Dell Inspiron 15 3520 vs HP Envy 17

The HP Envy 17 provides a more powerful CPU and extra RAM compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3520, ensuring smoother operation for general use, along with a solid state drive with more storage capacity, which matters for speed and data handling. Additionally, the Envy's larger, higher-quality screen and superior speakers offer a more immersive experience, while it maintains reasonable portability and battery life despite its enhanced features and larger size.

The HP Envy 17’s superior processing power and graphics capabilities, paired with its larger, higher-quality screen, make it better suited for demanding engineering and design tasks compared to the Dell Inspiron 15 3520, which has modest performance components and a smaller screen. However, the Inspiron 15 3520 is lighter and more compact, offering better portability at the expense of the higher capabilities and larger display that the Envy 17 provides.

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.

The Dell Inspiron's display, while serviceable for tasks like web browsing or document editing, doesn't offer the high resolution or brightness that can make activities like photo viewing or movie streaming more enjoyable. For engineering and design, both the Dell and HP provide adequate color accuracy for most tasks, but professionals who need the most precise color representation may find them lacking due to less coverage of professional color gamuts. Gamers and those into 3D graphics will likely be disappointed with the refresh rates of these laptops' screens, as they are not geared towards the smooth visuals and rapid response times that high frame-rate gaming requires.

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 15 3520 is rated fair for gaming and 3D because it has a decent dedicated GPU and an average screen refresh rate, but the CPU and screen quality are only somewhat satisfying for these tasks. The HP Envy 17 also gets a fair rating for these uses as it comes with a capable GPU for moderate gaming and a good screen refresh rate, though it falls short on the ideal CPU speed and the superiority of screen visuals for high-end gaming and 3D applications.