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Preview: Dell XPS 15z Notebook in test

Premium? A long time rumors about the succession of the slim Adamo series flew thick and fast. Now, we know the official answer: Adamo turns into Dell XPS -z. The 15-inch model of the new slim aluminium laptops is already under review. Here are the first results.

Display

279
cd/m²
286
cd/m²
263
cd/m²
249
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
244
cd/m²
231
cd/m²
226
cd/m²
268
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AUO30ED tested with Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 286 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 258.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 79 %
Center on Battery: 282 cd/m²
Contrast: 513:1 (Black: 0.55 cd/m²)54.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
77.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
52.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
PCMark Vantage Result
8238 points
PCMark 7 Score
2633 points
Help
3DMark 06 Standard Score
7392 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
3891 points
3DMark 11 Performance
901 points
Help

Emissions

Noise Level

Idle
34.6 / 34.6 / 34.6 dB(A)
HDD
34.9 dB(A)
DVD
38.8 / dB(A)
Load
43.3 / 48.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-300 (15 cm distance)

Temperature rise

Max. Load
 46.6 °C
116 F
45.7 °C
114 F
34.1 °C
93 F
 
 41.8 °C
107 F
41.4 °C
107 F
30.8 °C
87 F
 
 37.1 °C
99 F
34.4 °C
94 F
28.1 °C
83 F
 
Maximum: 46.6 °C = 116 F
Average: 37.8 °C = 100 F
33.4 °C
92 F
43.1 °C
110 F
41.7 °C
107 F
30.9 °C
88 F
38.6 °C
101 F
39.4 °C
103 F
28.9 °C
84 F
32.1 °C
90 F
36.8 °C
98 F
Maximum: 43.1 °C = 110 F
Average: 36.1 °C = 97 F
Power Supply (max.)  55.6 °C = 132 F | Room Temperature 23.1 °C = 74 F | Raytek Raynger ST
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.8 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46.6 °C / 116 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.1 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.2 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 37.1 °C / 98.8 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-8.3 °C / -15 F).

Battery Life

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
8h 31min
WiFi Surfing
6h 00min
DVD
4h 55min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 19min
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.8 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 9.1 / 13.4 / 14.2 Watt
Load midlight 61.4 / 94.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Gallery

Dell XPS 15z
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In Review: Dell XPS 15z
In Review: Dell XPS 15z

Specifications

Dell XPS 15z (XPS Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-2620M 2 x 2.7 - 3.4 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 600 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, ForceWare 267.21
Memory
8 GB 
, manufacturer: Samsung, DDR3 1333MHz, 2x4096MB, max. 8GB, 2 slots
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, AUO30ED, diagonal: 40 centimeters, LED, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel HM65
Storage
Seagate Momentus 7200.5 ST9750420AS, 750 GB 
, 7200 rpm, Momentus 7200.5
Soundcard
Intel Cougar Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: headphone, microphone, Card Reader: 9in1 (SD, SDIO, SDXC, SDHC, MS, MS Pro, MMC, MSXC, xD), RJ45
Networking
Atheros AR8151 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 3.0, optional
Optical drive
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GS30N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 25 x 385 x 260 ( = 0.98 x 15.16 x 10.24 in)
Battery
64 Wh Lithium-Polymer, not removable
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1.3 Megapixel
Additional features
12 Months Warranty, Color: silver
Weight
2.54 kg ( = 89.6 oz / 5.6 pounds), Power Supply: 450 g ( = 15.87 oz / 0.99 pounds)
Price
999 Euro

 

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J. Simon Leitner, 2011-05-24 (Update: 2012-05-26)