Dell G15 review: A ‘retro’ laptop that’s all about performance

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Dell’s G-Series of gaming peripherals have evolved into a legitimate budget option over the past few years, and the Dell G2724D is currently our favorite budget gaming monitor. The laptops also have a strong focus on value, and the Dell G15 takes that to an extreme. Thick, ponderous, and undeniably quick, the G15 will appeal to gamers who want to wring every possible FPS from their budget. 

Further reading: Best gaming laptops 2024: What to look for and highest-rated models

Dell G15: Specs and features

The Dell G15 I tested had an older Intel Core i7-13650HX processor. It’s a powerful chip for multithreaded workloads, however, with 14 cores and 20 threads. It’s a similar story with the GPU; the Nvidia RTX 4060 isn’t a heartstopper, but the version found in the Dell G15 has a hearty maximum graphics power of 140 watts.

• Model number: 5530
• CPU: Intel Core i7-13650HX
• Memory: 16GB DDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile
• NPU: None
• Display: 15.6-inch 16:9 360Hz 1080p IPS 
• Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 solid state storage
• Webcam: 720p webcam, single array microphone
• Connectivity: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45), 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: None 
• Battery capacity: 86 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.07 x 10.80 x 1.06 inches
• Weight: 6.19 pounds
• MSRP: $1,199.99 MSRP 

Dell also shipped the G15 Gaming Laptop I reviewed with a 360Hz panel, which is an unusually high refresh rate for a budget laptop. This option is only available by customizing the laptop configuration and is currently out of stock.

The model I tested rang up at about $1,200, but entry-level versions start at $700 (with an Intel Core i5 chip and RTX 4050). Shoppers looking for the best value should consider a pre-configured model. Going that route can land you an Intel Core i9-13900HX, RTX 4060, 165Hz 1080p display, and 32GB of RAM for $1,000.

The Dell G15 Gaming Laptop is a laptop built for gaming and it performs that mission admirably.

Dell G15: Design and build quality

Dell’s marketing department took a clever approach with the G15 gaming laptop. They describe it as retro, which is certainly an interesting way to frame it. What Dell means by “retro” is that the laptop looks like it could’ve been sold any time in the last 10 or even 20 years. 

There are benefits to this approach. While the laptop is primarily constructed from matte black plastic, the thick, angular design feels classic. It also provides a good amount of space for internal cooling which, as I’ll highlight in a moment, helps the laptop achieve solid performance results.  

However, the retro design contributes to the laptop’s bulk. At over an inch thick, and weighing just over six pounds, the G15 is on the heavier side. In practical terms, that makes the G15 more of a desktop replacement than a laptop you’d want to carry around daily—though I suppose you could make it work with a large, well-padded backpack. 

While the Dell G15 looks retro, its build quality is modern. There’s minimal flex in the chassis, even when lifting the laptop from a corner or edge, and the display lid allows only slight flex when opening or closing. Don’t get me wrong: this isn’t a MacBook Pro. But it’s sturdy for a budget gaming laptop.

Dell G15: Keyboard, trackpad

The Dell G15 gaming laptop’s size accommodates a keyboard with a numpad, but it doesn’t fully utilize the available space. While the numpad keys are nearly as large as the main alphanumeric keys, other keys feel undersized. The left-side Tab, Caps Lock, and Shift keys get the worst of it. Key travel is decent, but the typing feel is vague and springy. It’s usable but doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

Keyboard backlighting is included but available in just one color: orange. I like the shade of orange, as it reinforces the laptop’s retro vibe. However, some competitors beat the Dell G15 by providing single-zone or multiple-zone color customization: the Gigabyte G6X and Acer Nitro 14 are two examples.  

The Dell G15’s touchpad is a major drawback. At just 4 inches wide and slightly over 2 inches deep, it’s extremely small for a laptop sold in 2024. Blame the large speaker grille above the keyboard, which pushes the keyboard down and limits touchpad space. Dell seems to intend the laptop to be used with an external mouse—and perhaps keyboard—which reinforces its role as a desktop replacement laptop.

Dell G15: Display, audio

Entry-level configurations of the Dell G15 Gaming Laptop have basic 120Hz 1080p IPS display, but the unit I reviewed had an upgraded 360Hz 1080p IPS panel with NVIDIA G-Sync support. 

A 360Hz refresh rate is overkill for a laptop in this price range (most games won’t achieve frame rates high enough to fully utilize it), though it can deliver smooth motion in older e-sports titles like League of Legends. For most gamers, however, I recommend Dell’s middle option: a 1080p 165Hz G-Sync display that offers a better balance of performance and value.

Refresh rate aside, the display is otherwise average. 1920×1080 resolution looks sharp on the 15.6-inch screen but doesn’t stand out compared to higher-resolution panels. It’s an IPS display, too, which lacks the contrast and vibrance of OLED. Still, it performs well in bright, colorful games like Overwatch, League of Legends, and Valorant—and OLED isn’t typically an option at this price point. 

The massive speaker grill above the keyboard hints at great audio performance, but the audio system doesn’t live up to that promise. Volume is high at maximum, but the speakers lack bass and begin to sound harsh and muddy as the action heats up. They’re ok for games that lean less on audio presentation, like Cities: Skylines II, but you’ll want headphones for more immersive titles. 

Dell G15: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The Dell G15 Gaming Laptop cuts corners with its webcam and microphone. It has a simple 720p webcam and a single-array microphone. Video quality is rather soft, and the microphone picks up spoken audio with a hollow, compressed sound. It’s passable for video calls on Zoom, I guess, but most modern laptops offer better video and audio recording. 

Biometrics aren’t included, either. You’ll be logging in to the Dell G15 with a password or PIN. 

Dell G15: Connectivity

The Dell G15 Gaming Laptop’s connectivity mirrors its retro design. It features three USB-A 3.1 ports, one USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode (but lacks power delivery), HDMI 2.1, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio jack. 

If you rely on USB-A peripherals or prefer wired Ethernet, this configuration is solid. However, if you favor USB-C, the laptop is less appealing, especially since the USB-C port only supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, falling short of newer USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt standards for data rates.

Wireless connectivity also lags. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, which are serviceable but outdated, with Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 now available. While Wi-Fi 6 is still sufficient for most users and may match your current router’s capabilities, its limitations could become more noticeable over time as faster standards become more widely adopted. 

Dell G15: Performance

The Dell Inspiron G15 Gaming Laptop sticks with Intel’s older 13th-Gen Core processors. Entry-level configurations have the Core i5-13450HX, while top-tier variants have the Core i9-13900HX. However, the model I reviewed landed in the middle with Intel’s Core i7-13650HX (which has 14 cores and 20 threads). It was supported by 16GB of memory and a 1TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 solid state drive. 

First up is PCMark 10, a general system benchmark that requires a decent CPU and acceptable GPU to reach its best results. The Dell G15 has both, so it achieved a respectable score of 7,337. That’s in line with the competition; not much better and not much worse. 

That said, 7,337 is quite a good score for a laptop overall and it indicates the Dell G15 delivers a lot of performance for the price. 

Next up is Cinebench R23, a heavily multithreaded benchmark with a modest duration. Here the Dell G15 posted another respectable score of 16,913. That’s weaker than the Gigabyte G6X, which had the same processor and is sold at a similar price. 

On the other hand, however, the Dell G15 easily defeated price-competitive laptops with weaker processors, like the HP Victus 15 with an Intel Core i7-12650H.

Handbrake is a long duration, heavily multithread benchmark that involves real-world encoding of a feature length film. The Dell G15 handles the task admirably, as it produced the best score among this competitive set. That suggests the laptop’s large power brick and thick chassis can sustain its performance over longer workloads.

While the Intel Core i7-13650HX delivers good processor performance for the price, gamers will be more interested in the Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile. Though it sits low in Nvidia’s product stack, the configuration used by Dell’s G15 can tap into a maximum graphics power of up to 140 watts. Because of that, the Dell G15 can deliver performance similar to some RTX 4070 laptops. 

3DMark puts the Dell G15 off to a great start with a score of 10,579. That’s the highest from this competitive set, and it even defeats the Nvidia RTX 4070-powered MSI Stealth 16 AI. The MSI is a thinner laptop, to be fair—but it goes to show how much of a difference exists between the quickest and slowest iterations of any given Nvidia RTX mobile graphics hardware.

It’s a similar story in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an older 3D title that’s not too demanding on modern hardware. The Gigabyte G6X, which also had an Nvidia RTX 4060, was able to tie the Dell G15. However, Dell’s performance otherwise leads the competition.

Metro Exodus gives the MSI Stealth 16 AI a chance to catch up, but the Dell G15 is once again a leader in this arena. A result of 42 frames per second might seem low, but the Extreme preset is notoriously demanding in this title. This shows the Dell G15 can handle some very visually demanding titles so long as you keep your framerate target at 30 FPS or better.

I finished things off with Cyberpunk 2077. The Dell G15 averaged 75 frames per second at 1080p resolution, Ultra detail, and with DLSS/FSR/XeSS turned off. That’s a highly playable result and again trades blows with the MSI Stealth 16 AI, which averaged 73 FPS. 

Increasing Cyberpunk 2077’s settings to the Overdrive Ray-Traced preset, however, tanked the Dell G15’s performance to just 20 FPS. That’s quite a bit lower than the MSI Stealth 16 AI, which averaged 32 FPS. The Dell G15 does have its limits, and raytracing finds them. 

Still, the Dell G15 Gaming Laptop is an impressive performer for the price. And the model I tested isn’t even the best value: if you ditch the 360Hz display for a 165Hz panel, you can upgrade the processor to an Intel Core i9-13900HX and spend $200 less.

Dell G15: Battery life

Dell stuff’s a sizeable 86 watt-hour battery into the G15 Gaming Laptop. It has its work cut out for it, however. The laptop has a powerful CPU and GPU, but lacks switchable graphics, which means the power-hungry GPU is always on tap.

The results are predictable. The Dell G15 fell short of reaching five hours in our standard battery test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel. That’s not unusual for a gaming laptop, but it’s not great, and it suggests the laptop will struggle to last more than a few hours on charge.

My real-world use certainly reflected that reality. Spending a couple hours writing at a coffee shop caused the battery to nose-dive by 40 percent. I expect that most people will see about four to five hours even in basic productivity and web browsing tasks.

Short battery life means you’ll feel the need to pack the power adapter—and it’s huge. The 330-watt adapter weighs several pounds and measures over an inch thick. Carrying both the laptop and adapter will add noticeable heft to even a large, well-padded backpack. 

Dell G15: Conclusion

The Dell G15 Gaming Laptop is a laptop built for gaming and it performs that mission admirably. It has enough GPU grunt to play demanding modern games, like Cyberpunk 2077, above 30 FPS at medium or high detail settings. Older titles, meanwhile, will easily exceed 60 FPS.

However, the Dell G15’s laser focus on this goal makes it a bad fit for other tasks. It’s thick, heavy, and suffers short battery life. The display is crisp in motion but otherwise mediocre, the keyboard is so-so, and the touchpad is small. Wi-Fi connectivity is stuck on Wi-Fi 6 and there’s only one USB-C port.

These downsides make it harder to recommend the Dell G15. Still, gamers who want a desktop replacement laptop with solid bang for the buck should consider it. What the G15 lacks in versatility, it makes up for in performance.  

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