My job got me a newer XPS 13 i7 8550U model. I also dislike it: conspicuous coil whine, heat issues wherein you get to select between "high-perf/hair dryer", "ok-perf/annoying", "slow/silent" modes. A Dell tech looked at it and claimed that it's performing as intended. My colleagues all have the same model but with dual-core i5s, and they're much happier. I guess whoever decided to offer these machines with the quad i7s failed to check with the engineering department.