I am surprised at the negative reviews of this little lap top. It is attractive and more importantly worked out of the box. After booting, I went immediately to Windows update and downloaded 61 updates and all loaded successfully. This little beast
then recognized my other system computers and downloaded music and software for various printers. I have been able to load and run older versions of Microsoft Office, Dragon Naturally Speaking,download video and music from the Teaching Company and and Amazon as well as update Skype..... The keyboard is perfect for my rather
weak touch, but not overly sensitive. Multiple open programs work quickly. I was expecting that an i3 would be slower and have hesitancy with all that I threw at it
but it just churned on. I have not tested the HDMI port yet but will update the review later.

One reviewer mentioned that the Windows 8 update would be problematic, but I don't think so. I see also that the links for the 15 dollar rebate AND the Windows 8 upgrade for 14.99 have been restored and I was able to register this computer at Dell Advantage.. no problem.

The service tag is present both on the box AND below the battery. A manual of the computer's specs can be easily downloaded at DELL.

I really do see more rapid data transfer with the USB 3 ports. There are four USB ports not three and the aforementioned HDMI.

This is my sixth or seventh Dell computer in the last several years. While they all have some battle-scars (mostly due to my travel and bad habits) and a few naggling problems; they all can still function.This computer is the least priced with the most power and ease. The sound is a bit weak and tinny but is easily remedied with a stereo connection.

Thus, I would rate this computer an outstanding value, working well out of the box
and exceeding expectations. I am uncertain if the Windows 8 upgrade will be a benefit or an aggravation as this computer segued into our home network Windows 7 premium with ease and perhaps unnecessary updates are just that!

I sympathize with those that received a problematic or DOA computer. Last year the same happened to me with another internet vendor (Tiger.....)and it really has taken a lot of time and effort to deal with it.

My opinion would be to give this laptop a try: Amazon will always back up their warranty and it would not be difficult to ship a defective unit back.
Good Luck!

Update: I just tested the unit with respect to the HDMI port functionality. I went online and streamed a lecture I had downloaded from the Teaching Company. I then projected via the HDMI port of the 15 R 5110 to a Sony internet TV. The laptop performed extremely well in both connecting to the WIFI and streaming in real time and the HDMI port to the TV via a generic Amazon HDMI cable. There were no buffering issues, hesitations or drop outs and the quality of the picture was excellent. I had to fiddle with the Sony TV controls a bit to get the audio to come thru, but when it did it was excellent. The quality was equivalent to the AV output I get from my Blue ray disc player playing ordinary DVDs. No complaints. I hope this is helpful for all of those who have doubts about this little i3 laptop. I am not a gamer but laptop is a good companion and appears to be very reliable to specs. It does not run hot. I posted a review of the generic 15 R 5110 from May 2011 in the comment(3) section of this review. I hope this helps.

Got this a few days ago when I ordered it from a black Friday deal(yeah so that offering was not a scam, some people did get one). It was a Christmas gift so I wasn't planning on opening it. After reading the 4 reviews for the product on 11/29 I decided I better open it and check it out...cause if it can go wrong, it will...that's my luck.
Anyway, I opened the box with a fair amount of trepidation, and it was in there, so far so good. Next I unpacked it and plugged it in waiting for the blue screen of death, smoke, hard drive clicking, a total lack of activity, or anyone of the myriad of other signs indicating issues with the product.
Well after holding my breath for a few seconds the machine started right up, went through its initial use procedure, got online through my network and is now being updated. PERFECT, works great! No ISSUES. Was just what I ordered and arrived as described. Now I can't guarantee it will still be working in a few months, but right now I am a very satisfied buyer.

To address issues in other reviews:
1) I bought it with windows 7, it came with windows 7, I didn't buy it for any windows 8 upgrade special so no points off there.
2) Not repacked came new in a sealed box, no points off there. I must point out that one reviewer complained that no one checked his laptop to make sure it was configured correctly prior to shipping and another complained that his had been opened, so it comes down to how do you please everyone? Me, I want mine unopened please.
3) A reviewer said his did not work, mine did so no points off there. Who knows maybe he forgot to hit the start button. This one doesn't automatically turn on when opened unless it's already been turned on...hey I've seen weirder things than that, like the guy who emailed brighthouse from his home computer to complain he couldn't get online from his home computer.

Bottom line I have a working Dell I3 with 750GB hard drive, internet access, and it is a 15.6 in laptop running windows 7. I have what I ordered, it works fine, so 5 stars.

I didn't have any of the problems other reviewers talked about for this Dell. It's a lot of bang for the buck, with 6 ram and a 750 gig HD and four, not three, usb 3 ports. The wifi seems so far to be just as good as my HP pavilion laptop. I haven't had a single problem so I'm quite happy with my purchase. If anything comes up later, I'll come back and update - but right now I have no problem recommending this Dell laptop. I was actually looking to stick with Win 7, so that was part of my decision to get this one. Right now, however, there is still a free upgrade to 8, if that's what's stopping you! My only complaint is that right away windows wants to do a gazillion updates. But that's par, isn't it?

I needed a basic laptop that was less than $500 and was dependable. I went through no less than 3 expensive HP laptops (around $2500 each) that were all lemons in less than 2 years, and had to hassle each time with the company from which I purchased them because I also bought an extended warranty. After my 3rd HP laptop crashed for the second time, I decided to buy a relatively inexpensive computer from Amazon.

This was $470 with free shipping. I bought the Dell Inspiron because I really like my Dell home computer which is also an Inspiron but has a wireless keyboard. This laptop loaded up in no time at all. In less than 10 minutes I was on my work website and printing to my wireless printer. It already had MS Office 2010 installed, so all I had to do was enter in the product key. I purchased MS Office 2010 from Amazon for $94 and it came on a disc and allows downloads to 3 PCs.

This laptop has a 15 inch screen which is larger than I really needed. For this reason, it's also a little heavy, but that doesn't bother me. Today I sat in an easy chair with the laptop on my lap and, surprisingly, it never got hot after working for 9 hours from home.

I like the keyboard and large touchpad which gives my wrists plenty of room to rest while typing. If there is not enough room for your wrists to rest, the wrists end up resting on the edge of the laptop and can get really uncomfortable. This laptop doesn't have that problem.

The one disadvantage I found, which may not be a problem for most, is that the power cord plugs into the left side of the unit. While it's still 8 feet long, with the plug being on the left side and my outlet located to my right, it didn't quite fit into the outlet located across the room. I solved this problem by plugging it into a surge protector (which will no doubt be better for the unit to protect it from surges). I still don't like the cord hanging over my legs, it would have been nice to have it plug on the right side or in the back. I consider this a minor nuisance.

It is Windows 7 and has a CORE-i3 which is plenty fast for the work I do. The keyboard doesn't light up, but the display light is bright enough so it doesn't need it, even in dim overhead lighting. It has more memory than I'll ever need, and also has DVD/RW.

I'm happy with my purchase. I'll never waste my money on expensive computers, especially HP, again.