Dell Pro 14" E5450 2015, Core i7-5600U, 8GB, 256GB SSD

A clean, compact Windows 10 Pro laptop from 2015 that's fine for email and spreadsheets. Just don't expect it to do anything fun.

What surprised us is how well this thing holds up for basic tasks. The 256GB SSD keeps Windows 10 Pro feeling snappy, and 8GB of RAM is enough for a dozen browser tabs and Office apps. But don't get any ideas about gaming or heavy multitasking. The CPU sits at the 46th percentile, which is middle of the pack for laptops in our database, and the integrated GPU is a weak spot at the 14th percentile. It'll stream video fine, but anything more demanding will make it sweat.

Stacked against something like the Lenovo Legion 5i or ASUS Zenbook, the E5450 looks like a museum piece. The Legion 5i will absolutely crush it in gaming and multitasking, while the Zenbook offers a modern screen and port selection that makes the Dell's 4th percentile port score embarrassing. Even the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition, which isn't a performance monster, has a better display and build quality. The only reason to pick the E5450 is price, and even then, you're giving up a lot.

At CAD 596, this is a tough sell unless you specifically need a cheap Windows 10 Pro machine for light office work. The refurbished market is full of newer options with better screens and ports for similar money. If you can find it for under CAD 450, it starts to make sense. Above that, you're paying for the Dell name and not much else.

The Dell Pro E5450 is a refurbished workhorse from a decade ago, and it knows it. The one thing to know: this is a cheap, compact Windows 10 Pro machine for basic office work and web browsing, not a modern laptop. The Core i7-5600U sounds impressive until you realize it's a 2-core chip from 2015, and the integrated graphics are basically there to draw the desktop. But for the right price, it's a clean little utility laptop.

The Dell Pro E5450 is a decent refurbished laptop for someone who needs a basic Windows 10 Pro machine and nothing more. It's compact, the SSD helps, and the build quality is solid for a refurb. But the ancient CPU, weak integrated graphics, and terrible port selection make it a hard recommendation at CAD 596. If you can get it cheap and your needs are basic, it'll do the job. Otherwise, save up for something newer.