Dell Studio XPS 13 Review Analysis | All Features Rated & Tested

price

5

but at this price(prize)
price is a little high
a few hardware glitches from the factory, another USB port would be nice for the 13" model, flimsy aluminum, heat dissipation, price is a little high, and an analog VGA connector
As the MS Vista eats up around 10% of its price
Very expensive

Reasonable price
Good value for money
DDR3 , Good value for money
design and price (good competitor for the same size VAIOs
I just got this laptop 3days ago and I'm very happy with my purchase

pricy
pricy,

This is the best purchase I have made all year
good value
USA and costed me lot less than Indian Price
I bought this laptop from Philadelphia, USA and costed me lot less than Indian Price
VERY COMPETITIVE PRICE
SUPERB SPEED, GREAT DISPLAY(I GOT LED ONE), GOOD BATTERY LIFE, VERY COMPETITIVE PRICE
Great Value
Good price
Good price, small but powerful performance, keyboard design is great
price
size,price,design,graphics(nvidia),keyboard screen......everything
features and price
Size, power, features and price
best value for money
Price, Speed, Relibility
Price For Actual Computer
Speed, Good Price, Nice Looking, Very Nice LED Keyboard
good value for price
Fast, light, good value for price

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performance

5

gets hot on full performance
gets hot on full performance, heat is bareble on powersaving mode when you are using it on your lap
performance comparable to a 486
Bloatware was incredible, performance comparable to a 486
it does get hot a bit when on high performance

Fast processor
Good performance
Quick 7200rpm hard drive
Strong performance
Awesome Performance

it does get hot a bit when on high performance, but the heating is very overrated
And the SLI graphics processor is horrible
Gets a little warm during high performance activities (not surprising)
Gets a little warm during high performance activities (not surprising), awkwardly wide and flat power adapater
If the laptop is set in Dell Recommended or High Performance power settings
the laptop heats up very fast
If the laptop is set in Dell Recommended or High Performance power settings, the laptop heats up very fast
Understandable because of the performance
heats up very fast
processor updradation is also a problem
heats up pretty quick
of course that is due to heavy duty processor
heats up very fast, of course that is due to heavy duty processor, an laptop with core 2 duo will heat up T series processors will heat even more than P series
heats up fast
Very expensive, heats up fast, only for the design freaks

Awesome Performance, ultra portable, good for on the move gamers like me
Fast CPU
Fast
Fast, reasonably light
reasonable performance for footprint
Okay performance
Fairly quick
Its speed
is lightning fast
Its speed, with 4Gb of ram, is lightning fast
Fast loading
Sleek and fast
Very fast performance with the P8600 and 4GB of ram
great processor speed
Dell Customer Service, good looks, great processor speed, sweet graphics, low weight, and the backlit keyboard
The good things that I like about the laptop are the value for what you get for example the processor
unbelievable performance
Very fast and runs windows vista well
Very fast processor
speed
Very neatly design laptop with great features and performance
Size, portability, speed, backlit keys, dell customer support, good value
Having very nice processor
gud performance
performance is good
fast processing
fast processing, great graphics experience, good sesign
i got with P9500 processor
really fast
good design, i got with P9500 processor, really fast, got it from Canada, 2 week ago
superb performance
powerful processor
1.good performance
SUPERB SPEED
Fast Performance
latest processor
performance
fast CPU, excellent finish, backlit keyboard, great graphics, performance
small but powerful performance
fast fast fast
Size, extremely quiet, DDR3 ram, backlit keyboard, Great looks, fast fast fast
Design, weight, backlit, speed
Everything...design,performance....anything
performance and value for the $$
Great size,performance and value for the $$
Fast processor and DDR3 RAM
Fast processor and DDR3 RAM, Not loaded with pre-installed crapware, decent web cam, nice backlit keyboard

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energy efficiency

1

Gets hot - however in the low power mode the heat is bearable
I have a lot of electric interferences on my screen
It actuall runs the game better in power saving mode using the lower quality gpu that is integrated into the motherboard
awkwardly wide and flat power adapater
The laptop barely heats up if it is set to power saver mode

but with more power
Dell's managed to weld together a leather lined laptop that's as good looking as an Apple MacBook, but with more power, and for less
if put in power saver mode
power

poor software in controling the RPM of the fan-if set on power saver(power plan
Too hot, poor software in controling the RPM of the fan-if set on power saver(power plan
if youuse any other power plan
then fan on high RPM (very noisy), then no heating issues, if youuse any other power plan, then it is burning hot, do not place it on your lap, unless you like the burning sensation

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screen

3.5

Reflecting Display
Partly uneven gaps , Warranty extension costs much , Reflecting Display, so, problems outdoors , Some parts of the case get very hot, Partly uneven gaps, Warranty extension costs much, Reflecting Display, so, problems outdoors, Some parts of the case get very hot
1st unit delivered was faulty (see additional thoughts)
I upgraded to the more expensive display and it's only 1280 X 800
Screen Display

you can always lash the Dell Studio XPS 13 up to a monitor or HDTV via the HDMI or DisplayPort sockets instead - your choice
If that edge-to-edge screen isn't big enough for you though, you can always lash the Dell Studio XPS 13 up to a monitor or HDTV via the HDMI or DisplayPort sockets instead - your choice
Bright display with good viewing angles
Display is very nice
display

Screen Display, Battery life
he says that they have started calling these systems 'NOTEBOOKS' so its supposed to be used only on flat tables..i think the funny technician never saw an option called "LAPTOPS" in the Products section of this site
The display model was frozen
Display could be better

WLED display is also nice
It's light and has a nice display
clear and bright thin WLED display
Really Nice edge-to-edge Display
great WLED display
great looks, sleak enough, powerfull, great WLED display, softest keayboard seen till date and with backlit it's great, built tough
great display
outstanding display (Upgrade is well worth it)
WLED display is extremely bright in 80% darkened room
WLED display is extremely bright in 80% darkened room, but I expect that to wear down in a few years
superb LED display
really nice nvidia 9500 GE graphics card, superb LED display, backlit key board, superb performance
GREAT DISPLAY(I GOT LED ONE)

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sound

0.5

The sound in exit headspeaker
The sound in exit headspeaker, when it is connected on yourhifi made by larcènes, of which to gacher you your musics or your films
the controls for the sound quit working
System freezes, the controls for the sound quit working
It runs too hot and its noisy because of the fan

good sound

poor sound quality
Heats up immediately, processor updradation is also a problem, poor sound quality
then fan on high RPM (very noisy)
noisy slot load
Run hot, 2x usb ports, noisy slot load

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keyboard

5

Wobbly keyboard and doesn't feel secure
meaning it moves up and down like old school weighing scales when typing
The only thing wobblier than the keys on the Dell Studio XPS 13 is the laptop itself: the plastic feet are uneven, meaning it moves up and down like old school weighing scales when typing
not means to find some help with the keyboard also freezed and you lose the control of Windows
Very often you lose the timekeeper andthe mouse usage, not means to find some help with the keyboard also freezed and you lose the control of Windows

backlit keyboard
Upscale design with leather trim, backlit keyboard, and edge-to-edge screen glass
Backlit keyboard, Good storage options, Chassis gets hot, Styling isn't all it could have been
typing-friendly keyboard
comfortable keyboard

which disables all the media and wireless buttons along the top of the keyboard
setpoint freezes every now and then, which disables all the media and wireless buttons along the top of the keyboard
Back lit keyboard under function keys
keys on keyboard keep falling off
the laptop is very hot and it is too hot for you to put it on your leg for typing

Quick 7200rpm hard drive, screen has good brightness and colour, comfortable keyboard, backlit keyboard
Backlit keyboard, Good storage options
backlit keyboard make things easy
backlit keyboard (gadget but beautiful
great keyboard
Great CPU, Great RAM, great screen, great keyboard, great everything
Keyboard
Keyboard, display, looks, Size
Keyboard is really awesome
Looks nice, Keyboard is really awesome, WLED display is also nice, Okay performance
back lit keyboard
Fast, back lit keyboard, nice LED screen, Very Quiet, 7200RPM hard drive, hybrid SLI
back-lit keyboard
especially the backlit keyboard
It looks really nice, especially the backlit keyboard
Amazing Keyboard outstanding quality
Backlit keyboard has 3 settings not just on and off
and the backlit keyboard
backlit keyboard is nice
looks nice, operates well, backlit keyboard is nice
backlite keyboard is a nice feature and the typing of the keys feels good
Great size, backlite keyboard is a nice feature and the typing of the keys feels good
smooth keyboard (love the backlight on the keyboard)
Light, fast, sleek and elegant, great display, smooth keyboard (love the backlight on the keyboard), great media handling
Backlit keyboard a nice plus
love the keyboard with backlighting
Beautiful design, strong performance, love the keyboard with backlighting
Perfect size (including keyboard)
Perfect size (including keyboard), outstanding display (Upgrade is well worth it), graphics
back lit keyboard is a real treat...Sound is better than acceptable for a laptop
Backlit keyboard is "THE bomb
keyboard is perfect match between size and responsiveness
Very nice design, keyboard is perfect match between size and responsiveness
Backlit keyboard is non-intrusive with two levels of brightness and an 'off' feature
nice backlit keyboard
Attractive Backlit keyboard
cool keyboard
Nice design, cool keyboard, good size
backlit keypad
Amazing backlit keyboard
Good graphics..keyboard pretty good
keyboard design is great
Awesome Specs, 2 different brightness for backlit keyboard, bluetooth, the design
keyboard screen......everything
Very Nice LED Keyboard

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battery

0.5

weak battery life
Battery saving mode not great
poor battery life unless using "power save" mode in Vista
Screen obstructs the air vent, generates plenty of heat, stacsv.exe process occupied 50 per cent of the CPU all the time, poor battery life unless using "power save" mode in Vista
Relatively short battery life

battery lasts close to 2 hours with load
great performance on demand and nearly 4 hour battery life on low powered work
Its a light laptop with a decent battery life (4 hours
and the positive effects on battery life cannot be overlooked
Amazing battery backup(stays upto 3 hrs and 30 minutes in power saver mode

Except for battery life none now that I have downloaded the bios update and no longer burn my legs.....Dell please make a 9 cell battery that extends out the back instead of the bottom that wouldmake it perfect
Poor battery life for 13 inch
Battery was 2.5 hrs
Battery was 2.5 hrs., opted for 9 cell after 2 days
The only negative aspects of this computer are the battery life
which could easily be solved by purchasing the additional 9-cell battery which delivers 7 hours of performance when used in power save mode
The only negative aspects of this computer are the battery life, which could easily be solved by purchasing the additional 9-cell battery which delivers 7 hours of performance when used in power save mode, and the amount of heat generated
Battery life
Does get hot if left on for hours on end
Does get hot if left on for hours on end, but with my experience not to the point of it being uncomfortable on your legs (like some other reviews have mentioned
battery life isn't so good
Runs hot, battery life isn't so good, 64-bit Vista Ultimate is a pain - very temperamental and doesn't play well with other programs
battery is does not last like they say
Gets VERY hot, had to update drivers, battery is does not last like they say
Poor battery life
Poor battery life,only 2 USB ports
the battery back is only upto 2:30hrs
Battery back up is just 1 hour 20 minutes dont know how ppl r getting 3 hours 30 minutes like andy I HAV THE NVIDIA 9500 CARD AND WLED 1.3 MP CAM DISPLAY
average battery life
Battery life is poor with the standard 6 cell battery
Playing a DVD will last up to 2 hours at best
9 Cell Battery is not available
smudges easy battery life is misleading brand new so we will see
just battery but i can buy bigger:))
Nearly two hours on the phone to return it

Cool features..option to check the battery life with the switch on the battery
nice battery life (works for 3 hrs on power saver
some cool features like facial recognition and a battery meter on the battery itself (charge status can be seen even when the system is off or battery is detached
GOOD BATTERY LIFE

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connectivity

0.5

Only two USB ports
There is a latency issue with either the hardware or drivers in the lappy causing 'clicking' and breakups in audio playback - hope dell can fix this
Only one USB port
another USB port would be nice for the 13" model
Broken WiFi

3G Web access
Very comprehensive connectivity

One USB port
heats up quickly, lacks option of bluray, One USB port
only 2 USB ports
and only two USB ports which are placed on opposite sides making it impossible to use external hard disks with two USB wires
there are other problems like speaker volume being very low, and only two USB ports which are placed on opposite sides making it impossible to use external hard disks with two USB wires
but the machine is so sleek there is no place to put more usb ports
leather finish at the top is not very neat, one usb port, but the machine is so sleek there is no place to put more usb ports, rather one can use usb hub, it will solve the problem, average battery life, mine one last for approx 3-3.30 hr
It has just One USB port
Secondly, It has just One USB port
2x usb ports

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usability

3.5

Very often you lose the timekeeper andthe mouse usage
Not able to use a docking station - If you want to put this computer on a desk all audio inputs/outputs are located in the front of the machine taking away from its pretty looks
Not a very well written manual
The first time I turned laptop on it locked up within 5 minutes of usage
reliability-motherboard had to be replaced after only 10 months of light use

Use of high-quality materials
First class application performance
Attractive design , Use of high-quality materials , Good stability of the case , Very comprehensive connectivity , Gigabit LAN, WLAN Draft-N ex factory , HSDPA ready , Comfortable, typing-friendly keyboard , Bright display with good contrast , Good performance, because of a Hybrid SLI Grafik from Nvidia , First class application performance, because of SSD and DDR3 RAM , Quiet operation possible, Attractive design, Use of high-quality materials, Good stability of the case, Very comprehensive connectivity, Gigabit LAN, WLAN Draft-N ex factory, HSDPA ready, Comfortable, typing-friendly keyboard, Bright display with good contrast, Good performance, because of a Hybrid SLI Grafik from Nvidia, First class application performance, because of SSD and DDR3 RAM, Quiet operation possible
Can use it 24/7
Ease of use

when i tell one of the dell technicians that i bought a 13 inch for potability and am not being able to use this LAPtop on my LAPs
of the laptop and renders the system unbelievably hot(amazes me that dell doesn't test its systems b4 getting them out in the market), one cannot even think of using it on a bed let alone the idea of using it on your laps..to make things worse, when i tell one of the dell technicians that i bought a 13 inch for potability and am not being able to use this LAPtop on my LAPs, he says that they have started calling these systems 'NOTEBOOKS' so its supposed to be used only on flat tables..i think the funny technician never saw an option called "LAPTOPS" in the Products section of this site
this is an engineering fault and no matter how well u use this laptop
rather one can use usb hub

Easy Setup &
web development
Easy Set Up
The Look of the laptop is great..easy to use...very fast

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design

5

styling isn't all it could have been
Chassis gets hot, Styling isn't all it could have been
For a laptop strutting to be as stylish as a MacBook
dell shoots wide on the looks front
Not as good looking as m1330

Upscale design with leather trim
Attractive design
Leather styling
Leather styling, a clutch of features, and great graphics
Dell's managed to weld together a leather lined laptop that's as good looking as an Apple MacBook

I believe it's just a bad design flaw
but that is expected when you have such a high configuration
Actually runs noticably cooler than my E1505 thanks to the Intel P9600's 25W TDP design (and the Arctic Silver...)
The design
internal design
BUT IT LOOKS REALLY SHABBY
only for the design freaks

Stylish design
Stylish design, Bright display with good viewing angles, Comfortable, backlit keyboard, Strong performance, Intuitive facial recognition software, HDMI and DisplayPort connections
a MAC killer this is not design wise)
reasonable performance for footprint, spec, design and price (good competitor for the same size VAIOs, a MAC killer this is not design wise)
Looks pretty
Overall it looks good when it is clean
looks
Looks nice
Looks good
Design
It looks really nice
looks great
Beautiful machine, looks great
good looks
Sleek design
great looks
Looks really nice
Really cool looking laptop
Features I was looking for
Beautiful design
I love the design of the laptop
I love the design of the laptop, look pretty cool
Very nice design
design is very sharp looking
design is very sharp looking, blacklit keys are really nice
nice design
Excellent Configuration
Great design
Excellent Configuration, Excellent Graphics card Nvidia 9500, Great design, XPS premium warranty services are one of the best
nice looks
great configuration
Very Good laptop, nice looks, great configuration, nice backlit keyboard, good sound, DDR3 RAM
Nice design(except the placement of heat vents
Nice design of keyboard to accomodate it comfortably in the compact design
Looks,size,features
Looks very applealing
Looks fantastic (!!)
Looks fantastic (!!), and feels well put together
good design
It is good looking
the spec is good and match what i am looking for
Stunning Design
looks, specs
Nice Looking
nice, sleek design
design and speedy
Looks Great, Lightweight, Small Size

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image quality

5

webcam quality is quite poor (lots of noise on the picture quality)

Nice Looks..Good Build Quality...Very good Performance..Screen Quality excellent..Pretty Decent Gaming too
graphic design
works pretty fast and has a SLI graphic card which means system can be put off the dedicated graphic memory for saving battery
QUALITY OF PARTS VERY POOR

LCD

2

Flimsy screen
Screen obstructs the air vent
Screen res should be 1440 x 900
Screen res should be 1440 x 900, no blu ray
crash...crash...crash..if you like the dreded blue screen you will love this machine

and edge-to-edge screen glass
If that edge-to-edge screen isn't big enough for you though
great screen
nice LED screen
WLED screen is amazing

The screen though does cover some of the air vents when open at some angles - this is not ideal
Blue screen of death after 3rd restart
Heat!!...Heats up too much..put it in performance mode..in less than 5 mins it becomes the lap- burning top..Requested for onsite service which was terrible..Things got really bad once the the motherboard was replaced..Fan always runs in full blast...and the other thing I noticed...the heat vents are too small and when you open up the screen..it kind of extends downwards to block the heat vents..which might also affect the ventilation
It needs a better venting screen/system
I think part of the problem is that the screen covers the vent in the back which prevents air flow
placing the heating vents at the lower end of screen adds up to this..Poor volume from the in-built speakers
The design,placing the heating vents at the lower end of screen adds up to this..Poor volume from the in-built speakers
This system has a basic engineering fault which even a 10 year old kid would not have made: when you open the screen it covers the heat vent (fan area
Screen looks kind of washed out
Screen looks kind of washed out, heat vent located on bottom
No LCD and 2 USB
low quality screen
Locks up frequently, low quality screen, facial recognition has bugs

led screen
The good things that I like about the laptop are the value for what you get for example the processor, 2 graphics processors, led screen, abundance of ports
The WLED Screen is WELL worth the additional money
Good clarity of the screen
good screen clarity
LED backlit screen

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contrast

5

Bright display with good contrast
The increase in contrast ratio is easily noticable
The increase in contrast ratio is easily noticable, and the positive effects on battery life cannot be overlooked

remote control

0.5

no remote for Windows media center as the previous xps version 1330
Only other con is the fact that the previous XPS units shipped with a remote in the expresscard slot

color

5

screen has good brightness and colour

appearance

2.5

The high gloss gets really bad fingerprints
and it automatically set the graphics at low setting in SLI format
I loaded fallout 3, and it automatically set the graphics at low setting in SLI format
Had to reformat back to factory format once
The high gloss casing is a fingerprint magnet

sleek and elegant
look pretty cool
Professional Look
its very nice to look at as well as performs great
Nice look

I like my systems to at least appear to be clean
I like my systems to at least appear to be clean, this is impossible unless your wearing latex gloves
Gates....cud you u elaborate ...'bt heating of studio xps 13 in detail

the look

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flash

0.5

Did a flash of the BIOS upon purchase
Did a flash of the BIOS upon purchase, as it shipped with A02 and they have A04 out '(to fix potential heat and BSOD issues

sensor

0.5

opted for 9 cell after 2 days

black level

3

I thought the black was a straight matte black
I thought the black was a straight matte black, however it's got a lovely grain to it
everything Vista.Everything gloss (black finish shows every smear from palm and finger prints - screen is a dust magnet
Heat displacement, everything Vista.Everything gloss (black finish shows every smear from palm and finger prints - screen is a dust magnet

blacks are black no color fade or washout
WLED screen is amazing, blacks are black no color fade or washout
The jet black color and back light on the keyboard

lens

0.5

System freezes
System freezes at least 2-3 / day
when overheated system froze
system will not come up
Quickly overheated, when overheated system froze, rebooted, system will not come up, had to rebooted 2nd time

The casing and structure of the system feels rock solid

but over time heat will damage your system
I understand the CPU's produce heat, but over time heat will damage your system
The system fan worked fine
I had no system errors
The system fan worked fine, I had no system errors
Not too many if the system was sent in working order
of the laptop and renders the system unbelievably hot(amazes me that dell doesn't test its systems b4 getting them out in the market)

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control panel

3

THEY PUT THESE DEPRESSIONS WITH FINGER OR SOME INSTRUMENT

backlit key board

product quality

0.5

Glossy finish is hard to keep looking clean
poor gloss finish which attract dust and finger prints
Heat heat and heat, poor gloss finish which attract dust and finger prints, bit heavy , and again heat heat and heat
poor leather finish and we can see some finger spots on leather finish after heating
heats up quickly,poor leather finish and we can see some finger spots on leather finish after heating,the battery back is only upto 2:30hrs

Nice look and finish
finishing is also good
good laptop,nice design,performance is good,sreen clarity is good,finishing is also good,i like the aluminium part and glossy part very much
excellent finish

poor leather finish
leather finish lacks neatness
poor leather finish, leather finish lacks neatness, heats pretty quickly
leather finish at the top is not very neat
VERY POOR LEATHER FINISH(YOU WILL SEE DEPRESSES IONS IN LEATHER REGION
VERY POOR LEATHER FINISH(YOU WILL SEE DEPRESSES IONS IN LEATHER REGION, PUT IN BY DELL SKILL FULL FACTORY WORKERS, THEY PUT THESE DEPRESSIONS WITH FINGER OR SOME INSTRUMENT, I DONT KNOW, BUT IT LOOKS REALLY SHABBY
LACKS THE NEAT FINISH
LACKS THE NEAT FINISH, BETTER DELL SHOULD GET IT ASSEMBLED IN SOME OTHER COUNTRY , INDIAN SKILL IS REALLY VERY UNSKILLFUL , LAPTOP HEATS UP TOO MUCH

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portability

5

The leather on the lid seems to be very thin...one good snag and goodbye pretty leather
bit heavy
A bit heavy for 13" notebook(2.2 Kg)

ultra portable
reasonably light
The size and weight are perfect for mobility
Compact
light

Ease of use, Fast loading, Compact, light, Design
low weight
small light weight
portability
light weight
Small, light weight, nice design
Professional Look, backlit keypad, light weight, gud performance
weight
Hardware components, portability
Lightweight
light and powerful
Small, light and powerful

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resolution

0.5

Display resolution is very disappointing

video

5

I don't play many video games but I do love my movies
I don't play many video games but I do love my movies, and the default graphics card delivers life-like results
Video Editing
Connecting with Friends, Video Editing, Travel, Gaming, Music & Movies, School, Presentation
Connecting with Friends, Video Editing, Travel

Connecting with Friends, Video Editing, Travel, Gaming, Music & Movies, School, Presentation, scientific research ai
Connecting with Friends, Video Editing, Travel, Gaming, Music & Movies, Finances, Presentation, graphic design, web development

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size

4.5

You won't be cranking out Dickens length dissertations on this
You won't be cranking out Dickens length dissertations on this, that's for sure
Dell support offered very little help to resolve the issues
Batter life and little too much heat

Size
perfect size
Great size
good size
Powerful little box

love the size and the specs
Small Size

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memory

5

Not enough memory upgrade selections
The computer was very unstable due to the heat
The computer was very unstable due to the heat, but luckily I live in Alaska - ran all of my driver and BIOS updates while sitting outside
heavy for a 13.3" computer
Locks up VERY frequently, only 2 USB ports, heavy for a 13.3" computer

good storage options
because of SSD and DDR3 RAM
Great RAM
this computer is by far the best laptop I have ever owned
with 4Gb of ram

DDR3 RAM
DDR3 ram, powerful processor, 7200 rpm Hdd
Impressive raw performance - The Studio XPS 13 (2.5Ghz P9500 CPU with 4GB DDR3 RAM
DDR3 memory
Easy Set Up, Great Value, Specs, Sloat Load, Vista 64 Bit, DDR3 memory

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menu

0.5

it seems like the fan is slowing down and everything is getting well done
and cools down immediately when you stop watching it

but I expect that to wear down in a few years

build quality

2.5

there are a few build problems that bug
For a laptop strutting to be as stylish as a MacBook, there are a few build problems that bug
It keeps freezing and I thought for a $2000+ custom build it would be much faster

solid construction
build quality
design, build quality

Dell Studio XPS 13 Reviews Analysis

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