Performance
Before we get on to benchmark results, here's a detailed specification of the Inspiron 14z and the other laptops in our test.
Comparison Notebooks |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | ASUS Zenbook UX31 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 | Dell Inspiron 14z | Dell XPS 15z |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-2677M (1.80GHz, 4MB smart cache, dual-core, 17W) | Intel Core i5-2520M (2.50GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) | Intel Core i5-2410M (2.30GHz, 3MB smart cache, dual-core, 35W) |
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 | Intel HD 3000 + NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB |
| Graphics driver | Intel 8.15.10.2476 | Intel 8.15.10.2321 | Intel 8.15.10.2372 | Intel 8.15.10.2321 + NVIDIA Verde 275.33 |
| Display | 13.3in - 1,600x900 | 13.3in - 1,366x768 | 14.0in - 1,366x768 | 15.6in - 1,366x768 |
| Battery | Polymer, 50Whr | 6 cell, 38.4Whr | 6 cell, 65Whr | 8 cell, 64Whr |
| Weight | 1,405g | 1,741g | 2,057g | 2,517g |
| Wireless | Atheros AR9485WB-EG (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth | Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 (802.11bgn) and Bluetooth |
| Disk drive(s) | ADATA XM11 120GB SSD | Hitachi Travelstar 320GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 5,400RPM, 16MB cache | Seagate Momentus 500GB HDD, 7,200RPM, 16MB cache |
| Optical drive | None | None | DVD-RW | DVD-RW |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit |
Benchmarks |
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| Geekbench | A cross-platform benchmark used to measure memory and processor performance. Run using high-performance mode. | |||
| Cinebench | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible. Run using high-performance mode. | |||
| PCMark 7 | PCMark 7 combines various single- and multi-threaded CPU, Graphics and HDD tests to score overall system performance. Run using high-performance mode. | |||
| 3DMark06 | A PC benchmark used to test the DirectX 9 performance of a system's graphics card. Run using high-performance mode. | |||
| 3DMark Vantage | A PC benchmark used to test the DirectX 10 performance of a system's graphics card. Run using high-performance mode. | |||
| Power Consumption | Using balanced power settings, we record mains power draw whilst playing back a 720p movie trailer. | |||
| Battery Test | In order to measure battery life, we run the notebook on balanced power settings and loop a 720p movie trailer, measuring the time taken to hibernate. | |||
CPU performance
Geekbench measures CPU and memory performance, and though the Inspiron 14z is up against some premium competition, it more than holds its own. A score of over 6,000 in Geekbench is strong, and comfortably ahead of previous-generation systems.
Cinebench focuses solely on CPU performance, and, as expected, the Intel Core i5-2430M is no slouch.
GPU Performance
Intel's integrated HD 3000 graphics processor is built into many Sandy Bridge CPUs, so it's no surprise to see it appearing in numerous laptops that offer similar GPU performance.
3DMark Vantage confirms what we already know about the Intel GPU; it has its limits. The HD 3000 core is perfectly adequate for hardware-accelerated multimedia, but gaming is a step too far.
We had no trouble playing back DVDs or high-def streaming video, but our attempts at running Just Cause 2 with low image quality returned less than 15 frames per second.
System Performance
PCMark 7 is a new addition to our laptop benchmark suite and it provides a better look at overall system performance by utilising varying workloads that stress the system's vital components - including the processor, graphics chip and storage device.
It's another benchmark in which the Inspiron 14z scores well, and shows that the system is capable of delivering a good blend of speed and responsiveness. Unfortunately, in practice, the large quantity of pre-installed software prevents the laptop from performing as it should. When booting Windows 7, for example, the system takes almost a minute-and-a-half to load the desktop and all the pre-installed apps/widgets.
The underlying hardware has promise, but to get the most of the Inspiron 14z, you'll want to clean up the software.
Wondering why the ASUS UX31 is so far ahead of the pack in PCMark 7? Quite simply, because it uses a solid-state drive.
Power consumption and battery life
Performance thus far has been good if not spectacular, but here's where the Inspiron 14z has the edge. While playing back a 720p movie, the laptop keeps power consumption down to 17W, and that - combined with a high-capacity 65Whr battery - leads to great battery life.
Our battery test involves looping a 720p movie clip in Windows Media Player, and in this scenario, Dell's Inspiron 14z managed to keep playing for almost six hours. That's the longest run time we've ever achieved from a laptop, need we say more?