Dell Gaming G515,5500: A Budget-Friendly Alienware Alternative with Premium Features

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Design and Build Quality
3. Display and Keyboard
4. Trackpad Performance
5. Performance and Benchmark
6. Gaming Experience
7. Battery Life
8. Portability and Charging
9. Ports and Connectivity
10. Should You Buy?

Dell Gaming G515,5500: A Budget-Friendly Alienware Alternative with Premium Features

Welcome to our review of the brand new Dell Gaming G515,5500. This budget-friendly laptop offers some impressive features that give it a premium feel without the hefty price tag. In this article, we will delve into its design, performance, display, keyboard, trackpad, gaming experience, and more. Let's dive in and explore what makes this laptop stand out in the mid-range gaming market.

Design and Build Quality

Dell has opted for a unique design with a shimmering, iridescent black finish, which they call "Interstellar Black." The lid features a Stardust effect that reflects different colors from different angles. The overall build quality of the laptop is mostly plastic, which is evident from the tactile feel. The notable bulge on the lid and the slightly worrisome creaking sound from the hinge are worth mentioning. However, despite these minor issues, the laptop remains sturdy and Durable.

Display and Keyboard

The Dell Gaming G515,5500 boasts a 15.6-inch, 144Hz refresh rate display. While the colors are decent, the brightness falls short of expectations. The bezels surrounding the display are relatively thin and house a standard webcam at the top. The full-size keyboard includes a number pad and follows a h2h design, positioned near the edge of the laptop. The keyboard's travel distance is short, with a soft actuation force, lacking tactile feedback. The keycap size is smaller than standard, which may require some adjustment for comfortable typing. The keyboard is backlit, but the variant with a four-zone backlighting option comes at an additional cost.

Trackpad Performance

The trackpad on the Dell Gaming G515,5500 functions well thanks to the Windows precision trackpad driver. However, its layout is slightly unusual, favoring the left side due to the h2h keyboard design. This design choice limits the space available for the left HAND to rest comfortably. Additionally, the trackpad feels stiff, requiring more force for a click than expected. Despite these quirks, the trackpad is still usable and offers good Palm rejection.

Performance and Benchmark

As advertised, the Dell Gaming G515,5500 is a gaming laptop equipped with a powerful Core i7 10750H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. It comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB SSD. In our benchmark tests, most games ran smoothly at around 60fps, providing an enjoyable gaming experience. However, intensive CPU games like APEX Legends and CS: GO pushed the CPU temperature beyond 100 degrees Celsius, while the GPU maintained an average temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. The aggressive CPU governor in the BIOS helped achieve higher FPS at the cost of increased power consumption and temperature.

Gaming Experience

The Dell Gaming G515,5500 delivers on its promise of a satisfying gaming experience. The 144Hz refresh rate provides smooth gameplay, albeit with some compromise on graphical settings to take full advantage of the high refresh rate display. The laptop performs admirably in most games, ensuring an immersive gaming session. However, the aggressive CPU governor may affect battery life, which we will discuss next.

Battery Life

With a 64-watt hour battery, the Dell Gaming G515,5500 offers an average battery life of around four hours during typical usage. The RGB lighting at the front, set at 25% brightness, reduces battery life. Disabling the RGB panel and reducing the screen brightness can extend battery life further. The charging time is approximately two hours, and the laptop comes with a slim 240-watt power brick. However, the positioning of the Thunderbolt 3 port and the limited high-speed ports on the right side leave room for improvement.

Portability and Charging

Weighing at x pounds and measuring x inches, the Dell Gaming G515,5500 offers decent portability. The slim power brick adds to its convenience, although the wide form factor may be a trade-off for some users. The laptop's ports include double USB 2.0 Type-A ports, a combo audio jack, a full-size SD card reader, a barrel jack for power, a mini DisplayPort, a full-size HDMI port, a USB 3.1 port, an Ethernet port, and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The inclusion of Thunderbolt 3 without USB PD support raises questions about its practicality.

Should You Buy?

Deciding whether to purchase the Dell Gaming G515,5500 is a subjective matter. While Dell's excellent after-sales support justifies the premium price to some extent, comparing it to other laptops like the Asus TUF Gaming A15 may make the extra cost seem excessive. Waiting for a discount may be a wise choice for those who are interested in this laptop. Overall, the Dell Gaming G515,5500 offers a budget-friendly alternative to Alienware with various premium features, but carefully consider your needs and preferences before making a decision.

Highlights

• Budget-friendly alternative to Alienware
• Unique design with an iridescent black finish
• Sturdy build quality, despite some minor concerns
• 15.6-inch, 144Hz refresh rate display with thin bezels
• Full-size keyboard with a number pad and h2h design
• Trackpad layout favors the left side, can feel stiff
• Powerful performance with Core i7 10750H and RTX 2060
• Smooth gaming experience with some compromise on graphics
• Average battery life of four hours with RGB lighting and brightness limitations
• Portability enhanced by a slim 240-watt power brick
• Decent port selection with a mix of high-speed and low-speed ports
• Dell's excellent after-sales support contributes to the overall value proposition

FAQ

Q: Can I upgrade the components of the Dell Gaming G515,5500? A: Yes, the laptop is fully serviceable, allowing for easy component upgrades.

Q: How is the RGB lighting on the front panel controlled? A: The RGB lighting can be disabled using the keyboard shortcut, while further customization is available in the Alienware Command Center software.

Q: Does the Thunderbolt 3 port support USB Power Delivery? A: No, the Thunderbolt 3 port on the Dell Gaming G515,5500 does not support USB PD.

Q: How long does it take to charge the laptop? A: Charging the laptop from 15% to 100% takes approximately two hours.

Q: What is the battery life like during typical usage? A: With RGB lighting at 25% brightness, the laptop can last for about four hours.