Owner's Thread: Dell Inspiron 7000 series

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Laptop Mag

Tech Kalauz (Hungarian translated)

Models

Default Models (IE site):


Default Specs (IE site):


It seems like these are starting to make their way to people. Got mine (Inspiron 15 - 7537) on Oct. 4th - and have had a few days with it now - so far so good.

Benchmarks

3D Mark Basic Edition

Unigien Heaven 4.0

Max temp measured by RealTemp: 77/79c

Unigien Valley 1.0

Max temp measured by RealTemp: 77/78c

Windows Index:

That is for the Inspiron 15 - 7537

Novabench:

That is for the Inspiron 15 - 7537

Have ordered one Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO - to replace the 5400rpm drive - thinking about if extra ram would be worth it...

Bits of info


Should be upgradeable to 16 Gb of ram - and SSDs should fit in without problems

Various links

7537 manual




Gathering more stuff - will update ongoing.

 

Cheers and congratulations on your new purchase!
Finally an owner!! Waiting impatiently to read some reviews about this

If you don't mind can you give your first impressions on the following:-

1)Screen!! How are the viewing angles?

2)Battery life-does it last 5hrs+ of web browsing?

3)GPU- does it throttle due to thermal issues or due to the ulv cpu?

4)Does it feel too heavy for the size?

5)Do you think the cpu will be sufficient for compiling code? I will be using it for coding in eclipse mostly.

 

Hehe - yeah I was a little nervous about jumping the gun on this one - coming from several years running desktops only at home - only laptops I've worked with over the last few years are at work (Lenovo T60 and now T420). But found the time was right to jump the gun, and get mobile again

1: Pictures (taken with a potato) say more than at least 10-15 words.


2: This was my experience: "I tried this "real world scenario": Connected via Ethernet, One chrome browser tab opened with Google Music streaming constantly (music playing through external monitors - not USB powered), external monitor connected through HDMI, another chrome browser open in which I am working on HTML/CSS for a website (so a lot of saving and browser refreshing). I am 2 hours and 53 minutes in, and the battery states 2 h 14 min (43%) remaining. I'd expected you can add an hour if I wasn't listening to music..."

3: Afraid my technical expertise on that one will not provide you with a qualified answer. To me it seems like the fans only kick off when I push it - the majority of the time it stays quite cool and quiet.

4: At a wee bit over 2.5 kilo it it not an ultra portable for sure, but I would not have any problem carrying it around with me in a bag for an entire day. But it feels sturdy when I drag it around the house (holding it with one hand at the bottom corner (see picture) - no creaking or anything. Flexes a tiny bit with the lid open, but very sturdy with the lid closed. The bottom is plastic (cost saving I guess) - so the comparisons in build quality to say a MacBook would not be fair.


5: I'd think it would yes, it seems powerful enough - I do most in HTML, CSS and PHP - so not much compiling going on here really. One thing though - this is not be best of keyboards (leaps and bounds behind e.g. the one on Lenovo T420) - maybe it will fit you okay, but when at home, I have it hooked up to a keyboard with Cherry MX Blue keys...

 

If anyone has some specific tests they would like me to run - free benchmarks etc. Just let me know, I'll be more than happy to try and help

 

Hi .. I am new here ... I would like to buy this 15" but with i7 and ssd ...

... could you pls tell something more about build quality ... sound .. maybe more about how quiet is it?? Thanks so much

 

i think battery life would be better with the integrated gpu and a ssd .

but not bad definitely an improvement battery vise

yours is the first review ever for this machine i think, so its gets people excited to see

enjoy it !

 

hello Akvavit
Some questions:
- Is that the chassis and screen are stiff?
- The keyboard he distorts while typing?
- The chassis is it all aluminum?
- How is the power supply?

Thank you for your help.

 

hello Akvavit,

How is the fan, does it make a lot of noise or does it operate silently?

Thanks

 

Hello Akvavit, I originally posted over on the Dell site, just thought I'd say hi

To others who have posted, please check other answers before asking more questions, as many have them have already been answered.

e.g. build quality, fan noise, rigidity

 

I ran a benchmark using Bioshock Infinite - see it below



It's hard to get the noise level right from the fans - but I used the Andoid App "Sound Meter" - the room I am in was measured at around 40-44db with the phone laying on top on the pc keyboard, facing the screen. The highest measured by the app during the benchmark was 56-57db - see definitions below on what that is compared to.

 

A bunch of pictures
All taken using a Samsung Potato, so the quality is not exceptional.


















1mm aluminium it seems


Sunlight right into the screen


Sunlight from the side


Vents under screen


Opened as much as possible


Charger details


Charger size

 

Hi there j24d, good to see you here too mate

Yes, I have tried to cover as many questions in the two posts above - in terms of performance, noise, details about the build quality etc.

If I have missed anything - do let me know and I will fill in the gaps.

 

Thanks so much ... really good job !!!! Now I am missing only quality of sound and volume ... and temperature of the components in idle and in load ... plus how works cpu turbo mode and about throttling ..... But I am very pleased how it looks like .. thanks so much !!!!!!!

 

I have added two benchmarks (Unigien Heaven and Valley) in my first post - along with temperatures from RealTemp - hope that answers some of your questions about temperature

As for sound quality from the built in speakers - not that great to be honest, I'd say average for a laptop. If turned all the way up it is really bad... But not sure what is expected from a laptop these days? At home all sound comes out though a set of Empire R1000 speakers, and if on the move - a set of Shure 215. So for me personally the quality of the built in speakers, is not concerning

 

Thanks for the update !!! Really nice temperatures... I would like to know if there was some throttling or not ... it would be nice if the cpu and gpu run the benchmark on full speed ...
... I have also dedicated speakers but it was nice to have info about that ... so you say that sound output is good (to headset) ... thats nice ! ...... Can you pls check battery consumption when you are watching a movie .. some 720p ........ it would be really nice to hear it....... and can you pls do the CrystalDiskMark and check wifi speeds .....

Really appreciate it !!

 

You are welcome Igy

There were throttling yes, Think I counted 3-4 stages where it adjusted the fan speed up to deal with the extra heat - it spins down again rather quick. Even at this highest speed I've heard from it, there were no whining sounds or anything - so I am quite happy with the way this laptop disperses heat.

I will look into battery consumption later today, when I can put my feet up and watch a movie stored locally, instead of streaming from Netflix.

As for the speeds of the WiFi - I tried to run a Speedtest - one with cable, and one over WiFi:


Cable^^


WiFi^^

I gave CrystalDiskMark a go too - default settings:

 

Awesome job Akvavit! I've been scouring the web for days looking for someone who's got one. Your posts are very helpful.

Overall it sounds pretty good and along the lines of what I expected. I'm still a bit unsure about the screen quality though. I saw your pics but I'm still not sure. How are do you feel about the screen? I know it's not IPS but is it at least a high quality TN? If you can, a short video of you rotating around the screen from different angles would give me what I need (and others I'm sure). If you can great, if not, i still appreciate all you've done.

 

+1 about screen info

... thanks again ... top job !!!! Thanks for the speed tests ;-) ..... I can see that you are smiling ... that must be rather good piece of hardware I am happy

 

first of all.........awesome photos of a beautiful inspiron

can you take your iphone/samsung(cell phone) and record a 720/1080p video of the touch screen.
(tilt it forward and backward and side to side)

im very interested to see the viewing angles and overall quality (i know i cant see 100% of the quality via video)...BUT i get a hint.....thanks

2 questions:

¤ have you tried some online games such as BF3 ??? (if so, what resolution and settings did you play in...and of course what FPS did you have)

¤ can you please run Super Pi.............run the test in 1M
(would be fun to see how fast the new low Voltage CPU 4500u performs)
link:
SuperPI - 1.1e Download - EXTREME Overclocking

 

Thanks for the kind words

I will try to get a little video made covering viewing angles and the touch interface.

As for SuperPi - I am not familiar with it - so this might not be what you are looking for - but I ran as you mentioned it - and this was the outcome:


Have not tried any online MP game, but I'll try and get Origin up and running and install BF3

 

this laptop is drop dead gorgeous i must say...........the chassi is very neat and slimmed........how good is the new 4-cell battery ???

 

One more video - trying to answer some of the questions regarding the viewing angles, touch controls and they keyboard (with baaad flex!)

Tomorrow I'll try and catch up on any questions I may have missed

 

Thanks for the pictures.
Do you feel air coming from the went under the screen when the fan runs?
Thank you!

 

Thanks Akvavit for nice video ... so screen doesn't look so nice(I mean viewing angles) ... it must be TN panel ... can you pls say how the screen feels in real live not only on video ... also for the keyboard ... does it feel bad when you are typing and the keyboard is flexing little bit .......... and do you think that full HD screen will be better on viewing angles?

 

The full HD (on the 14 inch model) has a gorgeous screen. If you've seen a VAIO Pro 13 or the Aspire S7 in person, that's what the 1080p screen looks like. I posted some photos in the 14 inch model thread.

 

Thanks !!

 

That keyboard flex could be a deal breaker for me... I've lost all excitement about getting mine tomorrow.

 

Hey
do you use lightroom 5 if so could you tell me when you editing a picture in it does the fan starts to run alot or how is it behave ?

thank you for your help!

 

Thanks for the video showing off the touchscreen and keyboard (and great music, definitely checking them out...). That flex sounds like it'll place other systems back onto my shopping list. I guess a corner had to be cut somewhere...annoyingly they chose the primary input device to do it on. I'd have rather see the touchscreen cost be placed into a rock solid keyboard deck.

This. That flex is unacceptable IMO, coming from a Latitude with minimal to zero flex (and honestly i think some of it's due to the fact that this keyboard's ancient + I've popped it off several times to do cleaning) I think I'd notice right away.

I tried looking for one in store at Wal-Mart but no dice. I do know Best Buy sells a SKU in store...may need to make a trip in person.

 

As far as I can see there is no VGA connection.
Is there an option for adapter like apple has? I need the VGA-option for work connection to different projectors during presentations.

 

As posted in the pre-owners thread, I received my 7537 with 1080p screen whilst I was on holiday last week. I got back last night and managed a quick hour or so with it... My first impressions are good!

The screen is excellent. This and build quality are the key areas for me - I cant stand low pixel density, washed out colours on a screen, and I'm really glad I chose to get the 1080p upgrade. I cant tell for certain, but I think the panel is IPS. If not, the viewing angels are excellent, certainly the best non IPS panel I have seen. The colours are very bright and vivid; there is no "washed out" appearance at all. I possibly saw a little bit of back light bleeding in the top right corner of the screen, but will need to look at that in greater detail. Its not something that really bothers me.

The keyboard is okay - the flex isn't as bad as the video posted above, but there is a little around the middle of the keyboard adn towards the space bar. The keyboard is acceptable to me, so hasn't 'broken the deal'. I thought about fixing it with scotch tape before last night but probably wont bother.

I'm impressed by the build quality. I really like the fact that the screen doesn't wobble when its touched - something that happened on every other touch screen laptop I tried in PC world etc. I guess it must be due to either stiff hinges or the aluminium case?

The 1TB 5400rpm hard drive is slow and noisy! It expect I will upgrade to a SSD shortly, so this will not be an issue. I've never cloned a drive before - any guides / suggestions? Should I just reinstall windows?

The fan noise was ok. It switched between silent and a gentle whine, but I was sat in bed at the time with it resting on a duvet so not the best test environment.

Wifi signal seemed ok. I was about 6m away from my router, no walls in the way and syncing with my dropbox. I cant tell what speeds I was getting, but it certainly wasn't slow on my local network.

I didn't test the laptop sound - but I don't expect or need much in terms of sound quality.

I'm not one for running benchmarks etc, I'd rather describe how something feels than measures, but happy to answer questions etc. I'll post some pics later this week when I get a chance, as well as try to run some games.

Chris

 

There isn't one, nor is an adapter included. I didnt see an option when ordering, I think a HDMI to VGA dongle is your best bet. I have the same need, so will be looking into buying one shortly.

 

To: pma99car

Thanks for summary! I'm glad that you are glad ... I would like to buy this machine, but I'm still waiting for more reviews. The build quality and the screen is the most important think for me .. and you are happy about it. Nice to hear it! ...

 

Hi Akvavit I thank you greatly for your information, i write from italy because here nobody have this notebook.. not yet.

I read all post of this thread and i am very astonished that nobody ask you A TEST ON WiFi. it's a notebook.. the wifi connection is one of the most important quality..... for me.

i said this because much people that have bought XPS 15z have had many problems with the wifi... the notebook did not receive the wifi signal if it is in a different room from where the router is located....with only a wall betwen!! and the call-centersaid them that "this is a problem and the engineer walking to resolve"...but XPS cost 1800 Euro

bye.

 

Perfect, just what I needed!

I must also say you have done an awesome job testing this machine. Thanks a lot.

In Norway the machine seems to be delivered a little bit more powerful actually:
Produktbeskrivelse for den nye bærbare PC-en med berøring i Inspiron 1 | Dell Norge
16GB RAM, 256 SSD etc.

I am going to use the machine primary for programming and it would be great to know how it works with e.g. huge compiling in Visual Studio.

There is a magazine in Norway that does testing of all new laptops DinSide. I asked them and they will test the machine soon. I can post a translated summary of that afterwards here if you like?

My biggest concern is still the fan. I want one really quiet laptop, only using the fan when its really busy. I had a Mac Book Pro that was ready to launch for the sky each time I ran Maven.
I saw your tests about noise but it is hard to get the picture. A specific question: When you are just surfing etc. is it then 100% quiet?

 

Hey Chris thanks for your review
could you tell us what model you have i guess the 15 inch one and what cpu and gpu combo ,maybe i missed it?

also if you use lightroom 5 could you tell me when you developing pictures how is the fan react does it gets loud etc?

im wondering if the i5-4200U woud be enough for photo editing since i dont play games and thats cpu is probably better on battery than the I7


thanks alot!!
John

 

I found these links to different 7537 models on eBay and the highest end 15 inch seems "pricy". You guys can check them out:
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

 

Hi John,

I have the 'top end' model currently on offer - that is i7 4500u, 8GB ram, GT750m and 1tb hard drive. I think this is the only model that comes with the 1080p screen.

Unfortunately I do not use Lightroom (or any photo editing software) so cant comment.

 

where do you live? And how much did you pay for it? I just talked to a dell rep and he asked for 1147 on the 15 full HD 8gb 1T HDD and intel 4400.

 

Hi Peppez,

The WiFi seems fine - this speedtest was done connecting to a router on the floor below me, in the opposite side of the hours - so I guess ~15 meters through 2 walls, a staircase and the floor:

 

Currently surfing (7 Chrome tabs open), watching Netflix and no fans are running. I don't have a thermometer in this room, so can't really say how warm it it (maybe 17-18c?).

The said when the fan start, it runs at several different speeds, quickly spinning down after loads - but even at the highest speed, the noise coming from the fan, is of the very pleasant sort - not high pitched whining or anything.

Some of this might change after I get the SSD - hopefully tomorrow - I will make sure to post in this thread when I have played around with it for a bit.

 

Hi guys ... I looked at the 3D Mark Basic Edition score which Akvavit did and posted it on the first page and there is GPU frequency only 400 MHz ... can you pls check it(who has the pc) if is this max frequency or for exampel if the pc has lower GPU frequency on the battery ??

To: pma99car .. could you pls rerun the 3D Mark Basic Edition and post it here ... I'm curious how much better is core i7 over i5 ..... thanks !!!!

 

is it normal for a dell rep to ask for your credit card info when you buy something? This guy Teodorio R offer me 1175 (tax included) for the 17 in highest end model (16Gb and 750M graphics card) and he asked for my credit card number but I feel a little insecure.

 

ok thanks no problem
so you have the 15 inch or the 17 one where are you located?

thanks

 

hey very cool
how did you find this ?

yes kind of expensive !

the issue is for me that its only comes with I7 cpu

well it is a matter of time before it will be available with I5

how come they dont have this up on dell website? weird

i guess will see whats the best option after the xps available

 

I'm in the US mate. Anyway, if you don't mind the size and weigh, the highest end 17 model is actually a very good deal :thumbsup:

 

yes it is for the price
i hope you enjoy it!

 

They likely aren't "live" on the Dell site yet because they're probably still pushing the fixed configs/ramping up production. The pricing shown on the "hidden" links at a Dell product launch are notoriously inaccurate as they're placeholders until they go live.

 

Where are the hidden links to be find on dell page?
Thanks

 

I just checkd on the UK dell website and they have the same config model as the one you listed for $1200 there is 800 pound so its the same price.
Most likely the price is correct sadly only the I7 model has the 1080 screen.