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- First reviewApril 10, 2017
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tigerfan28's Reviews
Dell Inspiron Laptop: Play your favorite PC games on this 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron gaming notebook. Its robust quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and fast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily. This Dell Inspiron gaming notebook has a large 1TB hard drive to store plenty of files.
Customer Rating
5
Good, with a few possbily dealbreaking annoyances
on April 10, 2017
Posted by: tigerfan28
This is a SOLID laptop. I love it, got it as an Open Box deal from one of my local Best Buy for $50 lower than the actual asking price. It plays all of my Steam and Origin games VERY well, and I couldn't ask for better in terms of performance for it, other than a few things. First of all, this laptop's using Windows 10. I've had it for a few weeks, and was relegated to create a recovery key froom Dell's site on a spare flash drive I had for it and use it twice in the first week I've had this due to Windows related problems that forced me to re-install Windows 10. First, Windows 10 corrupted itself on the PC due to a bad update; the second time Windows, again due to a bad update, blocked my laptop from accessing the internet over both Ethernet and wifi for two days while I searched for the cause of the problem, eventually giving up and reinstalling Windows again, fixing the problem. None of these problems were caused by hardware, just Windows. Thus, if you plan too buy this PC, I would also plan on buying Windows 7 as well as an external DVD drive to install that to avoid having problems with the virus that is Windows 10. The other thing is that this PC does NOT have a built in optical drive, but that's minor. This also, despite being made this year, does NOT support any of the new Windows Hello features save the PIN that you'd use to log in. It doesn't have a fingerprint sensor, and the camera doesn't support facial recognition, so if you're looking to step up your security on your laptop, this may not be the one for you.
Onto my biggest issue with this though, but one that still isn't big enough for me to not recommend this to the average PC gamer. Most people will not use the trackpad on their gaming laptop when gaming or typing, as it would just get in the way of the keyboard, and would opt to shut it off when they are. This laptop lacks that functionality with hardware, and I've not found anywhere on the PC to keep the laptop from recognizing when your hand's heel is rubbing against it. It's also very sensitive. The only way that I can tell with hardware to shut it off is if you have an external mouse plugged into the PC, and Windows 10 does NOT recognize a mouse paired to the PC via Bluetooth as plugged in. So, even though I primarily use my MX Master or MX Anywhere 2 (both great mice from Logitech) on my laptop most of the time, rarely using the trackpad at all (I am not a fan of it as it's somewhat rough and grainy feeling to me and just feels strange), I have no way of disabling it with my hardware as I pair both mice to it via Bluetooth, as I don't want to have to remove a dongle from the PC everytime I choose not to use it or am in a situation where I don't have enough space to be able to use it. As a college student who also plays a lot of MMOs as well as the traditional console style game, like Saints Row or the NBA 2K series, the lack of the ability to shut the trackpad off is more than irritating, both when gaming and when typing a thesis paper for a class. With the kind of hands I have and where it's located, my hands bump it very often, causing half of what I'm typing to become deleted as it's ALSO very sensitive. However, the performance of the laptop itself is very solid, as is the build, so this major annoyance isn't enough to dissuade this from everyone as you CAN disable it by disconnecting the trackpad completely if you don't plan on using it and I'm sure there is software out there that will do this as well.
Ultimately though, for $800, you're getting a computer with a gaming performance that is on par with your $1200 HP OMENs and your lower-ended Alienwares. Which is funny, as the Dell Gaming label is becoming what is still known as and in regards to this model was Alienware. So if you're a loyal Alienware customer and are looking to upgrade your gaming laptop but don't want to spend a lot of money, this is your laptop as this laptop designwise and performancewise screams Alienware with its dual fan systems and four exhaust ports (two on the back, directly in front of the two fans, and two on the bottom that also serve as intake for cooler air to prevent the system from overheating.) Windows also boots in about 10 seconds, and I'm using my laptop in about 15, so the 8GB extra memory from the hybrid drive is GREAT (this is not upgradable, it's NAND cache memory designed to take the weight off the hard drive platter and increase hard drive speeds without needing a faster drive, expanding the drive's lifespan as well). It's a solid laptop, fast and efficent, and other than my minor complaint, is one I strongly recommend.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+28points
33of 38voted this as helpful.
tigerfan28's Review Comments
Dell Inspiron Laptop: Play your favorite PC games on this 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron gaming notebook. Its robust quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and fast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily. This Dell Inspiron gaming notebook has a large 1TB hard drive to store plenty of files.
Overall
4 out of 5
4 out of 5Great for laptop for its value!
By TheITGuy
This is going to be lengthy but hopefully helpful review.
First of all, ignore the first review. Giving a one star rating is completely unreasonable.
I will state my old adage. You get what you pay for.
Now I work in IT so I believe my knowledge in computers is pretty substantial. But that also doesn't mean you should take my word on anything. Do your research. Always. Now let's get on with my review on this laptop.
This review will be split into two sections. One for those who just want the basics and a second for those who want a detailed technical review. I will provide both. As with any product, there are Strengths and Areas of Improvement.
------ Section I - The Basics ------
Although Best Buy lists the technical specifications, I know most average users will not go through the trouble of understanding any of the technical jargon so I will simply put what matters most for an average user.
CPU (the brain of the laptop) - The 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ is one of the fastest and newest on the market today and a great value for your money. It will do almost everything you need with no problem.
Memory (RAM) - 8GB is more than enough for your daily needs. It is also upgradeable to 32GB.
Graphics (the extra fluff) - The graphics card that come equipped with this will more than satisfy your gaming desires. It will run most AAA titles as well as the older titles with ease. Although, this doesn't mean you should run every game at the highest settings possible as this would put stress on any GPU including this one. So run the game at settings you feel like you can manage. I was able to run Watch Dogs 2 at High Settings with no problems.
Storage (Hard Drive) - The Hard Drive that comes with this is more than plenty for your daily needs. It is upgradeable and also has an option to add an additional M.2 SSD storage option.
Display (the window) - Now the display is what most people will notice and what most people will complain about. But like I said, you get what you pay for. Companies such as Dell had to cut the cost for this laptop from somewhere and in this case it is the display. But this reason alone should not be the determining factor to buy or not to buy. Most consumers are used to the glossy clear HD monitors and screens. If this is what you ate used to then, yes, you will be disappointed by the screen on this laptop. But the display panel can be upgraded or even replaced with a better one. So for those more technically adept folks, you are in luck here. I will go more into this in Section 2.
Battery (the life) - The battery is great for a laptop of this size and caliber. Imagine sticking a Prius battery into an F-150 and running entirely on that. You won't get "Prius" grade battery life on a gaming laptop but you'll get more than enough.
Speakers - Laptop speakers are average. I would not expect much from speakers of any laptop as being an audiophile myself you won't get studio grade sound quality from a tiny speaker. Your best bet would be getting external speakers. But the speakers on these are sufficient enough.
Keyboard - Once again, this is a laptop, don't expect desktop grade keyboards on a laptop. The laptop on this keyboard is actually better than most other laptops in this price range. It has good feedback and does not feel too cheap. As I'm typing on this now, I have no trouble.
Summary:
Strengths:
Great Graphics Performance for the money
Great CPU for the money
Great battery
Average speakers
Ample storage
Good Keyboard
Upgradeability
Great Graphics Performance for the money
Great CPU for the money
Great battery
Average speakers
Ample storage
Good Keyboard
Upgradeability
Areas of Improvement :
Display
Portability
Display
Portability
------ Section 2 - For the Technical Folks or the Curious --------
I will first provide the "real" technical specifications of this laptop. Then go into discussion about each one.
Real Tech specs of laptop:
Processor:
Processor - Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7300HQ CPU @ 2.50GHz
Manufacturer - Intel
Speed - 2.5 GHz
Number of Cores - 4
Number of Logical Cores - 4
Processor:
Processor - Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7300HQ CPU @ 2.50GHz
Manufacturer - Intel
Speed - 2.5 GHz
Number of Cores - 4
Number of Logical Cores - 4
Display:
Type: TN Panel
Resolution: 1920x1080
Manufacturer: AUO B156HTN03.8
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Pin type: 30 pin eDP connection
Type: TN Panel
Resolution: 1920x1080
Manufacturer: AUO B156HTN03.8
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Pin type: 30 pin eDP connection
Graphics:
Dedicated Video Card - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
Manufacturer - NVIDIA
Chipset - GeForce GTX 1050
Dedicated Memory - 3.0 GB
Total Memory - 4.0 GB
Integrated video card - Intel(R) HD Graphics 630
Dedicated Video Card - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
Manufacturer - NVIDIA
Chipset - GeForce GTX 1050
Dedicated Memory - 3.0 GB
Total Memory - 4.0 GB
Integrated video card - Intel(R) HD Graphics 630
Memory:
Number of Slots - 2 w/one occupied with 8GB
Maximum supported memory - 32GB
Type - DDR4
Speed - 2133MHz to 2400MHz
Number of Slots - 2 w/one occupied with 8GB
Maximum supported memory - 32GB
Type - DDR4
Speed - 2133MHz to 2400MHz
Storage:
Number of slots: 2 (One 2.5" and one M.2/NVMe slot)
*Maximum supported memory - I am not sure about this but my setup has the M.2 slot occupied with a 500GB SSD and the 2.5" slot with the stock 1TB SSHD.
Speed - Varies depending on choice of storage. The stock has 5400 RPM.
Number of slots: 2 (One 2.5" and one M.2/NVMe slot)
*Maximum supported memory - I am not sure about this but my setup has the M.2 slot occupied with a 500GB SSD and the 2.5" slot with the stock 1TB SSHD.
Speed - Varies depending on choice of storage. The stock has 5400 RPM.
Battery:
Capacity - 6480mAh
Estimated Watt per Hour - 74Wh
Type - Lithium Ion
Capacity - 6480mAh
Estimated Watt per Hour - 74Wh
Type - Lithium Ion
Network:
Wireless card - Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
Ethernet adapter - Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
Wireless card - Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
Ethernet adapter - Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller
Audio: Realtek Audio
I may not have gotten into too much detail but I believe I have provided enough detail about the important aspects of this laptop.
As for upgrades, this laptop is upgradeable. The basics can be upgraded such as the HDD, SDD, and RAM. The display panel can even be upgraded or replaced for those who don't like the screen. The screen can be replaced with any screen that has a 30 pin eDP connector.
I would recommend this IPS screen for those wanting better colours and brightness:
http://www.panelook.com/LP156WF6 SPB1_LG%20Display_15.6_LCM_overview_24180.html
If want to learn more, here is a Reddit thread about this topic:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SuggestALaptop/comments/5q8omp/update_on_inspiron_15_7567_gaming_laptop/
For the SDD, you can either get a 2.5" SDD or an M.2 or NVMe SSD.
For the HDD, you will have to get a 2.5" SSHD or HDD.
For the RAM, it will have to be DDR4 with 2133MHz or above.
I have attached an image of each upgradeable slot.
Like I said in the beginning, you get what you pay for and for the price I paid for this laptop, it is a great value. I can easily upgrade this laptop in the future and this is what is most valuable. I would definitely recommend this laptop.
FAQ
Is this laptop upgradeable?
Yes
Yes
Can you play games on this?
Yes, very well.
Yes, very well.
Can you upgrade the Graphics card and/or Processor?
No, but you can apply new heat sink compound on them to improve the life.
No, but you can apply new heat sink compound on them to improve the life.
If you have any other questions, please ask away. I will answer when time permits.
Hopefully this review was helpful to you guys.
- TheITGuy
- TheITGuy
tigerfan28
Helping out here!
April 10, 2017
So TheITGuy, thought that being I've noticed there are some questions you were not able to answer yet, that I would step in and lend a hand. To answer QHHHH, I HAVE had experience with Dell tech support. They were straightfoward, able to help me, and knowledgeable on the components on the PC. They DID take a bit to reply to me, as if they were looking up some information to be able to do so, but coming from an ASUS in which I had to reinstall Windows 10 on that PC thanks to ASUS Tech Support, I am more than okay with this, as I have never have left talking to Dell's tech support and still had my issue, so I would rate them very highly, perhaps the best in the market at present. My experiences, though, are limited to chat, and do include remote repairs.
To the individual asking if the screen can be upgraded, it indeed can be, according to both TheITGuy's review as well as previous reviews listed here for this specific laptop. TheITGuy also provided a link to one that would have a clearer and sharper image. Personally, I got used to this screen, coming from an ASUS Ultrabook where they were giving me headaches from being TOO sharp, so this one's a very pleasant change. I also love how this particular screen unit has the anti-glare coating it does-it literally does not ever glare for me, so I can't say on how it's done.
For the battery, I have not really needed to run off battery, but according to Dell themselves, you should be able to get a max of 13 hours of battery life browsing the Internet and about 6 gaming, on the lowest power settings. This, of course, depends on milage, so results of course may vary, but that was what Dell specifically told me when I was chatting with Dell Sales before grabbing this laptop.
Now onto my things; I should let you know that personally, I'm blown away by the MaxxAudioPro speakers in this thing, and I'm moving from an ASUS that had harmon/kardon speakers in it. Those were great, but lacked a solid amount of bass that I like as well as made the highs sound somewhat tinny. These, to me, as an audiophile who loves music, sound great on all ranges, lows, mids, and highs, and the subwoofer even helps. I use my Apple EarPods from my iPhone on my laptop and it even sounds like the subwoofer is amplifying audio coming through the headphone jack as well, though that may be the MaxxAudioPro control panel making that impression. I also don't mind the heft personally of this laptop, as honestly I've about accidentally thrown laptops in the past due to the LACK of it.
+15points
15of 15voted this comment as helpful.
tigerfan28's Questions
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tigerfan28's Answers
Fire up web pages, applications and multimedia fast with this Dell Inspiron laptop. The 15.6-inch HD touch screen display delivers a clear picture, and programs run smoothly with its powerful Intel Core i3 processor and 6GB of DDR4 RAM. This Dell Inspiron laptop has a large 1TB hard drive, providing ample file storage space.
Does this laptop have a VGA output
No. It only has HDMI, however, if this is a problem, there are very affordable adapters you can find at Best Buy as well that will take a VGA signal and convert it to HDMI. I've recommended a couple below, as I had to address this particular problem when I was using my ASUS Ultrabook which also had this problem.
Products from my answer
Belkin - HDMI-to-VGA Adapter - Black/White
(623)
Insignia™ - HDMI-to-VGA Adapter - Black
(5,158)7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Fire up web pages, applications and multimedia fast with this Dell Inspiron laptop. The 15.6-inch HD touch screen display delivers a clear picture, and programs run smoothly with its powerful Intel Core i3 processor and 6GB of DDR4 RAM. This Dell Inspiron laptop has a large 1TB hard drive, providing ample file storage space.
Is the battery removable? What is the average battery life? Is the keyboard backlit?
The battery is removable and replaceable if you remove the bottom faceplate. On average, when browsing the Internet, Dell told me that you can push out 13 hours on the lowest power settings when browsing the Internet and about 6 when gaming. The keyboard is backlit with a pleasant red, not overpowering your eyes at night and allowing you to leave it on during the day without making things too difficult to use. It also has three different brightness options: off, low, and high, and is controlled by using the F10 key, or by holding Function (Fn) and tapping F10. You can disable the need for the Function key for the multimedia functions if you like by holding Function and hitting Escape.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Fire up web pages, applications and multimedia fast with this Dell Inspiron laptop. The 15.6-inch HD touch screen display delivers a clear picture, and programs run smoothly with its powerful Intel Core i3 processor and 6GB of DDR4 RAM. This Dell Inspiron laptop has a large 1TB hard drive, providing ample file storage space.
How much Dedicated Video Memory does this have?
The NVIDIA card has a dedicated 4GB VRAM, and the Intel HD the standard 128MB.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Fire up web pages, applications and multimedia fast with this Dell Inspiron laptop. The 15.6-inch HD touch screen display delivers a clear picture, and programs run smoothly with its powerful Intel Core i3 processor and 6GB of DDR4 RAM. This Dell Inspiron laptop has a large 1TB hard drive, providing ample file storage space.
does it have keyboard search instead of touch screen?
Yes, as there is no touchscreen on this laptop.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Fire up web pages, applications and multimedia fast with this Dell Inspiron laptop. The 15.6-inch HD touch screen display delivers a clear picture, and programs run smoothly with its powerful Intel Core i3 processor and 6GB of DDR4 RAM. This Dell Inspiron laptop has a large 1TB hard drive, providing ample file storage space.
Does the DVD drive burn double layer DVD's ?
If your external DVD drive you bought with this laptop does, then yes. There is no DVD drive bult into this laptop due to the GPU taking that slot.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Fire up web pages, applications and multimedia fast with this Dell Inspiron laptop. The 15.6-inch HD touch screen display delivers a clear picture, and programs run smoothly with its powerful Intel Core i3 processor and 6GB of DDR4 RAM. This Dell Inspiron laptop has a large 1TB hard drive, providing ample file storage space.
How well would this run The Sims 4?
60 FPS constant, GPU barely breaks a sweat. I play it with DLC as well. Sims 4 is nowhere near a challenge for this PC.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Dell Inspiron Laptop: Play your favorite PC games on this 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron gaming notebook. Its robust quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and fast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily. This Dell Inspiron gaming notebook has a large 1TB hard drive to store plenty of files.
By when it says "graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily" What kind of games can this laptop handle for "power hungry" can it run games like Fallout 4 or such of big games? or Is it just the standard casual steam games like Minecraft?
I've run Battlefield 4, a game that is commonly used for stress tests and benchmark ratings, on this laptop with little to no difficulty. It ran a bit hot, but other than that it was fine, nowhere near running the risk of damaging the hardware. I think you're fine with Fallout 4.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Dell Inspiron Laptop: Play your favorite PC games on this 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron gaming notebook. Its robust quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and fast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily. This Dell Inspiron gaming notebook has a large 1TB hard drive to store plenty of files.
will Best Buy be selling the red model as well as the black one?
They already do. On the listing for this PC, there should be two color swatches, one red, one black. The red one will show you the red version of this PC.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Dell Inspiron Laptop: Play your favorite PC games on this 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron gaming notebook. Its robust quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and fast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily. This Dell Inspiron gaming notebook has a large 1TB hard drive to store plenty of files.
Will it be able to run games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Forza 3, and all the COD games? Also is there anyway to get this laptop in green instead of red?
I play Overwatch myself, and I get a solid 60FPS on this no problem. When playing Overwatch, in fact, my GPU only gets up to about 71C on Ultra settings, so this is well within its range,as the card has a max temperature of 90C before it starts throttling game performance down to prevent overheating. I also play Forza Apex (the Free to Play Forza, if you're not familiar with it) and that also runs well. I cannot say on the other games you mentioned, but I have also run Battlefield 4 on here, and while it did start running VERY hot (but that's due to how badly designed it is), it didn't cause any drops or was in any risk of damaging anything, so I would say that the others should also work as well.
In regards to the color, I'm afraid the only color options are a red and black and a black and red. However, this still looks pretty cool. The reason for the color change is that despite this model WAS an Alienware laptop at one point, it no longer is as Dell is slowly bringing Alienware into the Dell brand as Dell Gaming; so as Alienware still does exist as a brand, this is why Dell Gaming uses red right now and not the green that is associated with Alienware. Sorry if that fact disappoints!
In regards to the color, I'm afraid the only color options are a red and black and a black and red. However, this still looks pretty cool. The reason for the color change is that despite this model WAS an Alienware laptop at one point, it no longer is as Dell is slowly bringing Alienware into the Dell brand as Dell Gaming; so as Alienware still does exist as a brand, this is why Dell Gaming uses red right now and not the green that is associated with Alienware. Sorry if that fact disappoints!
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28
Dell Inspiron Laptop: Play your favorite PC games on this 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron gaming notebook. Its robust quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM and fast NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card let you run power-hungry video games easily. This Dell Inspiron gaming notebook has a large 1TB hard drive to store plenty of files.
Will this laptop go on sale anytime soon?
If price is an issue for you, I'd recommend looking into getting an Open Box model. I was able to get one from my local Best Buy, and whilst I had a few hiccups with mine, they were OS related and caused by a Windows and I was able to fix them myself by re-installing Windows. For my unit, I only ended up paying $743.99, but I also noticed some going for $719.99 as well. So while I can't answer the question on a SALE, Open Box is, in my experience, still a viable rcommendation for you to also consider and look into.
7 years, 1 month ago
by
tigerfan28