Gamers looking for a laptop have so many interesting models to choose from. Granted, some are expensive due to high-end components, there are a few player’s notebooks that won’t certainly break your bank. Dell Inspiron i5577 (i5577-5335BLK-PUS) is an example of such a low-cost laptop that gamers might find sufficient. I took upon the task and examined the computer further; below, you will see what I think about it!
Snappy enough for gaming?
The card commanding graphics on this Dell is GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 video RAM. If you are purely comparing it to faster models such as GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 you will see much worse performance. But, in reality, the GTX 1050 supports any game there currently is – even most of them on high and ultra settings. Talking about some popular titles, you would be looking at a great +60FPS on GTA 5 and Battlefield 4 with high settings and 1080p resolution.
So in essence, many gamers don’t need any fancier card than the GTX 1050. The only real limitation is, it does not support Virtual Reality. That takes some points from the future proofness, say!
Other components under the hood
Dell Inspiron i5577 (i5577-5335BLK-PUS) has a good thing going on in the processor department. There you will find Intel Core i5-7300HQ, a famous Kaby Lake Processor offering quad-core configuration for the benefit of multitasking. The clock speed is 2.5GHz, but one gigahertz is added with the turbo boost (3.5GHz in total). With ~6700 CPU Mark points, the i5-7300HQ is certainly an above average processor – ready to answer to the needs of power users and professionals.
This model’s storage is brought by a 256GB solid-state drive. It uses M.2 SATA 3 interface, although the motherboard also supports PCIe/NVMe drives if you are planning to upgrade. Also, a free 2.5″ slot is available there in case installing a secondary drive interests you. As far as I know, there are no quick ways to upgrade the drives, you’ll need to disassemble much of the notebook.
The system equips a single 8GB 2400MHZ DDR4 memory stick. This is a decent amount even for heavier use, although now and then some really demanding users benefit from having 16GB RAM. The bright side is, the mainboard has a free RAM slot for adding more memory. The maximum stands at 32GB.
Ports and interfaces
Three USB 3.0 ports are ready to accept your devices. That is not too great an amount, especially when no USB Type-C port is present. Dell Inspiron i5577 (i5577-5335BLK-PUS) also has a standard sized HDMI output. All in all, the system supports one external monitor at a time, if you are planning to use this laptop through such a display!
For wireless, the computer offers Intel 3165 WiFi card which support 1×1 dual-band 802.11ac technology. Bluetooth 4.2 is covered too, you can find connection with your mobile phones easily. Available is also a Gigabit Ethernet port for plugging in the network cable.
You can not use DVDs with this laptop unless you get an external optical drive, so has Dell decided by not including an internal DVD burner. Yet, included is SD/MMC card reader that will be useful if you deal with memory cards often.
Display
There’s a 15.6″ display on Dell Inspiron i5577 (i5577-5335BLK-PUS), that is rather good size for players without compromising too much of portability. 1920×1080 resolution is supported, touch is not. Unfortunately, it’s a cheaper TN panel, you’re not getting the quality of IPS here. Brightness stands at 220 nits and color gamut at NTSC 45%. The screen has anti-glare finish.
Miscellaneous benefits
The laptop enjoys a 6-cell 74Whr integrated battery. It’s surprisingly decent for non-gaming activities, users reporting 4-5 hours for surfing the web and similar. On the other hand, the battery life will drastically drop to a 2 hours maximum when gaming.
The notebook contains fans but they are not on all the time. The fans activate depending on strain on the system.
The unit has a backlit keyboard, red color.
Good reasons to buy this?
If you are not the most demanding player, Dell Inspiron i5577 (i5577-5335BLK-PUS) can do everything for you. Going with high settings on most games is a reality here, the GTX 1050 isn’t a bad card at all.
In addition to gaming capabilities, the computer does a good job for advanced and heavyweight software. Titles such as Photoshop, VirtualBox and video editors would run. The laptop has Core i5 processor and 256GB solid-state drive, after all!
Good reasons to skip this?
I don’t usually recommend gaming laptops for the non-gaming folks. Well, I don’t fully recommend this Dell either for non players because you can get a cheaper rig for software use. But still, I must say it’s rather affordable, so even if you don’t play much the Dell won’t be a bad choice.
Summary
It stands a reason to call Dell Inspiron i5577 (i5577-5335BLK-PUS) a real gaming notebook. Definitely, there are better graphics card than the GTX 1050, but if you are not too demanding player settings-wise, the current graphics engine is all you need. In addition, don’t forget you are also getting a solid-state drive and Kaby Lake processor here – components that should rock your world long time. In short, the Dell is a great buy for power users who also have a great knack for gaming!
