Inspiron 17r se gaming performance

It was smoothly playable after reducing the resolution and detail level to high 47 fps. The lack of raw power and the GDDR5 memory that only has a bit bus, which can quickly turn into a bottleneck at such resolutions with enabled AA and AF, prevent better performance.

The Inspiron 17R SE will hardly be noticed in a quiet room when idling with an average of Even the built-in HDD is louder than the fan at idle measuring The fan's speed increases in several levels during load and as a result, its noise. However, we did not find the fan's frequency range penetrating or disturbing. According to the Voltcraft SL meter, the average loudness is The surface temperatures are within an acceptable range when idling.

The maximum temperature of The maximum idle temperature of However, that is generally not to be recommended for a inch notebook because of its size and weight anyway and will unlikely happen very often in practice. It was ascertained on the center of the notebook. Although it gets noticeably warmer here, we did not find it uncomfortable.

Although Turbo Boost cannot be maintained for long during load and the CPU is forced to clock down to default due to heat development, we fortunately did not ascertain throttling during the test.

Dell includes the matching sound manager simply called Dell Audio. Apart from volume control, it enables adjusting the settings in the equalizer. However, you should not overdo it because the motto here is: less is often more. When the bass control is moved to high along with the maximum volume, the speakers tend to overdo the effect, particularly in trendy, bass-heavy music.

Apart from this minor issue, Skullcandy's 2. In high-performance devices such as Dell's Inspiron 17R SE, not only is the available performance important but the energy needed to ensure this level of computing power is a consideration.

We measure an average consumption of In contrast to earlier models, the Inspiron 17R Special Edition consumes one watt more, but it is also quite a bit more powerful. The similarities with the predecessor in idle power consumption stop during load. This is due to the installed GeForce GT M that is enabled during load and consequently consumes more power.

Although mobility is rather secondary in this weight class, a certain degree of freedom can be quite useful. We again use BatteryEater's Reader's test and recorded a maximum runtime of 5 hours and 4 minutes minutes.

Optimus technology detects the situation correctly and switches to Intel's HD Graphics The minimum mobile runtime nosedives to mere 59 minutes BatteryEater's Classic, max. The included 48 Wh lithium ion battery The notebook lasts an average of minutes 2 hours and 31 minutes when used to run a DVD. The Inspiron 17R SE convinces in Wi-Fi use with minutes 3 hours and 48 minutes - a runtime with which you can work decently. Dell's Inspiron 17R Special Edition convinces us with its stability and workmanship.

The anodized aluminum featuring a honeycomb pattern is also pleasing. However, we deem it too sensitive to fingerprints which are inevitable when working or playing on the device. Regular care and maintenance are the unavoidable consequence. Although there is a lever on the rear for switching the cover Dell probably will not offer any alternatively colored covers for its Special Edition. However, this option is hidden a bit because it is only appears for the device that is not ready for fast delivery.

We are extremely pleased with the hardware included. A Core iQM processor and a GeForce GT M are installed, which is a potent combination that ensures smooth frame rates at high resolutions x even for the latest games. We find it too bad that Dell does not offer an SSD upgrade on its homepage.

It would make a lot of sense for such a device as it would increase its performance even more. Disregarding its size and performance, a mobile Wi-Fi runtime of up to 4 hours is possible - a time with which you can reasonably productive away from the mains. The stable case made of anodized aluminum with the cool design ensures good looks and the Skullcandy 2.

Apart from the name, our test device no longer has much in common with the older generation models that we have reviewed. The newest hardware technology is packed in a new outfit. Anodized aluminum in precision-embossed honeycomb pattern.

Switch lever for releasing the cover. But where are the colorful covers? USB 3. LED indicator, 8 in 1 card reader. Battery, switch lever. Accessories Microsoft Office Starter, McAfee Security Center 15 months, registration required and Nero Control Center are among the preinstalled programs mostly bloatware found on the hard disk.

Input Devices. Chiclet-style keyboard. Gossen Mavo-Monitor. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. My initial thought on seeing this new Dell Inspiron 17R SE pulled from its box for the first time was, "Wow, does anyone still make laptops this big? The difference is that those systems, typified by the Inspiron 14z , are part of Dell's "z" line, which indicates a thinner body perhaps related to the z axis in the Cartesian coordinate system.

This is the regular full-thickness Inspiron, a line that Dell has not particularly emphasized of late. There's still a further catch here, however. This is the SE or Special Edition version of the 17R, which means its options include high-end CPUs, discrete graphics, p displays, and backlit keyboards, packed into a chassis that's at least partially aluminum.

At the same time, that combination of a quad-core Core i7, midrange Nvidia GPU, and p screen is not the stuff of budget laptops. Getting similar specs from a boutique gaming PC company, or Dell's more upscale XPS line, will also cost a good deal more. It seems to me that the concept here is to put your dollars into the components inside the laptop, while not worrying as much about the outside.

What you end up with is a laptop that isn't going to win any beauty pageants although it's not hideous , but has some mid- to high-end components at a good price. That said, the GeForce M GPU keeps this from being an unbeatable budget gaming monster -- that's too far removed from Nvidia's highest-end parts to satisfy ubergamers. The new Dell Inspiron 17R SE is not really bigger and thicker than midprice desktop replacement laptops from a couple of years ago, nor is it less attractive, or made of cheaper materials.

What has changed, however, is what the rest of the laptop market looks like, as well as consumers' expectations for laptops across all sizes and price ranges.

Every single person who saw our Inspiron 17R SE was taken aback at how big and thick it was, and how much it looked like a throwback to an earlier generation of laptop. To be fair, 1. But, today's laptop shopper is inundated with messages about ultrabooks and other slim laptops, with superthin designs moving from inch models into and inch or larger territory.

Desktop-replacement laptops, with big inch or larger screens, are less common than they used to be. Even Apple has sunsetted its only inch model. Of the handful that are left, most are high-end systems aimed at gamers or multimedia producers, making a budget inch laptop the rarest of all. Dell's Inspiron line is one of the few to offer a product for those seeking maximum screen for minimum investment.

Of course, on a big-screen laptop such as this, it's harder to hide the cost-cutting. A inch laptop with the same CPU could get away with a mostly plastic body and lower screen resolution, but in a desktop replacement, one's expectations of power, performance, and features are simply higher. For the handful of shoppers who want a leave-it-at-home, nongaming laptop and don't mind the suboptimal 1,xpixel resolution on this That more expensive Special Edition version has the same general outline, but is covered with a black cross-hatched pattern, while the regular 17R has a smart-looking brushed-metal finish although it's actually made of plastic on its lid and keyboard tray.

As with many Inspiron laptops, the top layer of the lid pops off and can be replaced by aftermarket alternatives in different colors. This laptop is not really bigger and thicker than midprice desktop-replacement laptops from a couple of years ago.

What has changed, however, is what the rest of the laptop market looks like, as well as consumers' expectations for laptops across all sizes and price ranges. Today's laptop shopper is inundated with messages about ultrabooks and other slim laptops, with superthin designs moving from inch models into and inch or larger territory.

As on the Inspiron 17R SE, the 17R's keyboard is Dell's standard variation on the flat-topped, widely spaced, island-style keyboard found in most current laptops. In the Dell version, the keys have more rounded corners than most, and the top row of function keys is half-height. Face-tracking software was responsive, quickly panning to match our movements. The microphone performed well during our Skype tests. While our callers did complain of initial background noise, it was easily fixed by adjusting the noise suppression and echo cancellation presets located in Dell Webcam Central.

After 15 minutes of playing video on Hulu at full screen, the Inspiron 17R's touchpad remained relatively cool at 86 degrees. However, the underside of the laptop and the keyboard registered a relatively hot 99 and 98 degrees, a few degrees above the threshold of what we consider uncomfortable Featuring a 2.

However, it should be noted that this category contains a number of far more powerful gaming machines. The only time we noticed lag on the 17R was when we were watching Spider Man 3 while web-surfing and playing Bejeweled 2 at the same time. Our biggest issue with the Inspiron 17R is its sluggish boot time. The drive was also slow at duplicating a 4. The 17R fared better when it came video editing.

However, the laptop failed to beat the category average of 8, The Inspiron 17R is certainly powerful enough to play the latest games. The machine notched 60 frames per second when playing World of Warcraft on Good at a resolution of x While this is well below the category average fps , the VAIO EC series could only post 37 fps at the same resolution. When we cranked the effects up to Ultra, the Inspiron 17R's frame rates dropped to 41 fps, which is still more than playable.