Dell G5 15 5500 Review: Ideally Crafted For Budding Gamers

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Dell's G lineup of laptops is known for offering decent specs at aggressive prices. Under this series, the Dell G3 covers the basic features, whereas the G5 takes it a notch higher by offering features mostly seen on high-end gaming laptops.

 

Rating:
3.5/5

Dell G5 15 5500 Review: Ideally Crafted For Budding Gamers

I have been using the Dell G5 15 5500 as my primary laptop for the last few weeks which retails for Rs. 88,000 on Amazon, which competes against the Asus VivoBook 15 F571, which we recently reviewed. How does the Dell G5 15 5500 stacks up against the competition? Let's find out in our full review of the newest gaming laptop from Dell.

Dell G5 15 5500: Specifications

Dell G5 15 5500: Specifications

  • CPU -- Intel Core i5-10300H
  • GPU -- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti (4GB)
  • Display -- 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080p) FHD panel 120Hz
  • RAM -- 8GB DDR4
  • Storage -- 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD
  • Keyboard-- Full-sized backlit keyboard with num pad
  • Trackpad -- Multi-gesture trackpad
  • Camera -- HD 720 web camera
  • Wireless -- Bluetooth 5.0 + Tri-Band Wi-Fi (2.4Ghz, 5.0GHz, and 6GHz) Battery -- 51Whr with fast charging
  • Weight -- 2.34KG
Dell G5 15 5500 Design: Looks Like A Regular Laptop
 

Dell G5 15 5500 Design: Looks Like A Regular Laptop

The Dell G5 15 5500 draws resemblance from the Dell G3 15 3500 but has a different paint job. The outer panel of the G5 15 5500 has a shimmering effect, which I haven't seen on any other laptop. Depending on the light source, it produces a rainbow effect, giving this laptop a unique character.

There is no fancy RGB lighting on this laptop. Just like its predecessor, the keyboard is backlit with blue color with two levels of brightness. So, in terms of lighting customization, the laptop doesn't offer much. This shouldn't be an issue for those who like simple-looking laptops. I am not a huge fan of RGB lighting, and I quite liked the low-key design of the Dell G5 5500.

As per the I/O, the laptop has multiple USB A ports, a single USB Type-C port, a full-sized HDMI port, RJ45 port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card slot. In simple words, you can use almost every computer accessory with this laptop without using an adapter or a dongle.

If you want a laptop that should scream gaming, then the Dell G5 5500 might not be the ideal choice. However, if you only care about the features more than the sheer design and looks, the Dell G5 15 5500 is a great device. In fact, it does look a lot better than the Asus VivoBook 15 F571 in some aspects even though both laptops are made using plastic.

Dell G5 15 5500 Display: 120Hz Refresh Rate Screen

Dell G5 15 5500 Display: 120Hz Refresh Rate Screen

One of the pain points of the previous Dell G5 was that it came with a regular 60Hz display. The Dell G5 15 5500 finally comes with a 1080p 120Hz IPS panel, which is good for gaming enthusiasts, especially for e-sports type games like CS, PUBG, or Fornite.

The laptop has an 8-bit panel, so it is not the most color-accurate display in the business. However, you can still watch movies, web shows, and play games without complaining about color reproduction. If you are gaming without the power adapter, then it is best to tone down the refresh rate to 60Hz to get better battery life.

One complaint that I have about the Dell G5 15 5500's display is how thick the bezels are. Just like the Asus VivoBook 15 F571, the G5 has chunkier bezels and increases the overall footprint of the device. I have seen laptops that offer more horsepower with a 15.6-inch display at a smaller form factor. And one has to definitely spend more to get a laptop for that class.

Dell G5 15 5500 Keyboard And Trackpad: Better But Not The Best

Dell G5 15 5500 Keyboard And Trackpad: Better But Not The Best

I liked the keyboard on the Dell G5 15 5500, but the keyboard on the Asus VivoBook 15 F571 has spoiled me forever. The keys feel a bit mushy and don't offer as much of key-travel as the VivoBook 15. Blue backlight gives a character to this machine, and I would have loved to see more backlight color options.

The keyboard also has a dedicated num-pad, which is a good addition. Coming to the trackpad, it is pretty average and should work well for most use cases, except for the hardcore gaming, where you will definitely need an external mouse.

Dell G5 15 5500 CPU Performance: 10th Gen H Series Core i5 In Action

Dell G5 15 5500 CPU Performance: 10th Gen H Series Core i5 In Action

The Dell G5 15 5500 is based on the Intel Core i5-10300H quad-core CPU with a base clock speed of 2.5GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.5GHz. The chipset is based on 14nm architecture and offers 8MB of L3 cache and 45W TDP.

On Geekbench 5, the Dell G5 15 5500 posted 1125 points on single-core and 4180 points on multi-core CPU performance. The single-core performance of this laptop is similar to some of the laptops that are based on the Intel Core i7-10750H. However, it takes a hit when it comes to multi-core performance.

On Cinebench R20, the laptop scored 1846 points. This is a benchmark used to test the rendering capabilities of a CPU, and the Core i5-10300H performs pretty well. However, if you insist on getting a laptop with a better multi-core performance, then it is best to go with a laptop with the Ryzen 7 or the Ryzen 9 4000H series processor.

The single-core performance of the Dell G5 15 5500 is a testament to the gaming capabilities of this laptop. This machine should handle most modern games without any issue. Albeit some modern AAA titles might not offer the best performance due to the limitations of the graphics card.

Dell G5 15 5500 GPU Performance: NVIDIA At Play

Dell G5 15 5500 GPU Performance: NVIDIA At Play

The Dell G5 15 5500 comes with the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card with 4GB video memory. This is one of the best GPUs capable of running games at 1080p without any issue.

We ran Doom Eternal based on the id Tech 6 engine with default graphics settings. The game ran without any issue on the Dell G5 15 5500 with an average FPS of 68. So at 1080p resolution, the laptop usually stays hot for around 10 minutes after the game is closed, and it rapidly comes back to room temperature.

While playing GTA 5 at 1080p resolution, we got an average FPS of 92 during the gameplay, which makes it highly playable. One can easily play GTA 5 at 120fps on the Dell G5 5500 by tweaking the graphics settings. While playing both games, the laptop did get a bit warm, and even the WASD keys were hot to touch, and I could hear the cooler noise.

Dell G5 15 5500: 3DMark And PCMark 10 Performance

Dell G5 15 5500: 3DMark And PCMark 10 Performance

On 3DMark, the device posts 8650 points on the Fire Strike benchmark test based on DirectX 11 with an average FPS of 45.44 and a peak FPS of 55.22. So, even the most demanding games based on the DirectX 11 should be able to offer at least 45fps even with the highest graphics settings.

On PCMark 10, the device scored 4286 points with 8404 points on essentials, 6898 points on productivity, and 3688 points on digital content creation. The PCMark 10 performance of the Dell G5 5500 is slightly lower than that of the Asus VivoBook 15 F571, and it is acceptable given the VivoBook is based on the more powerful Core i7 processor.

Dell G5 15 5500: Battery Life

Dell G5 15 5500: Battery Life

The Dell G5 15 5500 has a 51Whr battery with support for fast charging via the proprietary connector. During regular usage, the laptop can offer up to 3 hours of battery life, and while gaming, it can last up to one and a half hours.

This is a slightly smaller battery, so it also charges quickly and doesn't last for the entire day even if you use this machine just for basic tasks like web browsing or working on some document. Though this machine has a USB Type-C port, it cannot be used for charging, which is a bummer.

Dell G5 15 5500 Verdict: Good Looking Budget Gaming Laptop

Dell G5 15 5500 Verdict: Good Looking Budget Gaming Laptop

The Dell G5 15 5500 almost costs as much as the Asus VivoBook F15 F571 and has almost similar specs with a 120Hz refresh rate screen, NVIDIA 1650 Ti GPU, 8GB RAM, SSD based storage, and even a similar-sized battery. If you care a lot about aesthetics, then the Dell G5 5500 will serve you well.

The Dell G5 15 5500 has plenty enough horsepower to manage normal day-to-day tasks during the day and can also handle gaming at night. If you want a similar performing laptop and don't care about the higher refresh rate display, then there is the Dell G3 15 3500, which will save you a few thousand bucks.

All-in-all, the Dell G5 15 5500 is a good entry-level gaming laptop that doesn't look like mainstream gaming machines. This is definitely for those, who want a work laptop that can also do gaming. The Dell G5 15 5500 might not have any of the USPs, but it has everything that a budding gamer might need.

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