The Dell Inspiron 7720 is a mid-range, all-in-one desktop PC with a premium design and lots of connectivity at a reasonable price. It’s not the most powerful AIO PC around, but its more-than-respectable 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor is perfect for productivity work, and with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD of storage at its highest configuration, it’s perfect for office users and students, too.
Of course, you can opt for lower specs at a lower price, Core i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD, if you don’t need all that much power and need to save a few dollars while at it. Whichever configuration you choose, it comes paired with a built-in webcam that slides in and out, making it a handy alternative to the privacy shutter. It’s of average quality, offers a decent framerate, and is decent enough to get you through a conference call or remote class.
If all you need is a simple, attractive, versatile desktop for productivity tasks or entertainment, the Inspiron 7720 offers value that’s hard to beat out there.
About the Dell Inspiron 5420
Here are the specs of the desktop in this review:
- Processor: 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1355U Processor
- Display: 27″, FHD 1920×1080, 60Hz, Touch, InfinityEdge Display
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX550, 2 GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR4, 3200MHz Memory
- Storage: 512GB Solid State Drive (Boot) + 1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive (Storage)
- Weight: 15.83 pounds
- Size: 1.64 x 24.2 x 15.73 inches
Design
The Dell Inspiron 7720 sports a simple yet sleek design that’s far from the usual monitor-inspired look on most AIO desktops out there. It’s a plain white design with a fabric-covered chin that houses the speakers. It’s an attractive design that should fit nicely with most home office setups. I particularly like Dell’s choice of war, white color palette, and fabric touch points, which stands in contrast to the silver-black, business-like look of the Acer C-Series and Lenovo IdeaCentre AIOs.
It has an excellent port selection: one USB 3.2 Type-C, four USB 3.2 Type-A ports, two HDMI ports, one power adapter port, one ethernet port, one headset jack, one SD card slot, one M.2 223 slots for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo card. The placement of the USB Type-C is rather odd – on the right side of the PC instead of the back, but it’s still useful.
The speaker on the front is quite large, but its sound quality isn’t that impressive, it somehow sounds both tinny and grainy. It’s still serviceable for basic work use, but for immersive movie watching, you’ll probably need a pair of headphones.
Display
As for the display itself, it’s a nice 27-inch Full HD screen with a solid color gamut. It impresses at first glance. The screen looks bright and vivid at first glance and the glossy coat provides a sense of depth and brightness that’s not easy to replicate on a matte screen. The gloss creates glare, however, so the Inspiron 27 can be difficult to view in a bright, sunlit room.
Then, there’s the “screen door effect,” which results in faint, visible lines across the display caused by a gap between pixels that’s large enough to be noticeable. The Inspiron 24 suffers a mild version of this issue, so everyone might not see it, but those who do will most likely find it distracting.
That said, 1080p isn’t a terrible resolution for a 27-inch display, so the pixel density isn’t an issue. Fonts look fine and streaming video can look soft.
The Inspiron 27’s display is on par with what I expect in this price bracket. All-in-one computers with 1440p or 4K resolutions will set you back several hundred dollars more. Still, it will quickly feel dated as the world is fast moving on to 4K, OLED, Mini-LED, and other new display technologies.
Performance
As mentioned up top, our Dell Inspiron 7720 All-in-One system features an Intel Core i7-1355U processor, 32GB memory, 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage, NVIDIA GeForce MX550 graphics, and Windows 11 Pro pre-installed. The Intel Core i7-1355U is a high-end mobile chip designed for thin and light laptops, and we’ve also seen it in some of our top-rated AIO desktop PCs. This mobile processor prioritizes efficiency over raw performance, and it’s a decent fit for compact all-in-one because it allows the system to operate smoothly and in near silence.
When it comes to general use, the hardware in the Dell Inspiron 7720 delivers performance that’s as smooth as butter. It can handle multiple tasks at once, like conference calls, video streaming, and other productivity work, without slowing down. It’s refreshing to work with a PC that doesn’t bring along all the clutter of a regular desktop PC, yet performs just as well as any other work machine.
However, when it comes to gaming, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 graphics card doesn’t promise the best gameplay on modern titles. Of course, you can run games on this AIO PC but you’ll have to do so at lower frame rates. You won’t run Cyberpunk 2077 at its highest settings if that forms part of your itinerary, a gaming machine like the Lenovo Legion T5 with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card is preferable.
Should you buy the Dell Inspiron 7720?
The Dell Inspiron 7720 represents an excellent value, especially with the powerful Intel Core i7 processor and tons of memory. It’s capable of solid performance, and the desktop features a large enough display with decent color and brightness for use as an everyday, space-saving PC. In addition to solid performance, it’s got plenty of connectivity for both wired and wireless peripherals and even HDMI-in for an external video source, such as a game console.
The Inspiron 7720 has some limits, though. This is not a good choice for pro-creatives of any level of experience. It’s also a terrible choice for PC gaming. The 1080p display also fails to impress which, in turn, can make streaking video look dull and soft – especially when compared to a 4K or monitor.
These flaws are common in the Inspiron 7720’s competitors, including the Lenovo IdeaCentre and the HP Pavilion 27. Mid-range all-in-one PCs are, as a category, not designed for demanding creative tasks or gaming. They are practical PCs for people looking for a great, out-of-the-box experience with minimal fuss. That’s what the Dell Inspiron 7720 delivers, and it does so with class-leading style at a very tolerable price.
Recommended Configuration
Dell Inspiron 7720 All in One Desktop - 27-inch FHD Touchscreen Display, Intel Core i7-1355U, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD, NVIDIA GeForce MX550 GDDR6, Windows 11 Pro, Services Included - White
$1,174.05 in stock
The Review
Dell Inspiron 7720
The Dell Inspiron 7720 represents an excellent value, especially with the powerful Intel Core i7 processor and tons of memory in a sleek design, all at a very reasonable price.
PROS
- Great processor performance
- Lightweight and easy to set up
- Simple yet clean design and color
- Excellent port selection
CONS
- Only one USB Type-C slot
Review Breakdown
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ARS Guide SCORE
