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Dell Inspiron 15-5558 Notebook Review

Dark screen. Dell sends a 15.6-inch all-rounder into the fight for buyers' favor with its Inspiron 15-5558. The laptop pleases with an IPS screen that, however, has a much too low brightness. Dell could have been a bit less tightfisted with the GPU.

For the original German review, see here.

Dell's Inspiron 15-5558 is the newest scion of the Inspiron 15-5000 lineup and is a 15.6-inch all-rounder. The laptop only has something in common with its precursor in terms of processor. Both models are furnished with Broadwell processors. The 5558 comes with a new casing, and the AMD graphics core still installed in the precursor has now been replaced with a GPU from Nvidia.

Laptops like Acer's Aspire E5-571G, HP's Pavilion 15 and Toshiba's Satellite L50-B count to the Inspiron's rivals.

Dell Inspiron 15-5558 (Inspiron 15 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-5200U 2 x 2.2 - 2.7 GHz, Broadwell
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce 920M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 954 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, DDR3, ForceWare 353.30 (10.18.13.5330), Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR3-1600, dual-channel, two memory banks (filled)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, LG Philips 156WF6, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Broadwell-U PCH-LP (Premium)
Storage
Toshiba MQ01ABD100, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 900 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC255 @ Intel Broadwell PCH-LP High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio, Card Reader: SD, Sensors: brightness sensor
Networking
RealTek Semiconductor RTL8101/2/3 Family Fast Ethernet NIC (10/100MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
PLDS DVD+/-RW DU-8A5LH
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 23.35 x 345 x 243 ( = 0.92 x 13.58 x 9.57 in)
Battery
40 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD webcam
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, Cyberlink Media Suite Essentials, McAfee LiveSafe-Internet Security (trial), MS Office (trial)
Weight
2 kg ( = 70.55 oz / 4.41 pounds), Power Supply: 349 g ( = 12.31 oz / 0.77 pounds)
Price
699 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The Inspiron's casing is no stranger to us. Dell also used it for the recently tested Vostro 15-3558. Differences are found in the color and surface finish. The casing is completely made of plastic. The lid's back and base unit's sides feature silver-color plastic, and the lid's back is structured. The display bezel and base unit's underside feature black plastic. The base unit's upper side has a dark-gray rubber finish. A maintenance cover is on the laptop's underside. The Inspiron's battery is easy to remove.

The laptop does not display any serious manufacturing flaws. The material only protrudes a bit on the lid's sides. As to stability, the base unit exhibits the usual shortcomings that we know from most laptops: The base unit can be dented lightly on the keyboard's left and right. However, it could be stiffer; it is too easy to warp for our taste. That is also true for the lid. Pressure on the lid's back leads to image distortions in some places. The hinges keep the lid firmly in position and rock slightly. Opening the lid with one hand is possible.

Connectivity

The diversity of interfaces will not impress anyone and can be described as standard fare. Of the three USB ports, only one supports the USB 3.0 standard. We expect more these days. Furthermore, Dell has only installed a Fast Ethernet port in the laptop. Gigabit Ethernet is standard nowadays.

Left: power socket, Fast Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, memory-card reader
Left: power socket, Fast Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.0, memory-card reader
Right: combo audio, 2x USB 2.0, DVD burner, Kensington lock slot
Right: combo audio, 2x USB 2.0, DVD burner, Kensington lock slot

Communication

Surprisingly, Dell has only furnished its Inspiron with a Fast Ethernet chip. We would expect a Gigabit Ethernet chip nowadays. After all, other manufacturers also manage to install such chips - even in the low-cost laptop sector. It looks better with the Wi-Fi module, which is an Intel Wi-Fi chip (3160). Positive: In addition to the Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n standard, it also supports the high-speed ac standard. Bluetooth 4.0 is also incorporated on the module. The connection to the Wi-Fi router was always stable. We did not ascertain any reduction in connection speed within a radius of 15 meters around the router.

Accessories

Only safety information and a quick-start poster are in the laptop's box.

Operating System

The operating system is Windows 8.1 (64-bit). A recovery DVD is not part of the included accessories. Users can replace Windows 8.1 with Windows 7 if preferred. Dell provides the necessary drivers.

Maintenance

The maintenance cover can be opened after releasing both fixture screws. The user can then access the hard drive, working memory banks, Wi-Fi module, and BIOS battery. Replacing the hard drive is throughout possible. 2.5-inch models with a height of 7 mm can be installed. The laptop features two working memory banks. Each bank is filled with a 4 GB module. The fan cannot be accessed this way. The casing would have to be opened for that.

Warranty

The laptop is shipped with a one-year warranty by standard when bought directly from Dell. Otherwise it comes with a two-year standard warranty. The warranty can be upgraded in both cases. A three-year on-site warranty, for example, costs 220 Euros (~$243).

Input Devices

Keyboard

The Inspiron features a chiclet keyboard that includes a number pad. Our review sample does not offer a backlit keyboard. The flat, lightly roughened keys have a short drop and clear pressure point. The keyboard yielded slightly while typing on it, but we did not find that distracting. The keyboard will not win any awards, but the buyer nevertheless gets a decent keyboard for home use.

Touchpad

The multitouch ClickPad in the Inspiron has a surface area of approximately 10.5 x 8 cm. The laptop's owner thus has a lot of room for using gestures. The single gestures can be turned on and off in the pad's configuration menu. The base unit's rubber-coated upper side is not continued on the ClickPad. The latter's surface is lightly roughened, but that does not prevent the fingers from gliding. The pad has a short drop and clear pressure point.

The keyboard does not have a backlight.
The keyboard does not have a backlight.
The ClickPad supports multitouch.
The ClickPad supports multitouch.

Display

The review sample that we were provided with had a matte screen with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The Inspiron is also available with an HD screen (1366x768 pixels). Both the contrast (1180:1) and black level (0.15 cd/m²) of the Full HD screen are very good. However, its brightness is disappointing. A rate of 175.7 cd/m² is no longer up-to-date. We expect a minimum rate of 250 cd/m² here. Curiously, the brightness increased by a good 30 cd/m² in battery mode.

180
cd/m²
182
cd/m²
197
cd/m²
162
cd/m²
177
cd/m²
183
cd/m²
153
cd/m²
170
cd/m²
177
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LG Philips 156WF6 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 197 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 175.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 78 %
Center on Battery: 207 cd/m²
Contrast: 1180:1 (Black: 0.15 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.52 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 9.72 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
61% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
39% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
42.58% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
41.22% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 1.85
Inspiron vs. sRGB
Inspiron vs. sRGB
Inspiron vs. AdobeRGB
Inspiron vs. AdobeRGB

The screen cannot reproduce either the sRGB or AdobeRGB color spaces. The coverage rates here are 61% (sRGB) and 39% (AdobeRGB). The screen's DeltaE 2000 shift in factory state is 8.52. A rate of less than 3 would be desirable. The screen does not exhibit a bluish tint. However, a light reddish tint is visible.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

Dell furnishes the Inspiron with a viewing-angle stable IPS screen. Consequently, the screen remains legible from every position. Outdoor use is difficult to impossible due to the screen's low brightness. Its preferred application site will be shadowy surroundings.

Viewing angles: Inspiron
Viewing angles: Inspiron
The Inspiron outdoors
The Inspiron outdoors
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
IPS, 1920x1080
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
TN, 1366x768
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
TN LED, 1920x1080
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
TN LED, 1920x1080
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
TN LED, 1366x768
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
IPS, 1920x1080
Display
-1%
34%
31%
8%
36%
Display P3 Coverage
41.22
40.67
-1%
55.9
36%
54.8
33%
44.34
8%
61.5
49%
sRGB Coverage
61.8
61.3
-1%
80.7
31%
78.8
28%
66.1
7%
78.1
26%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
42.58
42.02
-1%
57.8
36%
56.5
33%
45.95
8%
57.1
34%
Screen
-34%
-53%
-54%
1%
-9%
Brightness middle
177
215
21%
223
26%
293
66%
245
38%
299
69%
Brightness
176
200
14%
226
28%
280
59%
236
34%
299
70%
Brightness Distribution
78
84
8%
91
17%
83
6%
86
10%
77
-1%
Black Level *
0.15
0.49
-227%
0.77
-413%
0.8
-433%
0.31
-107%
0.54
-260%
Contrast
1180
439
-63%
290
-75%
366
-69%
790
-33%
554
-53%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
8.52
8.82
-4%
10.13
-19%
13.19
-55%
6.6
23%
5.96
30%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
9.72
11.51
-18%
11.68
-20%
13.41
-38%
6.96
28%
5.52
43%
Gamma
1.85 119%
1.66 133%
2.92 75%
3.38 65%
2.35 94%
2.29 96%
CCT
5036 129%
10200 64%
12592 52%
13185 49%
8450 77%
5831 111%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
39
39
0%
52
33%
51
31%
43
10%
51
31%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
61
66
8%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-18% / -25%
-10% / -29%
-12% / -31%
5% / 3%
14% / 3%

* ... smaller is better

Performance

Dell's Inspiron 15-5558 is a member of 15.6-inch all-round laptops. It has enough computing power for everyday use and allows playing computer games to a limited extent. Our review sample is available for approximately 700 Euros (~$773). Dell also has other configurations in its lineup - with and without a dedicated GPU. The currently lowest-priced device costs around 430 Euros (~$475).

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
HWInfo
LatencyMon
 

Processor

A current mid-range CPU from Intel in the form of the Core i5-5200U (Broadwell) dual-core processor is inside the Inspiron. It is a frugal ULV processor with a TDP of 15 watts. The processor clocks at a base speed of 2.2 GHz, which can be boosted to 2.5 GHz (both cores) or 2.7 GHz (one core only) via Turbo. It can develop its full performance in both AC and battery modes. The tests we performed were always processed at full speed. Thanks to slightly higher speed and the improved Broadwell architecture, the Core i5-5200U scored better than its precursors of the Haswell generation (Core i5-4200UCore i5-4210U) in our benchmarks. The Broadwell processor could reap in an advantage of up to 10% here.

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5653
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
8642
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4137
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
39.83 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.8 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.26 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
46.22 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
261 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
108 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
261 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
275 Points +5%
Dell Inspiron 15-5547
Radeon R7 M265, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
235 Points -10%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
261 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
176 Points -33%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
235 Points -10%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
217 Points -17%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
272 Points +4%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
108 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
119 Points +10%
Dell Inspiron 15-5547
Radeon R7 M265, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
103 Points -5%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
109 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
63 Points -42%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
103 Points -5%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
85 Points -21%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
119 Points +10%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2.8 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2.97 Points +6%
Dell Inspiron 15-5547
Radeon R7 M265, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
2.11 Points -25%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2.9 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1.91 Points -32%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
2.59 Points -7%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2.32 Points -17%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
2.92 Points +4%
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1.26 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1.4 Points +11%
Dell Inspiron 15-5547
Radeon R7 M265, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-75JC3T0
1.03 Points -18%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1.1 Points -13%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
0.66 Points -48%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
1.18 Points -6%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
0.97 Points -23%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
1.35 Points +7%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
8642 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
9461 Points +9%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
8664 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
5531 Points -36%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
7222 Points -16%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
9148 Points +6%
Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4137 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
4597 Points +11%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4161 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2059 Points -50%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
3114 Points -25%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
4527 Points +9%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2653 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2892 Points +9%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2672 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1492 Points -44%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
2348 Points -11%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2167 Points -18%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
2646 Points 0%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
5304 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
5947 Points +12%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
5328 Points 0%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3801 Points -28%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
4597 Points -13%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
4540 Points -14%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
5301 Points 0%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
115.6 ms *
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
114.5 ms * +1%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
109.7 ms * +5%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
226.8 ms * -96%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
160.3 ms * -39%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
113.7 ms * +2%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2554 ms *
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2426 ms * +5%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2565 ms * -0%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
4634 ms * -81%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
3232 ms * -27%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
2321 ms * +9%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
12753 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
12724 Points 0%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
12860 Points +1%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
7568 Points -41%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
10182 Points -20%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
13750 Points +8%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2420 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2498 Points +3%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2466 Points +2%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1411 Points -42%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
1946 Points -20%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
2698 Points +11%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

The system ran smoothly and we did not encounter any problems. The PCMark benchmarks scores are good. A look at our comparison chart shows that laptops based on an AMD graphics core achieve considerably better results than the Inspiron in PCMark 8. We have observed this very often. The PCMark 8 benchmark particularly benefits from AMD GPUs. Installing a solid state drive could boost the Inspiron's system performance. Potential Inspiron buyers who are also considering an alternative laptop with a standard quad-core mobile processor should be aware that its higher performance will hardly have an impact in routine use. The quad-core processor can first utilize its higher performance in applications that benefit from high CPU power.

The working memory operates in dual-channel mode
The working memory operates in dual-channel mode
PCMark 7 Score
2736 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
2830 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3225 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
3609 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2830 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3437 Points +21%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2962 Points +5%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2622 Points -7%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
2457 Points -13%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2972 Points +5%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
3291 Points +16%
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2736 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
4157 Points +52%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2710 Points -1%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2627 Points -4%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
2525 Points -8%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2574 Points -6%

Storage Devices

Users will not be lacking storage capacity thanks to the 1 TB hard drive (5400 revolutions per minute) from Toshiba. CrystalDiskMark recorded a read speed of 102.6 MB/s, and HD Tune delivered an average transfer rate of 83.4 MB/s. Those are normal rates for a 5400 rpm hard drive.

Replacing the hard drive is no problem
Replacing the hard drive is no problem
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Transfer Rate Minimum: 7.4 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 111 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 83.4 MB/s
Access Time: 18.3 ms
Burst Rate: 2.8 MB/s
CPU Usage: 4.6 %

Graphics Card

We have tested most graphics cores from Nvidia's current GeForce 900M lineup. We could usually only ascertain a marginal performance plus of only a few percent over the corresponding precursor graphics core. The reason: The cores are based on the same architecture as their precursors and only clock at slightly higher speeds. This is a bit different with the GeForce 920M graphics core installed in the Inspiron. Nvidia uses a different architecture (Kepler) here than in the GeForce 820M core (Fermi). The 920M achieves a considerably better score than the 820 core in the 3DMark benchmarks due to its new architecture. We recorded an advantage of 20 to 30%. The Radeon R7 M270 graphics core in the Inspiron 15-1548 scores slightly better than the GeForce 920 GPU in the 3DMark benchmarks.

The GeForce core alongside Intel's integrated HD Graphics 5500 GPU forms a graphics-switching solution (Optimus). Intel's GPU is active in routine and battery mode. The GeForce core is utilized for performance-driven applications, such as computer games. The graphics cores are switched automatically. The user normally does not have to intervene, but it is always possible when required.

3DMark 11 Performance
1793 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
44189 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
5193 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1050 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1793 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
2002 Points +12%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2391 Points +33%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1904 Points +6%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
2316 Points +29%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
1766 Points -2%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
1905 Points +6%
Asus X555LD-XX283H
GeForce 820M, 4010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
1349 Points -25%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
44189 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
37683 Points -15%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
45771 Points +4%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
39475 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
45583 Points +3%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
53548 Points +21%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
30990 Points -30%
Asus X555LD-XX283H
GeForce 820M, 4010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
42918 Points -3%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
5193 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
5295 Points +2%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
5723 Points +10%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3902 Points -25%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
5477 Points +5%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
5142 Points -1%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
4307 Points -17%
Asus X555LD-XX283H
GeForce 820M, 4010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
3954 Points -24%
1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3984 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
4325 Points +9%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
5106 Points +28%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
3793 Points -5%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
4976 Points +25%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
3907 Points -2%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
3740 Points -6%
Asus X555LD-XX283H
GeForce 820M, 4010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
2872 Points -28%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1050 Points
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
1225 Points +17%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1355 Points +29%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
963 Points -8%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
1346 Points +28%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
1045 Points 0%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
946 Points -10%
Asus X555LD-XX283H
GeForce 820M, 4010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
829 Points -21%

Gaming Performance

The Inspiron's hardware can smoothly render many games in the HD resolution using low to medium quality settings. Games with low hardware requirements allow more. It is difficult to achieve playable frame rates in some smash hits. Reducing the resolution/quality settings might be required here. However, The Witcher 3 and Batman: Arkham Knight do not produce any playable frame rates then, either.

While the Inspiron still managed a 20 to 30% advantage over GeForce 820M laptops in 3DMark, this lead is somewhat lower in gaming practice. An average of 10 to 20% higher frame rates is reached here. The Radeon R7 M270 graphics core in the Inspiron 15-5548 is defeated marginally.

Users who want more gaming power will have to take another laptop. It is, however, not necessary to invest more money. The Aspire E5-571G equipped with a GeForce 840M core is available for a price starting at 500 Euros (~$552, without Windows operating system).

low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 83.8 43.3 25.7 11.8
Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) 38.8 32.4 16.4
Watch Dogs (2014) 35.5 22.6 7.4 4.1
Sims 4 (2014) 179.2 74 31.5 23
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) 25 17 7.7 4.9
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) 47.3 23.5 11.5 7.9
Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) 19.5 12.6 6.1 3.9
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 31.7 26.9 12.2 8.4
Evolve (2015) 26.1 19 10 7.3
Battlefield Hardline (2015) 51.2 36.5 12.9 7.7
Dirt Rally (2015) 136.1 33.1 16.8 12.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 20.1 12.1 6.7 4
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 16 13 8 6
Tomb Raider
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
83.8 fps
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
77.1 fps -8%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
124.8 fps +49%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
63.7 fps -24%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
85.1 fps +2%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
84.6 fps +1%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
68.7 fps -18%
Asus F751LDV-TY178H
GeForce 820M, 4210U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
78 fps -7%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
43.3 fps
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
40.5 fps -6%
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
GeForce 840M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
62 fps +43%
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
41.1 fps -5%
HP Pavilion 15-p008ng
GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
52.2 fps +21%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
42.9 fps -1%
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
Radeon R7 M260, 4510U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU
36.2 fps -16%
Asus F751LDV-TY178H
GeForce 820M, 4210U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
38.4 fps -11%
Dirt Rally
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
136.1 fps
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
136.6 fps 0%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
33.1 fps
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
33.2 fps 0%
Battlefield Hardline
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
51.2 fps
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
47.3 fps -8%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
40.9 fps -20%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
36.5 fps
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
Radeon R7 M270, 5500U, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
34.5 fps -5%
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
GeForce 920M, 5010U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680
28.7 fps -21%
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
1024x768 Low / Off (Shader Preload On) (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
47.3 fps
1366x768 Normal / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off) (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
23.5 fps
Sims 4
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
179.2 fps
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
125 fps -30%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
GeForce 920M, 5200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
74 fps
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
Radeon R7 M260, A10-5745M, Seagate ST1000LM014 Solid State Hybrid Drive
25.9 fps -65%

Emissions

System Noise

The fan permanently spins at a low speed in idle, but it is not audible. The hard drive drowns out its noise. Replacing the hard drive with a solid state drive would reduce the noise somewhat. The fan speeds up a bit too much under load in view of the mid-range CPU and entry-level GPU installed in the laptop. The cooling requirement should thus be within limits. We measured a noise level of roughly 45/46 dB - we have seen better in contenders, such as Acer's Aspire E5-571G.

Noise Level

Idle
33.5 / 33.5 / 33.5 dB(A)
HDD
34.1 dB(A)
DVD
36 / dB(A)
Load
45.9 / 45.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
920M/5200U
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
R7 M270/5500U
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
840M/5200U
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
R7 M260/A10-5745M
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
920M/5010U
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
R7 M260/4510U
Noise
3%
10%
0%
6%
12%
Idle Minimum *
33.5
32.1
4%
32.7
2%
32
4%
29.6
12%
Idle Average *
33.5
32.1
4%
32.7
2%
32.2
4%
32.4
3%
29.6
12%
Idle Maximum *
33.5
32.1
4%
32.7
2%
32.2
4%
33.6
-0%
29.6
12%
Load Average *
45.9
44.6
3%
34.2
25%
45.3
1%
38.3
17%
37.7
18%
Load Maximum *
45.3
46
-2%
37.8
17%
49.4
-9%
41.8
8%
41.7
8%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The Inspiron in the stress test
The Inspiron in the stress test

The graphics core processed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) at 954 MHz in both AC and battery modes. The processor clocked at 1.8 to 1.9 GHz (battery mode) and 2.2 to 2.5 GHz (AC mode). The Inspiron's temperatures only increased very slightly. The temperatures remained below 40 °C on all measuring points. The fast-spinning fan is noticed here.

Max. Load
 32.1 °C
90 F
34.1 °C
93 F
25.1 °C
77 F
 
 35.1 °C
95 F
35.7 °C
96 F
25.2 °C
77 F
 
 27.3 °C
81 F
28.1 °C
83 F
26.2 °C
79 F
 
Maximum: 35.7 °C = 96 F
Average: 29.9 °C = 86 F
23.6 °C
74 F
33.4 °C
92 F
36.7 °C
98 F
24 °C
75 F
38.5 °C
101 F
37.8 °C
100 F
26.8 °C
80 F
27.6 °C
82 F
26.8 °C
80 F
Maximum: 38.5 °C = 101 F
Average: 30.6 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  47.6 °C = 118 F | Room Temperature 21.5 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 29.9 °C / 86 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.7 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 38.5 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.8 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.1 °C / 82.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (+0.7 °C / 1.2 F).
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
920M/5200U
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
R7 M270/5500U
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
840M/5200U
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
R7 M260/A10-5745M
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
920M/5010U
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
R7 M260/4510U
Heat
-15%
-8%
-14%
7%
-24%
Maximum Upper Side *
35.7
42.9
-20%
41.3
-16%
38.7
-8%
29.2
18%
45.4
-27%
Maximum Bottom *
38.5
42.8
-11%
44
-14%
46
-19%
37.8
2%
57.7
-50%
Idle Upper Side *
26
31.1
-20%
26.1
-0%
29.6
-14%
25.1
3%
26.9
-3%
Idle Bottom *
26.6
29.3
-10%
26.7
-0%
30.2
-14%
25.7
3%
30.4
-14%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

The stereo speakers have been positioned on the underside of the casing's front edge. Their sound is satisfactory in total. They exhibit the common shortcomings, such as the lack of bass and a slight tendency to be tinny. However, it is still possible to listen to them for a longer time without an earache.

The Inspiron's speakers
The Inspiron's speakers

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The Inspiron does not have an excessively high energy requirement throughout the entire load range. The idle power consumption remained below 10 watts, which is how it should be. The requirement increased up to 36.3 watts during the stress test. This rate would be higher if the CPU utilized its Turbo in the stress test (it is naturally utilized in routine use). The power supply with a nominal capacity of 65 watts is not a restricting factor. A power consumption of roughly 33 watts would be realistic for gaming routine.

The power supply has a nominal capacity of 65 watts.
The power supply has a nominal capacity of 65 watts.
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.3 / 6.5 / 7.4 Watt
Load midlight 33.3 / 36.3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
920M/5200U
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
R7 M270/5500U
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
840M/5200U
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
R7 M260/A10-5745M
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
920M/5010U
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
R7 M260/4510U
Power Consumption
-17%
-26%
-115%
13%
-26%
Idle Minimum *
4.3
4.5
-5%
5.4
-26%
10.3
-140%
3.5
19%
4
7%
Idle Average *
6.5
7.7
-18%
8.2
-26%
15.7
-142%
5.5
15%
8.4
-29%
Idle Maximum *
7.4
9
-22%
10.5
-42%
16.5
-123%
5.7
23%
9.4
-27%
Load Average *
33.3
39.1
-17%
36
-8%
56.7
-70%
31.3
6%
42.4
-27%
Load Maximum *
36.3
44
-21%
46.7
-29%
73.3
-102%
34.7
4%
56.4
-55%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The Inspiron manages an idle runtime of 11:06 hours. Acer's Aspire E5-571G (13:15 h) lasts longer. Idle mode is ascertained with Battery Eater's Reader's test using minimum screen brightness, enabled energy-saving mode, and disabled radio modules. The Inspiron shut down after 1:43 hours of load. The Aspire (2:52 h) achieves a considerably longer time. The load runtime is determined using Battery Eater's Classic test with maximum screen brightness, high-performance profile, and enabled wireless modules.

Dell's laptop stopped our real-life Wi-Fi test after 5:37 hours. Again, the Aspire (6:52 h) exhibits more stamina. This test simulates the load produced when opening websites. The "Balanced" profile is used, and the screen's brightness is approximately 150 cd/m². We check the video playback time by running the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The wireless modules are off and the screen's brightness is set to roughly 150 cd/m². The Inspiron lasted for 5:15 hours. The Aspire (7:04 h) has the lead once more.

It is clear that the Inspiron cannot compete with the Aspire's runtimes. Acer's laptop has a higher capacity battery (Dell: 40 Wh, Acer: 56 Wh).

The 40 Wh battery is removable
The 40 Wh battery is removable
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
11h 06min
WiFi Websurfing (IE 11)
5h 37min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 15min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 43min
Dell Inspiron 15-5558
40 Wh
Dell Inspiron 15-5548
43 Wh
Acer Aspire E5-571G-520X
56 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-p151ng
41 Wh
Asus F555LJ-XX110H
37 Wh
Toshiba Satellite L50-B-1TD
44 Wh
Battery Runtime
-12%
40%
-44%
2%
Reader / Idle
666
476
-29%
795
19%
351
-47%
H.264
315
330
5%
424
35%
174
-45%
WiFi v1.3
337
348
3%
345
2%
Load
103
77
-25%
172
67%
61
-41%
WiFi
412
181
328

Pros

+ Matte, high-contrast Full HD IPS screen
+ Plenty of storage
+ Barely heats up
+ 802.11 ac dual-band Wi-Fi
+ Maintenance cover

Cons

- Dark screen
- Fast Ethernet only
- Comparatively low gaming performance

Verdict

In review: Dell Inspiron 15-5558. Test model courtesy of Dell Germany.
In review: Dell Inspiron 15-5558. Test model courtesy of Dell Germany.

Dell has a 15.6-inch all-round device in its lineup with the Inspiron 15-5558. The installed processor offers enough power for routine use. The GeForce graphics core allows gaming at least to a certain degree. However, we would have expected a stronger GPU, such as the GeForce 930M or 940M at a retail price of approximately 700 Euros (~$773). The laptop usually operates quietly and does not heat up excessively. Furthermore, there is plenty of storage capacity. The screen makes a mixed impression: Although the installed viewing-angle stable, Full HD, IPS screen can offer high contrast, its brightness is only very low at the same time.

Dell might just have a decent all-rounder in its lineup with the Inspiron. However, the company has made some unnecessary mistakes with the laptop (screen brightness, choice of GPU), which prevent a better rating. Our present model is an average all-rounder at a slightly too high price.

Dell Inspiron 15-5558 - 06/26/2015 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
75 / 98 → 77%
Keyboard
74%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
62 / 81 → 77%
Weight
63 / 20-67 → 91%
Battery
86%
Display
82%
Games Performance
77 / 85 → 91%
Application Performance
76 / 92 → 83%
Temperature
93%
Noise
75 / 95 → 79%
Audio
50%
Camera
40 / 85 → 47%
Average
72%
79%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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Sascha Mölck, 2015-07- 3 (Update: 2015-07- 6)