Dell G5 15 SE: Fantastic Value Budget-Gaming Laptop

While the Dell G5 15 SE has a lot of power from its Ryzen CPU, its all-plastic build and Radeon CPU remind us that it is a budget gaming laptop.

The Dell G5 15 SE is the company’s attempt to refresh its G5 model line. The laptop comes with an all-AMD configuration providing incredible value. Although the AMD Ryzen CPU is extremely powerful, it isn’t the same as the Radeon GPU. Continue reading our Dell G5 15 SE review to find out more about this laptop.

Dell G5 15 SE Price & Availability

Consumers can purchase the Dell G5 15 SE directly from Dell’s website. Dell G5 15 SE price starts from $879.99. The entry-level variant has an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H along with 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and a full HD display but with a standard refresh rate. There is a higher-level model that costs $1,299.99 but with an SSD of 1TB.

When it comes to upgrading the SSD, RAM, battery, WiFi adapter, there are some options available. So you can buy one of the more affordable version and then build it up.

Dell G5 15 SE Design

The design of the Dell G5 15 SE makes it look like the hood of a car with the silvery plastic chassis along with a prismatic Dell logo. Dell is known to have conservative design aesthetics. The only giveaway is that the keyboard and the chassis’ base have the LED-backlight.

The quality of the materials can really show that this is a budget gaming laptop. According to the company, the weight of the laptop is 5.51 pounds. But it feels heavier than that.

Compared to the lid, the plastic on the base does feel way more solid. This gives the impression that if you drop it, the plastic casing might pop off.

The built-in 720 webcam is placed above the display. The laptop's speakers are on the chassis’ sides toward the front.

The keyboard has the normal laptop chicklet-keys. There is also a numpad. And with the reduced real estate, the key spacing is quite tight. Some might need some time to get used to if they normally use a full-sized keyboard.

The keys respond well when uses. Because the Dell G5 15 SE is a gaming laptop, there is RGB LED-backlighting under the keys. You can control the lighting using the pre-installed Alienware system. For non-gaming use, the trackpad works decently.

The LED light ring on the power connector of the laptop is actually a nice feature.

Dell G5 15 SE Performance

The performance of the Dell G5 15 SE is impressive. It doesn’t lag out much behind the other AMD Ryzen 7 4800H systems.

The laptop is the first gaming device to have AMD’s SmartShift tech which helps with power distributing management between the GPU and the CPU.

A noticeable issue with this laptop is its thermal performance. It becomes extremely hot under strain, around the keyboard, and on the underside. Overall, the laptop is packed with a lot of power for gaming.

Dell G5 15 SE Software

Since this is a Dell laptop, you will have the typical Windows 10 along with Dropbox and Candy Crushes offer. You will probably need half an hour just to uninstall apps that you don’t need.

Dell G5 15 SE Battery Life

Gaming laptops are not famous for their battery life. The battery performance of the G5 15 SE is pretty impressive, to be honest. On a full charge, the laptop lasts around 7 hours and 3 minutes. For the movie test, it lasts around 5 hours and 45 minutes.

While this is not the best one, it is still great, considering the Dell G5 15 SE is a budget gaming laptop. You can feel confident that the laptop can make it through a flight across the country on a single charge and several classes without needing to be charged every few hours.

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