Dell - Inspiron 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i3 - 4GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive - Black

If you are looking to get a laptop with the most features for the lowest price, this is the one. Even if you didn't get it at the Black Friday price of $299., like I did- it is still worth it. I compared: screen size (15.6), Touch Screen, Pentium Core i3 (not Celeron, etc.), 4GB expandable RAM, DVD drive (many don't have anymore), Bluetooth, HDMI, etc. Many others may have some better features (faster processor, more ram), but lacked other important ones like those I just mentioned- and still costed more. This was the best overall value for me right now. This is probably not for you for work, or if you are a big gamer; but for home use, or students it will do great. Set up was a breeze, everything is running smoothly. Yes, some compromises include the plastic feel, and the track pad is a little fussy on some websites, but I use a wireless mouse now anyway or the touchscreen in that case. Regarding other reviews on the internet in general complaining about Windows 8.1, don't let that deter you, there is a keyboard button, on screen button and more- that get you to that familiar desktop with one click. Plus, I love the touchscreen and the apps screen, its super easy to navigate and also customizable. (2015 upgrade to Windows 10 anyway.) Kudos to the other reviewer with instructions to improve the default volume. In conclusion: Does it not look as cool as Apple, obviously- but I didn't want to pay twice as much and still not have some important features. Besides, I have other Apple products anyway, and its nice to have an alternative. I love this laptop, and love the price even more! If it lasts just a few years that's fine with me.

I got this when the $299 sale dropped on Thursday the 27th. Ordered it online and it was delivered quickly. The laptop itself is great! Not as fast as others but for the price, it cant be beat! I priced the same machine out there for a lot more! The touch screen is responsive and the keyboard has a nice feel. I was happy to see it has a full numbers pad! That's a plus for what I do. My only issue was with the default low volume level. I fixed it and chalked up to setting up a new PC. If you have low volume, here's what you do to correct it. You can fix the default sound settings. Go to your volume adjustment and click on the speakers/headphones icon. Then go to properties/enhancements and make sure these are checked..... (Environment-Equalizer-Virtual Surround-Loudness Equalization) This is a MUST! Fixed all the low volume issues. See the photo!

I have been in search of a good, inexpensive laptop for a while so when I saw this on sale for Thanksgiving I'm jumped on it. I'd read the other reviews prior to opening. I figured some of the complaints were either because people hate Windows 8.1 or because they just aren't all that computer savvy (being that my background is in IT). After first setting everything up, it seemed to be perfect for my needs (casual, everyday use- internet MS office). After a few days, I'd noticed how slow it began to be. I'd not even loaded any applications on there except DropBox. It would take longer than normal to boot up and OMG- it took forever to open a browser (Chrome and IE). Webpages took forever to load after typing them in. I tried to give it a chance because I did not want to have to return it. However, I knew this would drive me nuts so I opted to order a different laptop (brand and processor). The laptop does have a cheap appearance like everyone has mentioned but that didn't bother me because the laptop wasn't a expensive laptop (even at non-sale price). Nevertheless, this laptop may work for some who doesnt mind the slowness. And it could've just been that I got a "bad" one. I wouldn't say the laptop was horrible or a piece of junk-- it just didn't work out for me. Dell is typically a good brand, as we use it at my job and my work laptop has been great. If you aren't on a tight budget, I'd highly recommend that you opt for an i5 or i7 processor.

Pros • Low price - New $310. Refurbished $270-$280. • Intel Core i3-4030U - same features (incl. hyperthreading) as Core i5-4210U but a bit slower; according to CPUboss website. • RAM and hard drive are upgradeable; only 1 screw to open panel. • Fast boot-up & shutdown, less than 10 seconds. • Battery life 7 hours. • 15.6" screen, good for working on large spreadsheets. • Full-size keyboard with number pad. • Touchscreen • DVD player/burner Cons • Touchpad/mouse is *sometimes* unresponsive, too sensitive, or unpredictable, due to Windows processing tasks in the background and Windows touch/swipe gesture design. The touchpad can be better designed so as to avoid accidental touch & "jumping" cursors. • Keyboard is not lit. Num Lock lacks indicator light. • Entire laptop casing is plastic. I bought this laptop to replace my old Dell Vostro laptop (Intel Core2 Duo T5470) and work on large Microsoft Excel spreadsheets with over 10,000 rows and 50 columns of data, formulas, plus some charts. This laptop is at least twice as fast. MS Excel takes 15-20 seconds to calculate my spreadsheets vs 40-60 seconds on the old Dell. MS Excel shows "4 processors" (dual-core Core i3-4030U has hyperthreading) vs only "2 processors" (dual-core Core2 Duo T5470 lacks hyperthreading.) Antivirus software McAfee (pre-installed) and WebRoot (free download) each offers only 6 months of free service. I don't use them (I uninstalled McAfee). I use AVG free version and Windows Firewall. Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK is a good value,

When I received this laptop, I got everything I expected, modest performance but with a great value. The features that separate this laptop from the others in the price range is the touchscreen and the i3 CPU. Similarly priced models have Pentiums or even Celeron CPU's along with a generic 1366X768 display. The RAM leaves room for some improvement but it is upgrade-able so no problem there. I also love the chiclet keyboard with a full number pad which was a nice touch on a budget laptop. Many friends have commented on the great deal I got for this laptop, even those with high-end laptops love the great touchscreen that was included with this model. Overall if you need a laptop to use on the go to get light work done, I would highly recommend this laptop, it will do all of your basic tasks without leaving you feeling guilty for spending too much. These days, with electronics you rarely get what you pay for but with this laptop you get that, and then some!

Ever since my iMac died on me, I was in search of a cheap replacement to hold me over till I'm ready to get another Mac. At first, I was apprehensive in getting a Windows machine, let alone a Win 8 machine. But the prices couldn't be ignored. So I dug in and researched a few laptops ranging in the < $400 price range. During the holidays, I was inundated with a lot of choices. But I narrowed my selections between this Dell and an Asus. The Asus had similar specs, but had a Celeron processor, which had good reviews, but I ended up taking purchasing the Dell instead. The main reason was for its Quad Core i3 Intel Processor and a touch screen which was about $50 difference. The Dell is a good machine for light to moderate use and; needs to have the RAM upgraded from 4GB to 8GB. I use this to edit photos and videos (GoPro Studio). Its evident that this laptop could use the upgrade and I'm already looking to do it soon. Overall build is excellent, it' doesn't seem flimsy, plastics are sturdy and the quality is better than average. I didn't get the extended warranty, as I expect this to last me about 3-4 years and for the price I paid, it didn't seem worth the extra cost of getting it anyway. If you're thinking about getting second machine or something to hold you over like myself, I'd say get this Dell as I am very happy with my purchase.

I was a little hesitant buying this computer at first do to some of the earlier negative reviews I read. From what people were saying you would have thought this computer was powered by two hamsters and a peace of string......smh I bought this computer as a gift on black Friday for $299 and they absolutely love it! When you break down the price you certainly get a a lot for your money. i3 processor $100, Windows 8-64bit (yeah I'm not a fan either) $100, and a touch screen $100. Anything else is a bonus. It has a DVD RW drive,, 4GB of RAM,, and 500 GB of internal storage. if you were to rewind a few years back this would have cost well over $700 dollars.' The look and feel is solid, again we are talking about a computer that cost less than an XBOX ONE and has more features than a net book and or most tablets. If you need a computer that has basic functionality, meaning it will get you online, allow you to write documents and install software than this is the right PC. I work in the IT field and most end users only care about getting online. That being said, this computer is by fare a smart choice that wont break the bank and has plenty of functionality for every day basic needs. Thanks for reading :)

Touch screen response is awesome on this machine, I'm a newbie when it comes to Windows 8.1 and I am finding there is a bit of a learning curve figuring how to find all my applications and get into and out of them, but once you pick up a couple of little things, its' great! If I didn't have the touch screen, Windows 8.1 would be frustrating to use. The entire body of the laptop is plastic, but at this price I wasn't expecting much more than that. I actually like the minimalist look of this machine over all, but I'm not one to use my laptop to make a fashion statement. It's a tool and occasionally its used for entertainment. Under the hood the machine is very capable with an I3 processor and 4GB of RAM. And it also has an optical drive in it's relatively thin form factor which is becoming less common these days. Also, there isn't very much junk installed, I just had to get rid of 2 programs and I will probably replace McAfee with something else, otherwise there is no need to format this thing out of the box.