- Intel Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz processor
- 4GB DDR3 memory
- 500GB hard drive
- DVD writer
- Nvidia GeForce GT520M
With a luxurious design featuring clean lines and Dell’s signature recessed hinge, the Dell XPS 14z is aimed at creative types looking for an alternative to the Macbook Pro.
With a thickness of 23mm, Dell claims the XPS 14z is one of the slimmest 14-inch laptops with an optical drive.
Still, the laptop is not all that anorexic if you compare it to ultrabooks which can be as thin as 3mm.
Despite its 14-inch panel, the Dell XPS 14z shares the same footprint as a 13.3-inch notebook.
The chiclet-style keys offer great tactile response and, along with the responsive touchpad that supports two-finger scrolling gestures, the XPS14z is one of the most ergonomic notebooks I have reviewed.
In the PCMark Vantage test of computing mettle, the Dell XPS 14z notched a score of 7,114 points, a performance that is not too far from that of laptops powered by more powerful Core i7 chips.
In the 3DMark06 graphics processing benchmark, it turned in a score of 5,344 points, which trails the performance of machines with faster graphics chips such as the AMD Radeon HD 6770.
Nonetheless, the Dell XPS 14z still offers a good 30.5 frames per second in the Resident Evil 5 benchmark test that grills PCs on gaming performance.
Above all, the benchmark scores mean the Dell XPS 14z can handle everyday computing tasks and multimedia workloads with decent performance.
However, the audio quality of the speakers is nothing to shout about.
While they belted out tunes with sufficient volume, they lacked tonal quality and went into distortion when cranked to the maximum volume.
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