One of the best things about the Dell XPS 15 is that it's a highly configurable laptop. Almost all major components of the XPS 15 can be configured to suit your needs, so it's easy to get something that works just right for you. That includes the processor, RAM, storage, and even the display. If you want to learn more about the configurations available for the Dell XPS 15, you've come to the right place.

Not only will we explain all the configurations you can choose from, but we'll also detail how each configuration change might affect the other options available. That way, you can more easily choose the right specs across the board.

Operating system

Let's start things off with the operating system. The Dell XPS 15 is only sold with Windows out of the box, but you can choose between the Home and Pro editions of the OS. Thankfully, this has no impact on the rest of the configurations available.

Operating system

Added cost

Windows 10 Home

n/a

Windows 10 Pro

$60

Dell XPS 15: CPU

First off, let's start with the processors available for the Dell XPS 15, of which there are three. These are all Intel Core processors, but the choice that stands out the most is the Intel Core i5-11400H because of how limiting it is. If you choose that processor, you're forced into a lower level of hardware for everything else, which is why this laptop technically starts at just $1,299.

As it would be impossible to determine the individual cost of each upgrade over the base model -- as multiple upgrades are tied together -- the added cost includes all the required upgrades for that configuration. This will also be the basis for all the pricing information in the following sections.

Here are the options:

CPU

Cores/Threads

Base clock (@ 45W)/Boost clock

Cache

Configuration restrictions

Added cost

Intel Core i5-11400H

6/12

2.7GHz/4.5GHz

12MB

  • Only 8GB of RAM
  • Maximum 512GB of storage
  • No discrete graphics
  • Only Full HD+ display
  • No Frost/Arctic White color
  • Only 56Whr battery

n/a

Intel Core i7-11800H

8/16

2.3GHz/4.6GHz

24MB

  • Minimum 16GB of RAM
  • Minimum 512GB of storage
  • Requires discrete graphics

$600 (includes 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, 86Whr battery, and discrete graphics)

Intel Core i9-11900H

8/16

2.5GHz/4.9GHz

24MB

  • Same RAM and storage as Core i7
  • Requires NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics

$900 (includes 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, 86Whr battery, and RTX 3050 Ti)

Dell XPS 15: GPU

Next up, we have the GPU, or graphics card. The Dell XPS 15 comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, which is very impressive for a laptop of this size. However, that requires getting an Intel Core i7 or higher. Here are the options available:

GPU

Configuration restrictions

Added cost

Intel UHD Graphics (integrated)

Only with Intel Core i5

n/a

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (4GB GDDR6, 45W)

Only with Intel Core i7

Included in Core i7 upgrade ($600)

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4GB GDDR6, 45W)

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$100 (plus Core i7 upgrade)

  • Included in Core i9 upgrade ($900)

Dell XPS 15: RAM

The RAM, or simply memory, is a fairly straightforward configuration. Changing the RAM doesn't affect most of the other configurations for the most part, but you have to keep in mind the CPU restrictions mentioned above too.

RAM

Configuration restrictions

Added cost

8GB (2 x 4GB)

Only with Intel Core i5

n/a

16GB (2 x 8GB)

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

Included in Core i7/i9 upgrade ($600)

32GB (2 x 16GB)

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$150 (plus Core i7/i9 upgrade)

64GB (2 x 32GB)

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$450 (plus Core i7/i9 upgrade)

Dell XPS 15: Storage

Storage configurations are, again, fairly straightforward on the Dell XPS 15. The biggest thing to consider are the restrictions imposed by the Intel Core i5 model.

Storage

Configuration restrictions

Added cost

256GB

Only with Intel Core i5

n/a

512GB

n/a

  • $100 for Core i5 model
  • Included in Core i7/i9 upgrade ($600)

1TB

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$150 (plus Core i7/i9 upgrade)

2TB

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$450 (plus Core i7/i9 upgrade)

4TB

Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$950 (plus Core i7/i9 upgrade)

Display

The last major spec you can configure is the display, and the Dell XPS 15 gives you a couple of fantastic options to choose from. There aren't many restrictions associated with the display upgrades, but there are some. Here are the options you can choose from:

Display

Configuration restrictions

Added cost

Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) LCD

n/a

n/a

3.5K (3456 x 2160) OLED

  • Requires Intel Core i7 or higher

$400 (plus Core i7 upgrade)

Ultra HD+ (3840 x 2400) LCD

  • Requires Intel Core i7 or higher
  • No Frost/Arctic White color

$400 (plus Core i7 upgrade)

Colors and materials

Finally, there are the colors available for the Dell XPS 15, which also use different materials on the palm rest. There are some restrictions with the specs you can get, specifically if you want the Frost/Arctic White color option. Here's how it works:

Exterior

Interior

Configuration restrictions

Added cost

Platinum silver (aluminum)

Black (carbon fiber)

n/a

n/a

Frost (aluminum)

Arctic White (woven glass fiber composite)

  • Requires Intel Core i7 or higher
  • Not available with Ultra HD+ display

$50 (plus Core i7 upgrade)

Those are all the configuration options available for the Dell XPS 15. You can choose quite a lot when configuring this laptop, and that's one of the things that makes it great. This is one of the best laptops out there, but that also kind of depends on how you configure it. It starts at just $1,299, but that's an extremely limiting configuration if you want to use it for heavier workloads. For example, if you want a laptop for video editing, you definitely need the Core i7 and all the upgrades it comes with.

If you want to buy the Dell XPS 15, you can use the link below to get it at Best Buy, including an Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, and a 3.5K OLED display. Otherwise, you can fully configure your setup at Dell's website. If you'd like to explore some other options, check out our list of the best Dell laptops you can buy today.

The Dell XPS 15 is a powerful and compact laptop with a large display that's great for music production.
Dell XPS 15

The Dell XPS 15 is a powerful laptop, featuring high-end specs such 11th-generation 45W Intel processors and NVIDIA RTX graphics. It also comes with a stunning 3.5K OLED display.