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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is less expensive, more portable, and offers decent performance for general use with a moderate battery life. It's suitable for everyday tasks and light engineering work but lacks the power for intensive gaming or advanced 3D/machine learning tasks. The Razer Blade 17, while pricier and less portable, provides a significant boost in performance for engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning, benefiting from a powerful processor and high-end graphics. Additionally, it excels in gaming with its high-refresh-rate display, but this comes at the cost of a shorter battery life compared to the Dell Inspiron 14 5420. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Razer Blade 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Very good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.6
8.5
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
279.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is recognized as good for general use due to its solid processor, sufficient RAM, and high-quality IPS screen with a higher pixel density offering sharp visuals, complemented by a very good portability score and respectable battery life. On the other hand, the Razer Blade 17 exceeds in general use by providing a superior processor, double the RAM, a larger and higher resolution screen with top-tier screen quality, although it is less portable owing to its size and weight, and has shorter battery life compared to the Dell.
Gaming and AI
6.4
8.6
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420's moderate gaming and 3D capability stems from its less powerful Nvidia MX570 GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, while the Razer Blade 17 excels in these areas due to its top-tier Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a higher 144Hz screen refresh rate which ensures smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
7.1
9.1
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
4.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Razer Blade 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
The Razer Blade 17 outclasses the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 in engineering and design due to its superior CPU, double the RAM, and a much more powerful GPU, which are very important for performance-intensive tasks and software. Additionally, the Razer has a higher quality screen with significantly better color coverage and resolution, enhancing visual precision for design work, though the tradeoff is less portability and a heavier build compared to the smaller Dell.
Content Creation
7.5
8.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
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.
Software Development
7.4
8.5
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Razer Blade 17 is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
6.5
8.6
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2240 x 1400
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
279.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
486.0 nits
The Razer Blade 17 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with its fair screen quality, provides adequate clarity and brightness for everyday tasks but may fall short for color-critical engineering work due to limited color gamut. The Razer Blade 17 excels in screen quality with a high resolution and broad color gamut, which benefits engineering and design professionals needing precision in color representation. However, for gaming and 3D modeling, despite its higher resolution and better panel, the Razer's lower refresh rate could lead to less fluid visuals compared to laptops designed specifically for these purposes.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 hours of battery life. The Razer Blade 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.4 lbs
WEIGHT
6.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the Razer Blade 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.0
8.5
The Razer Blade 17 has very good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$971
$4,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a price of $971 and the Razer Blade 17 costs $4,300.
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How the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and the Razer Blade 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 5420 | Razer Blade 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$971 | $4,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | February 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 15.6'' x 10.2'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.4 lbs | 6.06 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.36" | 15.55" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.96" | 10.24" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1255U | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 82 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2240 x 1400 | 3840 x 2160 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 279 nits | 486 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7.3/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Razer Blade 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | July 2022
"Our test configuration of the Blade 17 targets gamers and creative professionals. A Core i9-12900H processor, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU (175 watts TGP after the BIOS update, 16 GB of VRAM), and 32 GB of working memory equip the laptop for video processing, rending, and 4k gaming at the highest level. In addition, a fast PCIe-4 SSD (1 TB) ensures short load and storage times. With the Blade 17 (Early 2022), Razer delivers a successful and powerful work device for creative professionals. But this also has its price."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 or the Razer Blade 17
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
About Razer
Razer is an American-Singaporean technology company. Razer is best known for their Blade series laptops, well known for their strong performance and sleek design. Although Razer charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a stealthy laptop with clean fit and finish and strong performance. All of their models offer great portability and build quality compared to other gaming laptops.
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