Difference between Dell Inspirons - Help out a confused guy!

vic g

Honorable
Dec 21, 2012
2
0
10,510
Hi all,

I already have a powerful desktop for gaming, but am looking to get a laptop for when I can't be bothered to turn the PC on for general tasks (first world problems, I know!).

I'm taken by the Dell Inspiron 15 7000, but noticed the new model carries a 1060 card instead of the previous 1050Ti. While this sounds great, I read they have also changed the battery, from a 74 Watt-hour battery to a smaller 56 Watt-hour battery.

However, it was the battery life on the previous model that drew my eye to the Inspiron in the first place, being up to 11 hours, which was great for a laptop, while the new one is said to be up to 7, but will likely be 5-6 when gaming ,etc.

As I said, I will be using it more for admin tasks, but I will be gamin on it too,, which leads to my confusion - is the hit on battery life worth it to have a more future proof card? Is the difference between the 1050Ti and the 1060 all that noticeable? Come to think of it, is the difference between the batteries noticeable?

The new model is here:
http://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/cty/pdp/spd/inspiron-15-7577-laptop?stp=1&Preview=On

The version I had my eye on no longer seems to be available at the Dell store, hence the Amazon link here (it's the version with the IPS screen):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Inspiron-Gaming-Laptop-i5-7300HQ/dp/B06XC7WMVH?th=1

In addition, I was going to install a 2TB drive in the old model to beef up the storage; would that still be possible with the new version (I know it comes with 1TB anyway, but you know how easily games fill up a drive). I was going to use this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-ST2000LM007-2000-GB-Internal/dp/B01C4W2P18/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1505555242&sr=8-4-fkmr0&keywords=Seagate+2TB+Laptop+HDD+SATA+6Gb%2Fs+128MB+Cache+2.5-Inch+Internal+Hard+Drive+%28ST2000LM007%29

Apologies for the wall of text, but I would really appreciate the opinions of the learned people here!

 
Solution
When playing games especially on a laptop with dedicated graphics expect no more than 60 to 90 minutes when playing on battery. I have the Dell Inspiron 15 7559 with an i5-6300HQ and GTX 960m along with the 74WHr battery. With typical daily usage the laptop generally lasts around 7 to 8 hours.

The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series is pretty easy to upgrade. There is a single captive screw that keeps the bottom panel attached to the laptop. I'm thinking about buying a 2TB 2.5" SSD for my Dell around Black Friday / Christmas if I can get one for a decent price of roughly $400.
When playing games especially on a laptop with dedicated graphics expect no more than 60 to 90 minutes when playing on battery. I have the Dell Inspiron 15 7559 with an i5-6300HQ and GTX 960m along with the 74WHr battery. With typical daily usage the laptop generally lasts around 7 to 8 hours.

The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series is pretty easy to upgrade. There is a single captive screw that keeps the bottom panel attached to the laptop. I'm thinking about buying a 2TB 2.5" SSD for my Dell around Black Friday / Christmas if I can get one for a decent price of roughly $400.
 
Solution

vic g

Honorable
Dec 21, 2012
2
0
10,510
Thanks all. After considering the options, I think I'm going to go for the older model, for a few reasons. For a start, the design just looks better, in my humble opinion. The longer battery life really does make a difference too, and from what I've read, the Max-Q 1060 isn't a massive leap up from the 1050Ti. Plus, I can install the 2 TB drive to increase the storage size considerably.

Thanks again.