One of last year’s most impressively priced high-end multimedia laptops was the Dell XPS 15. Though it was certainly not svelte, the$849 entry-level model we reviewed had an excellent set of specs and some of the best-sounding speakers we’ve ever heard on a portable. The base model of the new XPS 15 is actually even cheaper than last year’s, at$799. It comes with a 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GT525 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB, 7, 200rpm hard drive. It’s a heavy beast, and expensive, too, but if you’re looking for a media laptop that can blast movies, play games, and show them off on a great screen, the new XPS 15 could be just what you’re looking for. But don’t feel like you have to spring for all the upgrades; the base model should be more than enough for most-unless you’re looking for Blu-ray and a full 1080p display. The size and shape of the Dell XPS 15 is best described as beefy and bulky, with a flat, wide silver profile that looks like plastic but is actually metal. A thick, slightly tapered base and wide, flat, brushed-aluminum lid look, at first glance, like they belong on a budget laptop. Especially with the extra riser added by the nine-cell battery option, the overall effect is one of the thickest laptops we’ve seen on the market. The XPS has undeniably throwback looks, and not in a good way.An HD Webcam records video at resolutions up to 1, 600x1, 200 pixels, or at 1, 280x720 pixels in HD H.264 format. Though frame rates are choppy using normal settings, the HD recording mode produces smooth, very watchable clips. The Webcam is also compatible with SkypeHD for HD streaming, a pleasant bonus. A noise-canceling microphone adds to the chat package, pushing its chat capabilities closer to that of a business laptop.