spongy and unsatisfying. In contrast, the MSI trackpad is firm and does not depress for a smoother glide. Its dedicated mouse keys are also much easier to use than the integrated solutions on the Dell and HP. The Dell trackpad is not as spongy to use as on the HP, but its auditory feedback when pressed is nowhere near as solid as on the MSI.

The panels vary wildly between the systems and they are perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between the notebooks outside of chassis quality. Firstly, the FHD version of the XPS 15 offers an extremely clean picture even when up against the HP UHD SKU because of its superior backlight brightness and contrast levels. Its most notable downfall is the very slow black-white response time, so ghosting is significantly more noticeable during gameplay. The UHD version of the XPS 15 includes an even wider color gamut for potentially better color accuracy, though contrast and brightness are slightly worse.

Both Dell SKUs utilize the lauded Sharp IGZO panels that are far superior to both the FHD and UHD SKUs of the HP Pavilion 15t. Color coverage is narrower on the HP systems with dimmer LED backlighting and potentially lower contrast levels. The saving grace of the Pavilion 15t is its faster black-white response times, so users will be sacrificing color accuracy for less ghosting if choosing the HP over the Dell. The MSI option is the least expensive as it carries a TN panel with middling contrast and brightness. Its color temperature and grayscale in particular are extremely inaccurate out of the box, so end-user calibration is recommended. The wide color gamut and average response times are otherwise better than on the HP and Dell, respectively, so the MSI is the best of both worlds in this regard.

CPU Performance

The identically configured systems have nearly identical CineBench Multi-Thread results to suggest similar short-term Turbo Boost performances across the board. Turbo Boost potential changes slightly between systems when running CineBench Single-Thread as the Pavilion 15t comes out on top by as much as 11 percent against the MSI GL62. Note that the i5-7300HQ is not significantly slower than the i7-7700HQ in single-threaded workloads since the difference in Turbo Boost potential between them is small (3.5 GHz. vs. 3.8 GHz). However, the lack of Hyper-Threading in the Core i5 HQ series means a performance deficit of about 30 percent in multi-threaded workloads.

Serviceability is simplest on the Dell system as long as the user has access to a T5 Hex wrench. The Pavilion 15t and GL62 are both more tightly latched around their edges and corners and require a bit more finesse or there will be risk of damage to the case. Once opened, however, it becomes clear that the MSI system is equipped with the more robust cooling system which will become all the more important in our Stress Test and System Noise sections below.

See our dedicated pages on the Core i7-7700HQ and i5-7300HQ for more benchmarks and comparisons.

We run both Prime95 and FurMark to simulate maximum stress and to test system stability. These unrealistic conditions do not represent daily workloads and are instead meant to put both the CPU and GPU at 100 percent capacity.

The MSI system performs the best when under stress as Turbo Boost for both the CPU and GPU can be sustained. Additionally, its core temperatures are also the lowest especially when compared to the HP whose GPU and CPU will run at least 10 C warmer and occasionally drop below the base clock rate, respectively. Performance from the Dell is stable, but the GPU takes a massive hit in clock rate down to a constant 519 MHz. This GPU throttling fortunately does not occur when under gaming loads, though the GPU will actually run slightly warmer when gaming as a result.