Dell Inspiron 17R review

The good: The Dell Inspiron 17R is a big, desk-filling laptop for not much money, built into a similar chassis as Dell's recently reviewed, and more expensive, 17R SE model.

The bad: Low screen resolution for a 17-inch laptop, no discrete graphics, no clickpad.

The bottom line: If you need maximum screen size at a minimum price, this basic 17-inch Dell Inspiron 17R is powerful enough for everyday tasks, but the lower screen resolution is a constant reminder of its budget origins.

Desktop replacement laptops, with big 17-inch or larger screens, are less common than they used to be. Even Apple has sunsetted its only 17-inch model. Of the handful that are left, most are high-end systems aimed at gamers or multimedia producers, making a budget 17-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. The Inspiron 17R starts at $599, although our $699 review configuration seems like a better overall deal. For an extra $100, you trade up from a second-gen Intel Core i3 CPU to a third-gen Core i5, plus get a larger hard drive.

Of course, on a big-screen laptop such as this, it's harder to hide the cost-cutting. A 13-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 example, the very similar-looking Dell Inspiron 17R SE (for Special Edition) offers options including high-end CPUs, discrete graphics, 1080p displays, and backlit keyboards, but starts at $999.

For the handful of shoppers who want a leave-it-at-home, nongaming laptop and don't mind the suboptimal 1,600x900-pixel resolution on this 17.3-inch screen, I suppose there's a case to be made for the Inspiron 17R, but I'd be hard-pressed to think of the last time a reader asked me about something along those lines.

Price as reviewed / Starting price	$699 / $599
Processor	2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3210M
Memory	6GB, 1,600MHz DDR3
Hard drive	750GB 5,400rpm
Chipset	Intel HM65
Graphics	Intel HD4000
Operating system	Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Dimensions (WD)	16.4 x 10.9 inches
Height	1.3 - 1.5 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	17.3 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	7.1/8.8 pounds
Category	Desktop replacement

At first glance, this system is nearly identical to the recently reviewed Dell Inspiron 17R SE. That more expensive Special Edition version has the same general outline, but is covered with a black cross-hatched pattern, while the regular non-SE 17R has a smart-looking brushed-metal finish (although it's actually made of plastic) on its lid and keyboard tray. Like many Inspiron laptops, the top layer of the lid pops off and can be replaced by aftermarket alternatives in different colors. The available options I saw were pink or blue, each for $29.

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 13-inch models into 14- and 15-inch or larger territory.

As on the Inspiron 17R SE, this 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. The current Dell XPS laptops have essentially the same keyboard, but with a slightly more stylized font on the letter keys. The keys feel tight and responsive, but there's still a good deal of flex in the middle.

	Dell Inspiron 17R	Average for category [desktop replacement]
Video	VGA plus HDMI	VGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort
Audio	Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks	Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks.
Data	4 USB 3.0, SD card reader	2 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader, eSATA
Networking	Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	DVD burner	DVD burner or Blu-ray player

The ports and connections on the Inspiron 17R and 17R SE are identical. When some of these features regularly get cut for either space or budget (or both), it's nice to see a full set of four USB ports here, and even better, they're all USB 3.0 ports.

This $699 configuration is the smartest choice out of the three preconfigured versions available on Dell's Web site, with a current-gen (Ivy Bridge) Intel Core i5 CPU, 6GB of RAM, and a 750GB hard drive. Cut $100 to $599, and you get a previous-generation (Sandy Bridge) Intel Core i3 CPU and smaller 500GB HDD. Go the other way, up to $849, and the specs are a current-gen quad-core Core i7 8GB of RAM, and a big 1TB hard drive. For $250 more than that high-end config, the 17R SE we reviewed added an Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics card, an additional 32GB SSD, better speakers, and a full 1080p screen.

Much of Dell's 2012 Inspiron line looks sharp and modern, but this is one of the exceptions. It's a thick, bulky throwback, at least designwise. But, if you can overlook the lower screen resolution, it's a stay-at-home laptop with decent performance at a budget-friendly price.