The Dell G3 15 ($783.99 as tested) epitomizes an entry-level gaming laptop with its straightforward design, limited performance, and affordable price. With a 120Hz full HD display and a GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics chip that can be used for online multiplayer games, it improves its performance significantly, but it can’t quite push AAA titles to 60 frames per second (fps) at higher settings. Our review unit’s limited 256GB SSD makes it difficult to store a library of games; therefore, we suggest increasing the storage space. The Acer Nitro 5 and the MSI Bravo 15 are the best values slightly below and above this price range. Overall, it’s a good machine, although its performance is relatively average.
Cheap Basic GeForce Gaming
It shouldn’t be surprising that this cheap gaming laptop is neither overly showy in appearance nor extravagant in construction. It’s a straightforward but somewhat portable 15-inch system with smooth plastic inside and a textured plastic finish on the top. The G3 15 won’t win any design prizes, but it won’t offend, fits in with any setting, and is generally well-built.
The chassis weighs 5.18 pounds and has dimensions of 0.85 by 14.4 by 10 inches (HWD), making it portable. Even while it wouldn’t be the best pick for a daily commuting buddy, this isn’t what we’d call lightweight for a gaming laptop, but it’s not a backbreaker either; it’s portable enough to slip into a bag or backpack without becoming a strain.
For comparison, this weight is heavier than the MSI Bravo 15 and lighter than certain affordable gaming laptops, such as the Acer Nitro 5 (5.51 pounds) (4.1 pounds). This is appropriate for a low-cost device because you typically have to spend more for ultra-thin and light systems (especially gaming laptops), like the Razer Blade 15 or MSI Stealth 15M. There is a new generation of 14-inch laptops if portability is truly important to you, but their prices are slightly above the range of budget models.
The rest of the construction is equally simple. The touchpad and keyboard are average but functional. Although the action is a little mushy at the conclusion of a push and the keyboard deck may bend, the keys do give some feedback. The touchpad is pretty basic and feels more rough than the smooth glass surface of more expensive laptops, but it still serves its purpose.
Testing of Components and Performance
Let’s go inside a cheap gaming laptop to see what components make it or wreck it. Our $783.99 model has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU, an Intel Core i5-10300H processor, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SSD. There is no more price reduction to be done because ours is the base-price beginning unit, but you can scale it up reasonably well. It will still be an entry-level laptop, but for a few hundred dollars more you can upgrade it to a Core i7 processor, a GTX 1660 Ti GPU, and twice as much RAM and storage.
Even though 16GB would be ideal, 8GB of RAM isn’t all that shocking at this price point. A gaming laptop with only 256GB of storage is definitely pushing it, though, as just a few cutting-edge AAA titles and your personal stuff would quickly fill that up. I had to remove some as I went to create way for the following batch, even just during the setup of the benchmark software and a few test games. Being constrained to 256GB is restrictive on day one because game installs are far larger than they used to be and frequently get bloated by updates. If you have the money, I’d suggest increasing the storage space to 512GB.
Review of Storage Choices & Performance
Dell provides two variations for the internal storage options for this laptop, just like it does for the processor. This laptop is available with a 1 TB 5400 RPM HDD, a 128 GB PCIe M.2 SSD, or both.
Several storage configuration options are available for the laptop. For instance, you might get one with a 1TB 5400 RPM HDD and a 128 GB PCIe M.2 SSD.
For storage extension, you also receive a second SD card reader.
The Dell G3 15 3590 is really quick when it comes to storage. The Dell G3 15 3590 achieved sequential read and write speeds of 1456 MBps and 1683 MBps, respectively, on a CrystalDiskMark test.
In addition, the Dell G3 15 3590 copied 4.97 GB of multimedia files at a speed of 300 MBps in 17 seconds. The copy rate of this laptop was behind the average for 307 MBps gaming laptops.
A battery’s life
A 3-Cell 51 Wh Lithium-ion battery has been substituted by Dell for the previous model’s 56 Wh battery in this laptop. The battery life of the most recent laptop models and the older laptop types is still very similar.
The Dell G3 15 3590 outlasted its predecessor by one minute during a continuous web browsing test with a medium screen brightness. Compared to the G3 15 3579’s 6 hours and 40 minutes, this one lasted 6 hours and 41 minutes.
The Dell G3 15 3590’s battery life, however, was longer than the industry standard of 5 hours and 30 minutes for cheap gaming laptops. It outlasted the Acer Nitro 5 as well, which only lasted 4 hours, 25 minutes.
Picture Card
A dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU or a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU is also available on the laptop. A dedicated VRAM is included with these GPUs to boost their performance.
While the GTX 1650 GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, the GTX 1050 GPU only has 3 GB of it. The GPU provides a dedicated 6 GB GDRR6 VRAM for the 1660 Ti.
The GTX 1050 GPU also offers base and boost frequencies of 1392 MHz and 1518 MHz, respectively. While the base and boost frequencies for the GTX 1650 GPU are 14851 MHz and 1665 MHz, respectively.
The GTX 1660 Ti GPU, on the other hand, has a boost frequency of 1770 MHz and a base frequency of 1500 MHz.
The GTX 1650 GPU is the subject of this review. As expected, the Dell G3 15 3590 is capable of running recent AAA titles at 1080p with medium graphics settings thanks to this GPU.
The Dell G3 15 3590 ran The Witcher 3 at 116 frames per second, BioShock Infinite at 222 MBps, Rocket League at 189 frames per second, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 61 frames per second during a test. These tests were run in a medium-sized environment.
To sum up
The Dell G3 15 Gaming is a powerful laptop with an 8th Gen processor and GTX 1050 Ti GPU packed into its streamlined, sleek body. You also get a good battery life and some decent speakers to play your favorite Spotify playlists for around $849. Sadly, the laptop’s unimpressive display and short key travel limit its potential.
Consider the Lenovo Legion Y520 ($1,249), which has a faster SSD, greater graphics performance, and some practical gaming software, if you’re ready to spend a little more money.
Other than that, the G3 15 Gaming is a cheap gaming system that is capable of running the majority of popular games.
