Specifications:
- 15.6 inch HD display
- NVIDIA GeForce® GT435M 2048 MB Graphics Card
- Intel Core i7 processor
- 4GB DDR3 RAM
- 640GB HDD
- 16x DVD+/-RW
- Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
- Bluetooth 3.0
- Intel Centrino Advance WiMAX 6250
- 2.0 MP Camera
- Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
- 6 Cell Battery: up to 5 hours
What separated itself for people was just how good the particular Dell XPS L501x's inner stereo system loudspeakers seemed. They are certainly not an area about genuine computer speakers, but they're The very best we now have observed in a laptop computer. Apparent Treble plus a unexpected amount of mid-range and Largemouth bass make the XPS L501x fine for music or motion picture Play.d
The graphics card is also pretty good for a notebook. At medium settings, the Dell XPS L501x AC adapter churned out an average of around 30 frames per second in Crysis 2, Bad Company 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, which are playable results, plus an ultra-smooth 60 frames per second in Trackmania on high settings. On paper, the GT 435M graphics chipset is roughly similar in terms of processing power to Nvidia’s decent-but-dated 9600GT desktop cards. Coupled with the fairly low resolution of the screen, it should be able to handle most other modern games at medium settings as well.
The HD theme follows through to the Skype-approved webcam, which manages to capture 720p video without fuss or dropping frames.This model also features an integrated digital tuner, so if you’re lucky enough to be able to pick up a signal on the mobile aerial included, you can watch your pick of Freeview. Sadly, it’s DVB-T only, so that’s means no hi-def telly, and inexplicably it’s left to the user to work out that Windows Media Centre is to act as your conduit to televisual delights.
On flipping to back, there is a JBL Subwoofer :) of power 12w, three heat vents & four rubber feet which gives elevation & better air flow. It contains a panel with 3 screws; upon removing one can add memory, WWan/TV cards easily. Mine is 9-cell Dell K4CP5 battery one, obviously it gives better elevation and also battery comes with charge level indicator.
We're also still trying to get an HP Envy 14 in for comparison, and it would be great to get some Sony laptops in for testing as well, but with every passing week we tend to lose hope. At this point, the latest Envy 14 revision has been around for over three months. It still looks like it compares well with the new XPS L501X, but the Radiance Infinity 900p panel is no longer an option, Waves comes standard while Beats costs extra, and Optimus trumps AMD's switchable graphics.
One thing confuses us about the mostly well-designed chassis; the Dell XPS L501x battery and hard drive activity lights are on the top of the case - behind the screen where you can't see them. On the other hand, there's a second battery indicator on the touch control strip above the keyboard. The Wi-Fi indicator here isn't a control for some reason - that's an option on the function keys - and the three touch buttons open the Windows Mobility Centre (complete with plenty of useful Dell controls), the Waves Maxx control panel for the speakers and one program of your choice. Multimedia, volume and brightness controls are on the function keys and although they're selected by default, it still seems a shame not to have them on the touch strip where you could quickly mute the system.
The Dell XPS L501x can be customised with one of over 100 designs on its lid. Ours came with the Dazzling Dreams design, which we thought was very unusual and attractive. What stood out for us was how good the Dell XPS L501x's internal stereo speakers sounded. They're not a patch on real computer speakers, but they're the best we've heard in a laptop. Clear treble and a surprising amount of mid-range and bass make the XPS L501x fine for music or movie playback.
I sent back the extended battery that came with the system (the 92 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion) for the standard (56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion), as the extended Dell K4CP5 battery was too tall and tilted the laptop to an uncomfortable angle. So much so I called and had them send me out the smaller one instead. The hard drive being a dud sucked, but I’ll say that is an isolated incident, and the replacement has been flawless.
The new design looks better, and it feels better as well—though we didn't have any real complaints with the Studio XPS build quality to begin with. The L501x has rounded corners and beveled edges that fit together snugly and look attractive. It's a sturdy laptop—not at the level of business notebooks perhaps, but definitely a step up from the Inspiron and other consumer offerings. Some may prefer the industrial design aesthetic of the Adamo line, but personally the L501x is more my speed. The palm rest is plenty large, with an equally large touchpad in the center. Like most modern laptops, the touchpad is multi-touch and gesture aware; it may not integrate with the OS as well as the MacBook touchpad does with OS X, but that's more of a Windows and application problem.
Dell has been peddling its premium XPS desktops and laptops for many years now. Like most products in its line up the L501X we received this month is a good looking, solid little piece of equipment.
The XPS L501x is not quite perfection in laptop form, but considering it’s loaded down with goodies and outperforms hardware going for twice the price, it demands to be considered by anyone after a powerful portable.
Typing experience on this keyboard is really really good. Keys are well placed, but one can be disappointed with absence of numeric pad. Above the keyboard is a capacitive touch panel which can be used to launch any one favorite application, Windows Media Control / Dell Utility & Maxx Wave Settings and also it has light indicators for Wifi, Capslock etc. The function keys be default are set as Multimedia Keys & Special keys like Brightness, WiFi, Monitor out, Backlit, Voulme & Media control buttons. But those can be reverted back to function keys, by changing a simple setting in bios.
If there's one thing that annoyed me about the XPS L501X – and it annoyed me about a previous Dell laptop that I looked at – it was the intrusive pop-ups from the pre-installed McAfee anti-virus software, which got on my nerves with their continual warning that "Your computer is at risk". It became more annoying when it did it while I was watching DVDs.
All of us went via a series of performance checks to give the particular Dell XPS L501x charger somewhat of a possiblity to extend the legs. Our own Blender rendering analyze carried out 2min 14sec utilizing a solitary thread with the CPU as well as 43sec when working with almost all eight accessible strings. 3DMark06 delivered due to 7390 3DMarks, as well as iTunes encoded 53min regarding WAV files in order to 192Kbps New music in 1min 16sec. They're powerful outcomes and are reflected within the generally snappy functioning with the Dell XPS L501x.
Although you can get an XPS L501x for as little as $629, with Core i5, Bluetooth 3, the combo Blu-ray/DVD burner and the superb 1080p screen the model we looked at is nearly twice the price at $1039. You can reduce that by leaving out a few of the options, but it's the combination of the screen, the sound system and the performance that makes the XPS L501x a winner. The word we keep wanting to use is solid - but in a good way.
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