Dell announces budget 17in laptop for under £400

Posted on 30 Jul 2009 at 16:18

Dell has announced a new Inspiron 17 which has a 17.3in LED-backlit screen with a 1,600x900 resolution.

Prices currently range from £369 to over £600 depending on the options chosen, but the cheapest models come with a Celeron single-core processor that will only be quick enough for undemanding users. The better-equipped models are on sale at a discount at the moment, so prices may be higher in a couple of months.

The cheaper models have similar specifications to a netbook. They come with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard disk, and an integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics chip that will handle HD video but not 3D games. Unlike a netbook, though, you get a large screen and an optical drive. There are three USB ports along with a memory card reader, an ExpressCard slot, and 802.11b/g WiFi.

More expensive models have dual-core processors, up to 500GB of hard disk space and up to 8GB of RAM. Top models also get Draft-N WiFi and Bluetooth. There's also the option to upgrade to a 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics card, which can handle older 3D games but not the latest releases. Dell claims to offer a slot-loading optical drive but the pictures on the company's website indicate that it's a normal tray-loading device.

A 17in LED-backlit screen sounds great value for £369, and we were impressed by the beautiful LED-backlit screens on Dell's Studio XPS 13 range. However, until we get our hands on the Inspiron 17 we won't know whether its image quality is up to the same standard.

Author: Barry de la Rosa

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