So, I have to start out by saying this laptop replaced a 3 year old acre S7 that I loved. It was not a perfect laptop but I liked more thing about it than I disliked. So any replacement had a hard act to follow. The Dell is a great laptop. I deducted one star because the first thing I had to do was remove the slow old tech HDD and replace it with an ssd. (But in the update after a couple months of use, I re-added 1 star) Not ALL bad since Dell would have wanted twice As much For the SSD than I paid. 12GB of ram is more than most users will need. The keyboard is very nice to use with good travel and feedback and we'll illuminated. (never liked the KB on the S7) The star of the device is the screen. Super resolution, bright, clear BUT highly reflective. (NO flicker issues as others have commented on). Not a show stopper but can be annoying in some lighting conditions. I am still getting used to the footprint. My beloved S7 was much smaller, thinner and lighter. The one thing on can not understand is why dell wasted so much space. There's a good inch of wasted space around the screen and enough blank space around the keyboard for a full size number pad. Not a deal breaker, just strange.... :-(
The laptop is a joy to use in many ways and is well constructed. Not quite up to the build quality of the S7 but definitely good hardware. One gripe I have is the brick that ships with it. Spend $20 and get Dell's 90w slim line power supply. You will not regret it!
******* UPDATE *********
Well it's been several months with my new Dell and we are getting along splendidly. After the painful rebuilding process that comes with replacing any “dead” laptop, I can say “I’m still impressed”. Overall performance is much better than my old S7, and better than I expected. Performance is on par with a well equipped desktop systems. VERY PLEASED!!!!!
Based on my experience here are my Recommended Accessories:
• I purchased a hard shell for it here on Amazon and it’s great. (iPearl mCover Hard Shell Case for 15.6" Dell Inspiron 15 7547 / 7548 series laptop – BLACK) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WCJK0SE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 No, it will not protect the laptop from a major fall but it will protect the aluminum case from the daily grind, dents and scrapes. Help keep it looking like new! It also offers better ventilation. (NICE ADDITION)
• I upgraded the memory from 12GB to 16GB with Kingston HyperX Impact Black 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1600MHz DDR3L CL9 SODIMM 1.35V Laptop Memory (HX316LS9IBK2/16) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQCOV5C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 -- This is not a mandatory upgrade and most users will never know the difference. (NICE ADDITION)
• I removed the old school slow 1TB HDD and replaced it with a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB 2.5-Inch SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive. https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-512GB-2-5-Inch-6Gbps-MZ-7PD512BW/dp/B009NB8WTI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1467218870&sr=1-3&keywords=samsung+SSD+pro+512. Great drive, boot speed is about 10-12 sec for a cold boot, about 1 sec from hibernate. (REQUIRED UPGRADE)
• Junked the old style brick power supply for a smaller and more compact “slim” version. Dell Slim Power Adapter, 90-Watt (MKN5F) I got as a Warehouse Deal. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002R5AO3E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (NICE ADDITION)
I tried to get a non-glare screen protector for it but that has not worked out so far. The one I purchased here on Amazon was listed for a Dell 7000 but made for the standard 15” screen not the 15.6 4K screen on this laptop.
Fan noise is minimal even under load and nothing on the laptop gets uncomfortably hot even when using the laptop with graphical intensive applications. I am very pleased with the price, performance and build quality. With a few low cost upgrades and a little effort this laptop truly shines.
SSD Upgrade note: Samsung offers a very good utility that can normally clone any HDD to an SSD. In the case of the Dell built HDD, it failed. I was able to use the standard HDD to build a restore image of the original dell OS (Win 8.1 Pro) and load it to the new SSD. I basically did a drive restore as though recovering from a total drive failure. Not a big deal, just a few extra steps. I was up and running on the NEW SSD in a few hours with no issues.
*** 1 Year Update ***
Still going strong. Still love the laptop. It's had a lot of use and is still working great. Screen is still just amazing..
One fan is starting to get a little loud so my best guess is that there is a fan failure in my future. Not a big deal because I got an extended 3 year warrantee with onsite service. First year ZERO problems. Wish Dell made cars :-)
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 3840 x 2160 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 3840 x 2160 |
| Processor | 3 GHz core_i7 |
| RAM | 12 GB DDR4 |
| Memory Speed | 1600 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 1000 GB |
| Graphics Coprocessor | AMD Radeon R7 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Wireless Type | Bluetooth |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
