The midrange Dell XPS 13 is the one you in fact desire

[ 19659001]An additional 8GB of RAM makes a huge distinction.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Simply a couple months earlier, Dell revived the renowned XPS 13 as the brand-new lower-cost design in its premium laptop lineup. It’s a strong system with an extremely smooth style, strong battery life and a great screen. There was one huge thing holding it back from making a greater rating: The base design just comes with 8GB of RAM.
Given, for a system that begins at simply$700, that quantity of memory isn’t totally out of location, particularly when you consider the worldwide scarcity of RAM nowadays. Just recently, I’ve been checking a midrange variation of the XPS 13 packaging 16GB of memory. It ends up that additional memory makes a huge distinction.
For skilled PC users, the reason is most likely rather apparent. In 2026, Windows 11 just does not run well on just 8GB of memory. Maybe the very best example of this was when I initially booted the system, opened Microsoft’s job supervisor and clicked the Memory Usage tab. Even without actually any other apps open, my test system with 16GB of RAM was sitting at 56 percent usage. That implies on the base design, there would be no excess memory to walk around, which as you may envision, leads to bad efficiency.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Upon closer examination, I found that part of the problem was that there was a Windows Update that required to be set up. Even after I did that and carried out a complete reboot, the note pad was still sitting at around 40 percent usage. That suggests a base XPS 13 would just have around 1GB of totally free memory to run all the other software application you utilize every day before possibly requiring to rely greatly on the OS’s page file. When a Windows PC lacks RAM, it starts to utilize your storage (either an HDD or SSD) as a type of virtual memory. On one hand, this is fantastic due to the fact that it implies your computer system isn’t difficult topped when it lacks RAM. The drawback is that big storage drives are usually substantially slower than contemporary memory, which when again has a significant influence on general efficiency.
In case you require more proof that the base XPS 13 is being hindered by 8GB of RAM, I ran some extra standards. On PCMark 10, my 16GB XPS 13 published a rating of 6,904 compared to 5,319 for the base design, regardless of both systems including the exact same Intel Core 5 320 chip and 512GB SSDs. That’s a 30 percent boost just due to the fact that one laptop computer had two times as much memory as the other.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The larger surprise to me was PCMark 10’s Modern Office battery test, where the 16GB XPS 13(17:40)lasted more than an hour and a half longer than the base design( 15:56 ), which I believe is triggered by reduced power performance due to the base design requiring to utilize the page file after the laptop computer lacked RAM. And naturally, the 16GB XPS 13 simply runs smoother too, both in regards to basic performance or when playing video games. Typical framerates throughout a handful of titles like Teamfight Tactics were consistently 5 to 10 percent greater (or more) on the 16GB design.
Now I will confess that the XPS 13 has a handful of smaller sized defects like the absence of a 3.5 mm audio jack and a somewhat mushy-feeling touchpad (particularly along the bottom edge). Those are reasonably small concerns compared to the base design’s paltry 8GB of RAM. Now to be reasonablethis issue uses to all Windows 11 PCs with 8GB of memory, so it’s not something unique to Dell’s lineup. This is more of a suggestion of just how much memory you must be actually targeting when purchasing a brand-new PC in 2026: It’s 16GB or bust.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Fortunately, there’s a rather simple (however expensive) service to all this. Simply spend for a RAM upgrade. In the XPS 13’s case, presently going from 8GB to 16GB expenses $200That’s quite sensible thinking about the most inexpensive 8GB module of RAM from a credible producer on Newegg is presently choosing around $175. Which stick is considerably slower too at 4,800 MT/s versus the 7,467 MT/s RAM Dell utilizes in its device. Although it’s not a pure apples to apples contrast as we’re taking a look at a SODIMM versus soldered on memory, it’s clear the bigger issue is the going cost of RAM now that AI business have actually drawn up all the supply.
I will yield that there’s an argument to be made that if a laptop computer runs a lot better with 16GB of RAM, the 8GB design should not even exist. For those who are on tight spending plans, I value that there is a choice, even if it’s far from a perfect service. It’s likewise possible to debloat Windows 11 and make 8GB of RAM a more feasible factor to consider, however it’s unfair to presume that every purchaser has knowledge or the time to play around with pc registry settings, power tools and start-up regimens.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Regardless, if you’re in the marketplace for an incredibly smooth and incredibly portable performance device and have a little wiggle space in your costs, the XPS 13 is an excellent choice. Simply do not fall for the cost of the base design and choose an updated setup with 16GB of RAM rather of 8GB. You and anybody else who winds up utilizing the laptop computer will thank you later on.