Core i5 - Page 15 of 19

Are you looking for a gaming laptop? We present affordable models

The gaming laptop market is currently huge. We can easily find cheaper models with NVIDIA GeForce GTX series graphics cards 16 and more expensive with GeForce RTX systems 20 (soon also RTX 30) . Each manufacturer offers a variety of laptop models, characterized by a different design and the use of different components or cooling systems. However, not everyone can afford a very expensive laptop. However, if we do not need absolutely top performance, and we want a machine that allows for a smooth game of esports titles or less demanding AAA productions, then we can pay attention to cheaper laptops. Today we present three proposals for such devices.

Author: Damian Marusiak

Lenovo, Acer and HP currently offer the most cheaper notebooks that allow you to run games in Full resolution HD with appropriate selection of graphics settings. The market of affordable gaming notebooks is very wide and everyone should find something for themselves. We will present three proposals for devices equipped with Intel Core 9 processors and 10. generation, and more specifically laptops with Intel Core i5 units – 9300 HF and Intel Core i5 – 10300 H. For graphics cards, these will be GeForce GTX systems 1650 and GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, so representatives of the latest Turing generation in portable computers. The price range we will focus on is 3000 – 4000 zlotys, so the one that is most often chosen in Poland in the context of purchasing a gaming laptop.

If we are limited by budget and we cannot afford an expensive gaming notebook with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX card, we can choose among cheaper models that, with the right graphics settings, will allow for smooth Full HD game.

Intel Core 9 processors . and 10. Generation in combination with the above-mentioned graphics cards can easily cope with less demanding games that are focused on online games. Players can therefore count on smooth animation in titles such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite or Apex Legends, but also in newer, more demanding games such as Battlefield V or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – and in native screen resolution. All you need to do is choose the right graphics settings. Often, a mix of medium and high settings will keep a satisfactory number of frames per second. This applies to all three laptops listed below that are equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics cards 1650 and GeForce GTX 1650 Ti.

Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15 with Intel Core i5 – 9300 HF buy at Store x-com

L 340 – 15 with 4-core and 8-thread Intel Core i5 – 9300 HF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card 512 with GDDR5 VRAM. Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15 has a very simple design, although it cannot be denied that the equipment is quite large. The casing is almost completely black, and the black color is broken only by the blue backlight of the keyboard. On the outer cover we will find nothing but the manufacturer’s logo – it also appears under the screen. The design is undoubtedly very minimalist and in many ways stands out from the Lenovo Legion brand.

Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15 is a laptop that does not reach high component temperatures. In addition, his work culture is very good and the notebook is undoubtedly one of the quietest models I have encountered. With a high load, we can count on processor temperatures not exceeding 75 degrees, which is a very good result among gaming laptops. The work culture is also in favor of the Lenovo IdeaPad L 300 – 15. Under heavy load, the volume fluctuates around 40 decibels. This set will allow you to freely play popular online titles, but also in more demanding positions. It is also one of the most cost effective notebook models we can find for a price of around 3500 zlotys.

HP Pavilion Gaming with Intel Core i5 – 10300 H you can buy in the Media Expert store

The next laptop is the HP Pavilion Gaming 16 with a 4-core and 8-thread Intel Core i5 processor – 10300 H and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card 1650 with GDDR5 memory. The Pavilion Gaming line from the American manufacturer is the second gaming brand next to OMEN. While the series is cheaper, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your attention. It has a more subdued design than the OMEN brand, and in addition, Pavilion Gaming is distinguished by a unique green keyboard backlight. In combination with the black color of the housing, it gives a very interesting visual effect. The stiffness of the housing is amazing. The entire area of the palmrest does not bend even under strong pressure, which is related to the proper stiffening of the housing under the keyboard. The case is similar with the outer cover. The stiffness is very good and there are no problems even in the lower part of the lid. This is due to a solid hinge that effectively stiffens the upper part of the housing.

The HP Pavilion Gaming notebook is equipped with a full-size island chicklet keyboard, so we find here not only the main part of the keyboard, but also an additional numeric block. The comfort of use is very high and I have nothing to complain about. The keys have a relatively deep and clearly perceptible stroke. The keyboard used works well for both gaming and typing. Over the years, the manufacturer has also refined the cooling system in subsequent Pavilion Gaming models 15. Latest models, equipped with Intel Core processors 10. generation and NVIDIA GeForce GTX series graphics cards 15 are characterized by noticeably lower temperatures, allowing for a comfortable game even during longer sessions. Work culture is another asset of the equipment.

Acer Nitro 5 with Intel Core i5 – 10300 H i 144 Hz you can buy the screen in the x-com store

The third and most powerful laptop is the Acer Nitro 5. It is also equipped with a processor 10. Intel Core i5 generation – 10300 H, but it has a more powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card 1650 Ti with GDDR6 memory for smoother smoothness in every game . Here we find (which stands out from the rest of the models in the list) a matte IPS matrix with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. This translates into a noticeably greater comfort of playing, e.g. during dynamic online games, where the smoothest possible animation is a desirable feature. Acer Nitro 5 in this year’s version has a slightly changed design regarding the outer cover. The design of the laptop has become more minimalist, but it still resembles some Predator notebooks, i.e. the Predator Helios 300.

Acer Nitro 5 in this year’s version has been prepared as a cheaper alternative to playing, and it can also be seen in the materials from which the hull was made. The housing is made entirely of matte plastic. When using the device, we do not feel that they are premium materials, on the other hand, good quality plastic does not emit as much heat under greater load as cool aluminum – for some players it will certainly be an important thing. In combination with an efficient cooling system, we get a laptop that effectively resists thermal throttling. The components are constantly operating at maximum efficiency, even under prolonged load. This is the biggest advantage of the recommended Acer Nitro 5 notebook. The hardware itself is also very good. The keyboard has a sufficiently deep stroke, while the touchpad can successfully replace a classic mouse, of course, apart from playing. The Nitro series is currently the most frequently chosen gaming laptop by Poles and when testing the notebook, I am not surprised by this fact. Well-balanced design elements combined with adequate performance and an effective cooling system make the Acer Nitro 5 as a whole a very good notebook.

Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15, HP Pavilion Gaming 15 and Acer Nitro 5 are the three laptops we recommend that will allow you to play comfortably in both online games and more demanding AAA games.

All laptops presented above , prove that trouble-free gameplay is possible, even in more demanding titles. With the appropriate setting of the graphics settings, we can enjoy the smooth 60 frames per second. In the case of less resource-consuming games focused on online modes, achieving a much larger number of FPS will also be possible. All this thanks to the powerful Intel Core 9 processors and 10. generation that are the best solution for players. When used with NVIDIA GeForce GTX series graphics cards 15 based on the Turing architecture, we get solid configurations that we can play on whenever we have time. For less demanding players who do not need the latest technological gadgets, the choice of a much cheaper laptop, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15, HP Pavilion Gaming 15 whether Acer Nitro 5 will be better solution.

Specification	Lenovo IdeaPad L 300 – 15	HP Pavilion Gaming 15	Acer Nitro 5
Processor	Intel Core i5 – 4199 HF	Intel Core i5 – 10300 H	Intel Core i5 – 10300 H
Graphics Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4 GB GDDR5	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4 GB GDDR5	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti 4 GB GDDR6
RAM	8 GB DDR4 RAM 2400 MHz	8 GB DDR4 RAM 2666 MHz	8 GB RAM DDR4 3200 MHz
Disk	SSD M.2 512 GB PCIe 3.0 x4	SSD M.2 256 GB PCIe 3.0 x4	SSD M.2 512 GB PCIe 3.0 x4
Matrix	15, 6 “IPS, Matte Full HD Resolution	16, 1 “IPS, matte with Full HD resolution	15, 6 “IPS, 144 Hz, matte Full HD resolution
Connectors	1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen.1 2x USB 3.1 Type A Gen.1 1x HDMI 2.0 1x Ethernet RJ – 45 1x SD card reader 1x 3.5mm audio jack	1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen.2 3x USB 3.1 Type A Gen.1 1x HDMI 2.0 1x Ethernet RJ – 45 1x SD Card Reader 1x 3.5mm audio jack	1x USB 3.1 Type C Gen.1 3x USB 3.1 Type A Gen.1 1x HDMI 2.0 1x Ethernet RJ – 45 1x audio jack 3.5 mm
Battery	Lithium Polymer 45 Wh	Lithium Ion 70 Wh	Lithium Polymer 57, 48 Wh
Weight	2, 19 kg	2, 26 kg	2.2 kg
System	Lack	Windows 10 Home 64 – bit	Windows 10 Home 64 – bit
Price	3200 PLN	3970 PLN	4199 PLN

AMD Ryzen 5000 – Part IV – AMD Ryzen 7 5800X & AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 X

November started in force, with the launch of AMD Ryzen processors 5000, the enthusiasts will receive a whole series of goodies this month, from the new boards AMD Radeon RX graphics 6000 and up to new Nvidia RTX models. I told you last week about AMD Ryzen 9 5950 X and AMD Ryzen 9 5900 X, the first processors based on Zen 3 that I received in tests and last but not least I built a dream system, based on Ryzen 9 5900 X and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090.

Well, as has happened with every AMD processor release in the last 3 years, we haven’t received all the processors at once. However, this time you don’t have much time to wait, because AMD Ryzen 7 5800 X and AMD Ryzen 5 5600 X have already arrived in our laboratory and today we will see what their skin can do. Given that the top of the range amazed us both by multi-threaded performance and single-thread performance, respectively performance in games, we are all curious about what the little family is capable of.

In fact, AMD has quickly adapted to the new position of absolute leader in the processor market, as a result prices have risen compared to the previous launch. And given that many enthusiasts are looking for the best price-performance ratio, AMD Ryzen 7 5800 X and AMD Ryzen 5 5600 X will definitely be the favorites of a large number of users, so today’s article is perhaps even more important than the one published at launch.

Especially since we eliminated from the graphics the processors that are not related to this price range, more precisely the models from the Ryzen Threadripper range and we included important competitors from Intel, such as Core i5 10400, to get a complete picture of the situation in the mainstream / high-end segment.

For those who don’t remember, AMD Ryzen 7 5800 X is equipped with 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base frequency of 3.8GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.7GHz, 36 MB cache L3 if a TDP of 105 W, being sold for 2349 RON, while AMD Ryzen 5 5600 X is equipped with 6 cores, threads (3.7GHz / 4.6GHz), 35 MB cache L3 and a TDP of only 105 W, to be marketed for 1679 RON.

Dynabook Satellite Pro L50 – Business Notebook Test

In recent weeks, we have discussed a number of premiere laptop tests, after all, AMD Ryzen 7 4800 U, a moment later the first processors debuted 11 Intel Tiger Lake-U generation to finally hear more about Intel’s first dedicated graphics card. This time, however, we will return to a more classic design, without any novelty inside. Well, maybe apart from the manufacturer’s logo. Do you still remember Toshiba laptops? Last year, the laptops division was taken over by Dynabook, which resulted in changes to the housings of well-known devices and those that are just going to the market. Today we focus on the entry-level model for office work, the Dynabook Satellite Pro L 50.

Author: Damian Marusiak

Dynabook Satellite Pro L 50 is equipped with a 4-core and 8-thread Intel processor Core i5 – 10210 U. In terms of specifications as well as prices (approx. 4000, it is a direct competitor to the Lenovo ThinkPad notebook E 15, which in many stores also available with the same processor. The Dynabook Satellite Pro L 50 has been prepared for less demanding office work. We will not find unique solutions or top performance here. The equipment, however, has been designed in such a way that it is possible to use it without any problems on a daily basis. So we will see how it will handle and whether it is worth taking an interest in it at all, the more that the notebook is not the cheapest model, but the price is lower 4000 we can also find zlotys without any problems 15 – inch laptops with 6-core AMD Ryzen 5 4500 U that virtually every terms will be better than Intel Core i5 – 10210 U.

Dynabook Satellite Pro L 50 is a classic business laptop, which in the discussed configuration was equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor – 10210 U.

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Dynabook Satellite Pro L 40 has been equipped with a 4-core and 8-thread Intel Core i5 processor – 10210 U, belonging to the Intel Comet Lake-U family and part of the tenth generation of processors The unit in question has a base clock of 1.6 GHz with the possibility of automatic boost in Turbo Boost 2.0 mode to a maximum of 4.2 GHz. The turbo is therefore improved compared to the older Kaby Lake Refresh and Whiskey Lake-U systems, and this is actually the main change of the discussed system compared to its predecessors. in a technological process, it is obvious that it will draw rather little power. This is also the case, because the TDP of the Intel Core i5 model – 10210 U was set at 15IN. The processor used in the tested Dynabook is soldered to the BGA connector, so it cannot be replaced. In addition, the locked BIOS prevents any OC attempts. We are solely reliant on Turbo Boost 2.0 operation.

Dynabook Satellite Pro L setup 50:

Intel Core i5 processor – 4800 U (1.6 GHz – 4.2 GHz)
8 GB DDR4 RAM 2666 MHz CL 19
Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620
Matrix 15, 6 “/ matte IPS / Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
Toshiba KBG SSD 40 ZNV 256 G M.2 / 512 GB / PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe interface
Microsoft Windows operating system 10 Home 2004

With Intel Core i5 – 10210 Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620. A certain downside of the device is the RAM memory that works only in Single Channel mode – although it will not be a big problem for office work, in some applications the processor may achieve worse results compared to the situation when the CPU is connected with Dual Channel memory. For this reason, I encourage you to choose the version immediately from 16 GB, since only one SO-DIMM slot is available to the user. We see the biggest budget cuts in this aspect, but luckily in other aspects the Dynabook Satellite Pro L 50 looks better now.

Immortals Fenyx Rising PC system requirements announced

Matthew Wilson
5 hours ago
Featured Tech News, Software & Gaming

Ubisoft has a busy month ahead, not only is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on the way, but the publisher is also launching a brand new IP – Immortals Fenyx Rising. This particular game is still a few weeks away, making now a great time to go over the PC system requirements.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is a very different game for Ubisoft, taking inspiration from the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and other colourful adventure games. In the video below you can see an overview of the PC features and specs required to run it:

Now without further ado, here is the PC system requirements list:

Target: 720p/30fps

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 or AMD FX-6300
GPU: GeForce GTX 660 or AMD R9 280X
RAM: 8GB (Dual-channel mode)
Storage: 28GB HDD
OS: Windows 7 64-bit

Target: 1080p/30fps

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 or AMD FX-8350
GPU: GeForce GTX 970 or AMD R9 290
RAM: 8GB (Dual-channel mode)
Storage: 28GB SSD
OS: Windows 10 64-bit

Target: 1080p/60fps

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 or AMD Ryzen 7 1700
GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 or AMD RX Vega 56
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel mode)
Storage: 28GB SSD
OS: Windows 10 64-bit

Target: 1440p/60fps

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
GPU: GeForce RTX 2070 Super or AMD RX 5700
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel mode)
Storage: 28GB SSD
OS: Windows 10 64-bit

Finally, if you are looking to play at 4K, you’ll need a higher-end Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 7 3700X, 16GB of RAM and an RTX 2070 Super or higher GPU. Immortals Fenyx Rising is launching on PC and consoles on the 3rd of December.

KitGuru Says: I played the demo for this on Google Stadia and so far, it seems like a lot of fun. Are any of you planning on picking this one up?

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CPU Benchmark Hierarchy 2020: Intel and AMD Processors Ranked

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Today marks the biggest change to our CPU benchmark hierarchy that we’ve seen in the last five years, and perhaps longer: AMD’s Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 processors have landed with the largest generational performance increase from a single processor since AMD’s first-gen Zen microarchitecture, and as a result, AMD has swept our benchmark hierarchy and taken the lead in every metric, including our gaming, single-threaded, and multi-threaded categories.

Make no mistake – the Zen 3 microarchitecture isn’t an evolution; it’s a revolution. AMD cleverly built upon its SoC design’s supporting elements, meaning there are many package-level similarities between Zen 2 and Zen 3 chips. However, this approach allowed AMD to focus its limited engineering resources on completely redesigning the compute cores/die, thus providing the biggest advance possible. And the results are nothing short of phenomenal.

Since the first-gen Zen processors arrived, we’ve seen AMD take the lead in our multi-threaded performance hierarchy. Still, while the company has steadily climbed the ranks in our gaming and single-threaded rankings, Intel’s Skylake-based chips have stubbornly refused to be unseated in those key rankings. That obviously changes today.

Tom’s Hardware has a long history spanning back 24 years, and we aren’t quite sure when the last time AMD held the top of the CPU hierarchy, as our list has gone through many revisions over the years. However, in the past, we assigned the hierarchy based on each respective company’s product stack, with the best products from each company taking the lead in its own category – but the hierarchy wasn’t a 1-to-1 comparison between the chipmakers. You can see those rankings in our legacy hierarchy, which we’ve kept for the sake of history, but you’ll have to scroll down pretty far to find that at the bottom of this article.

In 2017 we transitioned to ranking the processors based upon our performance testing, which removes at least *some* of the debate about whether our rankings are accurate. Our test results come in batches, and we maintain the list as best we can, given that we have to update our test images yearly, meaning we do have to rank some chips based on logical alignments inside the performance-based rankings. We hope to rectify that with a new level of automation in our new test suite, which we debuted this week with the Zen 3 review.

Thus, we will eventually have all processors re-ranked with the new tests and hardware, but for now, we have split the latest results for each category (gaming, single-threaded, and multi-threaded) into two different listings. One is listed as “Post-Zen 3,” as we are in a new era, and the other is listed as “Pre-Zen 3.”

We’re using different tests to measure performance in the new rankings, so the two lists aren’t directly comparable. This applies doubly-so for the gaming hierarchy, as we are now using an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 for gaming tests, which is significantly faster than the old 2080 Ti we used previously. For now, we’ve only tested 11 processors in the Post-Zen 3 era, but you can use the old table of results to get a rough sense of how the newly-tested processors compare to the un-retested models.

We’ll transition to a single table for each category once we’ve reached a tipping point in the number of processors tested. Trust me; we’re working on that endeavor full time. Sorry for the mess, but it won’t last long.

We’ll explain how we ranked the processors under each table. The game testing ranking is first. We also include an application performance metric in our application score tables, which we’ve split up into single- and multi-core measurements (below gaming table). Make sure to check the Post-Zen 3 rankings for all three categories.

Your CPU has a huge effect on overall performance and, to many, is a computer’s most important component. But when it comes time to buying a CPU for your desktop, you’ll find a dizzying collection of model numbers and specs from both Intel and AMD. We’ve listed our the best CPUs for gaming and best processors for work in other articles, but if you want to know how each chip stacks up against all the others and how we come to our decisions, this CPU Hierarchy is for you.

The most powerful chip gets a 100, and all others are scored relative to it. If you want our recommendations for specific price bands, please check out our Best CPUs for gaming page.

Intel and AMD CPU Gaming Hierarchy

CPU Gaming Benchmark Hierarchy Post-Zen 3
	1080p Gaming Score	1440p Gaming Score	CPU	Cores/Threads	Base/Boost	TDP	Buy
Ryzen 9 5900X	100%	100%	Zen 3	12/24	3.7 / 4.8 GHz	105W
Ryzen 9 5950X	99.77%	99.38%	Zen 3	16/32	3.4 / 4.9 GHz	105W
Intel Core i9-10900K	88.97%	95.30%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.7 / 5.3 GHz	125W	Intel Core i9-9900K
Intel Core i9-10850K	87.36%	94.52%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.6 / 5.2 GHz	95W
Core i7-10700K	84.39%	92.05%	Comet Lake	8/16	3.8 / 5.1 GHz	125W	Intel Core i7-10700K
Intel Core i9-10980XE	83.64%	88.18%	Cascade Lake-X	18/36	3.0 / 4.8 GHz	165W	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Threadripper 3960X	78.03%	82.32%	Zen 2	24/48	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	280W
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	77.82%	84.25%	Zen 2	16/32	3.5 / 4.7 GHz	105W	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT	77.64%	85.29%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.7 GHz	105W	AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT
Ryzen 7 2700X	63.98%	71.64%	Zen+	8/16	3.7 / 4.3 GHz	105W	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Ryzen 7 1800X	58.21%	65.19%	Zen	8/16	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	95W	AMD Ryzen 7 1800X

We previously only listed 1080p game rankings, but we’ve now added 1440p testing into the mix. As such, we have two rankings for each chip, and the chart is aligned sequentially based on the 1080p game results. However, the 1440p listings aren’t listed in sequential order due to unfortunate limitations with our tables. Pay attention to the 1440p rankings: Some faster chips at 1440p may be listed below slower chips simply because of the 1080p results.

We measured performance for the 1080p games from a geometric mean of Borderlands 3, Far Cry 5, Hitman 2, Project CARS 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and The Division 2.

We measured performance for the 1440p games from a geometric mean of Borderlands 3, Far Cry 5, Flight Simulator 2020, Project CARS 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and The Division 2.

As you can see, AMD’s Ryzen 9 5950X and Ryzen 9 5900X take a healthy lead over Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K in both 1080p and 1440p results, and as you’ll see in our Ryzen 9 5950X and 5900X review, overclocking can’t even the score for Intel.

The stock Ryzen processors beat the overclocked Intel processors, which is quite the feat, and Ryzen is even faster after overclocking, too. Also, check out those performance deltas between the previous-gen Ryzen processors compared to the 5000 series. That’s impressive.

Most folks overlook the incredible power efficiency of the Zen 3 processors, but that equates to a faster, cooler, and quieter system that doesn’t require super-expensive cooling solutions. Take note of the TDP divide in our charts – it’s surprising. Check out our review for more in-depth power testing.

*indicates an APU tested with a discrete GPU. Note: These types of processors are geared for performance with integrated graphics – please see individual reviews for those performance rankings.

This is our Pre-Zen 3 rankings, which you can use to gauge relative rankings compared to the table above this one. We’ve ranked all the consumer Intel 10th, 9th, 8th, and 7th Gen processors, along with AMD’s Ryzen and Threadripper chips from all four generations. We determined the order in the first table based on a geometric mean of gaming performance in four titles: Grand Theft Auto V, Hitman 2, Final Fantasy XV, and World of Tanks.

We used the Nvidia GTX 2080 Ti GPU for our tests at HD resolution. We have also included several newer processors that we haven’t tested yet, but we’ve assigned them basic positions in our hierarchy based on their capabilities. This list will soon be absorbed into the Post-Zen 3 rankings as we test more chips.

You may be surprised to find that some less-expensive chips ranked above their upscale siblings. For example, the Core i7-9700K comes out ahead of the Core i9-9900K on this list because it offers better performance in some games due to its lack of hyperthreading, which was enough to help it do better on the overall suite of tests. However, depending on the application, you may see stronger results from the higher-end chip.

Intel and AMD CPU Single-Threaded Performance Hierarchy

CPU Single-Threaded Benchmark Hierarchy Post-Zen 3
	Single-Threaded App Score	CPU	Cores/Threads	Base/Boost	TDP
Ryzen 9 5950X	100%	Zen 3	16/32	3.4 / 4.9 GHz	105W
Ryzen 9 5900X	98.34%	Zen 3	12/24	3.7 / 4.8 GHz	105W
Intel Core i9-10900K	88.64%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.7 / 5.3 GHz	125W
Intel Core i9-10850K	86.86%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.6 / 5.2 GHz	95W
Core i7-10700K	85.49%	Comet Lake	8/16	3.8 / 5.1 GHz	125W
Intel Core i9-10980XE	81.86%	Cascade Lake-X	18/36	3.0 / 4.8 GHz	165W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT	81.68%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.7 GHz	105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X	80.89%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.6 GHz	105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	80.62%	Zen 2	16/32	3.5 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Threadripper 3960X	79.32%	Zen 2	24/48	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	280W
Ryzen 7 2700X	66.01%	Zen+	8/16	3.7 / 4.3 GHz	105W
Ryzen 7 1800X	59.01%	Zen	8/16	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	95W

We calculate the above single-threaded rankings based on a geometric mean of y-cruncher, Cinebench, POV-Ray, and LAME. The latter consists of two tests: One short duration test and one extended duration test to measure performance once Intel’s boost duration limits have been exceeded.

Single-threaded performance is often tied directly to the responsiveness and snappiness of your PC in any number of daily applications, like loading an operating system or surfing the web. This metric largely depends upon a mixture of instruction per cycle (IPC) throughput (the number of operations the chip can execute in one clock cycle) and frequency, which is the speed at which the transistors switch between on and off states. However, a whole host of other considerations, such as cache, architecture, and interconnects (like rings, meshes, and infinity fabric) impact this measure of per-core performance, so these results do not align perfectly based upon clock frequency. Instead, performance varies with each application and how well it is tuned for the respective architectures.

With all that said, the delta between Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K and the Ryzen 5000 processors is incredible – at worst, Ryzen 5000 is 10% faster in single-threaded performance.

CPU Single-Threaded Benchmark Hierarchy Pre-Zen 3
	Single-Threaded App Score	Architecture	Cores/Threads	Base/Boost	TDP
Core i9-10900K	100.0%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.7 / 5.3 GHz	125W
Core i9-10850K	98.68%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.6 / 5.2 GHz	95W
Core i7-10700K	97.25%	Comet Lake	8/16	3.8 / 5.1 GHz	125W
Core i9-10980XE	96.71%	Cascade Lake-X	18/36	3.0 / 4.8 GHz	165W
Core i9-9900K	96.61%	Coffee Lake-R	8/16	3.6 / 5.0 GHz	95W
Ryzen 7 3800XT	95.92%	Zen 2	8/16	3.9 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Core i7-9700K	94.72%	Coffee Lake-R	8/8	3.6 / 4.9 GHz	95W
Ryzen 9 3900XT	94.56%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Ryzen 5 3600XT	94.43%	Zen 2	6/12	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	95W
Ryzen 9 3950X	94.30%	Zen 2	16/32	3.5 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Ryzen 9 3900X	93.97%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.6 GHz	105W
Ryzen 7 3800X	93.84%	Zen 2	8/16	3.9 / 4.5 GHz	105W
Core i7-10700/F	93.18%	Comet Lake	8/16	2.9 / 4.8 GHz	65W
Core i9-9900KS	93.03%	Coffee Lake-R	8/16	4.0 / 5.0 GHz	127W
Core i5-10600K	93.02%	Comet Lake	6/12	4.1 / 4.8 GHz	125W
Threadripper 3970X	92.40%	Zen 2	32/64	3.7 / 4.5 GHz	280W
Threadripper 3960X	92.25%	Zen 2	24/48	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	280W
Ryzen 7 3700X	91.69%	Zen 2	8/16	3.6 / 4.4 GHz	65W
Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G	91.36%	Zen 2, Vega	8/16	3.6 / 4.4 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 3300X	90.89%	Zen 2	4/8	3.8 / 4.3 GHz	65W
Ryzen 5 3600X	90.32%	Zen 2	6/12	3.8 / 4.4 GHz	95W
Threadripper 3990X	90.09%	Zen 2	64/128	2.9 / 4.3 GHz	280W
Core i3-9350KF	90.09%	Coffee Lake	4/4	4.0/4.6 GHz	91W
Core i9-9980XE	89.44%	Skylake	18/36	4.4 / 4.5 GHz	165W
Core i5-9600K	89.31%	Coffee Lake-R	6/6	3.7 / 4.6 GHz	95W
Core i7-7700K	88.21%	Kaby Lake	4/8	4.2 / 4.5 GHz	91W
Ryzen 5 3600	87.82%	Zen 2	6/12	3.6 / 4.2 GHz	65W
Xeon W-3175X	86.33%	Skylake	28/56	3.1 / 4.3 GHz	225W
Ryzen 5 3500X	84.69%	Zen 2	6/6	3.6 / 4.1 GHz	65W
Core i3-9100	82.52%	Coffee Lake-R	4/4	3.6 / 4.2 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 3100	80.81%	Zen 2	4/8	3.8 / 3.9 GHz	65W
Core i5-9400 / -9400F	80.16%	Coffee Lake	6/6	2.9 / 4.1 GHz	65W
Ryzen 9 3900	77.41%	Zen 2	12/24	3.1 / 4.3 GHz	65W
Core i3-8350K	75.63%	Coffee Lake	4/4	4.0 / – GHz	91W
Core i3-7100	75.26%	Kaby Lake	2/4	3.9 / – GHz	51W
Threadripper 2950X	74.11%	Zen +	16/32	3.5 / 4.4 GHz	180W
Threadripper 2990WX	71.28%	Zen+	32/64	3.0 / 4.2 GHz	250W
Threadripper 2970WX	71.02%	Zen +	24/48	3.0 / 4.2 GHz	250W
Ryzen 5 2600X	70.98%	Zen+	6/12	3.6 / 4.2 GHz	95W
Ryzen 5 3400G	69.17%	Zen +	4/8	3.7 / 4.2 GHz	65W
Core i5-7400	68.23%	Kaby Lake	4/4	3.0 / 3.5 GHz	65W
Ryzen 5 2400G	64.81%	Zen+	4/8	3.6 / 3.9 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 3200G	64.12%	Zen +	4/4	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 1300X	63.85%	Zen	4/4	3.5 / 3.7 GHz	65W
Ryzen 5 1600AF	62.99%	Zen	6/12	3.2 / 3.6 GHz	65W
Pentium G5600	57.99%	Coffee Lake	2/4	3.9 / – GHz	54W
Ryzen 5 1600X	57.31%	Zen	6/12	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	95W
Pentium G5400	54.73%	Coffee Lake	2/4	3.7 / – GHz	54W
Athlon 3000G	54.61%	Zen+	2/4	3.5 / – GHz	35W
Athlon 220GE	53.98%	Zen	2/4	3.4 / – GHz	35W
Pentium G4560	51.55%	Kaby Lake	2/4	3.5 / – GHz	54W
Athlon 200GE	50.02%	Zen	2/4	3.2 / – GHz	35W
AMD A10-9700	41.97%	Bristol Ridge	4/4	3.5 / 3.8 GHz	65W
Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6780A	18.78%	LuJiaZui	8/8	2.7 / – GHz	70W

This is our Pre-Zen 3 single-threaded ranking, which you can use to gauge relative rankings compared to the newer table above this one.

We generated the single-threaded metric via a geometric mean of performance in single-threaded LAME, Cinebench, POV-Ray, and y-cruncher applications, giving you a good idea of performance in everyday desktop PC applications.

Intel and AMD CPU Multi-Threaded Performance

CPU Multi-Threaded Benchmark Hierarchy Post-Zen 3
	Multi-Threaded App Score	CPU	Cores/Threads	Base/Boost	TDP
Threadripper 3960X	100%	Zen 2	24/48	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	280W
Ryzen 9 5950X	82.74%	Zen 3	16/32	3.4 / 4.9 GHz	105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	73.07%	Zen 2	16/32	3.5 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Ryzen 9 5900X	70.87%	Zen 3	12/24	3.7 / 4.8 GHz	105W
Intel Core i9-10980XE	66.50%	Cascade Lake-X	18/36	3.0 / 4.8 GHz	165W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X	59.75%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.6 GHz	105W
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT	59.69%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Intel Core i9-10900K	54.16%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.7 / 5.3 GHz	125W
Intel Core i9-10850K	53.27%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.6 / 5.2 GHz	95W
Core i7-10700K	43.51%	Comet Lake	8/16	3.8 / 5.1 GHz	125W
Ryzen 7 2700X	33.33%	Zen+	8/16	3.7 / 4.3 GHz	105W
Ryzen 7 1800X	29.61%	Zen	8/16	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	95W

The multi-threaded workload column is based on performance in Cinebench, POV-ray, vray, Blender (four tests – Koro, Barcellona, Classroom, bmw27), y-cruncher, and Handbrake x264 and x265 workloads that represent performance in productivity-focused applications that tend to require more compute horsepower.

Like we see with single-threaded performance metrics, multi-threaded performance, which is a measure of a chip’s performance in applications that utilize multiple software threads, varies based upon a whole host of architectural factors. It also depends heavily upon how well the software scales with additional compute cores. As such, these results do not align perfectly based upon core/thread count, though it does serve as a decent litmus of multi-threaded performance. Be aware that architectures, caches, and interconnects profoundly impact these results, as all of these factors impact how well performance scales with additional threads. Performance rarely scales perfectly with the addition of more cores/threads, so the scaling factor of each processor architecture weighs in heavily on the value proposition of going with a higher core count processor for your specific application.

It’s noteworthy that both Ryzen 5000 chips beat out Intel’s 18-core 32-thread Core i9-10980XE, and the Ryzen 9 5900X only comes with 12 cores. Again, pay attention to TDP – the Ryzen chips have a 105W ranking while Intel is specced at 165W.

CPU Multi-Threaded Benchmark Hierarchy Pre-Zen 3
	Multi-Threaded App Score	Architecture	Cores/Threads	Base/Boost	TDP
Threadripper 3990X	100.0%	Zen 2	64/128	2.9 / 4.3 GHz	280W
Threadripper 3970X	83.76%	Zen 2	32/64	3.7 / 4.5 GHz	280W
Threadripper 3960X	72.04%	Zen 2	24/48	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	280W
Xeon W-3175X	69.92%	Skylake	28/56	3.1 / 4.3 GHz	225W
Ryzen 9 3950X	53.48%	Zen 2	16/32	3.5 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Core i9-10980XE	52.75%	Cascade Lake-X	18/36	3.0 / 4.8 GHz	165W
Core i9-9980XE	52.14%	Skylake	18/36	4.4 / 4.5 GHz	165W
Threadripper 2990WX	48.00%	Zen+	32/64	3.0 / 4.2 GHz	250W
Ryzen 9 3900X	44.64%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.6 GHz	105W
Ryzen 9 3900XT	44.55%	Zen 2	12/24	3.8 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Threadripper 2970WX	44.26%	Zen +	24/48	3.0 / 4.2 GHz	250W
Core i9-10900K	40.39%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.7 / 5.3 GHz	125W
Core i9-10850K	38.89%	Comet Lake	10/20	3.6 / 5.2 GHz	95W
Threadripper 2950X	39.51%	Zen +	16/32	3.5 / 4.4 GHz	180W
Ryzen 9 3900	38.34%	Zen 2	12/24	3.1 / 4.3 GHz	65W
Ryzen 7 3800XT	33.36%	Zen 2	8/16	3.9 / 4.7 GHz	105W
Core i9-9900KS	33.36%	Coffee Lake-R	8/16	4.0 / 5.0 GHz	127W
Ryzen 7 3800X	33.11%	Zen 2	8/16	3.9 / 4.5 GHz	105W
Core i7-10700K	32.87%	Comet Lake	8/16	3.8 / 5.1 GHz	125W
Core i9-9900K	32.69%	Coffee Lake-R	8/16	3.6 / 5.0 GHz	95W
Ryzen 7 3700X	32.56%	Zen 2	8/16	3.6 / 4.4 GHz	65W
Core i7-10700/F	32.05%	Comet Lake	8/16	2.9 / 4.8 GHz	65W
Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G	31.21%	Zen 2, Vega	8/16	3.6 / 4.4 GHz	65W
Core i7-9700K	27.01%	Coffee Lake-R	8/8	3.6 / 4.9 GHz	95W
Ryzen 5 3600XT	26.71%	Zen 2	6/12	3.8 / 4.5 GHz	95W
Ryzen 5 3600X	25.88%	Zen 2	6/12	3.8 / 4.4 GHz	95W
Ryzen 5 3600	25.58%	Zen 2	6/12	3.6 / 4.2 GHz	65W
Core i5-10600K	25.18%	Comet Lake	6/12	4.1 / 4.8 GHz	125W
Ryzen 5 2600X	20.10%	Zen+	6/12	3.6 / 4.2 GHz	95W
Core i5-9600K	20.04%	Coffee Lake-R	6/6	3.7 / 4.6 GHz	95W
Ryzen 3 3300X	19.03%	Zen 2	4/8	3.8 / 4.3 GHz	65W
Ryzen 5 3500X	18.94%	Zen 2	6/6	3.6 / 4.1 GHz	65W
Core i5-9400 / -9400F	18.12%	Coffee Lake	6/6	2.9 / 4.1 GHz	65W
Core i7-7700K	17.77%	Kaby Lake	4/8	4.2 / 4.5 GHz	91W
Ryzen 5 1600AF	17.72%	Zen	6/12	3.2 / 3.6 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 3100	17.23%	Zen 2	4/8	3.8 / 3.9 GHz	65W
Ryzen 5 1600X	16.94%	Zen	6/12	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	95W
Core i3-9350KF	14.52%	Coffee Lake	4/4	4.0/4.6 GHz	91W
Ryzen 5 3400G	13.83%	Zen +	4/8	3.7 / 4.2 GHz	65W
Core i3-9100	13.03%	Coffee Lake-R	4/4	3.6 / 4.2 GHz	65W
Ryzen 5 2400G	12.93%	Zen+	4/8	3.6 / 3.9 GHz	65W
Core i3-8350K	12.79%	Coffee Lake	4/4	4.0 / – GHz	91W
Core i3-8100	11.90%	Coffee Lake	4/4	3.6 / – GHz	65W
Core i5-7400	10.97%	Kaby Lake	4/4	3.0 / 3.5 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 3200G	10.61%	Zen +	4/4	3.6 / 4.0 GHz	65W
Ryzen 3 1300X	9.85%	Zen	4/4	3.5 / 3.7 GHz	65W
Core i3-7100	8.53%	Kaby Lake	2/4	3.9 / – GHz	51W
Pentium G5600	6.84%	Coffee Lake	2/4	3.9 / – GHz	54W
Athlon 3000G	6.59%	Zen+	2/4	3.5 / – GHz	35W
Athlon 220GE	6.46%	Zen	2/4	3.4 / – GHz	35W
Pentium G5400	6.42%	Coffee Lake	2/4	3.7 / – GHz	54W
Athlon 200GE	6.11%	Zen	2/4	3.2 / – GHz	35W
Pentium G4560	6.07%	Kaby Lake	2/4	3.5 / – GHz	54W
AMD A10-9700	5.45%	Bristol Ridge	4/4	3.5 / 3.8 GHz	65W
Zhaoxin KaiXian KX-U6780A	5.09%	LuJiaZui	8/8	2.7 / – GHz	70W

This is our Pre-Zen 3 single-threaded ranking, which you can use to gauge relative rankings compared to the newer table above this one. The multi-threaded workload column is based on performance in Cinebench, POV-ray, vray, Blender, y-cruncher, and Handbrake x264 and x265 workloads represent performance in productivity-focused applications that tend to require more compute horsepower.

The Threadripper rankings need a bit of explanation. With an industry-leading slathering of core counts, these processors offer the utmost performance in many different threaded workloads, but can suffer in some less-demanding desktop PC-class applications that either don’t utilize the cores and threads fully, or aren’t optimized for the architecture. That reduces the gap separating the rankings in the mainstream applications we use for this list, but in many cases, you can see much larger deltas with specific applications. You should view individual reviews and our best processors for applications list for a better sense of how those processors fare in professional workloads.

Test System and Configuration

Hardware
AMD Socket AM4 (400-Series)	AMD Ryzen 2000- 3000- 5000- series processors
	MSI MEG X570 Godlike
	2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
Intel LGA 1151 (Z370)	Intel Coffee Lake processors
	MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
	2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
AMD Socket AM4 (300-Series)	Ryzen 1000-series processors
	MSI X370 Xpower Gaming Titanium
	2x 8GB G.Skill FlareX DDR4-3200 @ DDR4-2667
Intel LGA 1151 (Z270)	Intel Kaby Lake processors
	MSI Z270 Gaming M7
	2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
Intel LGA 2066	Intel Skylake processors
	MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
	2x 8GB Trident Z Royal DDR4-3600
All	EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FE
	1TB Samsung PM863
	SilverStone ST1500-TI, 1500W
	Windows 10 Creators Update Version 1703 – All Spectre and Meltdown mitigations
Cooling	Corsair H115i

Legacy Desktop Processor Hierarchy

Recognizing that a lot of older platforms are going to be paired with graphics subsystems multiple generations old, we wanted to define the top of our range to encourage balance between host processing and complementary GPUs. At this point, anyone with a Sandy Bridge-based Core i7 would realize a gain from stepping up to Coffee Lake or Kaby Lake, for example. And putting AMD’s top FX CPUs next to a handful of Core i7s and those older Core i5s represents an upgrade to their status.

Currently, our hierarchy consists of 13 total tiers. The bottom half of the chart is largely outdated; you’ll notice those CPUs dragging down performance in the latest games, regardless of the graphics card installed in your PC. If you own a CPU in that range, an upgrade could really take your experience to another level.

Really, it’s the top five tiers or so that remain viable. And in that top half of the chart, an upgrade is typically worthwhile if it’s a least a couple of tiers higher. Otherwise, there’s just not enough improvement to warrant the expense of a fresh CPU, motherboard and RAM (not to mention the graphics card and storage solution you’d be considering as well).

Legacy Desktop Processor Hierarchy
Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core i7-8700K ($382.00 On Walmart)
Intel Core i9-7900X ($969.00 On Walmart)
Intel Core i9-7960X ($1617.83 On Amazon)
Intel Core i9-7980XE ($1579.99 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-8700K ($382.00 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-7740X ($350.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-7700K ($344.61 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-7820X ($599.99 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X ($77.99 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-7700 ($317.07 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X ($199.99 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-8400 ($204.29 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen 7 1800X ($220.79 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-7800X ($389.99 On Newegg)	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1900X ($549.99 On Newegg)
Intel Core i7-7700T ($339.99 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen 7 1700X ($163.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-6950X ($1576.52 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen 7 1700 ($219.79 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-6900K ($788.00 On Amazon)	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X ($139.95 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-6850K ($492.75 On Amazon)	AMD Ryzen 5 1600 ($103.57 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-6800K ($347.88 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen 5 1500X ($127.00 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-6700K ($293.19 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen 5 1400 ($139.99 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7 6700 ($317.97 On Walmart)	AMD Ryzen 3 1300X ($66.56 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-5960X ($1,069.95 On Newegg)	Ryzen 5 2400G ($59.99 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-5930K ($386.59 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-5820K ($350.90 On Walmart)
Intel Core i7-5775C ($1077.88 On Amazon)
Intel i7-4960X ($465.58 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-4930K
Intel Core i7-4820K
Intel Core i7-4790K
Intel Core i7-4770K
Intel Core i7-4790
Intel Core i7-4771
Intel Core i7-4770
Intel Core i7-3970X
Intel Core i7-3960X
Intel Core i7-3930K
Intel Core i7-3820
Intel Core i7-3770K
Intel Core i7-3770
Intel Core i5-7640X ($243.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-7600K ($10.73 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-7600 ($269.99 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-7500 ($216.62 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-7400 ($201.30 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5 6600k ($248.73 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-6600 ($210.66 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-6500 ($210.04 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5 6402P ($488.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-6400 ($182.99 On Newegg)
Intel Core i5-5675C
Intel Core i5-4690K ($250.58 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-4670K
Intel Core i5-4590
Intel Core i5-4670
Intel Core i5-4570
Intel BX80646I54460 ($215.17 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-4440
Intel Core i5-4430
Intel Core i5-3570K
Intel Core i5-3570
Intel Core i5-3550

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core i7-990X Extreme
Intel Core i7-980X Extreme
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme
Intel Core i7-2600K
Intel Core i7-2600
Intel Core i7-965
Intel Core i5-3470
Intel Core i5-3450P	Intel Core i7-7700 ($317.07 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-3450	AMD FX-9370 ($232.17 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-3350P	AMD FX-8370 ($220.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-3330	AMD FX-8350 w/Wraith ($159.99 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-2550K	AMD FX-8320 ($124.99 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-2500K	AMD FX-8300 ($99.99 On Amazon)
Intel Core i5-2500	AMD FX-8150
Intel Core i5-2450P
Intel Core i5-2400
Intel Core i5-2380P
Intel Core i5-2320
Intel Core i5-2310
Intel Core i5-2300
Intel Core i3-7350K ($167.99 On Walmart)
Intel Core i3-7320 ($295.22 On Walmart)
Intel Core i3-7300 ($169.89 On B&H)
Intel Core i3-7100 ($131.99 On B&H)

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core i7-980
Intel Core i7-970
Intel Core i7-960
Intel Core i7-875K
Intel Core i7-870
Intel Core i3 6320 ($218.52 On Amazon)
Intel Core i3 6300 ($130.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i3-6100 ($130.34 On Walmart)	AMD FX-6350 w/Wraith ($134.99 On Amazon)
Intel Core i3 6100T ($136.99 On Tiger Direct)	AMD FX-4350 ($716.00 On Walmart)
Intel Core i3-6098P ($372.00 On Amazon)	AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition
Intel Core i3-4360	AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition
Intel Core i3-4350	AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980
Intel Core i3-4340	AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 975
Intel Core i3-4170
Intel Core i3-4160
Intel Core i3-4150
Intel Core i3-4130
Intel Core i3-3250
Intel Core i3-3245
Intel Core i3-3240
Intel Core i3-3225
Intel Core i3-3220
Intel Core i3-3210
Intel Core i3-2130
Intel Core i3-2025
Intel Core i3-2120
Intel Core i3-2105
Intel Core i3-2100
Intel Pentium G4620 ($143.92 On Walmart)
Intel Pentium G4600 ($126.42 On Walmart)
Intel Pentium G4560 ($79.99 On Walmart)
Intel Pentium G4500 ($74.86 On Walmart)
Intel Pentium G4400 ($62.24 On Walmart)

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
	AMD FX-8370E ($310.09 On Amazon)
	AMD FX-8320 ($149.01 On Amazon)
	AMD FX-8120
	AMD FX-6300 ($89.98 On Amazon)
	AMD FX-6200
	AMD FX-4300 ($99.95 On Amazon)
	AMD FX-4170
	AMD Phenom II X6 1075T
Intel Core i7-950	AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition
Intel Core i7-940	AMD Phenom II X4 965
Intel Core i7-930	AMD Phenom II X4 955
Intel Core i7-920	AMD A10-7890K APU ($411.00 On Amazon)
Intel Core i7-860	Intel A10-7870K ($34.99 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-3220T	AMD A10-7860K ($42.90 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-2405S	AMD A10-7850K
Intel Core i5-2400S	AMD A10-7800
Intel Core i5-760	AMD A10-7700K
Intel Core i5-750	AMD A10-6800K
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775	AMD A10-6790K
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770	AMD A10-6700
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650	AMD A10-5800K
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650	AMD A10-5700
	Intel A8-7650K ($105.99 On Amazon)
	AMD A8-7600 ($17.99 On eBay)
	AMD A8-6600K
	AMD A8-5600K
	AMD A8-3870K
	AMD A8-3870
	AMD A8-3850
	AMD Athlon X4 880K ($74.90 On Amazon)
	Intel Athlon X4 870K (4th quarter) ($35.79 On Walmart)
	Intel A10-7870K ($34.99 On Walmart)
	AMD Athlon X4 750K
	AMD Athlon X4 740
	AMD Athlon X4 651K
	AMD Athlon X4 645
	AMD Athlon X4 641
	AMD Athlon X4 640

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
	AMD FX-6100
	AMD FX-4130
	AMD FX-4100
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850	AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800	AMD Phenom II X6 1045T
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550	AMD Phenom II X4 945
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450	AMD Phenom II X4 940
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400	AMD Phenom II X4 920
Intel Core i5-680	AMD Phenom II X3 740
Intel Core i5-670	AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition
Intel Core i5-661	AMD A8-6500
Intel Core i5-660	AMD A8-5500
Intel Core i5-655K	AMD A6 ($75.55 On Walmart)
Intel Core i5-650	AMD A6 ($75.55 On Walmart)
Intel Core i3-2120T	AMD A6-3670K
Intel Core i3-2100T	AMD A6-3650
	AMD Athlon II X4 635
	AMD Athlon II X4 630

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500	AMD Phenom II X4 910
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400	AMD Phenom II X4 910e
Intel Core 2 Duo E7600	AMD Phenom II X4 810
Intel Core i3-550	AMD Athlon II X4 631
Intel Core i3-540	AMD Athlon II X4 620
Intel Core i3-530	AMD Athlon II X3 460
Intel Pentium G3470
Intel Pentium G3460
Intel Pentium G3450
Intel Pentium G3440
Intel Pentium G3430
Intel Pentium G3420
Intel Pentium G3260 ($106.67 On Walmart)
Intel Pentium G3258 ($67.00 On eBay)
Intel Pentium G3250
Intel Pentium G3220
Intel Pentium G2130
Intel Pentium G2120
Intel Pentium G2020
Intel Pentium G2010
Intel Pentium G870
Intel Pentium G860
Intel Pentium G850
Intel Pentium G840
Intel Pentium G645
Intel Pentium G640
Intel Pentium G630

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
Intel Core 2 Duo E8300	AMD Phenom II X4 905e
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200	AMD Phenom II X4 805
Intel Core 2 Duo E8190	AMD Phenom II X3 710
Intel Core 2 Duo E7500	AMD Phenom II X3 705e
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400	AMD Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850	AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750	AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition
Intel Pentium G620	AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition
Intel Celeron G1630	AMD Phenom II X2 545
Intel Celeron G1620	AMD Phenom X4 9950
Intel Celeron G1610	AMD Athlon II X3 455
Intel Celeron G555	AMD Athlon II X3 450
Intel Celeron G550	AMD Athlon II X3 445
Intel Celeron G540	AMD Athlon II X3 440
Intel Celeron G530	AMD Athlon II X3 435
Intel Celeron G3950 ($65.35 On Amazon)	AMD Athlon II X3 425
Intel Celeron G3930 ($61.10 On Walmart)
Intel Celeron G3930 ($61.10 On Walmart)
Intel Celeron G3900 ($47.49 On Amazon)

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
	AMD Phenom X4 9850
	AMD Phenom X4 9750
	AMD Phenom X4 9650
Intel Core 2 Duo E7300	AMD Phenom X4 9600
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200	AMD Phenom X3 8850
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700	AMD Phenom X3 8750
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550	AMD Athlon II X2 370K
Intel Core 2 Duo E6540	AMD Athlon II X2 265
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6700	AMD Athlon II X2 260
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6600	AMD Athlon II X2 255
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E650	AMD A6-5500K
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6300	AMD A6 ($75.55 On Walmart)
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5800	AMD A4-7300 ($112.00 On Amazon)
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5700	AMD A4-6400K
Intel Pentium G9650	AMD A4-6300 ($229.99 On eBay)
	AMD A4-5400K
	AMD A4-5300
	AMD A4-4400
	AMD A4-4000
	AMD A4-3400
	AMD A4-3300
	AMD Sempron 2650 ($40.33 On Walmart)
	AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
	AMD Phenom X4 9550
	AMD Phenom X4 9500
	AMD Phenom X4 9450e
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600	AMD Phenom X4 9350e
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420	AMD Phenom X3 8650
Intel Core 2 Duo E4700	AMD Phenom X3 8600
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600	AMD Phenom X3 8550
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500	AMD Phenom X3 8450e
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400	AMD Phenom X3 8450
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300	AMD Phenom X3 8400
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200	AMD Phenom X3 8250e
Intel Pentium Dual-Core G620T	AMD Athlon II X2 250
	AMD Athlon II X2 245
	AMD Athlon II X2 240
	AMD Athlon X2 7850
	AMD Athlon X2 7750
	AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
	AMD Phenom X4 9150e
	AMD Phenom X4 9100e
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400	AMD Athlon X2 7550
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320	AMD Athlon X2 7450
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400	AMD Athlon X2 5050e
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300	AMD Athlon X2 4850e/b
Intel Celeron E3300	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+
	AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300	AMD Athlon X2 6550
Intel Core 2 Duo E5500	AMD Athlon X2 6500
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2220	AMD Athlon X2 4450e/b
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2200	AMD Athlon X2 4600+
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2210	AMD Athlon X2 4400+
Intel Celeron E3200	AMD Athlon X2 4200+
	AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180	AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
Intel Celeron 1600	AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Intel Celeron G440	AMD Athlon X2 4050e
	AMD Athlon X2 2300 Black Edition

Intel CPUs	AMD CPUs and APUs
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2140
Intel Celeron E1500
Intel Celeron E1400
Intel Celeron E1200

MORE: Best Gaming CPUs

MORE: Best Cheap CPUs

MORE: Best Desktop CPUs

MORE: GPU Performance Hierarchy

Our Verdict

Under the hood, Dell’s Tiger Lake update to its XPS 13 2-in-1 convertible makes it the best iteration of the line yet. But an unreasonably shallow keyboard makes using it as a laptop a chore.

For

Strong performance
Bright screen
Clear audio

Against

Low keyboard travel
Few ports
Not upgradeable

Dell’s latest iteration on the XPS 13 2-in-1 brings

Tiger Lake

to this popular line of convertibles, complete with

Intel Evo

certification that promises a better mobile experience. That means you’ll be getting up to 11 hours of battery life, plus features like instant wake. You’ll also get Intel’s new Iris Xe integrated graphics, plus

Thunderbolt 4

ports.

That’s a lot of quality-of-life improvements (or at least quality of your PC life), and our benchmarking shows that you can expect strong performance on CPU-heavy tasks like Geekbench and video editing as well. But that arguably doesn’t matter if the laptop itself is difficult to use, especially given that convertibles sell themselves on their all-in-one nature. We had complaints about Dell’s new keyboard direction for this line of computers on last year’s model, saying it resembled Apple’s much-maligned butterfly keyboard. How does this new model hold up?

XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310) Specifications

CPU	Intel Core i7-1165G7
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory	16GB LPDDR4x-4267 MHz
Storage	512GB M.2 NVMe SSD
Display	13.4 inches, 1920 x 1200, WLED, multi-touch
Networking	AX1650 Wi-Fi 6
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x 3.5mm combination microphone/headphone jack, 1x microSD card reader
Camera	720p
Battery	51 Whr
Power Adapter	45W
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Dimensions(WxDxH)	11.6 x 8.2 x 0.6
Weight	2.9 pounds
Price (as configured)	$1,650

Design of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

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Dell’s latest XPS 13 2-in-1 updates last year’s model with a silver and black color scheme that makes it look largely generic on the outside, but much more premium on the inside. While the silver case does have a slightly glittery finish that gives it some texture, its noticeable hinge means it doesn’t give too sleek of a first impression –that is, until you open it up.

Opening the XPS 13 2-in-1 reveals an all-black keyboard surrounded by a comfortable black “woven glass fiber” cushion that has a leathery appearance. It feels great on my wrists while typing, and its checkerboard pattern immediately makes the laptop look boardroom-level fancy.

That impressive look means you might want to take this machine into the conference room with you, but since it’s sacrificed most I/O options in exchange for a thinner form factor, you’ll probably need to bring a dongle or two. There’s a single Thunderbolt 4 port on the laptop’s left side along with a microSD card reader, as well as another Thunderbolt 4 port on the laptop’s right side next to a 3.5mm combination headphone and microphone jack. That’s all the connectivity you’ll get out of the box, though our review unit did come with a USB Type-A to USB Type-C dongle for connecting older devices to the laptop’s Thunderbolt ports more easily.

That lack of ports does mean the 2-in-1 is impressively thin, though other recent machines have offered more connectivity while still hitting the same thinness. At 11.7 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches, it’s roughly on par with the 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inch non-convertible

XPS 13 9310

, as well as the 12 x 8.3 x 0.6 inch

Zenbook Flip S

. The Dell clamshell has the same ports as the 2-in-1, while the Asus has a full HDMI connection and a USB Type-A port. The non-convertible

Zenbook 13

is slightly thinner than the XPS 2-in-1 at 11.9 x 8 x 0.5 inches, despite also having a full HDMI connection and a USB Type-A port.

The XPS 13 2-in-1 is also slightly heavy for an ultraportable, though certainly not clunky. At 2.9 pounds, it’s heavier than its 2.8-pound nonconvertible cousin, as well as the 2.7-pound ZenBook Flip S and the 2.4-pound Zenbook 13.

Productivity Performance of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is the first Evo-certified Dell convertible, which means it packs a Tiger Lake i7-1165G7 chip and has a number of mobile optimizations such as greater than 9 hours of battery life and the ability to wake from sleep in less than 1 second. The laptop’s Evo features held up in our testing, but even beyond that, it was able to excel against other i7-1165G7 laptops like the nonconvertible XPS 13, the ZenBook Flip S and the ZenBook 13 in most tests.

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In Geekbench, which tests general system performance, the 2-in-1 snagged 5,571 points, more than any other contender. The nonconvertible XPS 13 was the closest, with a score of 5,254 points, while the Zenbook 13 was next with 5,084 points and the ZenBook Flip S lagged behind with 3,880 points.

Both of Dell’s recent XPS options lagged behind on file transfer speeds, though. The 2-in-1 transferred 4.97GB of files at a rate of 503.1 MBps, while its nonconvertible cousin was faster at 806.2 MBps. But both Dells lagged behind Asus’ machines, as the ZenBook Flip S was much speedier at 1,297.2 MBps and the ZenBook 13 was respectable at 966.8 MBps.

However, video editing once again put the 2-in-1 in the spotlight. On our Handbrake video editing benchmark, which tests how long it takes a computer to transcode a video down from

FHD

, the XPS 13 2-in-1 was easily the fastest computer we tested, with a time of 15:52. The next quickest contender was the ZenBook 13, with a time of 17:51, while the nonconvertible XPS 13 had a time of 18:22 and the Flip S was the slowest with a time of 22:05.

New to Intel’s Tiger Lake chips are Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics, which we tested using 3DMark’s Fire Strike benchmark. The ZenBook 13 performed best here, with a score of 4,407, with the 2-in-1 coming in next with a score of 3,847. The nonconvertible XPS 13 and ZenBook Flip S rounded out the list with scores of 3,598 and 3,351 respectively.

If you’re curious how those numbers translate to games, we also played about a half hour of Overwatch on the XPS 13 2-in-1 at various settings. Despite some hiccups on the first try, the system ran mostly smoothly after a reboot. At 1920 x 1080, we were most comfortable playing on low settings, which tended to hover around 60 fps exactly and had the fewest drastic framerate drops. Medium settings will drop you down to 30-40 fps, but runs the risk of occasional dips into the 20s.

We also stress tested the XPS 13 2-in-1 by running it through Cinebench R20 on a loop 20 times. It started off with fairly strong performance at 2,056.3 points, before dropping off to an average of 1,584.8 points. During this benchmark, its CPU ran at an average clock speed of 2.53 GHz and had an average temperature of 60.3 degrees Celsius.

Display on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The XPS 13 2-in-1 has a basic 13.4 inch LED touchscreen that, despite not being

IPS

OLED

, makes an impression thanks to a bright backlight and a 16:10 1920 x 1200 aspect ratio.

I tested the 2-in-1’s screen by watching the trailer for The Devil All the Time on it. The first thing I noticed was how bright the picture was, though this didn’t save the screen from having poor viewing angles. Regardless of how much surrounding light I had on it, the 2-in-1’s screen tended to wash out whenever I got more than a 45 degree angle away from the center. Still, the blacks were deep and the colors were accurate, if not particularly vivid.

The taller aspect ratio also proved helpful when scrolling through webpages, although that feels more intuitive in vertical orientation in tablet mode.

According to our tests, the XPS 13 2-in-1 has an average brightness of 488 nits, which was the highest among the laptops we compared it to. By comparison, the non-convertible XPS 13 had an average brightness of 469 nits, while the ZenBook Flip S and ZenBook 13 had average brightnesses of 370 nits and 375 nits, respectively.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The color rankings were a bit closer. According to our colorimeter, the 2-in-1 covers 70% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is indistinguishable from the conconvertibles XPS 13’s 69% score. Asus’ laptops performed generally better here, with the ZenBook 13 covering 76.1% of the DCI-P3 spectrum and the ZenBook Flip S hitting a much wider 113.1%.

Keyboard and Touchpad on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

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Keyboards are often the bane of convertible laptops, and the XPS 13 2-in-1 is a great example of this form factor’s greatest weakness.

The difficulty with putting a keyboard on a convertible is making sure it doesn’t become distracting or cumbersome when the laptop is in tablet mode. One answer to this issue (while also keeping the device thin) is to heavily reduce key travel distance. This will make the keys seem flatter and less present when not in use. That seems to be the answer Dell has gone for here, but the issue with this solution is that it greatly hampers the keyboard’s comfortable usability in laptop mode.

The XPS 13 2-in-1’s keyboard easily has the shallowest travel distance of any laptop keyboard I’ve reviewed yet, which makes it difficult to feel much feedback when typing. This meant that not only did I make frequent typos while using it, but I also had to completely change up my typing style. While I usually type with all of my fingers, I found that I frequently lost track of where I was on the keyboard as I typed, and that the best way to keep track of my finger placement and thus increase speed and reduce typos was to limit my typing to just my two index fingers.

That might sound like overkill, but this strategy isn’t too dissimilar to my approach when using a touchscreen keyboard, which the XPS 13 2-in-1’s keyboard shares some similarities to due to the lack of noticeable feedback on each keypress. Even so, my speed on 10fastfingers.com tended to hover anywhere from 59 wpm to 70 wpm, with my average being closer to 80, as well as having far fewer typos.

While your mileage may vary on typing speed or accuracy, the keyboard also just isn’t very comfortable. The lack of travel distance also made the keyboard feel hard and tough to press, like I was repeatedly jamming my fingers up against a wall as opposed to pressing buttons. Even Apple’s much-maligned butterfly keyboard, which has similar issues, feels comparatively cushiony when bottoming out.

In tablet mode, I also still found myself accidentally pressing keys more often than I’d like. Keyboard input is disabled in tablet mode, so this doesn’t have any effect on your activity, but it still felt clumsy and made me wonder if the sacrifices to the keyboard’s travel distance were worth it.

With all that said, the 2-in-1’s touchpad and touchscreen input are both excellent. The laptop uses Windows precision drivers and expertly handles multi-touch gestures on either device, and the 4.4 x 2.6 inch touchpad in particular is smooth and feels almost cushiony to the touch. This mirrors the cushiony, leathery material on the laptop’s wrist rest area, which is also comfortable.

Audio of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

The XPS 13 2-in-1 has bottom-firing speakers on either side, which I tested by listening to Be Prepared from the Lion King soundtrack — the original one. I found that despite being somewhat quiet, the laptop packs impressively true-to-life audio.

Be Prepared is arguably more dialogue than music, which turned out to be a great way to demonstrate the XPS 13 2-in-1’s voice quality. Scar’s actors in this scene (he actually swaps from Jeremy Irons to Jim Cummings partway through, fun fact) sounded clear and unmuddled throughout, with a rich quality that both expressed performance and clarity. That’s despite the song’s numerous background sound effects, like hissing geysers, which did not distract and sounded as atmospheric as ever.

The backing music also didn’t lose its bass, nor did the xylophone segments sound tinny, regardless of how high I raised the volume.

That leads me to the speakers’ biggest issue: They don’t get very loud. Even at maximum volume, I had difficulty filling more than one room with sound. Still, if you’re sitting next to the laptop, it gets plenty loud for personal use.

Upgradeability of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

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There’s not much point to opening the XPS 13 2-in-1, though Dell hasn’t gone out of its way to make it too difficult. Just use a Torx screwdriver- we used a T5 bit- and remove the 8 screws along the bottom, then pry off the case with a spudger.

Once you’re inside, the only component you’ll have access to is the battery. The RAM is soldered in and the SSD and networking cards are unfortunately inaccessible. That’s not too unexpected for an ultraportable convertible, but it does mean you’ll want to make sure you like your laptop’s configuration before you buy it.

Battery Life of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is Intel Evo certified, which means Intel has verified that it has at least 9 hours of battery life on FHD screens. That held true during our testing, though the 2-in-1 faced some stiff competition from other Tiger Lake laptops.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

During our battery benchmark, which continually browses the web, streams video and runs OpenGL tests over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the XPS 13 2-in-1 held out for 10 hours and 52 minutes. That’s significantly longer than the 8:11 battery life of the nonconvertible XPS 13, but not quite as lengthy as the 11:07 life of the ZenBook 13 or the 13:47 ZenBook Flip S’s endurance on the same test.

Heat of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

The XPS 13 2-in-1 is thin and designed to be held when in use, which makes strong heat management vital. Luckily, the XPS 13 2-in-1 more than meets the task.

We took the 2-in-1’s temperature after streaming 15 minutes of video over YouTube. The touchpad was the coolest spot, at 74.7 degrees Fahrenheit (23.7 degrees Celsius), while the keyboard (between the G and H keys) was the next coolest location at 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27.2 degrees Celsius). The bottom of the laptop jumped up to a still manageable 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31.1 degrees Celsius), while the hottest location was near the print screen key. Even this just ended up being 92.3 degrees Fahrenheit (33.5 degrees Celsius), which is still plenty comfortable to the touch.

Webcam on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

The XPS 13 2-in-1’s 720p webcam might not match the webcam built into a dedicated tablet, but it still manages to come out above most laptop webcams, which often feel like afterthoughts.

That’s because its picture lacks any kind of noticeable grain or color inaccuracy, which means that any photos you take will appear true-to-life as opposed to distorting your picture. This extends to texture too, and the camera works well across lighting levels, able to perform well in low light and only improving more with greater ambient brightness.

The camera also intelligently swaps to a vertical orientation when using the 2-in-1 in tablet mode and holding it vertically. While your selfies aren’t bound to look as good as those taken on an iPhone, it’s good to know you can recreate that casual experience here.

The 2-in-1’s camera also has an IR sensor for Windows Hello.

Software and Warranty of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 packs the usual Windows bloat, like Netflix and Microsoft Solitaire Collection, but the real depth of this laptop’s pre-installed software is in the 13 utility programs Dell includes alongside it.

Some of these programs are helpful, like Dell Mobile Connect, which lets you access your phone’s functions and mirror its screen to your laptop. Dell Update, meanwhile, lets you update your BIOS and drivers. But plenty of these programs are either niche, or just hidden storefronts.

For instance, Dell Cinema Guide lets you consolidate your streaming apps into a single program, while “MaxxAudio Pro by Waves” attempts to use your webcam to make spatial audio more realistic on headphones. These might be helpful to some users, but most will likely end up skipping them. Most egregious are inclusions like Dell Digital Delivery, MyDell and “Dropbox promotion,” which attempt to get you to buy even more software.

Because these programs are so hit and miss, it’s very likely some users will ignore them entirely and thus miss out on the more helpful utilities. Meanwhile, competitors like Lenovo are making the utility experience more accessible by bundling programs like these together into one package — Lenovo’s is called Vantage.

We’d prefer a solution that lets us choose whether we want to turn on a movie or nighttime screen color mode without having to click on “Dell CinemaColor” and hoping that’s how we access it.

Configurations of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 starts at $1,099 with options ranging up to $1,949, so it’s got plenty of configurability.

Our $1650 review unit packed an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU with 16GB of LPDDR4X memory and a 512 GB SSD. If you don’t quite need that much power, there are also Core i3 and Core i5 options that will cut your price down by a few hundred dollars, plus you can lower your memory and storage down to 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for even more savings. Conversely, you can also choose up to 1TB of storage if you need more space.

Our review unit also used a 1920 x 1200 WLED display, but if you’re a 4K fanatic, you can also upgrade to a 3840 x 2400 WLED screen instead.

Bottom Line

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The XPS 13 2-in-1 is a powerful convertible with a bright screen and plenty of mobile convenience thanks to its Intel Evo certification. But its keyboard hampers its laptop usability.

When it comes to performance, it’s hard to beat the new 2-in-1. It leverages the same CPU as both other recent convertibles and other recent ultraportables to much greater effect in tests like Geekbench and Handbrake, though it can be on the slow end on file transfer speeds. Still, it’s in-app performance is impressive.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has also got a bright (if not overly colorful) screen, a more-than-decent webcam and clear audio for such a small size. Were it not for one glaring flaw, the new XPS 13 2-in-1 would be a no-brainer.

The biggest factor drawing this convertible down is the keyboard. While your experience may differ from mine, I found it inaccurate and uncomfortable, thanks to the smallest travel distance on keypress I’ve encountered yet. Typos were prevalent when I was using it, and I was a slower typist than usual.

While keeping the keyboard so flat does fit the tablet mode well, even this intention doesn’t succeed. I still found the keyboard distracting when using the 2-in-1 as a tablet, and still pressed plenty of keys when holding it as one (though keyboard input is disabled in tablet mode).

You can get around this flaw by using an external keyboard, sure, but that negates the point of the machine. As an all-in-one portable device, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is powerful, but doesn’t make for the most convenient, comfortable-to-use laptop.

If you’re willing to sacrifice some performance for a more comfortable keyboard while still buying a convertible, the

Asus ZenBook Flip S

promises 1.4mm of travel. It also has a 4K OLED screen at $1,450, while the XPS 13 2-in-1 doesn’t have 4K options until you hit the $1,950 price point.

If you just want an ultraportable, the

ZenBook 13

generally outperformed the nonconvertible

Dell XPS 13

in our benchmarks, aside from Geekbench, while costing much less and having a much larger (and faster) SSD. It’s a good choice if value is your prime concern, but the XPS 13 does have the trendy, taller 16:10 1920 x 1200 aspect ratio.

If a poor keyboard doesn’t bother you, then the XPS 13 2-in-1 is a clear standout here. It performs well and has great convenience features like strong audio and a good webcam. But if you want one device that can do it all, then you’re better off sticking to something that can support comfortable typing for longer periods.

	Razer Book 13 $1,199	Razer Book 13 $1,599	Razer Book 13 $1,999
CPU	Intel Core i5-1135G7	Intel Core i7-1165G7	Intel Core i7-1165G7
GPU	Intel Iris Xe	Intel Iris Xe	Intel Iris Xe
Memory	8GB LPDDR4x-4267 MHz	16GB LPDDR4x-4267 MHz	16GB LPDDR4x-4267 MHz
Storage	256GB SSD	512GB SSD	513GB SSD
Display	1920 x 1200, non-touch	1920 x 1200, multi-touch	3840 x 2400, multi-touch
Networking	Intel Wi-Fi 6	Intel Wi-Fi 6	Intel Wi-Fi 6
Ports	2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x microSD card reader, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack	2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x microSD card reader, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack	2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x microSD card reader, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack

	Price	Cores / Threads	Base Clock	Max. Boost	L3 Cache	TDP	Architecture	Process	Socket
Ryzen 5 1600X	$150	6 / 12	3.6 GHz	4.0 GHz	16 MB	95 W	Zen	14 nm	AM4
Ryzen 5 2600X	$170	6 / 12	3.6 GHz	4.2 GHz	16 MB	95 W	Zen	12 nm	AM4
Core i5-9400F	$145	6 / 6	2.9 GHz	4.1 GHz	9 MB	65 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Core i5-10400F	$170	6 / 12	2.9 GHz	4.3 GHz	12 MB	65 W	Comet Lake	14 nm	LGA 1200
Ryzen 7 1700	$170	8 / 16	3.0 GHz	3.7 GHz	16 MB	65 W	Zen	14 nm	AM4
Ryzen 7 1700X	$200	8 / 16	3.4 GHz	3.8 GHz	16 MB	95 W	Zen	14 nm	AM4
Core i5-10500	$250	6 / 12	3.1 GHz	4.5 GHz	12 MB	65 W	Comet Lake	14 nm	LGA 1200
Ryzen 5 3600	$200	6 / 12	3.6 GHz	4.2 GHz	32 MB	65 W	Zen 2	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 7 2700	$330	8 / 16	3.2 GHz	4.1 GHz	16 MB	65 W	Zen	12 nm	AM4
Core i5-8400	$205	6 / 6	2.8 GHz	4.0 GHz	9 MB	65 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Ryzen 7 2700X	$215	8 / 16	3.7 GHz	4.3 GHz	16 MB	105 W	Zen	12 nm	AM4
Core i3-8350K	$200	4 / 4	4.0 GHz	N/A	8 MB	91 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Core i5-8600K	$220	6 / 6	3.6 GHz	4.3 GHz	9 MB	95 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Core i5-9600K	$200	6 / 6	3.7 GHz	4.6 GHz	9 MB	95 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Core i5-10600K	$275	6 / 12	4.1 GHz	4.8 GHz	12 MB	125 W	Comet Lake	14 nm	LGA 1200
Ryzen 5 3600X	$240	6 / 12	3.8 GHz	4.4 GHz	32 MB	95 W	Zen 2	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 5 3600XT	$240	6 / 12	3.8 GHz	4.5 GHz	32 MB	95 W	Zen 2	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 5 5600X	$300	6 / 12	3.7 GHz	4.6 GHz	32 MB	65 W	Zen 3	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 7 1800X	$250	8 / 16	3.6 GHz	4.0 GHz	16 MB	95 W	Zen	14 nm	AM4
Core i7-8700K	$380	6 / 12	3.7 GHz	4.7 GHz	12 MB	95 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Core i7-9700K	$380	8 / 8	3.6 GHz	4.9 GHz	12 MB	95 W	Coffee Lake	14 nm	LGA 1151
Core i7-10700K	$380	8 / 16	3.8 GHz	5.1 GHz	16 MB	125 W	Comet Lake	14 nm	LGA 1200
Ryzen 7 3700X	$325	8 / 16	3.6 GHz	4.4 GHz	32 MB	65 W	Zen 2	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 7 3800X	$340	8 / 16	3.9 GHz	4.5 GHz	32 MB	105 W	Zen 2	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 7 3800XT	$380	8 / 16	3.9 GHz	4.7 GHz	32 MB	105 W	Zen 2	7 nm	AM4
Ryzen 7 5800X	$450	8 / 16	3.8 GHz	4.7 GHz	32 MB	105 W	Zen 3	7 nm	AM4

If we are limited by budget and we cannot afford an expensive gaming notebook with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX card, we can choose among cheaper models that, with the right graphics settings, will allow for smooth Full HD game.

Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15 with Intel Core i5 – 9300 HF buy at Store x-com

HP Pavilion Gaming with Intel Core i5 – 10300 H you can buy in the Media Expert store

Acer Nitro 5 with Intel Core i5 – 10300 H i 144 Hz you can buy the screen in the x-com store

Lenovo IdeaPad L 340 – 15, HP Pavilion Gaming 15 and Acer Nitro 5 are the three laptops we recommend that will allow you to play comfortably in both online games and more demanding AAA games.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 X

Dynabook Satellite Pro L 50 is a classic business laptop, which in the discussed configuration was equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor – 10210 U.

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Our Verdict

For

Against

XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310) Specifications

Design of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

Productivity Performance of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

Display on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

Keyboard and Touchpad on Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

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Heat of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

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Software and Warranty of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

Configurations of Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (9310)

Bottom Line

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