Dell XPS 15 (9560) Review: More Performance, Same Killer Good Looks
Dell XPS 15 (9560): 3DMark Benchmarks
Gaming benchmarks will come soon, but first we wanted to check out how the XPS 15 handles various 3DMark tests, from Sky Diver to the newest Time Spy.
3DMark's Sky Diver is aimed at entry-level PCs and laptops, making it a good match for ultrabooks. Cloud Gate tests both the GPU and CPU, but is a bit more forgiving on both counts than the 3DMark benchmarks we will get to later.
There is a very clear divide between notebooks that pack a discrete GPU here and those that do not. Frankly, if you wish to game, integrated graphics are not going to deliver with bleeding edge titles. Luckily, the XPS 15 does sport a GTX 1050 which lends a respectable score here, but we are just getting warmed up. Moving forward, we will focus on notebooks which have a discrete graphics solution.
Up next, we've got Fire Strike Extreme. There are three Fire Strike presets: Standard, Extreme, and Ultra. These run at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. We have selected the Extreme preset to better represent the demands of today's AAA titles than Standard. Similarly, the GTX 1050 is by no means intended to be a killer at 4K, so Ultra preset results would not paint the most accurate picture.
With only gaming oriented notebooks in the mix, our XPS 15 turns in a middle of the field result. That is nothing to scoff at, either, as it performs on par with the GTX 880M flagship of just two generations ago. Not bad for "entry-level" gaming performance.
Finally, we wrap up 3DMark with the more recently released Time Spy benchmark. Unlike Fire Strike and Sky Diver, which utilize DirectX 11, Time Spy is built on DirectX 12. This gives Time Spy access to newer API features, including asynchronous compute, which add up to a stunning visual experience.
Given Time Spy's recent release, our data set is a bit sparse. Relatively speaking, the XPS 15 performs about as well here as in the Fire Strike Extreme benchmark, but it obviously trails the other systems, which are all equipped with more powerful GPUs.
Enough with synthetics, let's see how the new XPS 15 fares in real world gaming titles...
 |
|
Up next, we've got Fire Strike Extreme. There are three Fire Strike presets: Standard, Extreme, and Ultra. These run at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. We have selected the Extreme preset to better represent the demands of today's AAA titles than Standard. Similarly, the GTX 1050 is by no means intended to be a killer at 4K, so Ultra preset results would not paint the most accurate picture.
Finally, we wrap up 3DMark with the more recently released Time Spy benchmark. Unlike Fire Strike and Sky Diver, which utilize DirectX 11, Time Spy is built on DirectX 12. This gives Time Spy access to newer API features, including asynchronous compute, which add up to a stunning visual experience.
Enough with synthetics, let's see how the new XPS 15 fares in real world gaming titles...
