Dell 3800 Review: Adequate Performance in a Slim Body

Dell 3800: At First Glance

In a bid to provide adequate performance, portability, and durability, Dell went all out in the production of the Dell 3800. As a matter of fact, during the time of its release in 2015, this Dell laptop was one of the most sought-after.

To give more details, owing to its quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, the Dell 3800 offers you nothing short of excellence in handling daily computing tasks. To make things even better, despite its amazing features, the laptop comes at a reasonable price.

Specifically, when this review was published in February 2022, the Dell 3800 had a starting price of $469. With all that being said, I know you must be curious to know more about this Dell laptop.

If so, you have to continue reading!

Dell 3800: Design, Dimension, and Weight

The design is one of the major highlights of the Dell 3800. To give more details, apart from the bezels, this laptop is made of aluminum including its lid.

Speaking of the lid, the laptop’s lid features a smooth surface colored in subtle faint grey. In addition to that, you will find a “Dell” logo neatly placed at the center of this lid.

This logo features a stainless steel finish that adds to the beauty of the laptop.

That said, the Dell 3800’s lid is connected to the base by a sturdy aluminum hinge. Due to the sturdiness of this hinge, the lid of this laptop stands firmly and wobbles only a bit if pushed.

As a matter of fact, this hinge is so sturdy to the extent that it becomes difficult to open the lid with just one hand. Speaking of opening the lid, once you open the Dell 3800’s lid, the first thing you will notice is a 15.6-inch display with HD (1366 x 768) resolution.

Thanks to its HD resolution, this laptop’s display offers decent picture quality for casual video streaming and web browsing. However, the picture quality of this display cannot be compared with that of an FHD display or 4K display.

On a positive note, the Dell 3800’s 15.6-inch display has an impressive peak brightness of 400 nits. This impressive peak brightness can be credited to the fact that the display is made with a TN panel.

As a result of its display’s impressive brightness, the Dell 3800 is ideal for outdoor usage. Unfortunately, unlike an IPS panel display, this laptop’s TN panel display offers poor viewing angles.

Therefore, viewing the display from the sides or off-center isn’t the best thing to do. This is due to the fact that the picture quality and color accuracy of the display will reduce seriously when viewed off-center.

To add to the woes, the Dell 3800’s 15.6-inch display is surrounded by relatively thick bezels. At the top bezel, however, you will find an HD webcam with a digital array microphone.

This HD webcam offers adequate performance for video calls and casual skyping. Sadly, when it comes to taking selfies, the webcam falls short as it delivers blurry images.

Meanwhile, as with most Dell laptops, you will find a “Dell” logo at the center on the bottom bezel.

Coming down to the keyboard, the Dell 3800 features an island-style keyboard. Impressively, this keyboard is backlit, thereby enabling you to type comfortably in a dark environment.

Furthermore, this keyboard offers a good typing experience thanks to the well-spaced and comfortable keys. Moreover, below this laptop’s keyboard, you will find a sizeable touchpad with a pair of integrated click buttons.

This touchpad offers a smooth surface that is highly responsive and accurate, allowing for easy navigation. In addition to that, the touchpad support multitouch gestures such as two-finger-swipe.

For ports, the Dell 3800 lacks some major ports such as Thunderbolt port and Ethernet port due to its slim form factor. Nevertheless, the laptop managed to feature a reasonable set of ports.

Furthermore, these ports are divided between the left and right sides of the laptop. Specifically, on the left side, you will find a power connector, an HDMI port, a mini display port, two USB 3.0 ports, and a microphone/headphone audio jack.

Meanwhile, on the right side, there is an SD card reader, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, and a Kensington lock.

In terms of size and weight, the Dell 3800 measures 372.2 x 253.9 x 18.37 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 1310 g. When compared with most workstation laptops in its class, this Dell laptop is slimmer and weighs less.

For example, the HP ZBook 15 measures 381 x 256.5 x 30.48 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 2812 g.

Overall, the Dell 3800 has an impressive design with a slim form factor. However, the laptop’s display offers poor viewing angles and it is surrounded by thick bezels.

Thus, I will rate the Dell 3800 an eight out of ten in this design review section.

Dell 3800: Processor (CPU) Performance

The Dell 3800 features a 4th generation Intel Core i7-4712HQ processor. In terms of speed, this processor has a base frequency of 2.30 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.30 GHz.

Also, this processor is a quad-core processor that features a cache memory of 6 MB. Furthermore, the Intel Core i7-4712HQ processor is a fast high-end processor for handling demanding computing tasks.

Thus, with this processor, the Dell 3800 should be capable of handling anything you throw at it. Specifically, this laptop should be able to run intensive applications like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw without hiccups.

Also, multitasking on this laptop will be swift and seamless thanks to its high-end processor.

To back up the above statements, I will now discuss the Dell 3800’s result on the Cinebench R15 test. Briefly, Cinebench R15 is a benchmark test that measures the CPU performance of a computer.

Furthermore, this test is divided into two including the single-core test and the multi-core test. In case you are curious, the single-core test measures the performance of the computer’s processor when one of its cores is put to use.

On the other hand, the multi-core test measures the performance of the computer’s processor when all its cores are put to use. Moreover, it is important to note that on these Cinebench R15 tests, a high score means better processor performance.

So, based on the Cinebench R15 test results, the Dell 3800 scored 124 points on the single test and 541 points on the multi-core test. Comparatively, this Dell laptop outperformed most of its competitors such as the ASUS NX500JK-DR018H.

To give more details, the ASUS NX500JK-DR018H scored 118 points on the Cinebench R15 single-core test. Also, this laptop scored 470 points on the multi-core test.

Before proceeding, it is worth mentioning that the ASUS NX500JK-DR018H also uses an Intel Core i7-4712HQ processor.

In conclusion, the Dell 3800 features a powerful processor that is capable of handling most computing tasks efficiently. Also, this laptop outperformed one of its closest competitors on a processor benchmark test.

Hence, the Dell 3800 deserves a rating of nine out of ten in this processor review section.

Dell 3800: Memory (RAM) Performance

In terms of memory, the Dell 3800 comes with two memory slots and a standard memory of 8 GB on one slot. Hence, with the other available slot, you can expand the laptop’s memory to a maximum of 16 GB.

Even though the Dell 3800 supports a maximum memory of 16 GB, its 8 GB standard memory is enough to keep things running smoothly. Precisely, with 8 GB memory, this laptop should be able to multitask seamlessly without lagging.

To give more details, this Dell laptop will run smoothly without hitches even when there are about 20 Chrome tabs running simultaneously. In fact, even with these Chrome tabs, you can decide to open applications like Microsoft Word and the laptop still won’t lag.

To further prove the Dell 3800’s performance with 8 GB memory, I will now highlight its results on a PCMark 8 test. For clarity, PCMark 8 is a benchmark test that evaluates the memory performance of a computer by simulating everyday tasks like web browsing.

In addition to that, a high score on this test signifies a good performance. Thus, based on the PCMark 8 test result, the Dell 3800 scored 3641 points, which is basically high.

As a matter of fact, this laptop’s score is well above most of the scores achieved by its competitors. For example, on the PCMark 8 test, the Lenovo ThinkPad W540 scored 3450 points.

Therefore, to conclude this memory review section, I will rate the Dell 3800 a nine out of ten.

Dell 3800: Storage Options and Performance

For storage, the Dell 3800 offers two storage options to choose from. These storage options include a SATA HDD and an SSD.

Furthermore, both storage options support a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB. Honestly, a maximum storage capacity of 1 TB should be enough for most users to save their documents, songs, movies, and so on.

However, just in case you feel this storage capacity might not be enough, the Dell 3800 offers an SD card reader for storage expansion. Moreover, because both storage options support the same storage capacity, I recommend you purchase the Dell 3800 with SSD (Solid State Drive).

This is due to the fact that SSDs are typically faster than HDDs. Also, unlike HDDs, SSDs make no noise when operating.

Fortunately, this review is based on the Dell 3800 with the SSD storage option. Therefore, like other laptops that use SSD, this Dell laptop should be able to offer fast transfer speed.

Speaking of transfer speed, on a file transfer (copy) test, the Dell 3800 achieved a transfer rate of 424.1 MBps while copying 4.97 GB of multimedia files. Impressive, right?

What is more impressive is the read and write speed of the laptop. To be more specific, the Dell 3800 with an SSD storage option delivered an incredibly-fast read and write speed on a CrystalDiskMark test.

For clarity, CrystalDiskMark is a benchmark test that evaluates the performance of a computer’s storage drive by measuring its read and write speed. In case you are wondering, read speed is how long it takes a storage drive to open a file.

On the contrary, write speed is how long it takes the storage drive to store a file. Furthermore, on the CystalDiskMark test, a high read and write speed “MBps” value indicates an outstanding storage performance.

Thus, according to the test results, the Dell 3800 delivered a sequential read speed of 2300 MBps and a sequential write speed of 2800 MBps. In comparison, this Dell laptop has a faster read and write speed than most laptops in its class that also uses SSD.

For instance, the ASUS ZenBook 14 delivered a sequential read and write speed of 1956.9 MBps and 1614.5 MBps respectively on the CrystalDiskMark test.

In summary, the Dell 3800 offers multiple storage options with sufficient storage space and an SD card reader for storage expansion. Moreover, this laptop with an SSD storage option delivered a faster read and write speed compared to most laptops in its class.

Therefore, the Dell 3800 deserves nothing less than a nine out of ten in this storage performance review section.

Dell 3800: Graphics Card Performance

For graphics, the Dell 3800 comes with an NVIDIA Quadro K1100M graphics card. This GPU has a standard frequency of 706 MHz, and as a dedicated graphics card, it features 2 GB GDDR5 VRAM.

Therefore, thanks to its 2 GB VRAM, this graphics card should be able to effectively handle graphics-intensive applications and some modern games. Speaking of games, with this graphics card, the Dell 3800 delivered a frame rate of 103 fps while playing Tomb Raider

Also, while playing Far Cry 3, this Dell laptop delivered a frame rate of 57 fps (frame per second).

To further prove the Dell 3800’s graphics performance, we will now be discussing its 3DMark 11 test result. 3DMark 11 is an app-based graphics benchmark test that evaluates the 3D and 2D graphics rendering abilities of a computer.

Furthermore, according to this test, a high score means great graphics performance. Thus, based on the 3DMark 11 test result, the Dell 3800 scored 2035 points.

Impressively, when compared to the HP ZBook 15 which uses a dedicated NVIDIA Quadro K610M graphics card, this Dell laptop performed better. To be more specific, the HP ZBook 15 delivered a score of 1283 points on the 3DMark 11 test.

In conclusion, as a non-gaming laptop, the Dell 3800 offers a dedicated graphics card. Furthermore, this laptop outperformed another laptop that uses a dedicated graphics card on a GPU benchmark test.

Thus, I will rate the Dell 3800 a nine out of ten in this graphics review section.

Dell 3800: Battery Life and Performance

When it comes to the battery, the Dell 3800 offers two battery options. Hence, you can purchase this laptop with either a 6-cell 61 Whr battery or a 6-cell 91 Whr battery.

However, this review is based on the Dell 3800 with a 6-cell 91 Whr battery. According to Dell, with this battery, this laptop should last up to 9 hours.

How true could this be? Well, to verify, I will quickly discuss the Dell 3800’s result on a battery rundown test. Briefly, the battery rundown test involves surfing the web continuously using a WIFI connection until the laptop’s battery dies.

Thus, at the end of the battery rundown test, the Dell 3800 delivered a battery life of 3 hours and 29 minutes. Sadly, this battery life is far below the 9 hours battery life that Dell claimed.

As a matter of fact, when compared with other laptops in its category, the Dell 3800 has poor battery life. For example, the HP ZBook 15 delivered a battery life of 4 hours and 46 minutes on the battery rundown test.

Therefore, to end this battery review section, I will rate the Dell 3800 a seven out of ten.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Dell 3800 is a solid workstation laptop that offers not just an impressive performance but also an elegant design. To give more details, this laptop features an outstanding Intel Core i7 processor as well as a dedicated graphics card.

Apart from that, this Dell laptop offers multiple storage options including a super-fast SSD storage option. However, due to the slim form factor of the laptop, it offers a limited number of ports.

Also, the battery life of the laptop is nothing to be proud of. Nevertheless, if you can cope with these flaws, the Dell 3800 is a steal.

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