Dell Inspiron 15 7567 vs Lenovo Legion Y520 – GTX 1050 Ti gaming battle in the mid range

Recently, the market has been literally flooded with laptops equipped with one of the most impressive GPUs from the Pascal series – GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. We usually come across it in combination with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU. Today we will focus on two such models – Dell Inspiron 15 7567 and Lenovo Legion Y520. Their prices are almost identical and so is their hardware at first glance. This is why the choice is very difficult for users. In this detailed comparison, we shall take look at the construction, appearance of the laptops, quality of their screens, as well as their performance in some popular games. And last but not least, we will focus on the temperatures reached by the components of the two laptops as well as their battery life.

Stay tuned to find out whether there is an absolute winner in this battle or these two models will take turns in taking the lead. For sure, however, the identical hardware promises a tight race.

You can find more information about current price and configurations of Dell Inspiron 7567 (detailed reviewhere:  Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

You can find more information about current price and configurations of Lenovo Legion Y520 (detailed reviewhere:  Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Contents


Design and construction

The mid-range Inspiron 15 7567 looks a lot like the last generation Alienware laptops. It is probably due to the fact that the Alienware company is part of Dell. Generally, the laptop construction is pretty solid with the exception of the lid which under stronger pressure in the middle starts to give in and this causes some ripples on the screen but this may not be noticed by the final user. Also, the design features one central hinge which is too tight and makes the screen prone to twisting. On the other hand, Inspiron 15 7567 opens smoothly with just one hand, while the matte rubbery surface is extremely nice and it also provides good grip. The rear part of the device also shows similarity to its “alien” brothers. The large openings from which the red radiators are sticking out definitely reveal the character of the laptop. It is also equipped with a huge service panel that grants easy access to virtually all removable parts – cool, isn’t it!

Lenovo Legion Y520, on the other hand, has a more modern design that results in the device being thinner than its rival. Although the material used for its construction is not the aluminum we saw in the higher-end Lenovo devices but plastic, it still looks pretty well and if we squint, we could mistake it for the above-mentioned premium material. Moreover, the plastic has a carbon-like texture thanks to which the model provides a better grip similar to its rival. Another resemblance between the two models is the single hinge which is much more reliable in Lenovo and ensures enough screen stability. Unlike Inspiron 15 7567, Legion Y520 doesn’t have a huge service panel. Actually here we find no service panel whatsoever but at the bottom, there is a dust filter which in most cases will play a bad joke instead of helping. You can easily overcome this by just removing it and more frequently cleaning the fans.

Moving on to the interior of the two devices. The Dell Inspiron 15 7567 one is made of matte plastic but unlike the exterior, here the material is hard making it more difficult for fingerprints to appear. It is also quite stable even when heavy pressure is applied in the center of the keyboard. Speaking of the keyboard, it is comfortable for typing thanks to the short key travel and the clicky feedback. The gentle backlight is a plus as it will not get in your eyes in the late hours of the night. However, the main purpose of the keyboard is to control your muscular character or your fast runner which will require some time to get used to because of the small arrows. The other component of the laptop interior which enchanted us was the trackpad. Accurate and highly sensitive, it is one of the best we have come across in this range.

The material used for the construction of the Lenovo laptop is similar. Black matte finish but slightly less fingerprint-proof. We like this keyboard better than the Inspiron 15 7567 one. The key travel is a little bit longer but the gaming experience will be better thanks to the arrows which, unlike those of its rival, are full-sized. This, of course, doesn’t go without sacrifices such as the strange position of the NumPad buttons and the lack of the tiny Enter. However, this is a price we would pay having in mind that the device will be used for gaming. At the expense of the keyboard, the trackpad is not as good as the Dell one. In this case, the mouse buttons share a single long key which cannot be pressed in the middle, while in the ends it becomes loose and doesn’t register a click every time. Despite being of a poorer quality than this of Inspiron 15 7567, the trackpad is satisfactory.

Display

Both models feature Full HD panels with 1920 х 1080 resolution. Theoretically, Legion Y520 has an advantage due to the use of an IPS matrix as opposed to a TN one used by Dell. The Lenovo screen is manufactured by LG Philips (LP156WF6-SPK3), while the Inspiron 15 7567 one is produced by Innolux N156HGE-EAB. Additionally, the resolution in this screen size provides a 142 ppi pixel density that becomes indistinguishable when viewed at a distance of 60 cm.

Here, thanks to its IPS matrix, Lenovo Legion Y520 is pulling ahead in terms of viewing angles as well as screen brightness – average 261 cd/m2 vs. 231 cd/m2. The white balance of Dell is 6350K, while Legion Y520 is once again closer to the optimal 6500K. Also, the dominance of Lenovo as to the screen is intensified not so much by the impressive contrast of its panel but by the unsatisfactory one of its rival – 320:1.

Furthermore, two models have a very similar color reproduction, which is a bit odd considering the different matrix technologies. The Dell Inspiron 15 7567 covers 50% of the sRGB standard which means that half of the colors used in the network are missing but this is not something unexpected from a TN panel. We were definitely surprised (but not in a good way) by the coverage of the Legion Y520 IPS matrix – 52%. In terms of the so-called PWM (Pulse-width modulation), the Inspiron 15 7567 screen works extremely well and we managed to find such only under 55 cd/m2 and even then it had a relatively high frequency (25.4 kHz) so it wouldn’t strain your eyes. Even people with more sensitive eyesight will be able to use the screen for hours without feeling tired. The situation with Lenovo is slightly different. Unfortunately, their panel uses PWM in the whole range of 0 to 99% screen luminance but similarly to their Dell rivals the frequency is high enough (20.7 kHz) to be noticed. Of course, the PWM effect could be eliminated by using our special profiles. You can read more about them HERE.


Specs sheet

As mentioned above, both models share almost identical hardware components. Their basis is the 4-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ with a maximum power of 45 W and maximum temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. Another identical feature is the GPU – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB GDDR5 graphics memory – one of the most prominent children of the Pascal family.

Dell Inspiron 15 7567Lenovo Legion Y520
CPUIntel Core i7-7700HQ (4-core, 2.80 -3.80 GHz, 6MB cache)Intel Core i7-7700HQ (4-core, 2.80 -3.80 GHz, 6MB cache)
RAM8GB RAM – DDR4, 2400 MHz8GB RAM – DDR4, 2400 MHz
GPUNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB GDDR5)NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB GDDR5)
HDD/SSD1TB HDD512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD
Display15.6-inch Full HD TN, matte15.6-inch Full HD IPS, matte
Other features
  • 3x USB 3.0
  • SD card reader
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • HDMI port
  • RJ-45
  • LED keyboard backlight
  • 2x USB 3.0
  • 1x USB 2.0
  • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
  • LED keyboard backlight
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • RJ-45
  • HDMI
  • SD card reader
Battery74 Wh45 Wh
Thickness27 mm25.8 mm
Weight2.75 kg2.5 kg
Price Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned) Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Battery

Because we reviewed a sample of Lenovo Legion Y520, we have no battery tests. We have ordered a market unit of the device and as soon as it arrives we will update this section of the article.

Performance

Despite the identical hardware, we noticed that at a lower level of details Dell Inspiron 15 7567 works slightly better but at a maximum level (let’s be honest, the performance at such level of details is unsatisfactory but normal for laptops of this range) Lenovo Legion Y520 manages to catch up with its competitor. What grabs our attention here is the performance demonstrated with The Division in which the Y series representative was light years ahead of its rival.

GTA-V-benchmarks

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) – Dell 7567Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS72 fps (+7 %)23 fps
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) – Lenovo Y520Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS77 fps25 fps (+8.7 %)

rise-of-the-tomb-raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) – Dell 7567Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS62 fps (+10.7 %)21 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) – Lenovo Y520Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS56 fps22 fps+4.8 %)

Tom Clancy’s The Division – Dell 7567Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS56 fps– fps
Tom Clancy’s The Division – Lenovo Y520Full HD, Medium (Check settings)Full HD, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS84 fps (+50 %)18 fps

Temperatures

All temperature tests are conducted in the same way. We start off with 100% CPU load for an hour and then continue with 100% GPU load which shows the maximum cooling capabilities of the laptops in question.

After the first hour of testing Dell Inspiron 15 7567, the temperatures remained within the normal, while the CPU frequency was steady at 3.4 GHz for all four cores the whole time. But adding a stress test for the GPU, however, did not seem promising at all. The CPU frequency dropped down to 1.6-1.7 GHz, while the temperatures remained steady at around 70-74 °C which makes us think it is likely that a BIOS protection has been turned on causing such aggressive throttling. The GPU temperature tips the scales even further towards the BIOS, considering the stable 73 degrees that it maintained which in turn tells us that the cooling capacity is far from being reached.

In the first 30 seconds of the Lenovo Legion Y520 test the frequency of Core i7-7700HQ remained at the maximum 3.8 GHz and after that dropped down to 3.4 GHz which was exactly the value maintained by its competitor – Inspiron 15 7567. However, the temperatures here weren’t one of the coolest – around 90 °C. Similarly to its rival, when maximum GPU load was induced, we observed CPU throttling. Its frequency was dropping down to 800 MHz every two-three seconds and then returning to 3 GHz, while the temperature was around 100 °C. We cannot say the same think about the GPU in this case because it didn’t cross the temperature value of 74 °C and it also maintained a maximum frequency of 1670 MHz.

The external temperatures of both devices reached: the maximum of 45.4 °C in the central part of the keyboard in Dell, while the Lenovo competitors reached a maximum of 44.6 at the top right part of the keyboard – right above the strange NumPad. Despite the high temperature in the middle of the Inspiron 15 7567 keyboard and given the test nature and the fact that no game will load that much the device, we can confirm that you will have no problems with the gameplay with either of the two laptops.


Verdict

Both portable devices are remarkable in their own way. Their hardware is almost identical and their gaming performance – similar. However, the resemblances end here. Their appearance, the keyboard layout and especially their screens differ significantly. If you prefer a combination of style and aggression, Dell Inspiron 15 7567 is the right choice for you. However, if you prefer a more modern look of your device, thinner profile, lower weight as well as a better screen – go for Lenovo Legion Y520. Maybe the scales are further tipping in favor of the Chinese giant’s device, having in mind the BIOS problems we encountered with Inspiron 15 7567, however insignificant they are.

Dell Inspiron 15 7567:  Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Lenovo Legion Y520:  Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)



Reasons to choose Dell Inspiron 15 7567

  • PWM-free above 55 cd/m2
  • Huge service panel
  • Great battery life
  • Better cooling system




Reasons to choose Lenovo Legion Y520

  • Better display quality
  • Better build quality
  • Better keyboard
  • Slightly lower price for the same grade of hardware


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Milda
Milda
7 years ago

And where is Acer VX15 with i7, 1050Ti and 256gb ssd and 1TB hdd? In my opinion, its a winner of todays budget laptops.

Suman
Suman
7 years ago
Reply to  Milda

Accer vx 15 dosent come with 1050ti it comes with the base model 1050

John
John
7 years ago

Is the CPU soldered on the motherboard of this 7567?

Rossen Pandev
7 years ago
Reply to  John

Yes, as usual.

Antonio
Antonio
7 years ago

Have you gotten any extra information about battery life and performance? That could be a deal breaker for me.

Shaighan Khan
Shaighan Khan
7 years ago

Was Extreme Cooling turned on during load/heat testing on the Y520?

kishu
kishu
7 years ago

m gng to buy laptop plz give me which should i buy from this 2 models?

TJ
TJ
7 years ago
Reply to  kishu

Whichever one you get, be sure to look up Grammarly.

Bj
Bj
7 years ago

The dell model has a ips version too… Please update the page