DELL Inspiron 15R Specs Review
Dell’s latest Inspiron impresses hugely, making it a competitive choice here..
Dell’s inspiron range is targeted at the consumer after an entry level mobile computing solution, and has always aimed to provide quality at a competitive price. The Inspiron 15R(£899) is a great machine which combines tha latest components with style, usability and decent portability mixed in.
The first thing you notice about the laptop is its great design. The striking red lid and mock brushed-aluminium finish on the chassis look fantastic. With many laptops still featuring grey, nondescript designs, its great to see a company taking this much care to make its products desirable as well as functional.
The 15.6-inch screen features the second lowest resolution in this group and although it’s very bright and provides good color and contrast, detail can’t compete with the other laptops in this test. As a result, those after a machine expressly for photo and video editing would do well to check out one of the other option here.
The laptop is well put together and the finish on the lid and chassis make this machine that doesn’t quickly attract smears and scratches. The keyword is very comfortable to use although, as with the Acer, it can’t quite compete with the excellent quality of the Sony VAIO.
The same Intel Core i5 processor used in the Samsung and Sony is employed here, alongside 4096MB of DDR3 memory. As a result, performance is broadly similar. There’s easily enough performance for any requirement and not just for browsing the internet and sending emails, as multi-tasking is made extremely easy by the high-powered Intel Processor.
Limited Gaming
A mid-range ATi graphics card has been implemented and you will have no problem playing slightly older games and editing your holiday snaps. Gamers, however, will prefer the power offered by Acer or the DirectX 11-compatible Mesh.
While the 500GB hard drive can’t provide the excellent future-proofing the Acer’s 1TB disk offers, it will still allow you to carry around all your files, folders and music, film and photo libraries with ease, to keep you entertained on the move.
Finally, portability is about average. The 2.7kg chassis won’t be too heavy to carry on on a regular basis and the 187-minute battery life is just about acceptable, as we expect a minimum of 180minutes from the latest laptops.
The Dell Inspiron 15R’s minor shortcomings are nullified by the general quality on offer. the brand new chassis design looks fantastic, while the powerful components make the laptop a very competent performer across the board. As a result, this is a laptop that will appeal to a broad variety of people.
Details
- Processor Intel 2.27GHz Core i5 430M
- Memory 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM
- Hard Drive 500GB (5400rpm)
- Optical Drive Tri-Format DVD DL
- Screen 15.6-inch Super-TFT
- Display Resolution 1366×768 (WXGA)
- Graphics Card ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5470
- Dimensions 377x249x35mm
- Weight 2.7kg
- Wireless LAN 802.11N
- Ethernet Gigabit
- USB Ports 4
- FireWire No
- Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium
- Standard Warranty 1 Year C&R P&L
- Price £899
Dell’s latest Inspiron impresses hugely, making it a competitive choice here..
Dell’s inspiron range is targeted at the consumer after an entry level mobile computing solution, and has always aimed to provide quality at a competitive price. The Inspiron 15R(£899) is a great machine which combines tha latest components with style, usability and decent portability mixed in.
The first thing you notice about the laptop is its great design. The striking red lid and mock brushed-aluminium finish on the chassis look fantastic. With many laptops still featuring grey, nondescript designs, its great to see a company taking this much care to make its products desirable as well as functional.
The 15.6-inch screen features the second lowest resolution in this group and although it’s very bright and provides good color and contrast, detail can’t compete with the other laptops in this test. As a result, those after a machine expressly for photo and video editing would do well to check out one of the other option here.
The laptop is well put together and the finish on the lid and chassis make this machine that doesn’t quickly attract smears and scratches. The keyword is very comfortable to use although, as with the Acer, it can’t quite compete with the excellent quality of the Sony VAIO.
The same Intel Core i5 processor used in the Samsung and Sony is employed here, alongside 4096MB of DDR3 memory. As a result, performance is broadly similar. There’s easily enough performance for any requirement and not just for browsing the internet and sending emails, as multi-tasking is made extremely easy by the high-powered Intel Processor.
Limited Gaming
A mid-range ATi graphics card has been implemented and you will have no problem playing slightly older games and editing your holiday snaps. Gamers, however, will prefer the power offered by Acer or the DirectX 11-compatible Mesh.
While the 500GB hard drive can’t provide the excellent future-proofing the Acer’s 1TB disk offers, it will still allow you to carry around all your files, folders and music, film and photo libraries with ease, to keep you entertained on the move.
Finally, portability is about average. The 2.7kg chassis won’t be too heavy to carry on on a regular basis and the 187-minute battery life is just about acceptable, as we expect a minimum of 180minutes from the latest laptops.
The Dell Inspiron 15R’s minor shortcomings are nullified by the general quality on offer. the brand new chassis design looks fantastic, while the powerful components make the laptop a very competent performer across the board. As a result, this is a laptop that will appeal to a broad variety of people.
Details
- Processor Intel 2.27GHz Core i5 430M
- Memory 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM
- Hard Drive 500GB (5400rpm)
- Optical Drive Tri-Format DVD DL
- Screen 15.6-inch Super-TFT
- Display Resolution 1366×768 (WXGA)
- Graphics Card ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5470
- Dimensions 377x249x35mm
- Weight 2.7kg
- Wireless LAN 802.11N
- Ethernet Gigabit
- USB Ports 4
- FireWire No
- Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium
- Standard Warranty 1 Year C&R P&L
- Price £899
