New Inspiron 11 3000 (11.6" Haswell Celeron Touchscreen)

Didn't see a thread on this but this is supposed to be released tomorrow. Looks like the PERFECT student laptop. Lightweight, Cheap, Super-long battery life, enough power for web + office + youtube, etc.

Intel Celeron 2955U (Haswell)
2GB RAM
500GB HDD
Intel 4400HD Graphics
11.6" Touchscreen 1366x768 display

$379.99 retail (higher price for more RAM, lower price for AMD CPU)

 

I'd highly consider this if it had 4 GB RAM. 10 tabs of Chrome with typical extensions and plugins running for 2 - 3 hours + some metro apps/games on the background will bring this laptop to its knees due to that pathetic RAM capacity.

 

Let me know if you find where I can actually buy this. I have been watching for a while, I'd like to upgrade the ram to 4 GB and do an SSD upgrade myself. Would go great with my 17 inch laptop.

 

Its currently listed at $399 in Canada with just the Intel with 2gigs of RAM option. There are 3 price points ranging from$399-$449 depending on whether you want it with a mouse or mouse and keyboard...?! No additional RAM or CPU options here so far.

I was interested and intrigued when I first read about this unit a few months ago and thought it would have hit the market by August for back-to-school. The size and touchscreen are attractive but I'm a bit stunned Dell is only offering the unit with 2 gigs of RAM at that price point. That would be fine if this was 2008, but its 2013 and that meager amount or RAM screams netbook, with all the connotations of low performance and utility limitations. I checked the manual online and it appears the unit has 1 DDR3L slot so the RAM can be upgraded at least. I think 4 gigs of ram is the psychological and performance minimum requirement these days, especially when Win8 is marketed as running all kinds of gadgets and multimedia oriented apps - the kinds of things that really need lotsa RAM to run smoothly.

Hoping the product line expands the options on offer in the near future - my 13 inch laptop feels a bit too heavy nowadays.

 

Well as long as the RAM is upgradable it makes no difference to me. I'll probably pick one of these up.

 

Yeah I'm planning to stick in a 4GB stick.

It's for sale on the Dell Home site and Dell University site as well in the USA. Just search for "inspiron 11 3000" in the search box.

$364.99 for students

 

It doesn't look like this laptop is upgrade friendly by the pictures from the bottom.... you probably have to take the whole thing appart;(

 

I confirmed that it doesn't void the warranty though.

 

Still, i wouldnt wanna risk messing up the laptop lol

On anothe rnote I just ordered mine!

 

According to ark.intel.com, the Celeron 2995U will support 16GB of RAM (and VT if you want Hyper-V or VMware Workstation!). The notebook only has one memory slot (according to Crucial, FWIW), so you should be able to install an 8GB module.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_canada_200 using Tapatalk

 

Ordered one too, coupon code is 1-time use only BTW so we can't use it.

It sucks that I hvae to open it up to replace the RAM, I can't stand how manufax are making their laptops less user-friendly in that way these days, I want to be able to easily replace the battery, etc. In fact, the spec sheet from Dell says this battery has a lifespan of only 300 cycles! That means less than 1 year of daily discharge/charge! talk about planned obsolescence ( Planned obsolescence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

 

I just got mine today. I like the finish of the laptop it's nice and smooth.
I really really wanna like this laptop.

The screen is nice and bright and the touch screen is very responsive. However, it lags when performing even little tasks such as bringing up the control panel.
It's definitely not made for multitasking as it is.

I tried opening the laptop from the bottom by removing the 5 screws. I started popping the bottom lid very carefully, but I came to a point where the lid won't get loose ( bottom left). Close to where the battery indicator light is.

I even applied some force to pop the lid off but I finally gave up
I don't wanna break my new laptop but it's in serious need of a RAM upgrade to at least 4GB.

If you have better luck than I removing the bottom lid please take some pictures or make a video on utube if really appreciate it.

Like I said I really really wanna like this laptop but as it come configured I have a hard time.
The ram usage is always hovering around %50 even when I have no tasks open!!! It's really annoying

Whoever thought of sticking a measly 2GB RAM on this laptop needs to reconsider. ( Bad idea!!). It constantly hangs up and it's a little annoying to wait for the laptop to catch up and release some memory; even to move the mouse cursor...

 

If anyone does sucessfully upgrade the ram please update this thread. I'm ready to buy this machine but 4gb is the bare minimum for me. Hopefully the HDD is accessible as well, I'd like to upgrade that to an SSD. I'm using an S3 Chromebook at the moment but want a new toy. It's either this or the Pixel.

 

Here's the user manual which has instructions on how to replace RAM: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=TCjT6apZTx-NjV3XVY8gcQ&bvm=bv.53899372,d.dmg

You need to remove battery before you can access RAM apparently. I don't have a RAM stick yet so I haven't done it.

Was pretty slow (unresponsive) out of the box. I removed all the Dell bloatware (McAfee being the main offender) and it's now snappy enough for my office/web use. Battery life estimates from dell are accurate, probably ~8hr.

Quality feels good. Screen not that bright. Caps lock light next to keyboard was a good choice by their design team.

 

I finally was able to open it up lol. There were 2 extra screws in the middle that were hidden by some plastic covers.

I agree with you It was very slow and unresponsive out the box. Its doing a bit better now but I still feel the lack of RAM hurting its performance.
You do not need to remove the battery to get to the RAM just move the 7 screws underneath it and pop the lid out. However, upon replacing the RAM card with either a 4 GB 1333 MHZ card it wont boot. It gives me two short beeps. I even tried different brands from my other laptops and same deal. Lastly I resorted to trying on my 4 GB 1866 MHZ RAM that I have on my M18 alienware..... SAME thing!! IDK why its not accepting those ram cards.

I might be forced to buy the exact same brand and speed configuration (1666 mhz)

 

The hard drive is very accessible and easy to replace. I might replace it with an SSD as soon as I confirm it will take 4GB RAM.

 

devildoc sorry to hear you're having trouble with the RAM, have you called Dell about it? I'm surprised it's that picky.

Another thing I forgot to mention is sound quality is very good for this size/price laptop. I've had many laptops and their speakers are usually horrible, exception being the new Haswell Acer S7, but that's $1700 MSRP so not a fair comparison. The sound clarity and stereo effect (courtesy of a Dell bundled EQ software) is pretty impressive.

 

You need to use low voltage RAM for this system. It must support 1.35v. I'll be getting mine later today, and will post if it will accept an 8gb stick.

 

Please do! I will be following this thread closely

If it does work could you please post a link to where you ordered your RAM stick so I don't order the wrong one?

 

System confirmed working with one stick of 8gb ram. I used this: Amazon.com: Crucial Single 8GB DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) Notebook Module, CT102464BF160B: Computers & Accessories, however, any stick of ram that supports 1.35v should work. I have also replaced the 500gb with a samsung ssd. Just an FYI, the original 500gb hdd the system came with is 7mm. The laptop will not support 9mm ssd's, it must be 7mm.

example of 4gb ram that should work: Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-1600C9S-4GSL
another example for 8gb: Patriot Signature Model PSD38G1600L2S Laptop Memory - Newegg.com

 

Thanks visualgrey... how do you like the system now? Did an install disk or partition come with the system to restore the OS?

 

No discs at all came with the system. Dell uses some kind of restore program that was preinstalled. The system has a recovery partition of about 12gb. I just used acronis to clone the disk to ssd.

The system is actually very good with the ram and ssd upgrade. The windows experience score, if anyone cares, is 5.6 for the 2955U; graphics score is 4.6; and gaming graphics score is 6.3.

I ran Geekbench 3 in 32 bit mode, and the results are:

1314 for single-core
2279 for multi-core

 

Unfortunately mine is acting up so I have to send it back. Have any of you had this?

When waking from sleep, sometimes, it will BEEP loudly in groups of 4 beeps, repeating maybe 4 times for total 16 beeps. The screen will not come on, it will not turn on or anything. Then if I let it finish beeping and push power button again, it turns on as if from being shut down, meaning data is lost from when it went to sleep. However, I do not get a message like "Windows failed to resume properly" or anything like that.

 

Just got mine. It was beyond sluggish when using, it's full of errors and won't even run properly most of the time. I let it install the 44 updates and it is in an infinite cycle of bluescreens and rebooting.

I am trying to install ubuntu to see if it's the software or the hardware that's at fault, but there is NO USB booting option?? Can someone help me with enabling usb booting?

 

In the bios, change the 'Secure Boot' option under the Boot menu to disabled. Save and restart, press F12 to enter boot menu and choose the boot device.

 

seems like that did the trick. thanks!

 

If anyone is interested, Ubuntu 13.10 Saucy Salamander seems to work dandy out of the box on the stock specs. 6 Chrome tabs, Spotify and Terminal sit comfortably at 61% RAM usage and 8% CPU (idling while I type this) Everything is reasonably speedy, and touch functions work for the vast majority of apps and the OS without any tweaks. I highly recommend it if you're not ready or not planning on upgrading the hardware.

 

Can the Inspiron 11 open up with one finger pushing up on the lid like the Chromebook Pixel (or Macbooks )

 

^No, there's greater tension than that.

 

VisualGrey -- may I know the performance of the laptop after your upgrade please? thank you in advance!

 

Anybody had issues upgrading to 8.1? Got a new one on the way and hope to avoid all teh bloat by updating the OS immediately.

This laptop is unusable with the bloat, decent for basic tasks without it. Definitely not a powerful machine for any semblance of gaming or video processing, etc. but for Youtube + Office + email it's plenty.

 

I think it runs great after the upgrades, although that's subjective. I posted in the dell forums, and others have commented about performance there: Inspiron 11 3000 Series (3137) 8gb RAM? - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

 

Thanks guy! I ordered an 8Gb memory stick because of you! thanks for confirming and for sharing the information. Well appreciated.

 

My review:

TL;DR: Impressive value for money.

Purchased for $365 (including student discount, not including tax). Upgrading RAM to 4GB will cost another $40-45.

Undersized keyboard: 6 7/8" from left edge of "a" to right edge of ";". Key travel is too shallow. Spacebar works when pressing either edge. Full-sized shifts and backspace are good. Putting PgUp/PgDn/Home/End on arrow keys is good IMHO. Delete and PrtScr get dedicated keys. Esc and Delete are the top corner keys, which is good IMHO.

Screen has room to go 16:10 instead of 16:9. Screen is very reflective. Vertical viewing angles are terrible. Horizontal viewing angles are good for color and passable for contrast. Picks up fingerprints. Gamma is very sensitive to vertical viewing angle. Banding is moderate. No pixel-walk.

Touchscreen is sensitive and responsive.

Soft-touch plastic shell feels nice, but in my experience will wear poorly.

The edges of the palmrest are, sadistically, sharpened.

Some vents are on bottom panel. I would prefer sides, back, or into screen hinge (like the remaining vents).

Build quality in general feels pretty good. Feels dense, not hollow. Screen hinges feel pretty good. No concerning flex anywhere, as far as I can feel. (Exception: my note about tap-to-click below.) Only slight flex when picked up by one corner of the palmrest. Only slight screen-flex when opened by one corner of the screen.

Rubber feet (which are two long, horizontal strips) are better than they could be, but stick out too much.

Touchpad surface has a good texture and good sensitivity. Clicking is slightly too stiff and hollow, as is the case with most cheap touchpads. Clicking is not possible in the top half of the touchpad. Multitouch detection is working well for me. When computer stutters under load, touchpad gestures seem to be one of the first things to fail, which can be frustrating.

Tap-to-click feels weird in the bottom half of the touchpad, because it wiggles. You can quite easily depress the bottom half of the touchpad about half a millimeter before it clicks, and this makes tap-to-click feel cheap and bouncy in that region.

Touchpad gestures have some weird defaults. I strongly recommend reviewing these settings during the process of familiarizing yourself with the computer.

Runs cool and quiet. Celeron processor is Haswell-based and speedy enough. Intel integrated video is good and efficient. Battery life is probably good, but I haven't tested it.

Webcam is horrid. Microphone is passable. Speakers were better than I was expecting, but I'm not a great judge of audio quality.

No choice to configure with 4GB of memory. Computer easily runs up against 2GB while browsing. The integrated video card carves out a chunk of system memory for itself, making 2GB less than it appears. Dell needs to offer a 4GB option. Until then, I recommend upgrading it yourself.

No choice for small SSD instead of large HDD. I find the HDD to be a bottleneck surprisingly often in my use.

Difficult to access RAM and HD. Entire panel must be removed, which includes screws covered by small stickers.

Why the heck there are there stickers on the bottom of my notebook anyway?

Speaking of which, why, sweet mother of mercy, are there stickers on the palmrest, including a giant advertisement? Lose them, Dell. They're tacky. Stickers got tiresome in 1998.

Comes with Windows 8, not 8.1. (I'm lukewarm on the vision behind recent versions of Windows, but this is a review of a computer, not an OS. That said, Windows 8.1 is definitely an improvement over Windows 8.)

Not much bloatware. Windows Live Essentials Photo Gallery is forgivable. Skydrive is redundant with Windows 8.1. McAfee uninstalls easily. Dell Digital Delivery shouldn't have been installed if I didn't purchase any additional software from Dell. Lacks the only piece of Dell software I want, which is an integrated driver update utility. [edit: I'm not sure about this anymore. See comments below.]

Pros: impressive price, good build quality, touchscreen works well, good touchpad texture and responsiveness, not bottlenecked by cpu, not much bloatware

Cons: bouncy touchpad tapping, undersized keyboard, too little memory, no integrated driver update utility, webcam is crummy, stickers straight out of 1995, cheap screen, doesn't come with 8.1 preinstalled

 

^Dell Update comes with the laptop. Solid review.

BIOS update A02 seems to resolve the RAM beeps (groups of 4 when resuming from sleep mode).

 

This is pretty confusing, and I don't understand it. Please let me know if you understand it better. I have two relevant programs installed:

1. Dell Update. This is a small program that has a tray component (DellUpTray.exe), and about which I can find zero information online. The icon is a fat white down-arrow with a white gear. The only UI is a minimal context menu that includes the ability to check for updates and to toggle automatic update checks. It's version 1.0.1000.0. I do not see it available for download anywhere. Is it a sub-component of Dell Support Center? It has its own directory in Program Files, so I figured it wasn't. I thought this program only did Dell software. Now I'm not sure.
2. Dell Support Center a.k.a. My Dell. This program claims to notify me about driver and BIOS updates, but I can't find anywhere in the program to actually force a check. All it has is a link to Dell's support website where I can tediously check each driver myself.

Neither of these programs prompted me to install new drivers from Dell's website. I was hoping to find something like Dell Client System Update (which is exclusive to Optiplex/Precision/Latitude).

Also, I forgot to mention that I chose to upgrade to CT51264BF160B (4GB). Passed a Windows Memory Diagnostic without errors, and seems to be sufficient for my use. 2GB was really pushing the lower limit.

In case somebody finds it interesting, here's the computer with the back panel removed. I used a credit card to pry it off. It's tight, and the clips are plastic, so beware. Also, don't stick your card or spudger too far into the device; there are components near the edge.

 

Thanks for the heads up on Saucy. I'm thinking of ordering one, can you tell me if there are any of the typical Ubuntu laptop issues? E.g. hibernate/sleep not working, wireless driver, or other problems? Thanks!

 

Oops, I meant to quote in my question above.

 

Wow that angry birds guy is an idiot... if you weren't allowed to give criticism on any laptop you buy ever, how would they ever improve? And what makes a legitimate complaint? Rofl.

 

Hey guys,
I've been following the Inspiron 11 threads here and on Dell Support and decided I should give my 2 cents. First off I think the Inspiron 11 3000 platform provides great value for the money (as others have noted) and could be the perfect budget laptop for basic web surfing and word processing. The chassis seems to have decent build quality and isn't too thick/heavy (compared to others in this price range); 768p is perfect for 11" (and touchscreen to boot), and finally the Haswell architecture will allow for decent battery life given a standard 3-cell battery. To top it all off, the Microsoft Store is now offering the Inspiron 11 3000 series for $349 preordered (I assume it's the same hardware config as the $379 Dell SKU, but remember Microsoft includes Signature Edition software so there's no bloatware!)

That all being said, I'm surprised we've only seen 2GB SKUs available from Dell. I'm pretty sure there's a 4GB configuration coming soon--why else would the Dell rep tell off a customer that they should've ordered the 4GB configuration (see the Dell Community thread--Dell Support probably has no idea the 4GB version isn't for sale yet within the US.) Snooping around within the Inspiron 11 Specifications doc confirms my suspicion. It seems Dell will soon be offering another SKU (3138 vs. 3137) that defaults to a Pentium-branded part (vs. Celeron) and 4GB of RAM. ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_inspiron_laptop/inspiron-11-3138_Reference%20Guide_en-us.pdf

Based on my understanding of Haswell architecture and binning, I'd expect to see the 4GB Inspiron 3138 SKU start with a 1.7GHz Pentium 3556U and 4GB of RAM. Hopefully Dell will ask no more than $499 for it.

I think anyone wanting to jump on this but not sure about replacing the memory themselves may want to wait for the 3138 model to show up (I'm guessing Dell is waiting on Intel for supplies of the Pentium-branded chip.) Personally, I'd prefer to wait for a Core i3-equipped part (something like the Core i3-4005U with AVX, GT2 graphics, QuickSync etc.) before buying this or any similarly positioned laptop but there's no guarantee we'll see that option anytime soon.

 

I think anything over 4GB of memory would be superfluous with this CPU. It's quite common for manufacturers to size memory to CPU grade. 2GB is now pretty much standard for anything smaller than a Core i3. Acer even bumped the memory of its 720 Chromebook from 4GB down to 2GB this past week. 2GB of memory isn't much, but it's adequate for the Celeron processor this unit uses. Memory capacity may occasionally be the bottleneck in this configuration, but you're not going to buy a laptop with a Celeron processor anyway if doing a lot of multitasking is important to you. For 95% of its intended use, 2GB should be adequate. 8GB would be a pointless excess of memory headspace, IMO.

I don't think Dell is planning on offering an 11" platform in the 5000 series, so I'm not sure if 4GB of installed memory is in the offing (maybe it should be). This unit is now available for $299 at Dell's Black Friday presale. A 4th gen. processor with 8 hr. battery life in a sub-$300 laptop sounds like quite a deal.

 

To confuse things even more, in Australia there is a version of this laptop being sold with a Bay Trail based Celeron N2810 CPU with 4 GB RAM by default. So if you get the faster Haswell based Celeron, you get 2 GB of RAM, but if you go for the slower CPU, you get 4 GB of RAM.

 

I've been going back and forth about what new 'travel' machine to buy. Laptop, 2-in-1 or tablet? Which model, what price? For Win8, at the low end the choice was the Asus T100 or this Dell. At the high end, there are lots of choices, but at three times the price. The new Dell XPS 11 and Sony Vaio 11 are both really appealing, but with a 256GB SSD are pushing into the $1500 range, pricey for a travel spare. I ended up ruling out the Sony Tab 11 and Surface Pro 2, which are both beautiful, because neither works well sitting on your lap.

I went to the Sony Store today and played with the Vaio 11. It's a marvel of engineering at less than 2 pounds with a stunning screen. But at that weight, it felt flimsy and almost fragile. I liked it, but didn't love it enough to fork over $1500.

I came home and ordered the Inspiron 11 3000. $299 plus tax (ordered by phone and asked for the Black Friday pricing. I then ordered an 8GB Crucial memory stick through Amazon( $76). If I like the Inspiron with the added memory, I'll probably switch out to a faster disk. The price for a 240GB 7mm SSD seems to run about $160, or 500GB Seagate Hynbrid drives are under $100 (anybody have any experience with these?) At the end of the day, I'll end up with a 3 lb. touchscreen travel laptop with 8GB RAM and at least 240GB of storage for < $600. Sure, it weighs a bit more than a pound more than the Sony, and doesn't have a fab HD screen or as powerful a processor. But it doesn't have a $1500 price tag either. And I don't need top end specs for my travel spare.

Something really curious to me is that Dell isn't making something small and light between this low end, low spec Inspiron 11 3000 and it's sleek XPS 11 and Latitude 12 7000. I think a <3 pound Win 8.1 touch screen laptop with an 11" or 12" screen, 4 or 8GB ram, and 256SSD or 500GB hybrid drive priced in the $600 to $800 range could be a hit. There's this huge gap between $300-$400 and $1,200-$1,500.

 

Sure, but would it hurt Dell to offer a Core i3 Haswell upgrade as an option for say $150? If you could get a Core i3 then you get faster clocks, hyper-threading, faster graphics, QuickSync. I just don't understand why it isn't an option

 

I came home and ordered the Inspiron 11 3000. $299 plus tax (ordered by phone and asked for the Black Friday pricing.


What coupon code did you use to get Black Friday price?. When I called they said I needed a special code ????? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

Despite most i3 having same 15w tdp I am sure dell would need to reconsidering their cooling design which would cost them more money for planning and inventory. So from their POV I see why they didn't but I also would have liked to see a i3 11.6 dell at reasonable price. Heck of the e7240 was so expensive I'd be all over it and same with x240s

 

Has anyone confirmed if the CPU is soldered? I am sure with most ulv processors it is but if not there is the chance of putting an i3 in ourselves.

 

I told the rep that I never got the "November Gift Guide" in the mail (which has the code for the $299 pricing), but I got all of their Small Business mailings (which didn't have the Inspiron 11 3000.) IWhen he asked for the code, I said I didn't have it because I never got the November Gift Guide (which, it seems, had a one use code printed on each copy.) They probably pulled up my Dell Account and saw that I buy a computer from them every year or two. Whatever, the rep talked to his supervisor and they gave me the $299 price.

Then I noticed yesterday that they had a "Black Friday Presale" online with the $299 pricing. When I saw your post, I went to find that link, but the 'deal' is now expired. Dell keeps putting out and then pulling back on this $299 price. But clearly that's their sale price. So I'd suggest calling in and referencing the "November Gift Guide" which you didn't get, and would like to get that price, rather than waiting for their Fri. 8AM doorbuster.

 

Mine was delivered this afternoon. Upgraded right away to 8GB RAM, much snappier. Played with it for a while before downloading the Win 8.1 upgrade (it's 3.2GB --- it will be downloading for a while.) You do have to do a patch install on Win 8 before the Win 8.1 upgrade will show up in the Windows Store. But all in all, pretty painless.

I'm pretty amazed at the build quality of this little puppy for $299. The case has a really nice rubbery texture. Keyboard is tight, but has some travel. The touchpad is a little balky and quirky, like a lot of folks has commented about. But it's much better than the bluetooth keyboards and mouse combos I've been using with my Android tablet. It feels a little heavier than I expected, but I've been spoiled by some of the (much more expensive) 2 and 2.5 pounders I've tried out recently.

More after I've upgraded to 8.1 and run it through its paces, but right now I'm a happy camper.

 

Just did the 8.1 upgrade, made a files partition, and noticed the crazy amount of factory partitions on this thing!

What can I delete?

http://i42.tinypic.com/23m7wqd.jpg