The Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition Blu-ray is a good laptop, but at this price level, the competition is tough!
The promise
The family of Dell Inspiron laptops is split into two. On the one hand, the Inspiron 15R and 17R “classic” machine entry and midrange with, respectively, 15.6 and 17.3 inches. The other, the Inspiron 15R and 17R Special Edition who themselves embody the mid and high end. Main difference between the two categories, in addition to the power components: the finish of the chassis is more sober about the Special Editions. Today, we have brought the review of Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition after the review of Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition in past few days.
Reality of Inspiron 17R Special Edition
The Inspiron 15R Special Edition Blu-ray is different from traditional Inspiron 15R by its cover and its interior, black anodized aluminium and honeycomb pattern. Relatively heavy (2.9 kg), the chassis is quite thick (3.5 cm), its angles are all very rounded and the edges of the screen lack finesse. However, the keyboard offers good typing comfort, but it is not backlit (shame!). As for the touchpad, it is pleasant to use, with several fingers manipulation (zoom, scroll …) are well explained in the pilot and respond correctly.
The high definition of Inspiron 17R Special Edition
This Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition is equipped with a Blu-ray and a full HD 15.6-inch (1920 by 1080 dots). The matte coating of the slab is very valuable for use on the terrace or in a brightly lit room. Backlight brightness (measured at 296 cd/m2) and contrast ratio (812:1 to) allow us to appreciate the picture quality of high definition movies. For sound, Dell uses the Skull Candy brand. The latter has designed and implemented two small speakers for sound correct.
Powerful and versatile Inspiron 17R Special Edition
Top model, the laptop incorporates a configuration to match the price of Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition (999 euros). Dell has opted for the Intel Core i7-3612QM (4 cores at 2.1 GHz) and went with 8 GB of memory. Beyond internet browsing and office, you can harness the power of the machine to edit pictures and edit your videos, thanks to Adobe Premiere and Photoshop Elements 9 provided. The Inspiron 15R Special Edition features a large 1TB drive … and four USB ports 3.0, distributed on its sides, to accommodate your USB drives and other external hard drives. The Dell also has two video outputs (VGA and HDMI), the audio / mic jack and a Gigabit Ethernet network.
Graphics
As Nvidia and Optimus, AMD has introduced the Enduro system, which works exactly on the same principle. When you’re not playing, the graphics chip (AMD Radeon HD 7730M) comes into hibernation, the graphics controller of the processor that takes over the display. This allows the machine to consume only 14 watts at idle (73 watts against heavy use) and gain a little independence. Video playback (screen background, Wi-Fi enabled), it is just over 2 h 50 min. Dell has accustomed us to much better on their laptops.
The game in small doses
The chip AMD Radeon HD 7730M is not at all comfortable to rotate into the game and in full HD. It is suitable for play occasionally Star Wars, to World of Warcraft, etc.., in a lower resolution and provided to dose levels expertly details. In some test conditions, it appears between 32 and 40 fps in Full HD, 65 against and 58 frames / s in 1280 and 720 points, with all the details thoroughly. It is also possible that some games are not recognized by the AMD driver. This is the Intel controller remains in control, playing friends is not exactly in his line. To ensure that the game is well recognized, it must reach into the AMD Catalyst Control Center. In advanced mode (from the Preferences menu, top right of the driver window), you must scroll down the menu consumption, then go to the submenu switchable graphics when the game is running in the background (press ALT and TAB to return to Windows). Normally, the top of the driver window, you should see the executable name of the game if its color is green or yellow, click it as many times as necessary to pass the red. This will enable the graphics chip each time you launch the game.
Things are heating up and it blows!
In continued use, the Inspiron 15R Special Edition warms up quickly. From a imaging device, it was found maximum between 39 ° C, on the palm rest (hot), and 47 ° C, under the machine (acceptable). Control of noise, the Dell laptop is 42 dB when you play or encode a movie: mandatory helmet use for fragile ears! Finally, it remains reasonably within the 33 dB when surfing or watching a movie.
The verdict
The Inspiron 15R Special Edition Blu-ray is a versatile workhorse, but lacks a little endurance. And for the price, should have been backlit keyboard and hard drive faster one, or better, a combination hard drive and mSata. Dell also proposed for a wider range. For a few dollars more and equivalent format, we recommend the Asus N56VZ , more powerful, lighter, two-year warranty and comes with accessories. So, if you have any other query regarding Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition then feel free to ask.
