- This article originally appeared on Windows Central and has been inducted into our Back to School guide.
Best answer: As long as you avoid the entry-level model and get one with at least a Core i7 and NVIDIA GTX 1650, the XPS 15 7590 will be great for gaming.
Game on: Dell XPS 15 7590 w/ GTX 1650 (From $1,550 at Dell)
Avoid the entry level
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Dell's latest XPS 15 actually starts at $1,100, but if gaming is at all on your mind then you have to disregard this entry-level model entirely. That's because while it comes with a 9th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, it doesn't have a dedicated GPU.
The processor itself is perfectly fine to play games with, but Intel UHD 630 graphics won't get you far at all. As good as Intel's CPUs are, the company still falls behind both NVIDIA and AMD when it comes to graphics.
Capable gaming laptop
As with the previous model, with the right specs inside your XPS 15, it can actually become a pretty capable gaming laptop. It's still a secondary feature — after all, serious gamers will be going to something like an Alienware laptop — but it makes an already excellent laptop even more attractive.
The latest refresh now includes 9th Gen Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processor options, with the former being absolutely perfect for gaming. The price increase for the Core i9 model is such that gaming shouldn't be your motivation for picking it up. Rather, only go for that option if you're going to be dealing with some seriously processor-intensive programs.
You also now get the GTX 1650 4GB from NVIDIA, a step up from the GTX 1050 Ti of old. It's not a massive leap forward, but as with its predecessor, it's very good for some solid 1080p gaming. You'll be able to enjoy the latest titles with relative ease compared to even some older gaming laptops.
Upgrade the RAM and SSD
If you're going to game make sure you're as prepared as you can be, whether you get the higher RAM and SSD storage from Dell or do it yourself. The GPU option is standard across the whole range, so there's nothing to worry about there. However, the 256GB solid-state drive (SSD) in the cheapest gaming-friendly model won't go very far. The 8GB of RAM may also become limiting down the road.
The good news is, even if you opt for this lower cost model now, you can make the upgrades yourself.
That's probably the recommendation we'd make. The XPS 15 is always very accommodating to SSD and RAM upgrades, and you'll always be able to make them yourself for less than you'll have to pay Dell to do them for you. Even 1TB NVMe SSDs are much more affordable now than even a year ago, and with the recent drop in RAM prices, you can quite easily go up to 16GB or even 32GB without breaking the bank.
