The Dell G15 5520 isn’t going to compete with a top-end Alienware or MSI machine, but at a price tag of under $2500, it doesn’t need to – it’s aimed squarely at the budget market. If you’re prepared to make a few sacrifices on graphical settings, you’ll find it a capable gaming machine with a decent screen, surprisingly good speakers, and a price tag that won’t break the bank.
Affordable sub-$2500 price point
Capable 12th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series graphics
Sharp and smooth 120Hz full-HD screen
Decent speakers
Effective thermal cooling system
Surprisingly good GPU performance in some games
Inconsistent performance in some titles with ray tracing activated
Colours somewhat dull
Better screens can be had elsewhere at a similar price
Only 8GB of RAM in cheaper i5/3050 configuration
Bulky, plastic-heavy build
Dell’s G-series gaming laptops are pitched below its top-end Alienware machines at a more budget-conscious gamer. This means fewer frills, to be sure – but does it mean that performance has been cut down as well? We sat down with the G15 5520 to have a look.
Design and Features
First impressions: you can tell this is a wallet-friendly laptop, because there’s a lot of plastic. The machine is dark grey, with the Dell logo embossed on the lid, which has a nice textured section to it. I also appreciate the matte finish, which will ensure it remains unsullied by fingerprints.
Flip that lid open and you’ll find a full keyboard with numpad, which is always nice to see – though bear in mind if you’re an RGB fan, you won’t find any here: the backlight is plain orange. I am not an RGB fan, so this is fine by me, but if it’s a deal-breaker for you, you might want to look further up the pricing chart for an Alienware machine.
Up above the keyboard is an interestingly-patterned series of holes you might think at first are a speaker grille, but don’t be fooled: these are cooling vents, and the actual speakers are in the usual position, firing down from under the palm rest. There’s a touch pad as well, of course, though a bit on the small side for my liking – but then, if you’re using a touch pad for gaming, you’re a braver person than I am.
In terms of connectivity, physical ports include three USB-A 3.2, one USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort compatibility, full-sized HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack. Wireless options include Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
A word of warning if you’re after portability: this laptop is on the bulky side, weighing in at around 2.6 kilos and measuring 357.3 x 272.1 x 26.9 mm. Those who want a lighter machine for gaming on the go should probably go elsewhere.
Display and Sound
The display on the G15 5520 is a 15.6-inch full-HD LED screen, with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s sharp, decently bright at 250 nits, and smooth – I had no trouble with screen tearing – though the colours can be a touch dull and washed-out. Still, it’s a budget system, and getting a 120Hz screen on it is a nice perk, though I will note that other similarly-priced laptops like the Lenovo Legion 5i beat it on refresh rates.
The sound was a pleasant surprise – there’s good volume with minimal tinniness. I’m used to bottom-firing laptop speakers like these being unpleasant to listen to, but whatever Dell’s done with the G15 5520’s speakers, it’s worked. Some credit should probably go to the pre-installed Dolby Access software, which allows switching between different sound profiles for music, movies, games, and voice. Sure, I’ve heard better – but I’ve also heard way worse.
Performance
The G15 5520 has two variants: a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics for around $1700, and a beefier Core i7 variant with 3050 Ti for around $2300, which is the version we got our hands on.
This configuration in particular also comes with a 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM, while the lower-end i5/3050 option has a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM, which is probably not going to be enough for more than casual gaming. Our advice: splash out the extra $600 on the i7/3050 Ti configuration.
I’ve reviewed machines with the stock RTX 3050 before, and was hoping for some improvement with the more powerful Ti model. Here, too, I was pleasantly surprised: while some games were too much for the 3050 Ti to handle, there were others that played better than I expected.
On the highest graphical settings with ray tracing enabled, the 3050 Ti struggled with games like The Witcher III, struggling to break 20 frames per second at the best of times – with ray tracing off, the frame rate climbed into the 30s on high graphical settings, which is playable but still not ideal.
Control was more consistently playable, with frame rates hovering around the 30s and 40s even at high graphical settings with ray tracing on, though DLSS did have to be enabled for that – but it’s hard to tell the difference between DLSS-enabled gaming and native gaming, at least to my eyes. Still, if you want it to get up around the 60 mark you’ll likely have to knock down the graphical fidelity and RTX.
The big surprise, for me, was Cyberpunk 2077 – some laptops I’ve reviewed in the past have really had trouble with this one, but with RTX and graphics on maximum, I was able to run around Night City at a playable if not stellar frame rate of between 30 and 40 FPS, with some occasional dips into the high 20s. Take the RTX off, and even on High graphical settings you’re hovering around 60.
Special mention also has to be given to the thermal cooling system: while somewhat noisy, it did its job admirably well, with the laptop never getting too warm even under heavy load. Hitting the high-performance Game Shift mode will ramp those fans up considerably, so be prepared to plug in some headphones.
Verdict
The Dell G15 5520 isn’t going to compete with a top-end Alienware or MSI machine, but at a price tag of under $2500, it doesn’t need to – it’s aimed squarely at the budget market. If you’re prepared to make a few sacrifices on graphical settings, you’ll find it a capable gaming machine with a decent screen, surprisingly good speakers, and a price tag that won’t break the bank.
The Dell G15 5520 isn’t going to compete with a top-end Alienware or MSI machine, but at a price tag of under $2500, it doesn’t need to – it’s aimed squarely at the budget market. If you’re prepared to make a few sacrifices on graphical settings, you’ll find it a capable gaming machine with a decent screen, surprisingly good speakers, and a price tag that won’t break the bank.
Affordable sub-$2500 price point
Capable 12th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series graphics
Sharp and smooth 120Hz full-HD screen
Decent speakers
Effective thermal cooling system
Surprisingly good GPU performance in some games
Inconsistent performance in some titles with ray tracing activated
Colours somewhat dull
Better screens can be had elsewhere at a similar price
Only 8GB of RAM in cheaper i5/3050 configuration
Bulky, plastic-heavy build