Is the Dell XPS 13 any good for gaming?

Intel integrated graphics can't cut it

Gaming is an intensive business. The processor in the XPS 13 goes up to a 10th Gen Core i7, which, while not entirely on par with a desktop equivalent, is still very good. It has four cores and eight threads, which is all generally alright for gaming. It's the lack of dedicated graphics that hurts the XPS 13. The Iris Plus graphics on the Core i7-1065G7 versions are excellent, certainly Intel's best to date, but they're still hardly what you'd call gaming-class.

There are some games you can play — less intensive titles like Rocket League, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, for example, along with some of the more casual titles in the Microsoft Store — but for any kind of high-end PC gaming, you'll be left wanting dedicated graphics.

Use an eGPU at home

If you want to game on the go, you'll be limited to those lighter titles. But if you're at home, where honestly, you probably will be most of the time you want to game, there's an easy way to give your XPS 13 the power it needs.

With an eGPU like the Razer Core X, you can get all the graphics horsepower your favorite PC games desire. Thanks to the Thunderbolt 3 connection on the XPS 13, you can hook up one of these with a full desktop GPU inside and use it to game away to your heart's content. The Razer Core X has an integrated 650W power supply, so you'll have enough juice to both power your laptop and any current GPU on the market. Have a look at our best graphics card roundup for a bunch of GPU options.