Dell Inspiron 15R Laptop (Core i5 3rd Gen/4 GB/500 GB/Windows 7/1)

Guys, I have this laptop with me, with the same specs as listed above. Very good and simple looks, but those are subjective so what can I say, others may not like it. Pros: 1. Build Quality is top notch and it comes with Win7 Home basic which is great for my needs. The cover is user replaceable with another color. 2. HDMI output in 1080p is stunning quality! Just saw a 720p video and that too is razor sharp quality. 3. Display is very high quality. Some LED or so. 4. Its speedy. Very fast for its category. Runs at 2.5 Ghz and occasionally at 3.1 Ghz too. I'm playing an original GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City game. (which I purchased from Flipkart). It runs well at 29 fps. In high priority (see the below tips), it noticeably gets even higher. 5. There are enough ports for expansion. 4 USB 3.0 ports and some other ports. Even otherwise, the Spec sheet is quite complete, with Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi, Webcam, etc. 6. Somehow, it stays cool even on many hours of 3D gaming usage. I can't understand how... but its amazing. Cons: 1. I couldn't understand why it uses Intel 4000 instead of AMD Radeon drivers. Is the Intel driver better for my hardware? I'm confused. 2. Microphones are not twin/ stereo. There is only one Mic on front, near webcam. Conclusion: I'm very satisfied by it. Its made in India though and not imported. But it proved to be a good buy and I love it! Tips: 1. If you're playing heavy games, minimize them, right click on the Taskbar (at the bottom) and go to Task Manager. Here, identify the process that your game uses, right click it and set it to "High". Your game will show increased FPS immediately. 2. Set switchable graphics options to "high performance" for the games, you want to play. Right click on desktop and choose "configure switchable graphics". 3. Keep charger plugged in. It increases some FPS instantly! :)

When I bought this off Flipkart, the price was Rs 38,722/-, and upon comparing the specifications with similarly priced models of other brands, I went ahead and bought it. The very next day, Flipkart hiked the prices to over ???46000/-. I still can't believe how lucky I got with the price, considering the fact that the price is now on par with Dell's online rates. Anyway, the laptop itself is a good one, although I must admit that the keyboard quality isn't of the highest quality. It works perfectly well, though, and typing my really long research papers and articles isn't a pain anymore. Its just the feel of the keyboard that could have been improved (and should have been backlit). But hey, I ain't complaining! Also, the laptop itself feels well built, and seems like this one will last on me for a while, maybe 3-4 years without causing much trouble. And I like the overall texture of the body: it looks sophisticated, and it doesn't attract too many fingerprints. Overall, top marks for the build quality. The specifications are awesome. The huge trackpad that supports multi-touch gestures is pretty good and will, hopefully, be of use when Windows 8 ships in. Speaking of which, don't be bothered by the fact that you're just getting Windows 8 Home Basic with this laptop. Honestly, it doesn't matter since you can upgrade to Win 8 Pro in less than two months for just ???700 rupees. And the generous number of four USB 3.0 ports makes me feel grateful. The ATI radeon graphics card seems pretty good, although I must say that the integrated Intel HD 4000 is every bit worth the penny in its own way. Either way, you can play Max Payne 3 at fairly high settings. Another way to know if your laptop can run games is to check out the site www.systemrequirementslab.com. But yeah, hardcore gamers would appreciate the additional card, although I would recommend the DEEPCOOL N1 Cooling Pad to keep the laptop within usable temperature levels in case of prolonged gaming (although this model tends to let the laptop slip off a bit; manageable, nevertheless). Laptop weight: this laptop IS heavy. At 2.7 kg, its not lightweight. I mean, in today's world of iPads and ultrabooks, this one will weigh a bit, but of course, students like myself won't complain since we usually port it to one single place for several hours. I couldn't run a full battery drain test, but I must say that the performance is just average. But that was expected, given the graphics card. If you're gonna be using just a Word processor along with some background music playing, it should last around 3 hours, I think. Again, I am not sure. Another thing: the Wave Maxx speakers that come with the notebook aren't gonna give Altec Lansings a run for their money in any way, but it still holds up better than the crap speakers on my 3 year old Vaio that I am replacing. So the occasional movie playing without the headphones shouldn't be a bad experience, though you'd wish the speakers were louder. Like I said, no match for the Altec Lansing found on HP laptops. The laptop bag that ships along with the laptop is made by Targus, and is pretty rudimentary, but still looks elegant enough to be used by a college-goer. The screen is awesome. Its really bright compared to the Vaios and the Pavilions that I have seen recently, so I did tone down the brightness quite a bit while typing for long hours at a stretch. For movies, its fine, although it isn't exactly anti-glare. But hey, my 3 year old Vaio's screen was a mirror. :D Its a new gadget for me, at the end of the day, and one that I am in love with. For ???46000/-, I'd check out other brands that may provide better Value-For-Money laptops, but I am pretty sure this Dell model won't disappoint me in any case. Good luck with your new laptop! Treat her well and she will remain loyal to you :) PS: All those wondering how to use the new rupee symbol (???) shown with the numeric key 4, try this combo: Ctrl + Shift + 4. Make sure you are using the English (India) keyboard layout. It didn't work for me at first, so I opened a Word document and kept trying a couple of times until it worked.