Dell Inspiron 15 5570 i5 vs. Dell Inspiron 15 5570 i7: Which should you buy?
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Budget friendly
With 8GB memory as standard, the Inspiron 15 5570 is a workhorse of a laptop. It even comes with an optical drive that you rarely see these days, but it's unlikely you will be using this laptop for high-end games or VR any time soon.
For
- Cheap
- Optical drive included
- 8GB DDR4 as standard
Against
- Integrated graphics card
Power processing
The core i7 is lightning fast and using a combined memory of 24GB, the Inspiron 15 5570 i7 takes your work computer to the next level. Still no dedicated graphics though, which is a big blow.
For
- High-speed processor
- 24GB combined memory
- 1TB hard drive
Against
- Integrated graphics
- Expensive
The Intel i7 and i5 chipsets are the cutting edge of processing technology and there is a fair amount of difference between them (besides the price). If you're a casual user of your laptop or a student then the i5 version of the 5570 is more than adequate. If you're a power user, editing video or photos on a regular basis, then go for the i7 — you'll need the speed.
The Breakdown
It's important to note that we are talking about the same physical laptop here. The Inspiron 5570 with the Intel core i5 is the same machine as the one with the i7. Both come with a 1TB hard drive, both run the standard integrated 620 graphics chipset, and both come with Windows 10 Pro 64-bit edition.
The 5570 isn't going to be winning any awards for its gaming capabilities with that integrated graphics chip but the i7 version with the fast processor and extra memory (but again, an integrated graphics chip) may give you enough of a performance boost to play games on a low graphical setting. The i5 however is unlikely to be any good for gaming at all.
Header Cell - Column 0 | 5570 core i5 | 5570 core i7 |
---|---|---|
Processor | Core i5 | Core i7 |
Processor Speed | 6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz | 8MB Cache, up to 4.0 GHz |
Memory | 8GB DDR4 | 24GB Memory: 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 DRAM + 16GB Intel Optane Memory |
Optical Drive | Yes | No |
Disk space | 1TB | 1TB |
A big plus to the Core i7 5570 is the addition of the Optane Memory. Optane memory is a mix between a solid state drive and RAM and allows the 5570 to load information into active memory much faster. Dell sells this to you as 24GB of memory, and that sounds amazing, but only 8GB of that is actually RAM so keep that in mind.
With the bump in memory and processing power, the clear winner for anyone who uses memory intensive programs — Photoshop, Lightroom, or any video editing program for example — is the 5570 with the core i7. At $790 though, it's a big jump in price from the i5 version, although still cheaper than a lot of other laptops.
The Inspiron 5570 i5 version is only $630 and though it has no Optane Memory, it still houses 8GB of conventional RAM, more than enough for your average work day or study session. It also comes with an optical drive that may not be cutting edge but is still useful in this day and age.
The i7 version is the clear winner here, even though it costs an extra $160. However, if you just need a laptop to do basic tasks, you can't go wrong with the i5 version.
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A competitive price and ability to get the job done
The Inspiron 5570 i5 is the perfect laptop for work or school and for completing normal everyday tasks. The only downfall it has is the lack of decent graphical power.
All the power under the hood you will need
With a 4GHZ processor and 24GB of combined memory, the Inspiron 15 5570 i7 is the clear choice for those power users with intense software. Just be wary of the fact it still only has integrated graphics and the price is a little steep.
James built his first PC when he was 13 and has never looked back. He can be found on Windows Central, usually in the corner where all the 3D printers are, or huddled around the Xbox playing the latest games.