Introduction

When it comes to laptops and computers in general, Dell needs no introduction. The company got their start back in 1984 when Michael Dell started PC's Limited. Fast forward to 1988, and the company changed its name to Dell Computer Corp, at which point it officially went public raising $30 million. It is after this that Dell released their first laptop, the 316LT, in 1989. That said, it has not always been smooth sailing for the company either with many bumps in the road between then and now. Even so, they remain the third-largest PC manufacturer today with a market share of 15%.


In today's review, I take a look at Dell's Inspiron 15 3000, specifically model 3576. This is a system I personally bought as a Christmas gift, and what self-respecting enthusiast gives a basic gift? Certainly not me, so a minor change was made: I installed an entry-level SSD to replace the slow 1 TB HDD the system comes with. Packing an Intel Core i3-8130U and 8 GB of DDR4 2400 MHz memory, it definitely qualifies as entry level. However, it is still a step up from Intel Celeron N and Pentium N series laptops, so for this review, I will take a deeper look at the performance a $320 laptop before taxes can provide with an SSD upgrade, which makes for a total of just under $400.

Packaging and Contents

The Dell Inspiron 15 3000 comes in a nondescript box that features the Dell logo front and center. This is expected considering the unit's price point. Overall, the only real point of interest here is the label detailing this particular version, which is Dell's sub-model 3576. Details such as the processor (Intel i3-8130U), 8 GB memory, 1 TB HDD, etc., are listed here as well. Opening the box shows the laptop positioned between two cardboard caps that protect it from any minor bumps during transit; there is nothing else here in terms of the packaging to protect the unit during shipping. Again, this was expected, but I would have liked a bit more protection as even a foam sheet between the screen and keyboard would have been nice to see.


Overall, the bundle makes even the word spartan feel inadequate. All you can expect to find here is the laptop and charger. Everything else included is just useless paperwork.

• Inspiron 15 3576
• Power brick
• Miscellaneous manuals & literature

A Closer Look

The top of the unit is plain for all but the Dell logo front and center, with the plastic shell having some texture for an improved grip. The bottom of the unit is smooth and features no access hatches, which would have been nice. That said, unlike other laptops I have tested, which require complete disassembly to remove or replace the battery, at least the battery can be removed with ease on this model.

For airflow to the heatsink, a few vents are in the bottom as well. There is a dust filter of sorts, which is very dense and therefore very restrictive. Cooling performance can be improved by removing these filters, but that also means more dust will get inside the system. I left the filters in place on this model since it did not seem to impact cooling enough to make the trade-off worthwhile.


The front of the unit has nothing worth mentioning with no WLAN button or other miscellaneous options having been placed here. Taking a look at the left side, you will find a large exhaust vent for cooling and the power plug. Connectivity on this side consists of 1x RJ45 (Ethernet), 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 2x USB 3.1.


Turning the system again, this time to the back, shows nothing other than the two hinges for the display. Moving on to the right side, we find the Kensington lock, DVD-RW drive, 1x USB 2.0, headphone jack, and SD card reader. Overall connectivity on this unit is decent for the price. While the lack of Type-C USB 3.1 is a bit depressing, it is again expected due to cost restraints.


The keyboard is nothing to write home about; it has no LED backlighting and feels extremely mushy with a bit of bounce in the middle. It does the job, but is not the most comfortable to use over extended periods of time. The trackpad also has a bit more flex then I would like with the bottom left and right corners feeling quite flimsy. When pressing down to activate left or right clicks near their very corners, the buttons will depress twice as far as the dividing middle line on the trackpad. This leaves it feeling exceptionally cheap and in dire need of improvement. As for the power button, it is in the top right above the keyboard and recessed into the case, which is nice as it makes it difficult to bump into or depress unless done so intentionally.