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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is budget-friendly, suitable for general use, and includes a number pad, making it a good choice for everyday tasks and work scenarios that require frequent numeric input. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17 is a high-end option with a steeper price, specifically designed for intensive tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, gaming, and engineering works; it has robust performance capabilities but may sacrifice portability and battery life. 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 15 3520
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
6.9
8.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
259.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
6.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 offers a basic Intel i3 processor, moderate RAM, and adequate screen quality, which account for its fair performance in general use; however, its portability and battery life may be suitable for those on the go. In contrast, the MSI Stealth 17, with a high-end Intel i9 processor, ample RAM, and superior screen quality, stands out for very good general use, though its increased weight and likely shorter battery life due to more powerful components make it less portable.
Gaming and AI
6.0
9.1
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
6.3
9.4
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 offers modest performance for engineering and design due to an Intel i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and integrated graphics, whereas the MSI Stealth 17 excels in these tasks with a high-end Intel i9 processor, 64 GB of RAM, and a powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU, alongside a higher resolution and quality screen.
Content Creation
7.0
8.8
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for content creation, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 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
6.7
8.5
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 is only fair.
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
6.8
8.6
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
259.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520, with its fair screen characteristics, provides adequate resolution and brightness for daily tasks but may not offer the vibrant colors and sharpness preferred in engineering and design. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth 17's screen excels in resolution and color accuracy, making it ideal for detailed engineering work and tasks requiring color precision. However, both fall short for gaming and 3D applications, where higher refresh rates are crucial for smooth motion, an area where these models do not specialize.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
3.6 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.2
7.8
The MSI Stealth 17 has good build quality, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$329
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has a price of $329 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
Battery
6.5 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has 6.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 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.
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How the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Dell Inspiron 15 3520 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$329 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.3'' x 0.83'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.65 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.11" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.27" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i3-1215U | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 256 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6.5 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 41 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 259 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 6.3/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | No | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Dell Inspiron 15 3520
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Mark Knapp | January 2023
"Dell's Inspiron 15 (3525) is a peppy-enough and affordable-enough home or remote work machine, but it's not very ambitious; it does little to go beyond the basics. More the concern: It’s readily overshadowed by a number of machines that outperform and outclass it. Even if the Inspiron can get the job done today, its competition has the mettle to keep doing the job tomorrow in a way the Inspiron simply can’t promise. Plus, those alternatives are much more enjoyable after work."
MSI Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Dell Inspiron 15 3520 or the MSI Stealth 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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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