Dell Inspiron 15 Application Performance

Given the 4GB of memory and powerful quad-threaded Intel Core i5-520M processor, it's reasonable to expect our Inspiron 15 review unit will tear through most processor-related tasks with relative ease. To refresh, here's how our Inspiron 15 is configured:

Dell Inspiron 1564 Testbed
Processor Intel Core i5 520M
(2x2.4GHz, 32nm, 3MB L3, Turbo to 2.83GHz, 35W)
Memory 2x2GB DDR3-1066 (Max 2x4GB)
Graphics ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 512MB GDDR3
(80 SPs, 450/1.2GHz Core/RAM clocks)
Display 15.6" LED Glossy 16:9 768p (1366x768)
Hard Drive(s) 320GB 5400RPM HDD
Optical Drive 8x DVDR SuperMulti
Battery 6-Cell, 12V, 48Wh battery
"Up to 4 Hours"
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Pricing $979 as configured

For basic performance we've tested the Inspiron 15 in PCMark05 and PCMark Vantage, and in both programs you'll see it simply excels, blowing past the Intel Core 2 powered competition. We've also included results for video encoding, 3D rendering, and web browser performance.

Futuremark PCMark Vantage

Futuremark PCMark05

Internet Performance

Video Encoding - x264

Video Encoding - x264

3D Rendering - CINEBENCH R10

3D Rendering - CINEBENCH R10

Intel made some very big strides with the Arrandale-based Intel Core i5 processors, and the i5-520M's performance here is proof of that, showing leads of 20% to 65% in the various benchmarks compared to the next-fastest notebook (Dell Studio 14z/P8600). Suffice it to say, it's very fast and more than up to any processor-related task you want to throw at it. The only way you'll get more performance in a laptop is to move to a quad-core CPU, and even then it will only be in tasks that can leverage multi-threading effectively.

Dell Inspiron 15 Overview Dell Inspiron 15 3DMark Performance
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  • Hrel - Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - link

    Haven't even gotten past the first page yet, but a 768p screen paired with a 5400rpm hdd just makes me lose ALL interest! Especially for almost $1000, wtf!
  • wolrah - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    The 100mbit Ethernet connection is where I lose interest. Gigabit is cheap as dirt. There is no reason at all for any computer shipping today to not have gigabit, period. 802.11n not being there I can sort of see at the low end, since good 802.11n APs are still hard to find, but gigabit is an unacceptable omission.
  • donjuancarlos - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    It's the Core i5--new technology that's jacking the price (not even available at dell.com right now). If you get a core i3, you can get one for under $600. I've seen them under $500 on sale. That's just fine price-wise.

    And I agree with Anandtech- the i5 in this laptop is overkill. For better performance you're much better off to get the $500 version of this laptop and throw an SSD in it.
  • T2k - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    I disagree: it's a DTR, remember?
    And if you do video/fx/cg/3D/graphics/etc jobs faster CPU and more memory always help a lot.
  • strikeback03 - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    a 15" relatively thin laptop isn't necessarily a DTR.
  • dagamer34 - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    Because people who worry about stuff like that, Dell would rather you purchase a Studio XPS than from the Inspiron line of laptops.
  • Hrel - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    Only problem with that is that they START at like a thousand bucks.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    So skip the Studio XPS and look at the regular http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop_st...">Dell Studio line. I find those to be a lot better in overall features, customization options, etc.

    1: Please don't respond to spam posts, or you risk having your comments deleted. The following two comments were from other readers.

    jecs:
    Its ugly, but when a big fight involving big capitals has been beautiful???. Do you expect poetry? And then what is the point in a patent if it can't "protect" you or your products. And yes, I don't like it. But is better to have order and laws than not having them at all, or a system that can be fooled everywhere.

    Apple is a corporation and is no better in that sense than the rest. Don be fooled because there are no angels here and there, and don't be naive, this is the world we live in. But again, ¿Why does a corporation exist on a legal basis? It does not includes just this silly method Apple is fighting for. What's involved here is the main reason why we need a legal system, clear rules and what should be protected and from who.

    T2k:
    Screw Dell and its price gouging - http://www.jr.com/acer-computer/pe/ACE_AS5740G6979..." target="_blank">take a look at here!

    Yes, that's the SAME CPU there, bigger HDD, better screen, everything included and graphics is the LATEST DX11 Mobility Radeon 5650 1GB instead of Dell's outdated chip - all this for $750 SHIPPED.

    Last year Acer became the #2 PC maker and it's not an accident: it's killing Dell with its faster model refresh rate, better quality-control and lower prices.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, March 4, 2010 - link

    Technically, T2k, that's the same size screen, same resolution screen, and a cheaper CPU (the i5-520M has a lot price of $225; Intel doesn't list volume pricing on the i3 or i5-430M, but I'd expect it's at least $75 less). But otherwise, yes, the Acer you linked looks like a much better buy.
  • lyeoh - Friday, March 5, 2010 - link

    Acers tend to be crappier than Dells though.

    http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/laptop-reliabil...">http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/lapt...-survey-...

    (feel free to ignore the projections)

    Dell's aren't that great but they aren't that crap either. They're smack right in the middle which I think is where they are aiming for anyway.

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