Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK (I35425000BK) 15.6″ Touch Laptop with Intel i3 CPU

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The Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK, also known as I35425000BK, is a 15.6-inch laptop PC from the budget-oriented Inspiron 15 3000 series. But, it is not crippled too much in terms of specs, since it has a touchscreen and a good processor, all packed in a 1″ slim chassis made of black matte plastic. This is an important model, because it was one of the Best Buy Doorbuster Black Friday 2014 laptop offers. It was priced at only $299.99.

Instead of the Intel Celeron and Pentium processors which are so common among low-cost notebooks and provide a basic performance, the I3542-6003BK / I35425000BK sports a mid range Intel Core i3-4030U dual-core CPU. While you’re doing the routine tasks such as surfing the web, using Microsoft Word or Excel, or streaming videos, you won’t notice big difference between the i3 and Pentiums. As soon as yo throw something more demanding on the laptop like 1080p video editing or high-res photo adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, the difference will be quite noticeable. The i3, however, isn’t a recommended choice if you do these tasks regularly. The i5 and i7 series chips are, especially the quad-core i7, which is multiple times faster than all other laptop CPUs.

Another advantage the i3 provides over the cheaper Celeron and Pentium-based alternatives is the Intel HD 4400 series integrated graphics, instead of the Intel HD. Both are capable of playing non-demanding games such as League of Legends or Minecraft, but the HD 4400 adds support for the latest demanding titles on low settings and resolutions.

While we are at visuals, let’s say the display is a classic 1366×768-pixel TN panel, so it doesn’t provide sharpness of Full HD panels, nor wide viewing angles of IPS displays.

As for system memory size and hard drive data storage capacity, Dell’s I3542-6003BK / I35425000BK doesn’t stand out from the crowd. It has 4GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD. The RAM size is sufficient for all tasks an average user does on a Windows laptop. The hard disk could have been larger of course, since there’s always need for more space for music, movies, and other big files. If you’re on a budget, but want to store large music and movie libraries on your notebook, you can check out this non-touch Lenovo model, with similarly capable CPU and double the storage space of 1 Terabyte. RAM / HDD upgrades are easy on this system, since you’ll have to remove only one Philips screw on the bottom of the casing tho access them.

You can interact with Windows and programs via the touchscreen, keyboard with chiclet-style non-backlit buttons, and trackpad with integrated left and right click buttons.

Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK I35425000BK Keyboard

The machine has a built-in DVD drive anda 720p webcam. For getting you online, used are Wi-Fi wireless and Ethernet LAN wired connections. Bluetooth is also included, as well as HDMI video output connector, three USB ports, a multiformat media card reader, and a combo headphone/mic connectors. Overall, a well-rounded feature set.

Dell claims the batter life on the I3542-6003BK / I35425000BK lasts 5.25 hours.

Lid and Right Side

Note: This is Best Buy’s Black Friday “doorbuster” laptop offer. Discounted sales start Nov. 27th.

Specifications of the Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK I35425000BK

Here are the specs of the Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK I35425000BK with descriptions of its features. For comparison against other laptops, you can use the "Compare Specs" button.

Brand Dell
Screen Size 15.6-inch

This is by far the most popular laptop screen size. It provides a lot of screen real estate, while avoiding bulkiness of the 17.3" laptops.
Screen Resolution 1366x768 pixels HD

This is an entry-level screen resolution, oftentimes found on budget laptops. It doesn't deliver picture sharpness and space on the screen like the Full HD or higher resolution laptop displays do.
Touchscreen Finger multi-touch input

The screen supports finger touch input, including multi-touch gestures.
Other Display Specs TN type

Displays based on the old TN technology lack wide viewing angles you can find on IPS screens. The colors may look washed out or inverted at certain viewing angles.
Processor (CPU) Intel Core i3-4030U 4th Gen dual-core 1.9GHz 3MB cache (User Benchmark CPU score: 28)
Graphics (GPU) Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics
System Memory (RAM) Size 4GB RAM

4GB is a small RAM size for computing in 2023. For smooth operation of a laptop during everyday tasks, at least 8GB is recommended.
Data Storage 500GB HDD

This is a very good capacity, but HDD is a slow type of storage.
DVD Optical Drive DVD writer
Keyboard & Input Non-backlit keyboard with dedicated number pad

The keyboard has a separate numeric pad on the right side of the keyboard, but it has no keyboard backlight.

Touchpad with click buttons built into the surface

The left and right click buttons are built into the surface of the touchpad, as opposed to separate physical buttons.

Touchscreen
Speakers & Audio Stereo speakers

As usual, the device features a pair of built-in stereo speakers.
Camera Front-facing web camera

Laptops usually feature a frontal webcam located on the display bezel. This laptop is no exception.
Wi-Fi Wireless 802.11N

802.11N is an old Wi-Fi standard, precursor of the 802.11AC and the latest 802.11AX with improved data transfer speeds and connectivity. 802.11N is rarely used in modern laptops.
Ethernet Network Port Yes

This laptop has an Ethernet LAN port for wired internet and networking connectivity.
Mobile broadband (4G LTE) No
Bluetooth Yes

This laptop has a built-in Bluetooth module. It enables you to connect the computer to Bluetooth mice and other Bluetooth peripherals, smartphones, and other Bluetooth-equipped devices.
USB Ports 2 x USB 2.0 + 1 x USB 3.0

A total of three full-size Type A USB ports.
Video Output Ports 1 x HDMI

HDMI is a widely used digital video output port. You can find HDMI-in ports on most computer monitors and TVs.
Media Card Reader SD card reader

The laptop has a slot for full-size SD memory cards, used in many digital cameras. You can also use microSD cards with a card adapter.
Battery 40 WHr, 4-Cell, "up to 5.25 hours" battery life
Weight 5.3 pounds
Height 1"
Width 15"
Depth 10.5"
Windows Version Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is eligible for free upgrade to Windows 10 Home. Check Windows.com for more info.
Warranty 1-year

A typical laptop warranty.

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User Reviews and Q&A on the Dell Inspiron I3542-6003BK I35425000BK

Below you can read and submit user reviews, questions, and answers about the laptop. Thank you for your contribution.

Current rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  1. Giridhar A

    Hi,
    I ordered Dell i3542-6003BK touch screen online but they delivered me Dell 15 3542 – 3000 series touch screen. Please advise can I return the product or keep it. As you are saying price is around $370. But what I paid is $414.please advise

    • Danijel Z

      The i3542-6003BK is one of the many models / configurations from the 15 3000 3542 series. So if the specs of the i3542-6003BK and 15 3542 – 3000 you received match, you got the correct model…

  2. Danijel Z

    @sha: Depends on your usage. If you don’t do heavy stuff like Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, or 3D modeling much, you won’t notice big difference. Web surf, Office, etc will be similarly fast and quite fluid in both cases.

  3. sha

    Should I get the I3542-6003BK or Core i5 laptop?

  4. 4 out of 5

    Danijel Z

    IMO, the Inspiron 15 3000 series is a three star product as you can see in my review here, but the I3542-6003BK / I35425000BK configuration deserves four stars because of exceptional price. While the configurable 15 3000 3542 with Intel CPUs start at $370, this one offers a much better CPU than the basic config with a Celeron, plus you get a touchscreen, all for only 10 bucks more. If you purchase it via Best Buy at least. Currently, this is one of the best equipped notebooks for under $400 on the market.

    Update: I’ll be selling at Best Buy for only $300 on Black Friday.

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