Home > Reviews > Dell Inspiron 15R

Dell Inspiron 15R - Best Laptop Under $600

At just $599.99, the Inspiron 15R is Dell’s best laptop under $600. Whether a person is student- or business-minded, the Inspiron 15R provides the best performance for the under-$600 price range. The Intel Core i5 processor reaches speeds of up to 3.0 GHz with Turbo Boost, a feature that allows the processor to increase its speed during heavy application use. It also includes Hyper-Threading, which allows each of the processor’s two cores to double its thread operating, enabling it to handle up tofour threads. This means the processor can take one set of instructions and break them down into two parts to speed processing of a program. With the processor’s dual-core capability, the Inspiron 15R can handle multiple programs simultaneously with little-to-no processing reduction.

Specifications

Product Features
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- Intel Core i5 dual-core processor at 2.4 GHz with 3MB L3 cache
- 6GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 1333MHz
- 640 GB hard drive at 5400 RPM
- 1.6 GB Dynamic Video Memory
- 15.6” 720p LED display with TrueLife
- 1.0MP HD Webcam
- Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 b/g/n Ethernet 
- Bluetooth
- 8X CD/DVD burner with dual layer DVD +/-R

Uses

The 3MB of L3 cache joined with the 6GB of memory makes the Inspiron 15R ideal for basic to moderate video editing. While it comes with Roxio Creator 2011, it should have no problem processing HD video or using any heavy video-editing programs such as Sony Vegas Pro, or Adobes Premiere Pro.

Combined with the 15.6” 720p LED display with TrueLife and the 1.6GB on-board video card, users can also expect to see video with vibrant color and strong contrasts. While it might not blaze through large projects, it will satisfy home video creators and amateur video creators alike.

Beyond video, the Inspiron should provide enough speed and processing for picture editing, graphic design, and other digital multimedia work. Its 640GB hard drive will store enough pictures and HD video for the average user, and definitely more than any other of Dell’s laptops under $600.

For the basic user who wants to stream movies online, browse the Internet, or work on projects for school/business, the Inspiron 15R will perform smoothly. Although it doesn’t have a Blu-ray player, DVDs and HD movies will look sharp and fluid on the Inspiron’s 720p display.

The Wireless-N WiFi adapter will provide the fastest Internet connections no matter what router or Internet access is present. Furthermore, the estimated 4.25 hours of battery time will give users enough time away from the outlet to finish work on the road or away from the office for a few hours. 

Additional Information

Unfortunately, the Inspiron 15R lacks the complete Microsoft Office software, including only limited capability Microsoft Word and Excel products with ads. It also includes a 15-month version of McAfee. Upgrading to Microsoft Office and buying McAfee, or another anti-virus software, means this laptop will cost more than the $600 baseline. 

To save money, there are free programs that individuals can download that provide the services of the name brands. OpenOffice.org is a free, open-source equivalent of Microsoft Office. Avast!, while offering paid versions, provides a free anti-virus software that protects just as well as Norton’s or McAfee. 

While the Dell Inspiron 15R is not Dell’s best laptop, it provides an exceptional amount of performance for its price, the best that Dell has to offer for $600 or less.

Product Reviews:
1. HP DV6Z Laptop
2. Amazon Kindle Fire
3. iPad vs Netbook
4. Dell Inspiron 15R
5. HP dv7t Laptop

Protect your PC:
1. Protect your Privacy
2. Secure your Wireless Network
3. Avoid Internet Phishing