Dell Inspiron 17R review: Dell Inspiron 17R

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.

7.1

Dell Inspiron 17R

The Good

The <b>Dell Inspiron 17R</b> is a big, desk-filling laptop for not much money, built into a similar chassis to Dell's recently reviewed, and more expensive, 17R SE model.

The Bad

The Inspiron 17R has low screen resolution for a 17-inch laptop, no discrete graphics, and no clickpad.

The Bottom Line

If you need maximum screen size at a minimum price, the 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.

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.