Dell - Inspiron Compact Desktop - Intel Core i5-12400 - 12GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Mist Blue

Mini only in stature when compared to so-called full size desktop computer, this “little” dell packs a surprising power punch in its class. If you’re accustomed to consumer Windows desktop computers as I am, you have witnessed an evolution. Compact components promised lighter weight. Intel processors have become more powerful, of course, with included Intel UHD Graphics (for non-gamers). This Dell has the latest Intel i5-2400 And they still include CD/DVD drives, an SD card slot, USB ports with faster transfer taking advantage of the latest technology, and more. Inside the easy-open cabinet it is almost empty, with accessible RAM that is simple to replace up to the maximum of 32GB (not needed) from the included 12GB of RAM. This model comes with a 256GB SSD. No more spinning hard disk drives. SSDs are usually faster and longer lasting than the old HDDs and use much less power. In addition, accessing data on an SSD is faster than on a standard spinning hard drive. Some might see the 256GB SSD as a limitation on this model that does not include the build-to-order option. Most consumers today who do email and other tasks that are not processor-intensive probably have Gmail or a similar mail service. In these, the email is stored in the cloud, not on the computer’s drive, so the 256GB storage should not be limiting. If considering an upgrade to this Dell, look at your current rig’s storage to see its size and how much storage remains. I’d bet that most of you with a 1TB drive in your old current computer haven’t used much of it unless you have tons and tons of photos and music ON that drive. Both can be managed through other means, such as cloud storage OR by moving some or all onto another drive inside the new computer or on a USB thumb drive plugged into a convenient port on the front or rear. All that room inside can be useful. There are at least three connectors into which a flyweight little SSD can be plugged. Checking online at Best Buy, I see them from about $50 to $100 for up to 1TB of storage. It is incredibly simple to pop one in, and their light weight lets them just dangle inside without a tray or other means of support. That’s what I did. I took the 1TB SSD from the almost eight year old big ol’ tower computer and put it inside this new Dell. Plug and play and all the old data is there. This new Dell comes with a trial version of Microsoft Office 365 that users can sign up for OR remove and use an existing Microsoft Office product, which is what I did. Also included is McAfee antivirus, but, frankly, all that is needed for most consumers is the included Microsoft Defender antimalware product, so that was deleted on mine. Just don’t be foolish – don’t open email from unknown senders. Don’t surf the Web to shady places. In other words, be a smart consumer and a smart computer user. Another change I made on this computer which is standard to ME was to upgrade from the included Microsoft Windows 11 Home Edition to Windows Pro. Look it up! I think Pro is the way to go and it is not expensive. In fact, I transferred my license from Windows 10 pro on my old computer to Windows 11 pro without charge. That’s the way Microsoft operates. Thank you. With a standard, ubiquitous Windows wired keyboard and wired mouse, just add a monitor and monitor cable, computer speakers and it’s show time. **WHAT’S IN THE BOX** • Computer and power cord • Wired keyboard and wired mouse • Documentation **THE SETUP** Unbox, plug in to power, connect a monitor, which, in this case, is a 1080 HD 24-inch Dell. Nothing fancy. Go through the setup process, connect existing Microsoft account. Do ALL the updates until there are no more. Keep checking until there is nothing more to do. This includes using the Dell software to check this computer in addition to Windows. That’s where there were a few to do, including a pair of BIOS updates. All finished! Uninstall software as above. Install a few personal apps. Will the included 12GB of RAM prove sufficient? Let’s see. It’s time to . . . **PUT IT TO THE TEST** Gee! This rig is pretty fast. Boot’s quickly. Let’s see how it performs. Watch streaming content. The included graphics card did fine. Compose documents, such as this review. No lags, no glitches. Connect an external camera and try a Zoom conference. Perfect. Play CDs and DVDs. No glitches, not waiting. The sound quality is determined by the quality of the attached speakers. As an everyday computer for most consumers, there is NOTHING about which to complain. Compared with the Dell computer replaced by this Dell, it is perfect. The old Dell had a [then] speediest Intel i7 processor and 16GB RAM. Though it is not eligible to upgrade to Windows 11, it chugs along just fine, but it takes over a minute to boot up fully. Even with its 1TB SSD as a main drive, the old computer was way past its prime. This new Dell with less RAM almost instantly boots up and runs with no perceived delays. I think it’s a bargain! **CONCLUSION** Dell must be doing something right. The cost is astoundingly low for what is included. This Dell Inspiron Compact Desktop model 3910 with the latest Intel i5 processor is highly recommended. **WARRANTY** Dell provides a one year warranty with the option to extend it

I have had many different desktop computers over the years that have varied in features and all-around speed. The Dell Inspiron Compact desktop in mistic blue is extremely fast and easy to use. For the price this desktop sports an Intel Core I5-12400 processor with 12 gigs of RAM and a 256 gig SSD hard drive. Included with the desktop is a USB wired keyboard and mouse. Both work relatively well. The keyboard could have a better feel for typing and it would be nice to have a Bluetooth or wireless mouse and keyboard, but that’s being picky on my part. The video is Intel basic UHD included graphics and may not be up to gamers expectations. For gerneral video use it is fine. For a compact desktop it has a lot of physical connection and expansion features. There are three USB ports in the front and a USB-C, card reader, power button and a DVD disc drive/ burner. The back has four USB ports and HDMI out, Mini jack audio out, Cat6 in and four expansion slots. Included software includes the usual Microsoft office 365, assorted Dell software and a limited Power2 suite of applications for burning discs and picture editing. One nice feature of Microsoft live accounts is the ability to sync your information between computers, which made my set up quicker. As for the speed of this desktop, it is very quick with internet searches, viewing YouTube videos and Netflix and working with all the Office apps. I have been very impressed at the speed of online searches and how quickly pages load. You can’t go wrong for the price and features this desktop has and the overall performance. I highly recommend it.

And I thought the Inspiron name was reserved for laptops. Not so. This Inspiron is a desktop rig, and a compact and attractive one at that. I had almost forgotten about the pleasure of having a built in DVD drive, but I am happy to be reminded of the convenience it brings. I have upgraded a couple of Windows 10 rigs to Windows 11, but this is my first experience with a cleanly installed (at Dell and not be me) version of the newest Windows operating system. With a 12th generation Intel processor, the Core i5 12400, running at up to 2.5ghz, six cores, 12GB of RAM, and an M.2 256 GB SSD, the presentation was lovely, and the price is right. The system is shipped with the home version of the operating system. This would be a perfect general-purpose machine for just about any home office or student. The Intel UHD graphics served all my needs, but for those who want more, there are two expansion slots on the motherboard, a PCI-express x16 slot and a x1 slot for the addition of a video and audio card. The Intel AX201 card offers the latest Wi-Fi 6 standards, and the performance is top notch. There is an interesting situation with the installation of SATA drives, if you need more storage. There are plenty of SATA and power connectors inside this little box, but there is not a hard drive cage to be found anywhere. Given the size of the unit, such is forgivable. The owner’s manual points out that a full size 3.5 or 2.5-inch drive can be mounted directly into the inside front of the case, and I found the four screw holes, but no screws were provided for that purpose. The computer runs dead quiet and nice and cool to the touch. For my needs, it easily handled anything I threw at it. The supplied wired keyboard and mouse completed the package. The keyboard is not lighted but is full sized with a number pad. It is a pleasure to type on. The only component you will need to supply to use this rig is a monitor. And there are connections aplenty. I counted 8 USB ports: four on the back, and four on the front, one of which was USB-C. I connected my monitor with an HDMI cable, but a display port is offered as well. A full software package is offered for the built in DVD drive. McAfee personal security is also provided with a trial subscription, as well as a 30-day trial of Microsoft office. While enjoying this computer, I found a very nice surprise: the Dell Mobile Connect app. This is the first time I have ever been able use messaging through my iPhone on a Windows machine, and it works very nicely. You’ll have to have your phone relatively near as it uses Bluetooth to communicate with it, but I’m not complaining about that at all. Just install the app on your phone and the windows version on this computer and you will be ready to go. Yep, type a message from your computer using Dell Mobile Connect and you’ll be in blue bubble heaven with all your fellow iPhone friends! Value, performance and utility. All the boxes are checked with this rig. Nice job, Dell!

Even though I am familiar with Dell – my primary desktop is a maxxed out Dell gaming box that never games – this little box surprised me! Compact but powerful, it’s a great home office desktop that would also be at home as a client in a small business network. Setup is quick and painless, though you’ll likely have to sit through some updates/upgrades from both Windows and Dell. But they are important and worth the wait! Windows 11 boots up quickly and performance is (again, surprisingly) snappy and responsive. The Intel CPU runs Windows effortlessly and fluid. It was a great choice. I am a bit confused by Dell’s choice of 12gb RAM over the usual 16gb, though. Seems like and unnecessary cutting of corners when DRAM prices are trending downward. But I’m happy to say that it doesn’t seem to hold this unit back in any way. In comparison while some might think the 256gb SSD might be limiting, I believe it is an adequate amount of storage for most in these days of cloud storage and inexpensive USB drives. Port wise, there are 8 USB ports. 4 of these are USB 2.0, 3 are USB 3.2 with an additional USB 3.2 Type C port thrown in for good measure. This should be enough to handle any peripherals the average person would use with room for growth in the future. There’s even a media card reader conveniently located on the front panel. And there is some potential for growth and upgrades here, which is kind of rare for the price point these days. RAM is expandable to 64gb, and the SSD slot (M2 format) can support up to a 1TB stick. There’s even a SATA connection available to add an additional internal SSD/HDD drive which mounts to the back of the chassis. Between these options and the available USB ports, you can really add on to this and keep your investment going for a few years (I had a Dell desktop that saw almost a decade of use; first as a desktop, then as a Windows server and finally as a Linux server until the power supply finally gave in! I will likely be making some of these upgrades in the near future. I’d originally planned to use this as a spare desktop and test bed for Windows 11 since my primary desktop doesn’t meet Win11 criteria (because of an ‘older’ processor) but after playing with it for a bit I think that with a few upgrades in RAM and storage I can use this as a small virtual machine server in my lab. Regardless of how you might choose to use this Inspiron, I think you’ll be impressed with its performance, form factor and the fact that it does all this while remaining utterly quiet; all while sipping energy rather than gulping it. Based on this, I’d highly recommend it as a primary desktop for the family, a home office PC or a capable small business desktop/client.

For the past 15 years or so, I have been an Apple user. However, my computer experience started with Microsoft Windows and DOS. I decided to get this Windows machine to do work at home. It comes with a chicklet type USB wired keyboard and a wired mouse. The build quality of the keyboard and mouse is very basic, made mostly of plastic. The tower case however, is good looking. The power button is located on the front panel but I wish it was on the top instead because I have the tower on the floor. The power button should have been a different color like chrome or silver because as is, it is hard to distinguish it from the panel cover. The build of the case is generic, basic and it is built with light metals and plastic. This machine is configured a 12th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-12400 CPU with six-core, twelve-way processing performance. It only has 12GB system memory (one 4GB module on one channel and an 8GB module on the other) installed but it good enough to power through some multi-tasking tasks. I use this as my work computer and I run a couple of applications that are memory intensive and they ran fine. Simple tasks like emails, non-professional photo and video editing, web browsing are a breeze with this machine. Ram is upgradeable up to 64GB but I think 32GB will be just fine for my needs. There is a removable 256GB NVMe solid state drive (SSD) installed and it’s plenty enough to store some videos and photos and if you need more space, you can either add an internal storage device or an easier route would be to add one externally. There’s plenty enough USB ports to do just that. But if you want to install it internally, there is an extra SATA and power cable included inside the case. There is one slot to install a 3.5” HDD and it is behind the front panel. So if you’re running the HDD hard, there’s a chance that the front panel might get hot or really warm to the touch. Even with the internal HDD that I installed, this machine ran quietly. I haven’t seen a DVD disc in years but yes, this machine still has a plain DVD+/-RW that reads and writes to a variety of media formats, including DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW and CD-R/RW. NO Blu-Ray capability though. The integrated Intel UHD graphics will do for simple photo and video editing and light gaming but if you run more graphics intensive applications, you’ll need a more powerful graphics card. The highest resolution supported is Full HD, 1080P (1920x1080). At that resolution, text aren’t really sharp, icons look distorted. If you are going to connect a 4K monitor to this and want to get the full effect, you might want to invest in a better graphics card. According to their specs, there’s only three supported graphics card for this 3910 series, the Nvidia GeForce GT730, GTX1650 and GTX1660, but that doesn’t mean necessarily mean other graphics cards won’t work. There is an available PCI-express x16 slot and a x1 slot. The audio uses a Cirrus Logic controller which supports 5.1 channel high definition audio, no Dolby Atmos support. There’s a line OUT port in the back and headset jack in the front panel. Also in the front panel are two USB-A 2.0, one USB-A 3.2, one USB type-C 3.2, a SD card reader. In the back, there are two USB-A 2.0, one USB-A 3.2, one DP display port 1.4, one HDMI 1.4 and a network port (supports 10/100/1000). This machine also has Bluetooth 5.2 and the latest wireless protocol WiFi 6 (supports A/B/G/N/AC/AX). I didn’t see any issues connecting devices with Bluetooth and WiFi 6 worked well, getting full strength with maximum download and upload speeds from my service provider. Pre-installed is the Windows 11 Home version. This took a bit of getting used to again coming from a Mac. The Start button is now in the middle on the bottom compared to the past Windows OS where the Start button was on the bottom left corner. After I installed the HDD, I needed to prepare the drive and so I was looking for disk management. It took awhile to find it… GOOGLED it. Other than that, same old Windows in my opinion. It also comes with 1-month trial versions of Office 365 and McAfee Overall, this desktop works for me. My only complaint was the graphics card native resolution was only 1080P but that can be easily fixed with a better graphics card. It’ll work out better since you can choose your own card. The other annoyance was that I found the mouse and keyboard would not wake up the computer after it has been inactive for awhile, in a deep sleep. I would have to press the power button to wake it up.

In the world of laptops, there is still a place for a desktop computer. They typically offer more power at a lower price point and will typically provide upgradability. A lot of desktops, including this little Dell model, have really reduced in both size and weight. This computer is surprisingly compact while still giving space inside the case. Also, things to the less-common spinning hard drives, these computers have become a lot lighter, making them easy to place where you want to without breaking your back to reach a port in the rear. PROS - Lightweight, as mentioned - VERY quiet. I was impressed when I started running about 8 apps at one time and still couldn't hear the fans. - Plenty of device ports in the front: 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.2, and 1x USB-C, plus an SD card slot - More ports in the back: 2x USB 2.0 and 2x USB 3.2 - 12 GB of memory - nice to see a manufacturer finally moving up from the old 8 GB standard, although I would expect this in a desktop at this point. Also nice to know that you can put up to 64 GB of memory into this machine. - Easy to get inside the case (no tools required). - Inside of the case is spacious given its compact size, mostly because there are very few cables cluttering that space. - A minor but MUCH appreciated fact: The Service Tag, which includes the service tag number (basically an identifier for your computer) is right at the very top front of the PC, meaning you can view it quickly without having to pull the PC out to reach the rear of the machine. CONS - Disk space: Unless you are using this computer in the same capacity as a Chromebook, you're will need additional disk space, either by an external disk drive, or installing one inside the case, as it only has 256 GB. With the computer's default installation of Windows 11, MS Office (preinstalled), and my installation of Chrome, Steam, and one game from my Steam library, I had already used up a little shy of half the disk space. - Weak in the graphics department. Dell is not calling this a gaming PC, so no fault, but out-of-the-box you will struggle with anything requiring moderate graphic processing. - Thermals: Dell's design is to create a "tunnel" that heat from the processor is directed through, exhausting it straight out the back of the PC without the opportunity to spread throughout the case. However, while this also helps reduce the fan noise considerably, there is no other fan inside the case. Should you decide to add a graphics card to this PC, there is no other fan to draw the hot air out of the case. - Keyboard/Mouse (minor): I consider this minor because mice and keyboards that come with desktops are usually basic and are commonly replaced by consumers with preferred models. The mouse and keyboard with this computer get the job done. The keyboard has chicklet style keys that have a lot of travel (I really have to press them and they produce some noise). The mouse is just ok. I have to have a button on the side of the mouse for the "back" function or I go crazy, so I don't bother with factory mice. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS - Don't like Windows 11? Dell has drivers for Windows 10. - DVD drive included. It's not commonly needed nowadays, but nice to have if you do need it. - This PC can support 2 displays, with 1x HDMI connector and 1x Display Port connector. There is no VGA port, so you may need a convertor if using this PC with an older monitor or television. Overall, this computer performs really well. While using it, I had multiple applications open simultaneously, including 3 Office apps, Chrome, Edge, Steam (no games running), the MyDell app, Dell Support Assist, and Solitaire, and I was only at about 78-80% on the memory and everything responded quickly. This computer is not going to meet your needs if you are a gamer, but if you typically run multiple apps on your computer at the same time and need a fast, responsive machine, this Dell PC will definitely meet your needs. With a couple more tweaks (graphic card and additional disk space), this computer will definitely meet my needs well into the future.

I am considering replacing my current Dell 3650 because my PC does not support the minimum system requirements to migrate to Windows 11. This Dell Inspiron 3910, however, is a disappointment, yet another example of a cheap Dell mid-price range, low quality PC. After plugging in this machine and connecting it to a monitor, it would not start. After several attempts, it finally started and provided the error message you see in the photo. Id decided to click past it and I was able to get to a start-up screen. After initiating the connection to my WiFi, which the PC indicated it found, I waited almost 30 minutes for something to happen - it never did. I restarted the machine again and attempted to connect to WiFi again and this time succeeded in just a few seconds. Then I started the set up process and that took another 30 minutes or so with updates and customization, including logging into my G account, my Microsoft account, and working my way through constant ads. I finally gave up on it for the day and decided to continue the next day. The system detected out-of-date firmware and I spent another hour updating the BIOS, security software and running other recommended updates. Along thee way, I am constantly bombarded by ads for Dell services, Dell accessories, and McAfee subscriptions. This machine came with a 12th generation i5 -12400 processor. In a side-by-side comparison to my existing chipset, it was indeed faster on rendering webpages. It also came with 12 GB of RAM which may be insufficient for some heavy spreadsheet tasks and less than half of what gamers would want. Only 218 GB of storage is included, which was almost 25% occupied by the time I updated the system and without me inputting any data of my own, even after performing a cleanup. It does come with a DVD drive included. Bloatware included Disney+, MCAfee LiveSafe, Microsoft News, Spotify, and WebAdvisor by McAfee. The bottom line is that I see the poor quality control, minimal components, and performance I would expect of a low-end PC. I will probably use this machine for only one task - scanning and moving photos from the scanner to the cloud. The processor should be more than enough for this task, the current hardware can support it and the connectivity is good enough for these transfers.

Two things to be aware of when you buy this computer. It IS a fast, good computer, but when you get it, do NOT download the updated BIOS which I believe the Dell Asst recommends. If you do, it will take away your sound permanently. I searched online and saw many complaints about this after I updated - that it takes away your sound. I then had to go back and restore the computer to a previous time to remove the update. You would think the manufacturer could remove the update for future purchasers. Also, be aware if you have a monitor with the cable/screws, it will not have a slot on this computer for it. You will need a new cord that has a USB port end. It won't come with this computer so you'll have to purchase that separately. Other than that, it's a good computer, although it does seem overpriced, but what isn't nowadays.