Dell Inspiron 15R N5010 Review

Update 6th November 2011:

• I agree that things have changed a lot in this 1 year and 2 months but I still love my Dell Inspiron 15r because it is still with me and it is still working fine.
• I agree that I have problems with new games and trans-coding videos from Full-HD to mobile devices (Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830), but working with softwares is still bliss.
• The keyboard is still fine and all keys are working and I must tell you that because of this laptop (and my dedication) my typing speed has gone all the way to 91 wpm in comparison to 60 wpm (read the article below to learn more).
• The touch-pad is fine and there is still no round patch due to extra use of the touch-pad. The patch occurred in my Lenovo laptop and it looked ugly. But the build of this laptop is great.
• The battery backup is still the same as before (hard to believe, right?). It is probably because I rarely use this laptop on battery (yeah, in 1 year and 2 months!) and since it has replaced my Desktop, it is always connected to power.
• The gaming performance is getting low as the time is passing but that is only because new games are more demanding, not because the system is getting old.
• My good old games like GTA San Andreas, Batman Arkham Asylum, NFS Most Wanted, etc., are working great (still).
• I updated this review for those who are willing to buy the old version. I can safely say that they will not be disappointed with this laptop. However, there are still many limitations to this laptop and they occurred only because of the time-gap.
• So... choose wisely when you buy Dell Inspiron 15r... according to what you need!

I have finally got my Dell Inspiron 15R N5010. I’ve stated the model number in case you misunderstand the laptop’s version. But let me clear it once again. It has Core i3 350M, 3GB DDR3 1333 MHz RAM (capped to 1066 MHz), 1GB ATI Mobility 5470 graphics card, 6-Cell battery and Windows 7 premium with MS Office 2010 starter pack.

I have highlighted the MS office 2010 starter pack because for some reason it has become a key advertisement for Dell on their website as well as television promotions.

Anyway, I booked it from a retailer, just to make sure that my courier does not get harmed or get any unhealthy treatment on the way. Since we had some family relations with that retailer, he ensured us a fine delivery.

So, I went there and looked at the courier that was set aside and from the very first look, it was ‘Dell Inspiron 15R’.

Here are my first impressions on the laptop:

• When you first turn it on, you need to setup windows and that really takes up a bit of your time. System checks computer’s performance and speed and then you need to enter your user name, password and all that.
• Dell Inspiron 15R comes preloaded with Windows 7 premium 64-bit. It’s fast because of Core i3 and DDR3 RAM but not like snappy or something, because it’s not Core i7 sire.
• All handy software are combined inside Dell’s dock, a software that comes preloaded, but I could not find it in Dell’s Driver and Utilities cd kit. So, if you like it then you may have to download it from the Internet in case you uninstall or delete it somehow.
• Gaming performance of this laptop is really nice. I installed GTA IV, that was the only game I had in my home for now, and it played flawlessly. There is one thing that I need to mention here that I couldn’t crank up the configurations to their highest limit as it was not a good choice for ATI’s Mobility 5470 1GB.
• However, I am glad that I didn’t compromise the product for a 512 Mb graphics card version, because GTA IV could easily crack that limit with only few settings turned to their medium state.
• As for the MS Office 2010 starter edition, it is really annoying. What I mean is, you get only MS Word for managing reports and writing, but you don’t get all other major programs that are really necessary for many computer experts, like PowerPoint, Excel, etc. Plus, when you open Word 2010, there is an advertisement (of Office 2010 itself) that you can’t turn off and it can really bug you a lot as it takes quite a space in the ride sidebar.
• So, I had to uninstall it and install MS Office 2007 once again. I am not planning to buy 2010 any time soon.

• The processor comes with a technology called Speed Step that can over-clock the processor in case more power is needed for some applications. But I could not see any big difference while I was playing, so this Speed Step technology is too different from Core i7’s turbo boost technology.
• I came to know this because I couldn’t utilize a Sidebar gadget known as, Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology Monitor. It clearly states that this technology is only supported by Core i7 or higher model of Intel’s processors. However, I do enjoy working on Speed Step technology that is kind of same as Turbo Boost. This technology manages the performance of processor by analyzing programs that I run. But I do want to work on Turbo Boost and that would be in my new desktop.
• The keyboard is really nice and I can type at 60 WPM (that’s my current typing speed) without a problem and obviously the number pad is a nice addition for those who work around calculations a lot.
• Build quality is nice too. I’ve got obsidian black color; it’s glossy and attracts finger prints a lot. It’s heavier than my old pal, Lenovo Y410, like few grams more.
• I’ve got 3 USB ports. 1 at the left side and other two at the back side. 1 HDMI port at the left side for better display and sound. Then, I’ve an Ethernet port at the right side and a charging port at the backside. So, think about this. If I use all ports simultaneously, then I would get tangled in the web of wires and I don’t like it.
• Speaker are really (really) nice and if you want to listen something via headphone or you your mic then we’ve got one port for each at the left. Yeah! That means that we can’t hook up 2 headphones and one mic simultaneously.
• I’ve got 1.3 MP camera with this laptop and it is disappointing. Well, I couldn’t hope for a great camera with this one anyway. The price is justified with all other things that this laptop offers.
• I got this laptop, i.e. Dell Inspiron 15R N5010 at Rs.39,800/- including all taxes and delivery charges. I love this laptop and you’ll too.