Is the Inspiron 17R Notebook (Inspiron 5720) a good buy?

[alcapone1919]

I got an offer on the mail for student discounts from dell and looked into the Inspiron 17R Notebook (Inspiron 5720). This are the specs, for $849. I am thinking of using this for college and some gaming and just want an opinion on it because it's on sale. My range is from 0 -$1600ish and would like a computer with a 17" screen just in case there are some recommendations out there.

SYSTEM Inspiron 17R Notebook (Inspiron 5720)
PROCESSOR 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM processor (6M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz)
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-Bit, English
MEMORY 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
HARD DRIVE 1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
VIDEO CARD Intel® HD Graphics 4000
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
DISPLAY 17.3" High Definition+ (900p) LED Display with Truelife
BATTERY OPTIONS 48 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Battery
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Centrino® Wireless 2230, 2x2 bgn + Bluetooth
SOUND Dell Stereo Speakers with Waves MaxxAudio 3 audio processor
NETWORK CARD Integrated 10/100 Network Card
WIRELESS DRIVER Dell SRV Software 2230, 5720
OPTICAL DRIVE SOFTWARE No Optical Device Software Included

Thanks in advance

 

[dudewitbow]

its essentially a new laptop without a dedicated gpu(the intel hd4k performs slightly under amds integrated apus) if its casual games at a lower resolution, it should do fine. if you are playing more intensive games, then a dedicated gpu is a must.

 

[edit1754]

That is not a good option. The biggest issues are that it comes with Intel HD 4000 (integrated) graphics, and that it comes with a 17.3" 1600x900 ("900p") display.

1600x900 resolution in a 17.3" display makes things onscreen large, and 17.3" displays that have 1600x900 resolution tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast. The same applies to 15.6" 1366x768 displays, and this general class of display should be avoided when it is reasonable to do so unless the larger text is required for eyesight-related reasons.

Intel HD 4000 (integrated) graphics are likely to provide disappointing performance in modern games. It is fairly easy to find a considerably faster GPU within your budget.

What seems to be one of the biggest alluring factors of this computer is that it comes with a Core i7 processor. However, for the majority of users, it should not be a priority to get a particularly fast processor. Specs like this are commonly abused for marketing purposes. Game performance depends more on the GPU (graphics) than it does on the CPU (processor), and basic users will see no difference between a Core i3 and a Core i7.

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HP DV7t (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GT 650M, 750GB 5400RPM, 17.3" 1920x1080 matte display) - $971 + tax after coupon code NBQ1148
- Saved Configuration: http/www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=7339361
- Leave the display at its upgraded 1920x1080 option. The HP DV7t should not be bought in any configuration that includes the default 1600x900 display, unless its larger text is required for eyesight-related reasons. 1600x900 resolution in a 17.3" display makes things onscreen large, and 17.3" displays that have 1600x900 resolution tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast.
- Don't downgrade the GPU to the GT 630M if you're going to be gaming often / intensively, because the GT 650M is significantly faster than the GT 630M.
- Don't downgrade the GPU to integrated graphics, unless you are a very light gamer, or if you are not a gamer.
- The backlit keyboard upgrade is worth considering.
- Upgrading to a 7200RPM hard drive may be worth considering.

While keeping the 17.3" form factor, but bumping the resolution up to 1920x1080 and including a much faster GPU:

HP DV7t Quad Edition (i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GT 650M, 1TB 5400RPM, 17.3" 1920x1080 matte display) - $1021 + tax after coupon code NBP9668
- Saved Configuration: http/www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=7325585
- Leave the display at its upgraded 1920x1080 option. The HP DV7t Quad Edition should not be bought in any configuration that includes the default 1600x900 display, unless its larger text is required for eyesight-related reasons. 1600x900 resolution in a 17.3" display makes things onscreen large, and 17.3" displays that have 1600x900 resolution tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast.
- Don't downgrade the GPU to the GT 630M if you're going to be gaming often / intensively, because the GT 650M is significantly faster than the GT 630M.
- The backlit keyboard upgrade is worth considering.

Sager NP6175 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GT 650M, 17.3" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $969 no tax
- Customization page: http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6175-clevo-w170er-p-4345.html?wconfigure=yes
- Select Windows 7 under the Operating System configuration option, unless you can get your own copy for cheaper. The laptop by default comes with no operating system.

Sager NP6370 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GTX 660M, 17.3" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $1036 no tax
- Customization page: http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6370-clevo-w370et-preorder-p-4796.html?wconfigure=yes
- Select Windows 7 under the Operating System configuration option, unless you can get your own copy for cheaper. The laptop by default comes with no operating system.
- Recommended: matte display option. The matte display is much less reflective than the glossy display, so it will be easier to use when glare is a potential issue.

Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition (i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GT 650M, 17.3" 1920x1080 matte[?] display) - $1074 + tax after coupon code 4J4XPNDZ1PKR2B
- http/configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=fncwn34b&model_id=inspiron-17r-se-7720&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

 

[alcapone1919]

Best answer selected by alcapone1919.