Dell XPS 13 9365 13.3" Review

Let's get this out of the way: this Dell XPS 13 is a weird, confusing laptop. It's got a CPU that's in the 100th percentile, which is nuts, but it's paired with a measly 8GB of RAM and a tiny 128GB SSD. The one thing to know? This is a Frankenstein's monster of a machine—incredible brainpower, but it's got the memory and storage of a budget Chromebook from 2018. It's a head-scratcher.

The performance is a total rollercoaster. That AMD 9365 CPU benchmark is off the charts. It's a 36-core beast that should shred through work. But the 8GB of RAM is a massive, immediate bottleneck. You'll feel it. Open a few Chrome tabs and a document, and the whole system starts to chug. The integrated GPU is also surprisingly high-ranked, but with only 8GB of RAM to share, you're not doing any real gaming or creative work. It's like putting a race car engine in a go-kart frame.

At $330, it's a fascinating curiosity. You're paying for a phenomenal CPU and the XPS build quality at a bargain price. But you're also buying into severe, deal-breaking limitations. It's only worth it if your computing needs are incredibly basic and you absolutely must have that CPU power for some specific, light task.

Don't even think about comparing this to the MacBook Pro or gaming laptops. They're in a different universe. The real competition is other budget ultraportables. A used Lenovo ThinkPad at this price will often give you 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, which is a much more balanced and usable machine for everyday tasks. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers far more screen real estate and modern features for productivity. This XPS wins on raw CPU power alone, but loses everywhere else that matters for daily use.

I can't recommend this for almost anyone. The RAM and storage are fatal flaws for a primary computer in 2024. It's a collector's item for tech enthusiasts who want a weirdly powerful but crippled machine, or maybe a super cheap terminal for a very specific light-duty task. For a student or anyone needing a reliable laptop, look at a refurbished business laptop instead. This XPS is a fascinating 'what if' that doesn't work in the real world.