Dell Inspiron 14 5420 vs Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i

The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i offers better gaming and 3D performance largely due to its more advanced Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 120 Hz compared to the Dell Inspiron 14 5420's Nvidia MX570 GPU and 60 Hz screen refresh rate. While both laptops have similar CPU and screen quality, these factors contribute significantly to rendering graphics smoothly and generating more frames per second, elevating the IdeaPad Pro 5i's capabilities for gaming and 3D applications.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is very good for engineering and design due to its advanced GPU (Nvidia RTX 4050), high screen quality, more RAM slots, and better processing power (Intel i7-13700H), which outweigh the Dell Inspiron 14 5420's lower-tier GPU (Nvidia MX570) and less power-efficient CPU (Intel i7-1255U). While the Dell model is a bit more portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight, the IdeaPad's larger screen, longer battery life, and additional features like available RAM slots and hardware ray tracing make it better suited for intensive tasks.

The Dell Inspiron 14 5420's display, while adequate for tasks like web browsing and document editing, may lack the higher resolution and brightness that the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i provides, making the latter more appealing for general use due to clearer and more vibrant visuals. For engineering and design, the Lenovo's display likely covers a wider color gamut, offering more accurate color representation essential for detailed work, which might be constrained on the Dell's fair screen. In the realm of gaming and 3D, both laptops fall short, as neither likely possesses the high refresh rates needed for smooth visuals, although the resolution and panel technology might be sufficient for casual play.

Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.

PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.

The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with decent battery life and lightweight design, offers strong performance for day-to-day tasks and some creative work, thanks to its capable CPU and ample RAM, but its moderate screen size and lower GPU power limit its appeal for users requiring advanced graphics work. Comparatively, the Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i excels with a larger, high-quality display, and significantly more powerful CPU and GPU, making it well-suited for more demanding tasks and casual gaming, though this comes with a slight compromise on weight and battery life.

PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.

PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.