CPUs

Newegg Selling Intel 10nm Ice Lake Based Inspiron 15 3000 with 16 GB RAM for just $479.99

Here’s something we don’t see every day: An Ice Lake i5 laptop with 16(!?) gigs of RAM for less than the price of an iPad Air. Newegg has a spectacular time-limited offer going on for a specific Dell Inspiron 14 3000 model. At $479.99 it is an absolute steal. What exactly are you getting for the money?

The laptop features the i5-1035G4. This is a quad-core eight-thread Ice Lake processor. To underscore this laptop’s value proposition, check out Intel’s recommended tray price for the processor alone. The 1.1 GHz base clock mentioned on the spec list is a bit misleading. The i5-1035G4 is power limited by a 15W TDP. However, typical all-core turbo is as high as 3.3 GHz. Ice Lake’s process efficiency and IPC improvements mean that the 1035G4 offers great performance even at lower clockspeeds.

Strangely enough for an Intel processor, the integrated graphics are the real highlight of the it-1035G4. The Gen 11 Iris Plus Graphics G4 features 48 EUs and delivers performance in the ballpark of the GTX 1050. That’s more than enough to deliver a good gameplay experience at this laptop’s native 1366×768 resolution.

What else do you get? There’s 8GB x2 2400 MHz DDR 4 in dual-channel mode. The fast dual-channel memory will support the bandwidth-starved Gen 11 GPU. (Xanax) The laptop doesn’t skimp in the storage department either: you get a 512 GB NVMe SSD.

The display is a bit of a weak point: we’re looking at a 14-in 1366×768 panel. Display tech isn’t mentioned, but we’re assuming this is a TN panel. That’s a compromise you’ll just have to live with.

All in all, this is a remarkably good deal, at least until supplies last. This isn’t just a minor mark-down in price: the bill of materials for the hardware inside this laptop is at least several hundred dollars higher than the discounted price. If you’re in the market for a midrange productivity laptop and don’t mind a dinky screen, this is the best choice at the moment.

Arjun

Penguin-published author, and journalist. Loves PC hardware but has terrible hand-eye coordination. Most likely to be found playing Total War or watching weird Russian sitcoms.
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