MacBook Neo outperforms Dell XPS 13 in Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark—though I wouldn't recommend gaming on either notebook
Affordable AND performant.
In the ongoing tech rivalry, two similar-priced notebooks, the MacBook Neo and Dell XPS 13, have both shown their strengths and weaknesses. PhoneBuff, an independent testing firm, conducted a benchmark test between the two, revealing that the MacBook Neo opens large Word files significantly quicker than its Dell counterpart. A 500-page Word document was opened in just over 7 seconds on the MacBook Neo, compared to 12 seconds on the Dell XPS 13.
However, the MacBook Neo lacks Apple's M-series silicon, instead featuring a phone chip known as A18 Pro, which is still comparable to older M-series chips.
The Dell XPS 13, on the other hand, outperformed the MacBook Neo in terms of startup time, reaching the desktop in 24 seconds, whereas the MacBook Neo took nearly twice as long, at 40 seconds. Both laptops were configured with 8 GB of RAM, which could explain the discrepancy in startup times. In terms of battery efficiency and creative workload tests, the results were more variable.
As for gaming, Cyberpunk 2077 on the notebook is possible, albeit with some limitations. The MacBook Neo managed to run the game at an average of 20 fps, while the Dell XPS 13 averaged only 16 fps in fullscreen mode. Ian, an independent tester, managed to get the MacBook Neo to run Cyberpunk 2077 at 30 FPS using a Low graphics profile, 720p resolution, and MetalFX upscaling in performance mode.
Despite the lower performance, the XPS 13's 13-inch OLED touch display with a P3 colour gamut and 120 Hz refresh rate adds to its appeal, making it a more enjoyable experience for less hardware-intensive indie games and visual novels.
Written by urgent.news from PC Gamer's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
