Cheers to its color-authentic brandish, sleek blueprint, and solid photo editing performance, the Dell XPS 17 is one of the nigh popular "creator" laptops for Windows users on the market.

Dell'due south XPS laptops have become a top selection for creators over the past several years. Ever since the XPS 15 and XPS 17 moved to the new, sleeker design with a beautiful "infinity edge" display, they've become favorite Mac alternatives for PC users who care more than near screen quality and portability than gaming performance.

The XPS 17 in particular – with its more powerful graphics options, ultra-large 16:ten brandish, and the (optional) power of a top-performing 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11980HK CPU – is an interesting selection if you're looking for a laptop that can practice double duty as a desktop replacement.

Then for the past month, I've done just that: when I've not been testing the new Apple M1 Max MacBook Pro, I've used the Dell XPS 17 9710 as my daily driver. And while it tin can't quite match the specs of the most powerful PC laptops on the marketplace, it offers a combination of operation and portability that'southward rare for a 17-inch machine.

Blueprint, build and usability | Screen quality | Performance benchmarks | Determination

Key specifications:

To Dell's credit, they did not transport me the most expensive variant of the XPS 17 for testing. For obvious reasons, most brands choose to ship the spec that's going to generate the best benchmarks, but Dell chose a variant that makes a bit more sense for the photographers and video editors in the room who aren't trust fund kids.

There XPS 17 offers a combination of power and portability that's rare for a 17-inch laptop.

You can spend up to $5,200 on this laptop if you lot max out every single option, but our variant with its Core i7-11800H, an RTX 3060, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage comes in at a much more reasonable $2,800. Beneath are the full specs of our machine, compared to a more powerful variant that professional person creators may prefer, and the maxed-out-to-the-max version:

Equally Tested More Powerful Maxed Out
CPU Intel Core i7-11800H Intel Core i9-11900H Intel Cadre i9-11980HK
GPU

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM
RAM 32GB RAM 64GB RAM 64GB RAM
Storage 1TB M.ii PCIe iii.0 NVMe SSD 2TB M.2 PCIe four.0 NVMe SSD 8TB M.two PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Display

17-inch 4K UHD+

100% AdobeRGB

17-inch 4K UHD+

100% AdobeRGB

17-inch 4K UHD+

100% AdobeRGB
Cost $2,800 $3,400 $5,200

If I had to choose, I would probably upgrade to the "More Powerful" model above, mainly for the 64GB of RAM. Information technology'southward an option that we don't meet very oftentimes in the PC space since most $iii,000+ laptops meridian out at 32GB of RAM out-of-the-box, opting for a more powerful GPU instead. (Side Note: the laptops I'm referring to tin can support up to 64GB of RAM, just we're talking about configurations available from the manufacturer).

If you're feeling adventurous, you could option up the Cadre i9-11900H variant with only 16GB of RAM and a 512GB Yard.2 SSD for $2,500, and and then upgrade both the RAM and storage yourself. Two DIMM slots and two PCIe iv.0 M.2 slots are easily accessible by merely unscrewing viii T5 Torx screws that hold the base cover in place.

Annotation, however, that the 512GB variant seems to come with a slightly different heat spreader on the One thousand.2 slots, because the base model uses a smaller M.2 2230 drive (see Page 21 of the service manual) instead of the standard 80mm long 2280 sticks you may be used to. I spoke to Dell well-nigh this and they're confident that you lot can nonetheless upgrade to a full-sized K.2 drive no problem – it'southward the same motherboard, just a slightly dissimilar oestrus spreader with an indentation in the middle – but if yous want to be safety, get the 1TB model for $150 more and you'll become the full sized rut spreaders as seen below:

Two RAM slots and two G.2 slots are easily attainable by removing the base of operations embrace of the laptop. My hand is covering the other M.2 slot, which is positioned above the 2d fan.

Regardless of how you lot configure or upgrade the Dell XPS 17, you'll become a reasonably powerful motorcar that tin put up impressive benchmarks in photo and video editing applications. But the thing I've appreciated most about the XPS 17 isn't the functioning or even the upgradability, information technology's the design, the build quality, and especially the display.

Permit's dive into all of the above.

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Design, build and usability

In the marketing materials, Dell really leans into the thought that the XPS 17 delivers "colossal power." Merely if I were on their PR team I'd encourage Dell to spend more than time touting the design and less time on performance. The performance, which we'll get into shortly, is good. Maybe even dandy. But the design is what makes the XPS 17 stand up out from other 17-inch laptops on the market.

It starts with the build quality. Unlike all-metal laptops like the Razer Bract 17, MSI Creator 17, or Apple'south MacBook Pro 16, Dell paired an aluminum chassis and screen enclosure with a soft-affect carbon cobweb on the keyboard deck. This is probably a trivial more prone to breakage, and information technology's a fleck of a fingerprint magnet, but feels downright luxurious and is far more comfortable than the competition. It's also lighter, contributing to the laptop's portability.

The thing I've appreciated most about the XPS 17 isn't the functioning or even the upgradability, it's the pattern, the build quality, and especially the display.

This plastic surrounds one of the best keyboards I've used, right upward there with the depression-profile keys on the latest Macs and Razer devices, and the largest trackpad I've seen on a non-Apple laptop. Speaking of the trackpad, I didn't experience any of the infamous "trackpad wobble" that apparently plagued the previous version of the XPS 17 (model 9700), although it did glitch out on me a few times when my fingers were particularly dry.

I realize that's an odd clarification, merely if there was very piddling moisture in the air and my hands became very dry, it seemed similar the trackpad couldn't annals enough conductance to properly rail my finger move. Peradventure this is a Windows outcome, or peradventure it's the coating Dell chose for the glass trackpad, but since information technology only happened 2 or three times in equally many months I wrote it off as a not-effect. Otherwise, having so much trackpad real estate was a bonus for me since I'm constantly switching betwixt Mac and Windows.

The XPS 17 has an excellent keyboard and a huge glass-topped trackpad, both fix inside a soft-touch carbon fiber keyboard deck.

Moving on to ports, the Dell XPS 17 comes equipped with four full-featured Thunderbolt 4 ports with Power Delivery and DisplayPort – once more, something I don't think I've ever seen outside of an Apple device – a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD carte du jour slot.

Any of the 4 TB4 ports can charge the device, although the relatively small 130W power brick that comes in the box struggled to keep the battery fully charged during heavy workloads. A few hours of heavy benchmarks would often leave me with 85% - 90% battery despite the reckoner being plugged in the unabridged time. I asked Dell about this and they confirmed that this is expected behavior: at full diameter the ability-hungry CPU and GPU by themselves pull 115W, leaving only 15W for ... everything else. Near gaming laptops come with 180W or even 230W AC adapters and dedicated butt ports for this exact reason, only Dell wanted to go along the laptop as thin, lite, and portable as possible, then they opted for USB Power Commitment instead.

It shouldn't affect performance, and the I don't think that it slowed annihilation downwardly for me, just it's something to notation if y'all were considering the XPS 17 for day-long rendering sessions and 3D CAD design. This isn't the laptop for you.

Notably missing from the port pick are whatsoever USB Type-A ports or other display inputs, which means no HDMI port. Dell does transport a little USB-C dongle that gets you ane USB-A 3.0 port and an HDMI 2.0 port, but it's small and dinky and it's already disappeared into the bowels of my desk drawer... I remember.

On the left side of the laptop y'all'll detect a lock port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports that tin be used for information transfer, power delivery, and DisplayPort.
On the right side you lot'll observe two more full-featured Thunderbolt 4 ports, an SD menu slot, and a headphone jack.

Ultimately, I can't mistake the Dell'south design aesthetic. Particularly the thinness, which was made possible at least in role by leaving bigger and bulkier ports like HDMI out of the equation.

Notably missing from the port selection are any USB Type-A ports or other display inputs, which means no HDMI port.

This is definitely the thinnest and sleekest laptop on the market that tin still sport Intel's flagship 11th Gen H-series CPU, and its sharp edges, clean-cut exterior, and well-nigh bezel-free display are an applied science curiosity. At 17 inches on the diagonal, it's still a large laptop, but Dell has done everything in its ability to brand information technology as portable as possible without compromising on upgradability by soldering the RAM or storage to the motherboard. Equally a issue, the company'south engineers accept just nearly nailed the residuum betwixt desktop replacement and portable powerhouse.

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Screen quality

The XPS 17 tin can be configured with a 4K UHD+ sixteen:10 display that's big, bright, and color-accurate.

The Dell XPS 17 can be configured with i of ii displays. You lot tin can either equip information technology with a Full Hard disk 1920 x 1200 screen with a max brightness of 500 nits and a guaranteed minimum 100% sRGB coverage, or you lot tin can upgrade to the 4K UHD+ 3840 10 2400 display with the same max effulgence, 100% AdobeRGB minimum, and 94% DCI-P3 "typical" coverage.

In our testing, the display more than than lived upwards to its marketing, striking 100% AdobeRGB and overshooting the advertised DCI-P3 spec to the tune of 95.9% coverage. All of this at a maximum Delta E 2000 of just 0.75.

The brandish's native white point is a tiny bit further from the daylight locus than I'd like – Delta E of 2.1 – but this is typical in my experience with Dell displays in general, they tend to skew slightly dark-green. The measured vs display profile white bespeak is well within spec at a Delta E of 0.05, and then y'all know the colors are properly calibrated in reference to the display's actual white point.

In our testing, the Dell XPS 17'due south display covers 100% of AdobeRGB and 95.ix% of DCI-P3 at a Delta E of 0.75.

For many laptops, especially 13- and 14-inch models, y'all tin get away with a Full HD brandish without noticing a difference at average working distance. But on a laptop of this size, it is definitely worth the extra $200 to upgrade to the 4K brandish, especially given the extra color gamut and excellent color accurateness we measured in our review unit.

The brandish more lived up to its marketing, hitting 100% AdobeRGB and 95.nine% DCI-P3 coverage at a maximum Delta E of but 0.75.

With so many displays favoring the DCI-P3 color gamut in order to woo the video crowd, it'southward squeamish to see Dell prioritizing AdobeRGB while still managing nearly 96% coverage of the preferred cinema colour space. This is a larger native panel gamut than Apple'south MacBook Pros, and it simply barely falls short of the latest 4K OLED displays that tin cover 100% of both AdobeRGB and DCI-P3.

Information technology's withal a laptop, then you can't do a proper hardware calibration or arrange your RGB gains to dial in that white point as you would on a good-quality photograph- or video-editing brandish, simply with this kind of performance out of the box, I have no problem recommending the XPS 17 for color-critical work.

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Performance benchmarks

We tested the XPS 17's performance in Photoshop, Lightroom Archetype, Premiere Pro, and Capture One to see how it fared against a couple of comparable PCs with like specs.

If y'all've been following high-end PC laptop reviews for whatever length of time, the performance of the Dell XPS 17 shouldn't come as a surprise. If y'all call back, our review unit sports an 11th Gen Intel Core-i7-11800H CPU, and NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU (70W), and 32GB of DDR4-3200 MHz RAM arranged in a dual-channel configuration. Cooling is handled by dual fans that pull in cold air from the bottom of the device, push it through a vapor chamber that encloses the CPU and GPU, and frazzle it out the back.

For our comparisons today, nosotros're pitting the Dell confronting the Intel-powered MSI Creator 17 and the AMD-powered ASUS Zephyrus G14 to get yous a sense of the performance you can expect from laptops that are both above and below this cost betoken. Full specs of our examination machines below:

Dell XPS 17 MSI Creator 17 ASUS Zephyrus G14
CPU Intel Cadre i7-11800H Intel Core i9-11900H AMD Ryzen ix 5900HS
GPU

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM

NVIDIA RTX 3080

16GB VRAM

NVIDIA RTX 3060

6GB VRAM
RAM 32GB DDR4-3200MHz 32GB DDR4-3200MHz 32GB DDR4-3200MHz
Storage 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD 2TB PCIe 4.0 K.2 NVMe SSD 1TB PCIe 3.0 Thousand.ii NVMe SSD
Display

17-inch 4K UHD+ LCD

HDR 400

100% AdobeRGB

17-inch 4K UHD miniLED

HDR grand

100% AdobeRGB

14-inch 2K QHD LCD

SDR

100% DCI-P3
Price $ii,800 $3,800 $two,000

Given the specs above, nosotros expected the Dell to perform slightly worse than the MSI Creator 17 and slightly better than the ASUS Zephyrus G14. This is pretty much what we saw across the board.

Adobe Lightroom Classic

Our Lightroom Archetype benchmarks are run using 100 copies of the studio scene test image from four unlike cameras: the 20MP Catechism EOS R6, the 47MP Nikon Z7 Ii, the 61MP Sony a7R 4, and the 100MP Fujifilm GFX 100. Commencement, nosotros time how long information technology takes Lightroom to import and generate i:1 previews for each batch of 100 Raw files; then we utilise a custom preset that includes heavy global edits and export those same files as total-resolution JPEGs at 100% quality.

Lightroom doesn't really have reward of GPU dispatch for import or export, so this examination gives us a good gauge of raw CPU and RAM performance, respectively.

Import performance was surprisingly strong, coming within a few seconds of the more expensive MSI Creator 17. Since this is a CPU-leap task that doesn't really have to lean on any other hardware, it's a skillful indication that the more expensive Intel Cadre i9-11900H inside the MSI may not be worth the extra greenbacks over the Cadre i7-11800H in the Dell. It's i test where the ASUS G14'south more efficient AMD Ryzen processor is a liability, since it can't accomplish the same unmarried-core clock speeds as the Intel chips within the other two computers.

Canon EOS R6 Import Nikon Z7 2 Import Sony a7R Iv Import Fujifilm GFX 100 Import
Dell XPS 17 1:26 2:25 two:39 5:51
ASUS Zephyrus G14 1:38 2:59 3:30 7:35
MSI Creator 17 i:23 2:24 2:37 5:44

Exports played out similarly, with the Dell showing strong performance across the lath. All three of these machines sport 32GB of DDR4-3200MHz dual-channel RAM so the divergence in performance here could be down to the actual RAM being used or some combination of CPU optimization and cooling.

The huge GFX 100 files are ever a bit of a wild card in this examination, and this is one test where the Dell consistently scored lower than expected during export. If this were part of a larger pattern, I'd blame that power commitment result mentioned above, but I recall this may accept more to do with heat direction in such a sparse chassis.

Whatever the instance, the Dell made a very potent showing in Lightroom, clocking in much closer to the MSI Creator 17 than the ASUS G14 in the majority of our tests.

Canon EOS R6 Export Nikon Z7 II Consign Sony a7R IV Export Fuji GFX 100 Consign
Dell XPS 17 3:42 8:03 x:19 25:45
ASUS Zephyrus G14 three:58 8:55 eleven:41 23:40
MSI Creator 17 3:34 7:55 10:08 22:50

Capture 1 Pro

We run the aforementioned exact import and exports tests in Capture 1 Pro, with simply 1 exception: since Capture One doesn't have a 1:1 option, previews are generated at the default resolution of 2560px. Unlike Lightroom, Capture One Pro does have advantage of GPU acceleration for both import and consign, so the results can be very unlike from Lightroom depending on the kind of discrete or iGPU being used.

Unfortunately, the tables turn against the Dell on this particular benchmark. We're not talking about big differences here – only 10-30 seconds at the most – but the Dell falls backside the more than powerful MSI and the AMD-powered ASUS once we become into a hardware accelerated app like Capture One.

The Canon import is honestly inside the margin of error on these iii computers, but once we get to bigger files, the MSI'due south beefier RTX 3080 GPU can really flex its muscle and speed things up and the AMD-powered ASUS G14 is able to maintain a solid 10 - 20 second lead

Canon EOS R6 Import Nikon Z7 II Import Sony a7R 4 Import Fuji GFX 100 Import
Dell XPS 17 00:43 ane:08 1:29 2:03
ASUS Zephyrus G14 00:40 00:59 1:12 ane:50
MSI Creator 17 00:41 00:52 00:59 1:26

This same pattern plays out on consign, where the gap between the Dell and the MSI gets larger equally file sizes get bigger. The ASUS, meanwhile, very nearly matches the MSI despite its much smaller size and more efficient processor.

Canon EOS R6 Export Nikon Z7 Ii Export Sony a7R Four Export Fuji GFX 100 Export
Dell XPS 17 ane:40 3:33 4:fourteen 6:54
ASUS Zephyrus G14 1:35 iii:12 3:50 6:53
MSI Creator 17 one:xxx 3:08 3:48 6:x

Adobe Photoshop

To test Photoshop performance, we apply Puget Systems' Puget Bench criterion. Still, unlike most other reviews you'll see online, we use an older version (v0.8) because it was the concluding version of this benchmark to include the PhotoMerge examination. Being a photography site, testing how rapidly a system can merge large multi-Raw-file panoramas seems like a relevant data indicate.

The criterion runs through a full suite of tests three times in a row for every run, and we run the benchmark a minimum of three consecutive times to compute the boilerplate scores below. Each category score is assigned based on how quickly the computer can consummate certain tasks, and the Overall score is computed based on the results of each private category.

There is no maximum score (that we know of) but bigger is ameliorate, and annihilation over 900 is excellent for a laptop. In fact, only a couple of PCs accept ever cleaved 1000 Overall on this examination in our benchmarks and so far:

Overall General GPU Filter PhotoMerge
Dell XPS 17 959.ix 104.7 102.iv fourscore.0 110.iv
ASUS Zephyrus G14 973.vi 99.0 97.three 86.9 115.0
MSI Creator 17 1019.6 111.4 113.viii 84.five 117.9

No complaints here. Functioning in Photoshop is virtually on par with the ASUS, trading blows across the category scores and losing the Overall score by less than 15 points.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Finally, our Premiere Pro benchmark is based on rendering and exporting a 4K project based on 8K Sony a1 source footage. This is the video in question, and nosotros've been using it to test Premiere Pro since we did our Premiere vs Final Cutting comparison back in June.

Again, performance here is excellent, nearly matching the more expensive and much more powerful MSI Creator 17 beyond the lath. Despite its weaker CPU and GPU, and a much thinner and lighter frame that must be harder to absurd, the Dell XPS 17 never fell more than than 22 seconds behind the Creator 17.

The ASUS, meanwhile, merely can't keep up. We intend to test this assumption further, only in this particular example, Premiere seems to favor an Intel/NVIDIA combo over the AMD/NVIDIA combo within the ASUS G14. Hardware-wise, that's the biggest difference between the Dell and the ASUS, which both sport the aforementioned NVIDIA GPU and the same amount of RAM.

Render All Export Master File Export H.264 Consign HEVC/H.265 Warp Stabilize
Dell XPS 17 4:01 00:08 3:56 three:52 2:48
ASUS Zephyrus G14 6:40 00:15 6:06 v:59 ii:33
MSI Creator 17 three:45 00:06 3:35 3:30 2:32

Performance takeaways

It's really very impressive that Dell is able to get this kind of performance out of a chassis that's this sparse and lite. The laptops I've been comparison it against are substantially thicker and apply beefier Ac adapters that must be plugged into dedicated barrel plugs if you want to get the full heave performance out of your hardware.

It'south really very impressive that Dell is able to get this kind of performance out of a chassis that'southward this thin and light.

That's non to say there aren't consequences to Dell'south dogged pursuit of thinness. Y'all'll be difficult-pressed to find another 17-inch laptop that maxes out at a 70W NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU despite being able to business firm Intel'southward flagship CPU and up to 64GB of RAM. I also wonder how well this chassis can cool that flagship Intel chip: the Core i9-11980HK. Chances are good that it won't perform on a par with the same scrap in a meliorate-cooled selection similar the Alienware X17 or Lenovo Legion 7i, merely I can only speculate since I haven't been able to test that particular configuration.

Ultimately, the performance of the Dell XPS 17 is good, if non quite mind-blowing. It's exactly where you'd await it to be given the hardware inside, and the biggest compliment we can pay Dell is to say that it has managed to evangelize all of that operation despite putting such a stiff emphasis on keeping the laptop portable.

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Trading operation for portability

The Dell XPS 17 is solid performer with a fantastic display. It'southward a bully pick for creative work, just as long every bit y'all don't mind carrying effectually such a big laptop.
What We Similar What We Don't Like
  • Great blueprint and build quality
  • Color-accurate 4K sixteen:10 display
  • Solid editing performance
  • Surprisingly thin, light, and portable
  • (Relatively) minor footprint
  • User upgradable RAM and Storage
  • No USB-A or HDMI ports
  • Power brick is likewise pocket-size to go along information technology charged during heavy workloads
  • Trackpad tin can be inconsistent
  • Can't replace the WiFi card
  • Max GPU option is an RTX 3060

The Dell XPS 17 is a great laptop with plenty of functioning on board, solid build quality, and a design language that has made the XPS series one of the most popular options on the marketplace. It delivers performance that can just virtually match the other 17-inch laptops on the market place and that is frankly astonishing given how much thicker and heavier most of those computers are.

It'll probably come as a surprise, then, when I say that the biggest affair working against the XPS 17 is its size.

Any 17-inch laptop, even the most compact and well-designed, has to aggressively justify its existence by providing substantially more... something... than the many excellent 15-inch laptops on the marketplace. That "something" is usually functioning and connectivity. Cheers to the larger chassis, most 17-inch laptops pack the well-nigh powerful CPUs and GPUs available, a ton of extra ports, better cooling solutions, and some RGB lighting to kick. The MSI Creator 17, for case, comes with an RTX 3080, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and 2.v Gigabit ethernet in addition to Thunderbolt four, USB-C and an SD bill of fare slot.

Ironically, the biggest thing working against the surprisingly portable Dell XPS 17 is its size.

Given the fact that you lot tin configure the smaller XPS 15 with similar specs to the XPS 17, I find myself wondering if Dell has done enough to convince people to buy the bigger laptop.

My personal take is that the Dell XPS 17 makes sense if and only if you will take advantage of the bigger screen – if yous intend to utilize information technology equally both desktop replacement and on-location workhorse. It walks that particular line ameliorate than any other laptop I've tested, especially for creators who don't want or need loftier-refresh charge per unit displays or RGB lighting or any of the other stuff you'll find on many of the other laptops in this class.

But if you primarily work from an external monitor at home or you rely on a desktop figurer for the heavy-duty stuff, then accept a close wait at the XPS 15 and enquire yourself if the slight differences in available hardware and functioning are worth buying the larger laptop.

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