Dell's Inspiron 15-5558 is the most current scion of the Inspiron 15-5000 lineup and is a 15.6-inch all-rounder. The tablet just has something in the same way as its forerunner as far as processor.
Both models are outfitted with Broadwell processors. The 5558 accompanies another packaging, and the AMD illustrations center still introduced in the antecedent has now been supplanted with a GPU from Nvidia.
Design:
We tested the popular 15in size from the 5000 Series, the 5558 just updated by Dell. There are several configurations from which to choose, all based on the same tough casework. It weighs 2.4kg and feels heavier – in a good way, the stiff chassis suggesting it could withstand wear, yet with thoughtful touches like full-length rubber feet ridges on the underside for a stable platform.A black tiled keyboard with clean action sits on a rubbery grey top deck. The button-less track-pad was unusually precise, unlike its 5548 predecessor whose cursor could fly off course when clicked. Also changed since the last model, the 5558 model now includes a DVD writer on the right of the chassis.
A half-depth removable plate covers the underside, allowing access to key components: hard disk, memory and wireless adapters. This model had 8 GB on two cards, a Toshiba 1TB HDD, along with single-stream 11ac Wi-Fi. There’s a choice of screens, all sensibly non-touch; low-res 1366 x 768 or FHD.
Dell is coy on what technology is used, but the full-HD screen in our sample had the decent contrast and off-axis view-ability of an IPS panel. Its colour gamut was only 61 percent sRGB but contrast ratio was up at 500:1. Options for connectivity include just one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0, HDMI 1.4a for full-rate video to 1440p, gigabit ethernet, and SDXC card slot. Our sample had Windows 10 Pro installed.
Display:
Its has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The Inspiron is also available with an HD screen (1366x768 pixels). Both the contrast (1180:1) and black level (0.15 cd/m²) of the Full HD screen are very good. However, its brightness is disappointing. A rate of 175.7 cd/m² is no longer up-to-date. We expect a minimum rate of 250 cd/m² here. Curiously, the brightness increased by a good 30 cd/m² in battery mode.
Performance:
The Core i5 processor is clocked at 2.2 GHz, rising up to 2.7 GHz Turbo when required. The Inspiron will get a little noisy when stressed, a single fan spinning loudly to maintain cool. Geekbench 3 scored the Dell with 2802 and 5539 points respectively for single- and multi-core operation. PCMark 8 turned in average results, 2291 points in normal Home test, which actually drooped to 2263 points using the GPU to accelerate OpenCL tasks.The main processor includes HD Graphics 5500 and some models include switchable graphics like the Nvidia GeForce 920M with 2 GB DDR3 in our sample. The discrete graphics capability means you can also play Windows games, with some care in settings to find a workable framerate. Batman refused to run but Tomb Raider managed 37 fps set at 1080p resolution and Low detail; or 43 fps at 1366 x 768 and High detail.
The Inspiron 15-5558 could have better battery life – it lasted less than five hours (4 h 55 min) in a wireless video test. In use the Inspiron 15 actually felt surprisingly fast and fluid, unusual for a hard disk-based PC. It was helped along by a high-quality trackpad and excellent screen, providing essential comfort in the human interface to the laptop.
Gaming:
The Inspiron's hardware can smoothly render many games in the HD resolution using low to medium quality settings. Games with low hardware requirements allow more. It is difficult to achieve playable frame rates in some smash hits. Reducing the resolution/quality settings might be required here. However, The Witcher 3 and Batman: Arkham Knight do not produce any playable frame rates then, either.
While the Inspiron still managed a 20 to 30% advantage over GeForce 820M laptops in 3DMark, this lead is somewhat lower in gaming practice. An average of 10 to 20% higher frame rates is reached here. The Radeon R7 M270 graphics core in the Inspiron 15-5548 is defeated marginally.
Users who want more gaming power will have to take another laptop. It is, however, not necessary to invest more money. The Aspire E5-571G equipped with a GeForce 840M core is available for a price starting at 500 Euros (~$552, without Windows operating system).
Operating System:
The operating system is Windows 8.1 (64-bit). A recovery DVD is not part of the included accessories. Users can replace Windows 8.1 with Windows 7 if preferred. Dell provides the necessary drivers.
Graphics Card:
We have tested most graphics cores from Nvidia's current GeForce 900M lineup. We could usually only ascertain a marginal performance plus of only a few percent over the corresponding precursor graphics core. The reason: The cores are based on the same architecture as their precursors and only clock at slightly higher speeds. This is a bit different with the GeForce 920M graphics core installed in the Inspiron.
Nvidia uses a different architecture (Kepler) here than in the GeForce 820M core (Fermi). The 920M achieves a considerably better score than the 820 core in the 3DMark benchmarks due to its new architecture. We recorded an advantage of 20 to 30%. The Radeon R7 M270 graphics core in the Inspiron 15-1548 scores slightly better than the GeForce 920 GPU in the 3DMark benchmarks.
The GeForce core alongside Intel's integrated HD Graphics 5500 GPU forms a graphics-switching solution (Optimus). Intel's GPU is active in routine and battery mode. The GeForce core is utilized for performance-driven applications, such as computer games. The graphics cores are switched automatically. The user normally does not have to intervene, but it is always possible when required.
Power Consumption:
The Inspiron does not have an excessively high energy requirement throughout the entire load range. The idle power consumption remained below 10 watts, which is how it should be. The requirement increased up to 36.3 watts during the stress test.
This rate would be higher if the CPU utilized its Turbo in the stress test (it is naturally utilized in routine use). The power supply with a nominal capacity of 65 watts is not a restricting factor. A power consumption of roughly 33 watts would be realistic for gaming routine.
Battery Runtime:
The Inspiron manages an idle runtime of 11:06 hours. Acer's Aspire E5-571G (13:15 h) lasts longer. Idle mode is ascertained with Battery Eater's Reader's test using minimum screen brightness, enabled energy-saving mode, and disabled radio modules. The Inspiron shut down after 1:43 hours of load. The Aspire (2:52 h) achieves a considerably longer time. The load runtime is determined using Battery Eater's Classic test with maximum screen brightness, high-performance profile, and enabled wireless modules.
Dell's laptop stopped our real-life Wi-Fi test after 5:37 hours. Again, the Aspire (6:52 h) exhibits more stamina. This test simulates the load produced when opening websites. The "Balanced" profile is used, and the screen's brightness is approximately 150 cd/m².
We check the video playback time by running the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The wireless modules are off and the screen's brightness is set to roughly 150 cd/m². The Inspiron lasted for 5:15 hours. The Aspire (7:04 h) has the lead once more.
It is clear that the Inspiron cannot compete with the Aspire's run times. Acer's laptop has a higher capacity battery (Dell: 40 Wh, Acer: 56 Wh).
Maintenance:
The maintenance cover can be opened after releasing both fixture screws. The user can then access the hard drive, working memory banks, Wi-Fi module, and BIOS battery. Replacing the hard drive is throughout possible. 2.5-inch models with a height of 7 mm can be installed. The laptop features two working memory banks. Each bank is filled with a 4 GB module. The fan cannot be accessed this way. The casing would have to be opened for that.
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