The new Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK is a gaming laptop with impressive performance, which promises increased reliability at a fair price. Dell recently updated the Insiron 7000 series with a bolder design, more features to aid user experience, while keeping true to their mantra of providing high quality, affordable products.
Review
The Inspiron 7000 series is a great option for buyers in need of a quality notebook that emphasizes on hardware specs and pure performance, rather than on design and portability. I think the new series will make a great desktop replacement unit, a decent gaming laptop or even serve as a college or work laptop (if you don’t mind carrying 5.7 pounds of Dell around).
This is such a versatile notebook because of the way compromises have been thought out: it’s heavy, partly because of the extra parts and features, think dedicated video card, dual fan system, massive battery pack and partly because the budget was likely diverted to those aforementioned parts. The casing and chassis are made of a nice plastic, but plastic nonetheless. It doesn’t feel cheap, but it’s not exactly magnesium alloy or aluminium quality either.
So, hardware-wise the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK has a 6th generation Intel Core i5-6300HQ processor. It’s a quad core CPU (four cores, four threads) with 6 megabytes of cache which promises great performance with less power consumption. Essentially this means better output while enjoying a longer battery life. Looking at this new processor’s specs, we can safely say it’s well suited for mid to high end gaming. I expect it to obtain a benchmark score in excess of just under 6000 points.
It also comes with a single channel 8 gigabytes of system memory, which is user upgradeable to 16 gigabytes. Again, this figure is enough for most games, most applications and most demanding programs (like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc).
The Dell i7559-763BLK has a storage space of 256 gigabytes and uses a high speed Solid State Drive to store and serve files. This is great news for both gamers and everyday users, since the whole system will perform way more smoothly, without freezes, lags or delays when opening, streaming or downloading large files.
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The real jewel of this laptop is its video card: a high performance, dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, with 640 cores and 4 gigabytes of GDDR5 system memory available. Combining the power of the freshly launched processor with this video card, you will be able to play most of the 2015 games on high and even ultra settings, such as Fifa 15/16, GTA V, Metal Gear Solid V. However, more demanding games like Far Cry 4 or The Witcher 3 may require some graphics to be turned to medium in order to preserve playable frame rates.
Dell’s media capabilities are impressive enough, so even if no external monitor or 5.1 sound system is available, it will outperform many of its similarly priced competitors. The Inspiron’s 15.6 inches screen features a brightly lit Full HD display with IPS technology. Pixel density is great, making games, movies, photos and webpages look sharp and vivid. Audio technology is provided by MaxxAudio, making the laptop’s stereo speakers and integrated sub-woofer perform well at high volume settings.
The Inspiron’s design is a bit more bold this time around. They’ve decided to build a beast under an elegantly aggressive casing. It’s built out of plastic, but features two very discrete red outlines (one on the trackpad and one on the lid where the logo sits) giving it a very distinct “don’t be fooled by the outside” feel to it, which I love. It also features a backlit keyboard, very useful when using it in dimly lit rooms and has a dual fan system. Both fans work in tandem to dissipate heat from the CPU and GPU to help cool down the laptop and the area where you’d rest your palms. This is very important in a laptop with a high performance video card to prevent system overheating, making the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK a very efficient gaming laptop.
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Considering the hardware equipment we just mentioned, you’d expect the Dell to have a laughable battery life. It doesn’t. It’s great actually, at a cost. The massive 75 Whr battery pack will keep this surprising machine running for 10 straight hours when used moderately. Obviously, the more strenuous the activities, the less time before the battery will run out. But, for a laptop with a high speed CPU, dedicated GPU and two cooling fans, ten hours is more than you will ever need. The cost I’ve mentioned is weight. This battery weighs down the whole system by a bunch, adding up to almost 5.7 pounds, thus rendering it quite unsuited for travelling around with it. You will move with it around the house or the office with ease, but take it along on a trip in a shoulder bag and you’ll likely end up with an aching back.
Other nice features include: three USB ports, Ethernet LAN, 802.11ac wireless technology, HDMI output with 4K resolution support and a spill resistant keyboard.
Technical Specifications
[table width =”100%” style =”table-simple table-hover” responsive =”true” class=”customtable”]
[table_head]
[th_column]Product[/th_column]
[th_column]Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK[/th_column]
[/table_head]
[table_body]
[table_row]
[row_column]PROCESSOR[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Name[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel Core i5-6300HQ[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Quad Core[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Speed[/row_column]
[row_column]2.3 GHz up to 3.2 GHz[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Cache[/row_column]
[row_column]6 MB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]SYSTEM MEMORY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Installed Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]16 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Memory Type[/row_column]
[row_column]DDR3L SDRAM @ 1600 MHz[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Total Memory Slots[/row_column]
[row_column]2 slots[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]STORAGE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]256 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Solid State Drive (SSD)[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]SATA 3[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]DISPLAY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Size[/row_column]
[row_column]15.6″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Anti-Glare LCD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]LED-Backlit[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Resolution[/row_column]
[row_column]1920 x 1080[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Aspect Ratio[/row_column]
[row_column]16:9[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Touchscreen[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]GRAPHICS[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Processing Unit[/row_column]
[row_column]NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphic Card Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dedicated[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]4 GB GDDR5[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]AUDIO & VIDEO[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Audio Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]Waves MaxxAudio Pro[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Speakers[/row_column]
[row_column]2 speakers and sub-woofer[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Webcam[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, 720p[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Wireless LAN[/row_column]
[row_column]802.11ac, Dual Band, 1×1[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Bluetooth[/row_column]
[row_column]Bluetooth 4.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Ethernet[/row_column]
[row_column]10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INTERFACE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]USB Ports[/row_column]
[row_column]3 x USB 3.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]HDMI[/row_column]
[row_column]HDMI v1.4a, 4K support[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]VGA[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Headphone/Mic[/row_column]
[row_column]Audio Combo Jack[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Multi Card Slot[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, 2-in-1[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]LAN (RJ45)[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INPUT DEVICES[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Pointing Device[/row_column]
[row_column]Touchpad[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]Full-size, spill-resistant[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Backlit Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]BATTERY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Type[/row_column]
[row_column]6-Cell Lithium Ion[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]74 Whr[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Battery Life[/row_column]
[row_column]Up to 10 hours[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Other Features[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual fan system[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Operating System[/row_column]
[row_column]Windows 10 Home[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/row_column]
[row_column]15.08″ x 10.43″ x 0.99″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Weight[/row_column]
[row_column]5.67 lbs[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[/table_body]
[/table]
Scores, Pros and Cons
[row]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”95″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Performance: 9.5/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”80″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Functionality: 8/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”95″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Price: 9.5/10″]
[/column]
[/row]
[list]
[li]Pros[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Fast CPU[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Dedicated video card[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]High speed SSD[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Exceptional battery life[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Value for money[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Future proof[/li]
[li]Cons[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]Quite heavy[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]Some users might need more RAM[/li]
[/list]
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK is one of the great laptops you should consider buying if you’re looking for uncompromising value. Not only does it have stellar hardware equipment, it also boasts features that make it future proof, such as dual fans and spill-resistant keyboard. Finally, the extended battery life only adds more points to what is already one of the best gaming/all-rounder notebooks to have been launched this fall.
