Dell has recently renewed their Inspiron 15 5000 series with a new model. Today, I’ll review the brand-new 15-inch Dell Inspiron i5580-7707SLV-PUS laptop. They’ve decided to upgrade this classic with new generation hardware, and even some rather minor design features. What’s more, its price is maybe the biggest selling point. It may not be a looker, but it sure seems to be a workhorse.
Review
Starting off, I think Dell has managed to pull off this model refresh. It certainly looks different enough from the old 5000, and in a good way. It lost a bit of its previous bulk. It’s now slimmer, and lighter than ever before. What’s more, the new keyboard doesn’t have the same indented margins as it did before. Now, the keys sit on the same level with the rest of the chassis. This, coupled with the lack of a number pad, gives the whole notebook a more airy appearance. It somehow feels less crowded when typing.
And although its design may be polarizing (lack of a number pad and all that jazz), I believe that the Dell Inspiron 15 i5580-7707SLV-PUS is a fine looking device. I can see it sitting on either your desk at home, or inside your office, at work. It’s stylish enough to carry it to your local coffee shop and powerful enough for most, if not all students, regardless of field.
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At first, it may seem like it doesn’t sport that many features (for instance, a fingerprint reader), but on closer inspection, I’m happy to report that this Inspiron model has all the ingredients needed to make it truly future-proof: hardware upgrade options! I’ll discuss them in the following paragraphs.
Processing power
The Dell Inspiron i5580-7707SLV-PUS is powered by an 8th generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor. It has four cores, eight threads, a frequency range between 1.8 GHz and 4.6 GHz, a cache size of 8 megabytes and a thermal design power of 15 Watts. All those numbers make for a great recipe in handling almost all tasks you may subject it to. It will run all everyday apps effortlessly, and even manage more advanced jobs, like rendering, heavy calculations, running VMs, compiling, etc. Benchmark tests rate it at almost 9000 points, meaning you won’t have to worry about finding a replacement to keep up anytime soon.
System memory
I’d say the Inspiron’s 5000 standard memory size is rather adequate for this type of device. It has 8 gigabytes of DDR4-2666 SDRAM installed, which is enough for most users. Especially those who don’t stray far away from using it as a daily all-rounder. You know, some email and web browsing here, some photo editing and heavy multitasking there. That kind of stuff. However, if you’re a power user in need of more system memory, I’ve got good news. The Dell Inspiron i5580-7707SLV-PUS accepts up to 32 gigabytes of RAM (2 x 16 GB), four times the initial value.
Storage space
This laptop manages to offer the best of both worlds in terms of storage space and read/write speeds. More specifically, it comes equipped with a speedy 128-gigabyte PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive and a roomy 1-terabyte 5400 rpm Hard Drive.
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Have your OS and programs installed on the former, and store everything else on the latter. However, if you want more space, you can quickly replace the manufacturer’s SSD with your own M.2 format drive.
Graphics and display
While it’s true the Dell i5580-7707SLV-PUS features a discrete graphics card, this is no gaming laptop. A low end GPU, like the NVIDIA GeForce MX250 will run some unpretentious games rather well, but will really struggle with more demanding titles. For instance, you’ll be able to play CS:GO, Minecraft and LoL without issues. Yet, games like FIFA19, Metro Exodus or The Witcher 3 will be playable on low to medium settings, at best. Therefore, if you’re into serious gaming, you should look for a similarly priced device, with a more capable graphics unit, like the Lenovo L340.
Display quality is standard Dell. Its 15.6 inch Full HD IPS LED-Backlit display produces vivid colors, with decent enough brightness, even in full sunshine conditions. It has an anti-glare coating, perfect for those daylight work sessions.
Interface and networking options
There are plenty of available ports, in line with just about any other modern laptop or ultrabook. You’ll be able to hook up all your peripherals, charge your mobile devices and plug in an external monitor.
- 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C port
- 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A port
- 1 x USB 2.0 port
- 1 x HDMI-out
- 1 x RJ-45
- 1 x SD card reader
As for networking, you’ll be able to connect to a landline using Gigabit Ethernet or to a wireless router with the 802.11ac wireless connection.
Portability and battery life
The Dell Inspiron i5580-7707SLV-PUS isn’t necessarily such a great laptop to carry around all day long. Sure, if you’re commuting by car, it won’t be a problem. But if there’s subways, trams or buses involved in your daily transfer to work, it’ll be hard to justify the extra weight. It weighs around 4.3 pounds, and compared to 13-inch ultrabooks, quite big. This is a notebook that’s more useful around the house or the office, and not so much while on the go.
Its 42WHr, 3-cell battery will likely hold a charge for anywhere between 6 to 8 hours of light use. This is another reason why it’s best to consider buying this laptop if you won’t be traveling that much with it. For instance, the similarly priced, and slightly better equipped Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G-73WC will get you a slightly improved battery life.
Conclusion
All in all, I’d say the new Dell Inspiron i5580-7707SLV-PUS is a decent notebook, suitable for both daily and more demanding tasks. What I like most about it is that you can always and easily expand its capabilities further down the road. It puts the decision of exactly how powerful the user needs it to be in his or her hands. And I love that. However, there are certain drawbacks, like the low end graphics card or the modest battery life.
But like I said earlier, this is a all-rounder that’ll work great in certain environments, like: a home office, a proper office, a student’s bedroom or as a desktop replacement laptop.
