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Is Dell XPS 15 really that bad for audio?

MikeCR

New Member
Hi everyone. Apologies if this topic has been extensively covered but I cant really find any definitive information about this. I'm looking to buy a new laptop for when I'm on the go. The only real contender I have in the PC market is the Dell XPS 15 as spec wise and build quality/aesthetics it seems to check all the boxes.

However I've read on a few places that it's really bad for audio due to latency issues that can't be resolved. Does anyone have experience with these machines and MIDI composing? I'm looking at the 9520, i7 32GB version with standard HD panel.

Does anyone have any good alternatives that isnt Mac?

Thanks!
 
I got a XPS15 9570 with the i9 and I don't use it for audio production, but the thermals on this bad boy are so messed up that it goes into full fan mode as soon as the Windows startup screen shows up.

That alone would be a deal breaker for me if I would use it for audio production. The internal sound card is also very bad, so you can't even expect ASIO4All to run smoothly (if you're super mobile and don't have an interface with you).

Hate to say it but the Apple hardware is so lightyears ahead with their new ARM CPUs that it makes every Windows notebook pale in comparison.
 
Any laptop can be massaged into decent shape as long as it has some ability to change a few key things here and there (drives, RAM etc) AND most specifically the OS that is on it.

But most Windows based lappies are not made for strict multimedia purposes and will certainly not compete with a MacBook.

Out of the box - there are no shortcuts and you would have to spend a few bucks. That said - if an excellent audio interface is in play - like say an RME - AND I could manhandle the OS (my way) and change out some drives and RAM - I am guessing I could make that Dell work just fine in Studio One over here.

One caveat - do not under any circumstance try to use any Dell laptop AND Windows audio for any sort of real recording action. You will gain a quick understanding of what latency really means.

And yes - Apple rules in this area - but so do their prices. If your pockets are super deep (not to mention you will still need a proper audio interface) get a MacBook.


Sonic.
 
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That said, to my experience, DELL computers are way better after you tune Windows and uninstall all the Dell bloatware. (I have a Dell at work but don’t use for music. I had a XPS Dell laptop in the past fro music but it’s long time ago)
 
Hi everyone. Apologies if this topic has been extensively covered but I cant really find any definitive information about this. I'm looking to buy a new laptop for when I'm on the go. The only real contender I have in the PC market is the Dell XPS 15 as spec wise and build quality/aesthetics it seems to check all the boxes.

However I've read on a few places that it's really bad for audio due to latency issues that can't be resolved. Does anyone have experience with these machines and MIDI composing? I'm looking at the 9520, i7 32GB version with standard HD panel.

Does anyone have any good alternatives that isnt Mac?

Thanks!
I'm still using my 8 yo Dell XPS 15 for music, although my primary computer is a desktop.

I wouldn't know why more modern XPS are not great computers for music.

Except if you want to use the integrated sound card, which is a big no on any PC.
But you can use any USB audio interface.

Generally, latency issues on laptops can be minimized by deactivating WiFi and Bluetooth, making sure you deactivate the antivirus while you're in your daw or at the very least create antivirus exceptions for your samples and virtual instrument folders.

 
Hate to say it but the Apple hardware is so lightyears ahead with their new ARM CPUs that it makes every Windows notebook pale in comparison.
Except that Apple puts out new CPUs knowing that they are busting compatibility on certain software titles, and that seems to be a huge impact in the MIDI composition world. I was a huge Mac fanboy going back to 1989, but this thing where their processors change architecture and they expect the world to rewrite code to fit their world-class concept is getting old. Especially at twice the price of everything else out there.

@MikeCR, the best performance used to mean getting a gaming machine such as Dell Alienware or Acer Predator, etc. But MSI has started assembling Content Creation laptops which are rather impressive. I got this one a few months back, and to keep the cost reasonable, you get a 2560x1600 60Hz screen and a decent video card, not ideal for gaming at 60Hz, but perfect for MIDI composing, especially with that huge resolution. There's no RGB bling, just a good backlit keyboard, and it has a TON of vent slots inderneath for cooling. It came with a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive and has a second slot for another 4.0 NVMe, which I installed a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro (yes I upgraded the Samsung firmware and it's been fine). I popped in 64GB Crucial RAM along with the 2TB drive, and it's quite nice for mobile MIDI work. So you end up with an 8-Core/16-thread i7, 64GB RAM, 3TB of NVMe 4.0 Drive space with your libraries streaming off of a separate drive, 2560x1600 screen which your DAW will love, for 1900 bucks. I'd spend the $99 in the Microsoft store after it's set up and upgrade to Win 11 Pro, it's my unproven belief that everythng runs better in Pro, and you get to make a local account if you prefer.

Content Creation laptops are starting to emerge and that's a much better way to go for what we do, over a business-class or gaming machine.

And if you REALLY want to go bonkers, MSI just announced their newest line of CC laptops with 13th Gen i9 processors:

 
Also take into consideration when choosing a mobile platform is battery life when not plugged in and working on-the-go.
 
This thing where their processors change architecture and they expect the world to rewrite code to fit their world-class concept is getting old. Especially at twice the price of everything else out there.
This is one area that I simply cannot believe:

A: The balls on Apple
B: The catch 22 that vendors get sucked into when they have to drop what they are doing and rewrite every bloody thing that they ever sold in the past just to please the users of this hardware.

Native Instruments (and many others) are chasing this and hacking their way through everything both new AND old to conform. Can only imagine this is one of the reasons why NI has failed to deliver anythig even remotely interesting in a long while as they refocus resources to deal with this.

I do not envy any vendor out there at all.

Makes me kinda glad I am on Windows.

Sonic.
 
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Hate to say it but the Apple hardware is so lightyears ahead with their new ARM CPUs that it makes every Windows notebook pale in comparison.
Not really, there are numerous fanless PC laptops on the market, additionally, if someone is looking for a performance laptop and they have a concern about thermals, or any number of specific details, a little bit of research will reveal a model that addresses those concerns.
 
Also take into consideration when choosing a mobile platform is battery life when not plugged in and working on-the-go.
True. Win laptops running i9's aren't exactly topping the charts as far as battery life goes. Not even sort of.
 
thanks for the input everyone. I tend to do a lot of research on laptops before buying them and windows, notbaly the XPS, always seem to be all over the place. Thats why I like seeing with people's personally experience.

I have been considering a macbook, but I've had bad experience with them in the past. Also when it comes to compatibility I dont really feel like dealing with plugins not working on the M... chips.

@Daren Audio Battery life tends to be a big topic. I generally plugin my old laptop anyways as I always expect batteries to die on me. I feel that a you can't expect a laptop for production to have good battery life when you're working in DAWs or Adobe suite. Even on new machines I find battery life not to be the most important factor just in the amount of power that production software needs. But that's just me, maybe I'm just used to my dying old laptop :emoji_sweat_smile:

@PaulieDC yea part of what I cant stand about Windows laptops is that the most powerful stuff always look like a spaceship. It's dumb, but build design is quite important to me, and I like it when its simple. I'll check out the creator series. they do look pretty interesting.

I think overall I'll have to think about this more and continue researching till something really interesting comes up
 
Yeah if a plugin isn‘t ported to M1 by now, it‘s vaporware (unless there is a very good reason like, say a custom X86 Jit compiler)
 
What is the DAW and what software? There are a number of support pages on the various DAW makers sites with detailed steps on how to adjust Windows settings and tune the laptop for optimal audio work performance. I am not familiar with that particular model of Dell XPS so can't comment for sure.

The built in audio card and drives is going to be iffy to work with. I assume you will be using an external audio interface.

Just be aware of these issues cropping up with the new 12th gen Intel E cores. Not sure about other DAWs. It may be a good idea to verify.


All things to consider.
 
The XPS lineup has had long-standing and widely reported issues with DPC latency. It doesn't necessarily affect every model or every unit, but this is absolutely something to take into consideration

DPC latency issues on Windows PCs can range from simple things that are caused by pre-installed bloatware, to for example BIOS-level power management behavior that only the manufacturer can realistically fix with a firmware update.

Unfortunately, in recent years it seems like more and more Windows laptops are having similar latency issues out of the box. I'd recommend checking reviews on https://www.notebookcheck.net/. Unlike almost everyone else they regularly test specific models with LatencyMon.
 
thanks for the input everyone. I tend to do a lot of research on laptops before buying them and windows, notbaly the XPS, always seem to be all over the place. Thats why I like seeing with people's personally experience.

I have been considering a macbook, but I've had bad experience with them in the past. Also when it comes to compatibility I dont really feel like dealing with plugins not working on the M... chips.

@Daren Audio Battery life tends to be a big topic. I generally plugin my old laptop anyways as I always expect batteries to die on me. I feel that a you can't expect a laptop for production to have good battery life when you're working in DAWs or Adobe suite. Even on new machines I find battery life not to be the most important factor just in the amount of power that production software needs. But that's just me, maybe I'm just used to my dying old laptop :emoji_sweat_smile:

@PaulieDC yea part of what I cant stand about Windows laptops is that the most powerful stuff always look like a spaceship. It's dumb, but build design is quite important to me, and I like it when its simple. I'll check out the creator series. they do look pretty interesting.

I think overall I'll have to think about this more and continue researching till something really interesting comes up
I had a terrible experience with a MacBook Pro around 2016 (4-hour battery life, egg fryer). And at a premium price. But my 27" iMac saved me from never making music again (after Windows latency and noise frustrations). Traded in my egg fryer to Apple at a surprisingly OK price and got an M1. Now no worries about fan noise or battery life, not to mention resale value. I can't see getting an Intel laptop until they've matched this.

There may still be things to hate about Apple but not those aspects. Maybe install Windows on an MBP? Best of both worlds.
 
Not sure if Windows runs on M1 machines (last time I checked you couldn‘t use bootcamp and had to resort to Parallels which has a few performance implications).
 
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