Thread: Confused with RAM, Battery and Processor for Dell XPS 15.

Hi all,

I am planning to buy a Dell XPS 15 model. The current configuration available is as following [which can be customized on dell store],

RAM: 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
HDD: 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
Processor: Intel Core i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz
Battery: 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

I have 3 questions,
1) Is there really any advantage in considering 6GB RAM instead of 4GB. Is it worth? If yes, how would it be advantageous?

2) Is there any difference between i3 and i5 processors performance? Which one I should go for? [i7 is out of consideration.]

3) I am thinking to upgrade to 9 cell battery instead of 6 cell. How much time difference will be there in the standby time? I mean, if I upgrade to 9 cell battery, how much more time I will get over 6 cell battery performance?

The laptop usage will be mostly home usage, more gaming stuff and some official stuff.

[FYI: I am getting this from USA, and it's costing me around Rs 32000. ]

Any advices would be much appreciated!

Teja

I am a XPS 15 i3 user.
unless you are a performance junkie it would make no difference whatsoever if you went for the i3 4 GB version.but if the higher upgrade costs lesser if compared to indian rates go for higher specs.as for battery,9 cell works more than 6 cell by giving 1 hour more,giving a total of 3 hours.
i tested my 6 cell at minimum brightness and can play xvid videos in full screen using an earphone for just less than 2 hours at a stretch on a full charge with no useless program running in the background.
but my only advice,get the full HD 1080p B+RG display.you won't regret the decision.spec and performance wise it scores miles ahead of 720p WLED.

4gb ram is sufficient for all normal usages.6gb or more ram is only needed for intensive video editing,3d rendering work etc & even then a person who need such ram will definitely not consider anything below a high end i7 processor.

Thanks for your replies guys. The info is very good.

And yes whitestar_999, I don't think I am gonna do any of the high end stuff with this laptop as mentioned by you. So I guess I am good to go with 4GB instead of 6GB.

Originally Posted by iorhld

but my only advice,get the full HD 1080p B+RG display.you won't regret the decision.spec and performance wise it scores miles ahead of 720p WLED.

My current configuration gives me,
HD Display: 15.6 in HD WLED TL (1366x768) with Skype-Certified 2.0MP HD Webcam.

Is this sufficient for the normal usage or it doesn't look good enough? Just checking. For FHD 1080p B+RG display, I will have to pay 150$ more What to do?

Plus, what I have understood is that 9 cell battery will give me 3 hours more time than the 6 cell battery [Please correct me if I am wrong]. But if that's the case, then I will surely go for 9 cell battery. It will cost me 40$ more though.

I appreciate your inputs!

Teja

I was just roaming around on the dell customization site, I saw the pics of laptops with 6 cell and 9 cell battery.

I was wondering, if I update from 6 cell to 9 cell battery, does the extra 3 cells come out of the laptop and the bottom gets tilted like shown in the image? Well, that makes the laptop look a bit weird.

Please let me know. Specially, if any of you have got a 9 cell battery laptop.

Attaching the images...

Teja

hey hey,u got it wrong,a 9 cell will give just 1 hour more,so you get a "total of 3 hours" of running time in full charge.
dell XPS is a pretty power hungry machine.
as for 9 cell, it looks pretty weird,with its bulge at the bottom.
i should remind you, dell XPS is a desktop replacement,not a "LAPtop".it's very heavy and bulky.it's better placed on a flat desk.
as for a B+RG LED,it's made by AUO of south korea.it's the next best thing to a IPS RGB led LCD display.put in simple terms,it's a professional grade display when it comes to color reproduction.it's got a color gamut of 96% whereas a WLED will give just 65%.and you can never go wrong with a full HD display.i say 150$ more is nothing compared to what you would have to pay had you just got a display of similar specs.
go to TFT Central - LCD Monitor Information, Reviews, Guides and News to know more about displays.

Originally Posted by iorhld

as for 9 cell, it looks pretty weird,with its bulge at the bottom.

just want to know, when you keep it on your lap, doesnt the tomb" create any problems??

Originally Posted by iorhld

hey hey,u got it wrong,a 9 cell will give just 1 hour more,so you get a "total of 3 hours" of running time in full charge.
dell XPS is a pretty power hungry machine.
as for 9 cell, it looks pretty weird,with its bulge at the bottom.

Thanks for the info. Now, I guess I will go for 6 cell battery only. There is no point in making your laptop look weird just for the sake of 1 extra hour. And as Mickey is concerned, the tomb can be pretty annoying sometimes.

And yes, about display, I will definitely consider that option. I will have to think over my budget things though. But hopefully I will be able to make a good deal out of all this.

Thanks for everything guys.

Teja

Hi Teja,
This is the first time I have been to this forum and I am not from India. However, I am compelled to reply because of the misinformation some people are providing you, particularly regarding RAM. Simply put, go with the 6Gb of RAM. You do not need to be doing intensive graphics applications to require more RAM. Want to have multiple web browser windows open? That needs RAM. Want to play flash video? RAM again.
Also with the battery, you will get more than 1hour, I would estimate I get about 1hr30-45min more than the 6-cell. Also, the XPS 15 gets warm and requires more airflow. The 9-cell props up the system nicely and keeps the CPU and GPU cooler. If you go with the 6-cell, it will be more portable, but you will also be finding yourself propping up the computer during use to keep it cool. This is a more minor point, but if you want to use your laptop for the next three years, go with more RAM.
Hope that helps.
SP

Hey Thanks SnowPuppie for your inputs.

Originally Posted by SnowPuppie

.....Want to have multiple web browser windows open? That needs RAM. Want to play flash video? RAM again.....
..... The 9-cell props up the system nicely and keeps the CPU and GPU cooler. If you go with the 6-cell, it will be more portable, but you will also be finding yourself propping up the computer during use to keep it cool.....

I need to finalize this thing now. The two points mentioned above are the tricky points and I haven't thought of them before. I am a bit confused about cooling purpose against the looks. But still I will try to decide it soon because I am almost about to place the order.

Thanks again!

Teja

No problem. Good luck deciding and let us know what you decide on !

i don't know how many flash games you have to open to justify 6gb ram but i often use 35-40 tabs in firefox 6 & max firefox ram usage i have seen is ~400mb with noscript addon.

Originally Posted by whitestar_999

i don't know how many flash games you have to open to justify 6gb ram but i often use 35-40 tabs in firefox 6 & max firefox ram usage i have seen is ~400mb with noscript addon.

Hey SnowPuppie, Any thoughts over this? I mean, I don't want to start a fight between you two here, by any means.

But as I am buying laptop for first time, I just want to make sure that I get the best possible things in my machine... If you have any thoughts over what whitestar_999 has to say, please let us know...

Thanks everyone, it's been a great help from you all.

Teja

go for i5 processor it make huge difference than i3
ram would not affect ur performance and u can upgrade it later too...
order 1 4gb ram rather than 2 2gb ram for future upgrade
battery life has nothing to do with performance....