Dell i3168-3271BLU Notebook Review

So you have come across the Dell i3168-3271BLU notebook and wonder if it’s the right one for you? Well, the computer is cheap at least, so your wallet won’t be sad after the purchase. But low price always means compromises on performance, so let’s see if the laptop is actually fast enough for your use…

The good

Dell i3168-3271BLU is not a powerhouse, but suffices if your daily activities consist of web browsing, YouTube (& other video streaming) and office programs. There’s Intel Pentium N3710 processor under the hood, giving you a quad-core setup with 1.6GHz clock speed, including 2.6GHz turbo. Despite these facts the performance is indeed low, CPU Mark benchmark gives it ~1300 points. But do not fear, for the aforementioned, lightweight uses the laptop is good. The 4GB RAM (DDR3L 1600MHz) also suffices, and I think you can upgrade that to 8GB by replacing the current stick with a larger unit.

The notebook is a small one, with 11.6 inches screen (1366×768 resolution). Naturally, a touch is supported and the display rotates 360 degrees, so you can call this thing a laptop or tablet. The display part does not detach from the keyboard. The webcam supports 720p resolution for video.

The neutral

You can’t expect top-class components for this price. That is evident in the storage section; there’s just a 500GB SATA hard drive (5400RPM) which was popular like 10 years ago. Well, for a casual user it doesn’t really matter what kind the drive is. And if you want more oomph, and have some skills, you can upgrade that to a solid-state drive.

Dell i3168-3271BLU includes three USB ports (one USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0) – you can use them to connect peripherals like DVD burner. The computer also houses a full-size HDMI-out, a monitor or HDTV can be hooked up to that.

Being a small laptop, there is no RJ-45 port for networking. But don’t worry, a basic-level 802.11bgn wireless + Bluetooth 4.0 card is included.

The notebook does not have optical drive, but media card reader is present (accepts microSD, SDHC and SDXC cards).

A 2-cell 32Whr integrated battery is included; people have been getting 6-7 hours out of it while surfing the web.

The bad

Dell i3168-3271BLU is not ideal for gaming, not at all. There is an integrated graphics engine, a new one called Intel HD 405. There are no benchmarks available yet, but you can be sure it’s a slow chip. Hence, you can’t play games like GTA V and Fallout 4 with high settings – perhaps on low settings and somewhat choppy FPS. However, if you like older games, like Counter-Strike: Go or Diablo 3, those will run fine even on this rig.

Summary

Dell i3168-3271BLU is a decent 2-in-1; the battery life will (almost) get you through a working day, while the components offer enough “oomph” for lightweight activities of web browsing and watching videos. There are enough ports included to hook up a peripheral or two, even an extra monitor. Just don’t use the Dell for gaming and you should be happy with this simple laptop!