Dell Inspiron 7559 - Dell's entry into gaming segment

Introduction
Dell is considered a good brand for laptops in the minds of Indians. But the gamers never even think of Dell. So, Dell brought this laptop to change that. It has a proper GTX GPU & a non-ULV processor to strengthen its claim of a gaming laptop. It has been almost a month since I started using this laptop.

I bought it from Paytm with a billed amount of ₹84000 but with a cashback of ₹10000. (For those who don’t know, you can transfer Paytm cash to your bank account. Transaction charge of 4% applicable, 1% for upgraded wallet users).

First, check the specifications:
• Intel Core i5 6300HQ (4 cores, 2.3 – 3.2 GHz)
• NVIDIA GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5
• 1x8GB DDR3L RAM 1600MHz
• 15.6” 1080p IPS matte display
• 1TB Toshiba SSHD (5400rpm)
• No Disk Drive
• 3x USB 3.0 ports, 1x Ethernet, 1x HDMI, 1x Card Reader & 1x 3.5mm combo jack
• Waves MaxxAudio loudspeakers + subwoofer
• 1.3MP 720 webcam with dual microphones

So here is my review of Dell Inspiron 7559.

Packaging
Paytm just wrapped the company box with bubble wrap, then a thin plastic cover. Whereas Flipkart covers the company box with bubble wrap & puts it in another box. Anyways the packaging wasn’t damaged & I got the laptop safe & sound.

*i.imgur.com/50t6Wp7.jpg

If you are wondering, no, I didn’t get a bag. Not a problem for me.

Inside the box, there was the laptop, charger, some documentations & a 1 year subscription of Absolute Lo Jack (which is an anti-theft & laptop recovery software).

*i.imgur.com/7S8tXlv.jpg

Design & Build Quality
It is an elegant looking laptop. The red logo on the lid is surely eye catching. The entire panel is covered with matte rubber, which easily catches fingerprints & smudges. You would require a wet cloth to wipe it off. The hinge construction seems sturdy & good.

*i.imgur.com/mmIqR6E.jpg

The screen has a bit of flex, but its not something to worry about. When you open the lid, you will find that the palm rest also has the rubber coating. The track pad has red colour border & the speaker grill is red. The reds are not too bright.

*i.imgur.com/WS3tSuH.jpg

The keyboard feels good for typing. There is a num pad but gamers will definitely hate the small arrow keys (Some will say that they are WASD lovers, but still). A big let down of this keyboard is that it isn’t backlit. Yeah, Indian model doesn’t have a white backlit keyboard. I feel this is something which Dell should have included & it was a foolish move to remove it. How much will they save, ₹2000 at max. I have enquired in the local store & they say that the i7 version has the backlit keyboard.

There is a Caps Lock indicator on the key but no Num Lock indicator. There’s only a charging indicator at the front side. There’s an indicator on power button, so that’s the only way of knowing if the laptop is in ON state when charger isn’t connected. The end of charging cable has a blue LED, which glows when it is connected to power source (Red colour would have been more appropriate).

*i.imgur.com/EZxzCe6.jpg

Internals
The bottom cover can be removed by loosening a single screw. You can easily access the empty M.2 SATA slot, RAM slots, HDD bay, WiFi module & battery.

*i.imgur.com/c2QinuF.jpg

I have added a 250GB Samsung Evo 850 M.2 SSD (₹8000) & a Kingston 8GB RAM(₹2200).

*i.imgur.com/KUA8iZe.jpg

Display
The display is a 1080p IPS anti-glare panel. Viewing angles are good. There’s almost no colour deviation when you change the viewing angle from top to bottom, but the display looks darker when you go from left to right. Online reviews mention that colour gamut coverage is low, but I don’t think it is a problem for anyone who intends to game or watch movies in this laptop. The maximum brightness could have been higher, as currently it is not enough for use under harsh sunlight. But for indoors the brightness is more than enough.

Sound
Although it has a 2.1 speaker setup, but the sound quality is comparable to 2.0 JBL setup of my old Lenovo Ideapad Y500. I will say that 2.1 JBL system of Y50 is definitely better. Anyways the speakers are loud enough & it is good enough for a laptop. I usually keep the volume levels at 60-70%.

Also the Dell Audio application is good. It remembers your volume levels for speakers & headphones separately. So you won't accidentally listen to songs at high volumes with headphones.

Battery Life
It has a 74Wh 4 cell battery & the battery life can be considered good.
*i.imgur.com/orrzdce.jpg

Web browsing at 40% brightness, with WiFi & Bluetooth ON gives a battery life of about 5 hours.
Watching movies/videos at 40% brightness with airplane mode turned ON & battery saver ON, gives a battery life of 6 hours+

So battery life is great for a gaming laptop. I didn’t game much on battery power, but you can game on battery. Just check the settings of NVIDIA Battery Boost before playing. I expect a battery life of about 2 hours while gaming (I’m not talking about games like Candy Crush, etc)

Another good thing is the charging time. It completely charges in around 1 hr 30 mins (charges slowly in 90s).

Gaming Performance
Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain:
1080p, everything maxed – 30-40 fps

FIFA 16
1080p everything maxed – 60 fps

Quantum Break
1080p, medium – Ran smoothly (Couldn’t get fps readings from fraps)

Temperatures
Many people have been waiting for this section…
But first, I would like to discuss about the noise. In Idle running, the laptop is quiet. When I was in an area with ambient temperature of 45⁰C, I could sometimes hear the fan speed increasing for a few seconds, then going back to quiet again.

While gaming, the fan is noisier but you won’t hear it due to the speakers or headphones. So you won’t hear unnecessary noise & I would say it is a quiet laptop.

Now coming to the temperatures:
When the laptop is idle (I took screenshot after using laptop for more than 1 hour; Ambient Temp: 27⁰C)

*i.imgur.com/SvKHjrV.jpg

After playing MGS5 The Phantom Pain for more than an hour (Ambient Temp: 40⁰C)

*i.imgur.com/05FsO5F.jpg

*i.imgur.com/21Upgs8.jpg

After playing Quantum Break for more than an hour (Ambient Temp: 40⁰C)

*i.imgur.com/4SvBrQu.jpg

*i.imgur.com/Fd3zFMq.jpg

After playing FIFA 16 for about an hour (Ambient Temp: 30⁰C)

*i.imgur.com/c8f0Gid.jpg

*i.imgur.com/VC5doEt.jpg

The body of the laptop just warms up a bit while gaming (nowhere near uncomfortable). I will say that the cooling system is great.

Conclusion
Currently it sells for about ₹84000 & for that price it is a great laptop from Dell. But the competition is stiff as Asus GL552VW also sells for the same price but with better CPU(i7), DDR4 RAM & more aggressive looks (has a red backlit keyboard too). But I’m sure the Dell Inspiron 7559 has a better cooling system than Asus. Still I think now is the time for Dell to reduce its price. It should be priced atleast ₹5000 lower than Asus to sway buyers towards it. Its priced great in USA & I hope it gets price cut in India (and the backlit keyboard too)

Pros:
• GTX960M GPU
• Great cooling system
• Bottom panel is held by a single screw
• IPS Full HD matte display
• Great battery life

Cons:
• Bit expensive compared to competition in India
• No backlit keyboard
• No indicator light for Num Lock

Video Review
This video made by Dave Lee is great. Watch it:
Dell Inspiron 7559 Review - A Budget 15" Gaming Laptop - YouTub
 
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kARTechnology

Sony " VA" "IO"
i have read many reviews that the touch-pad is terrible. is it true?
best part is it has 3 vents for the fan. stays cool. big battery compared to similar priced laptops
was searching a laptop 4 months back and saw many reviews but soon dropped the idea,
 
OP
omega44-xt

omega44-xt

Gear up ...
i have read many reviews that the touch-pad is terrible. is it true?
best part is it has 3 vents for the fan. stays cool. big battery compared to similar priced laptops
was searching a laptop 4 months back and saw many reviews but soon dropped the idea,

I didn't feel that its terrible. Its okay, a bit better than the one in Y500.

Yeah cooling is too good & so is battery life
 

kkn13

Cyber Genius FTW
I didn't feel that its terrible. Its okay, a bit better than the one in Y500.

Yeah cooling is too good & so is battery life

Can you change thermal paste/remove heatsink and fans without taking apart the laptop?
thats a deal breaker for me after my Dell 7520(now dying slowly)
 
OP
omega44-xt

omega44-xt

Gear up ...
Can you change thermal paste/remove heatsink and fans without taking apart the laptop?
thats a deal breaker for me after my Dell 7520(now dying slowly)

Don't know... Most probably no, I guess

If after 2-3 years, it starts to heat up then I will think about changing thermal paste(my Y500 used to run 10C hotter compared to when it was new after 3 years)
 

kamikaz

Ambassador of Buzz
My friends owns this , pretty good laptop ,the sad thing is this sells for around $800 in US almost 30k difference :/
 

Stormbringer

Ambassador of Buzz
Officially weight is 2.6kg, which isn't a issue for me. It's thinner & lighter than my previous laptop.

I have an old Dell XPS L501X which weighs around 2.7kg. I find it quite heavy but it's not issue now since I use it as a desktop now. It's a necessary trade-off for a gaming laptop. By the way is the Nvidia Optimus tech still around ?
 
OP
omega44-xt

omega44-xt

Gear up ...
I have an old Dell XPS L501X which weighs around 2.7kg. I find it quite heavy but it's not issue now since I use it as a desktop now. It's a necessary trade-off for a gaming laptop. By the way is the Nvidia Optimus tech still around ?

Yes...

Light gaming laptops that I know are Asus GL501/502 & Razer Blade series
 
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