@andyb99 If you're ok living with the extra size and weight, then the m15 is definitely more suited to gaming on the go, but 0.7 lb might feel like more in day to day use than you imagine. And even if you could live with it, the XPS 15 might be a nicer experience. I can live with a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it when I don't have to. That said, if you want to play games on the go, I would basically rule out the XPS 15. Yes it's got a solid GPU, but the XPS 15 has been subject to performance throttling under heavy load for generations, which has been well documented on this forum and others. It's the result of the simple fact that when you cram relatively high-performance hardware into a chassis that you insist on keeping that thin and light, you won't be able to fit a cooling system that's capable of keeping those components running optimally for extended periods of time. I have an older XPS 15 9530, and after I've been playing a game for a while, my frame rate will drop from about 90 fps to 25 fps when the system throttles, and it will stay down there for about 15 minutes until the system cools down, then it will jump back up to 90 fps for another 15 minutes, rinse and repeat. I once used an application to log CPU and GPU temperature as well as CPU and GPU clock speed while I played a game and experienced this, and you could see the exact temperatures that triggered the performance throttling and the exact temperatures those components had to drop back down to in order to end the throttling.
Apparently even the m15 throttles a bit, for what it's worth. And on the subject of the 144 Hz display, unless you're willing to game with V-Sync disabled and accept the frame tearing that it creates, I wouldn't put too much stock into the 144 Hz display. First off, be aware that the m15 cannot use NVIDIA G-Sync or Adaptive V-Sync because the NVIDIA GPU has to work through the Intel GPU using Optimus rather than having direct control of the display outputs, which means that certain technologies aren't available, including those two I just mentioned, VR, stereoscopic 3D, 5K resolution, and possibly others. Your only options are V-Sync On or Off. The issue that creates is that if you run V-Sync On with a 144 Hz display, if your GPU can't sustain a reliable 144 fps, you'll encounter judder whenever it falters, which can be distracting as well -- and maintaining 144 fps on modern games would be tough even for a high-end desktop GPU, never mind a mid-range laptop GPU. If you instead run V-Sync Off, then you get the benefit of the high refresh rate, but you'll be dealing with frame tearing that becomes extremely distracting once you've experienced gaming without it. G-Sync is meant to solve this exact dilemma because it allows the display's refresh rate to scale based on GPU load, which means you avoid judder AND frame tearing, but unfortunately that isn't available.
jphughan
9 Legend
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14K Posts
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August 20th, 2019 07:00
@andyb99 If you're ok living with the extra size and weight, then the m15 is definitely more suited to gaming on the go, but 0.7 lb might feel like more in day to day use than you imagine. And even if you could live with it, the XPS 15 might be a nicer experience. I can live with a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it when I don't have to. That said, if you want to play games on the go, I would basically rule out the XPS 15. Yes it's got a solid GPU, but the XPS 15 has been subject to performance throttling under heavy load for generations, which has been well documented on this forum and others. It's the result of the simple fact that when you cram relatively high-performance hardware into a chassis that you insist on keeping that thin and light, you won't be able to fit a cooling system that's capable of keeping those components running optimally for extended periods of time. I have an older XPS 15 9530, and after I've been playing a game for a while, my frame rate will drop from about 90 fps to 25 fps when the system throttles, and it will stay down there for about 15 minutes until the system cools down, then it will jump back up to 90 fps for another 15 minutes, rinse and repeat. I once used an application to log CPU and GPU temperature as well as CPU and GPU clock speed while I played a game and experienced this, and you could see the exact temperatures that triggered the performance throttling and the exact temperatures those components had to drop back down to in order to end the throttling.
Apparently even the m15 throttles a bit, for what it's worth. And on the subject of the 144 Hz display, unless you're willing to game with V-Sync disabled and accept the frame tearing that it creates, I wouldn't put too much stock into the 144 Hz display. First off, be aware that the m15 cannot use NVIDIA G-Sync or Adaptive V-Sync because the NVIDIA GPU has to work through the Intel GPU using Optimus rather than having direct control of the display outputs, which means that certain technologies aren't available, including those two I just mentioned, VR, stereoscopic 3D, 5K resolution, and possibly others. Your only options are V-Sync On or Off. The issue that creates is that if you run V-Sync On with a 144 Hz display, if your GPU can't sustain a reliable 144 fps, you'll encounter judder whenever it falters, which can be distracting as well -- and maintaining 144 fps on modern games would be tough even for a high-end desktop GPU, never mind a mid-range laptop GPU. If you instead run V-Sync Off, then you get the benefit of the high refresh rate, but you'll be dealing with frame tearing that becomes extremely distracting once you've experienced gaming without it. G-Sync is meant to solve this exact dilemma because it allows the display's refresh rate to scale based on GPU load, which means you avoid judder AND frame tearing, but unfortunately that isn't available.