Dell Latitude 5420 14" Review

Let's be real, the Dell Latitude 5420 is a refurbished business laptop trying to punch above its weight class. The one thing you need to know? It's a solid, no-frills work machine for basic office tasks, but it's not winning any performance awards. For $227, you're getting a functional Windows 11 Pro system with 16GB of RAM, which is the only real highlight here.

The specs tell the whole story. That 11th Gen i5 CPU sits in the 16th percentile, so it's fine for spreadsheets and email but don't expect miracles. The real surprise is the discrete GPU. They list an NVIDIA GT 650M, but that's a decade-old mobile chip. It's so out of place it's almost funny, and its 38th percentile ranking confirms it's a non-factor. The 16GB of RAM is the saving grace for keeping a few browser tabs open.

At $227, it's hard to call it a bad deal if you just need a basic, functional laptop. You're paying for the RAM and the OS license. But you're also buying into very dated core components. It's a value play, but only if your expectations are on the floor.

This isn't competing with those gaming laptops listed. For a similar 'get work done' vibe, look at a used Lenovo ThinkPad. They often have better keyboards and similar specs for less. If you need more power, even a modern budget laptop with a newer Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 will run circles around this CPU. The MacBook Pro is in a different universe entirely and not a relevant comparison here.

Only buy this if your budget is absolutely locked at $200 and you need a Windows machine today. It's a stopgap solution. For anyone else, saving another $100-$150 will get you a much better, newer used laptop that won't feel sluggish from day one. This is a last-resort kind of purchase.