Today we are taking a look at the recently launched Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK 15.6-Inch Laptop computer in black. This device comes with mid-range performance and comes in a relatively simple and sober black design.
Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK 15.6-Inch Laptop Review
The Exterior
The Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK comes in a very basic, elegant and sober overall design. The top cover has a diamond pattern with the Dell logo centered in black.
On the inside we find a full sized keyboard with numerical pad and a touchpad that is slightly off-center for better typing comfort. The power button is positioned in the top right corner of the keyboard. The Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK comes with a 15.6-Inch LED backlit display surrounded by a wide matte black rim that features the webcam in the middle above the display and 2 asymmetrically offset microphones. The centered silver Dell logo underneath the display completes the design .
The two built-in speakers are located on the front edge of the base. This is usually a very bad location for them as they can get covered up in some cases and muffle or completely block the sound.
Everything is very simple and doesn’t have any special design features. This means it will probably look just as good, elegant and simple after years of usage. The matte finish makes the entire device more scratch resistant than some of its more shiny competitors.
The Connectivity
The Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK features everything you might expect for a device in this price range. It features a DVD-RW optical drive, one USB 3.0 Port and a card reader on the right side of the device. The left side features a Kensington lock slot, power connector, HDMI port, Lan Port, 2 USB 2.0 Ports and a Mic/Headphones combo port.
To this list we also have to add Bluetooth 4.0 and Wireless WiFi 802.11 b/g/n.
It has all the bases covered, with the only thing missing being the VGA port. I think the size of this port would have caused problems with the relatively slim design. This will make presentations and connecting of external displays difficult with this Laptop.
To fix this problem you can use the integrated HDMI port and an adapter that converts it to VGA, such as this one:
The Performance
The Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK comes equipped with the new 4th generation Intel Core i5-4210u processor running between 1.7 and 2.7 Ghz depending on load. This generation of processors features the new Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics card (on average 30% better than the well known Intel HD 4000 in 3rd generation processors with the same clock speed). This Processor is aided by the help of 8 GB of DDR3 RAM making it very capable in multitasking situations and even gaming. As you can see in the following video (please ignore the music) it performs very well even in the case of recent games:
The 1TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive and a Tray load DVD Drive completes the package.
“Capable as the new Intel HD 4400s may be, they still can’t compete with dedicated video cards. The lack of a VGA-Port doesn’t hell the Dell Inspiron i3542-8334BK win over business users.”
LOL
🙂 yes, thanks for catching that, corrected.