Dell Vostro 15.6" 3520 2022, Core i5-1235U, 8GB, 256GB SSD, Black

A decent office laptop with a 10-core CPU, but 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD at this price is highway robbery. Buy it on sale, or buy something else.

The i5-1235U is the star here. Ten cores sounds impressive, and for everyday multitasking it handles itself fine. But that 8GB of DDR4 and 256GB SSD are the bottlenecks. Our database puts the RAM at the 13th percentile and storage at the 16th, which means you'll feel the squeeze the moment you open more than a dozen Chrome tabs. The Iris Xe graphics are fine for video playback, but gaming lands at a brutal 5.4 out of 100. This thing runs Office, not Overwatch.

Stack this against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro and it's not even a fair fight, the MacBook destroys it in every category except price. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i are gaming beasts that make the Vostro's 5.4 gaming score look like a typo. But here's the thing, those machines cost two to three times as much. The Vostro's real competition is other budget office laptops, and against those, it's a middle-of-the-pack performer with a premium price tag. The HP OMEN Transcend 14 is a more interesting comparison if you want a thin laptop that can actually game, though you'll pay for the privilege.

At CAD 1,508, this is a tough sell. You're paying for the Dell name and Windows 11 Pro, but the specs don't justify the price tag. For that money, you can find laptops with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSDs from other brands. If you can snag this on sale for a few hundred less, it becomes a reasonable office machine. At full price, you're overpaying for underpowered hardware.

The Dell Vostro 3520 is a budget workhorse that knows exactly what it is, and doesn't pretend otherwise. You're getting a 15.6-inch Full HD screen, a 10-core i5-1235U, and Windows 11 Pro for a price that won't make your accountant wince. The one thing to know? It's built for spreadsheets and email, not for anything that makes the GPU break a sweat.

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, this isn't it. Go get an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 or Lenovo Legion Pro instead. If you need serious multitasking power for development or creative work, the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD will drive you crazy. Spend a bit more on something with 16GB and a 512GB drive, or look at a MacBook Air if you're not tied to Windows.

The Dell Vostro 3520 is a competent office laptop trapped in an overpriced body. If you need Windows 11 Pro and a reliable machine for basic productivity, it'll get the job done. But at CAD 1,508, you're paying too much for 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD in 2024. Wait for a significant discount, or spend the same money on something with better specs from a less premium brand.