This also makes the Dell G5 a decent laptop for watching Netflix on the go – as long as you’re happy to lug around the 2.61kg lump, of course.

The Dell laptop does what it's supposed to do: It runs all the games that are found in our database smoothly. The combination of the Core i7-8750Hprocessor and the GeForce RTX 2060 graphics unit will make sure of this for the next years coming. Should the GPU no longer be able to meet the requirements, the possibility of using an external GPU through the Thunderbolt 3 port is available. On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark (Highest, 1080p), the Dell G5 15 SE averaged 45 fps, falling short of the 47-fps mainstream gaming laptop average (beating the 42-fps budget gaming average). It matched the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti in the Omen 15 (45 fps), while the RTX 2060 GPU in Zephyrus G14 nailed 49 fps and the Legion Y545’s own GTX 1660 Ti got 50 fps. The Dell G5 15 SE hit 83 fps on the Hitman benchmark (Ultra, 1080p), once again landing below the 85-fps category average (it passed the 65-fps budget gaming average). It did manage to slide past the Omen 15 (78 fps), but not the Zephyrus G14 (87 fps) or the Legion Y545 (95 fps). The RGB lighting consists of four zones, including the numpad. You can configure the lighting in the FX tab of the Alienware Command Center app with effects like Rainbow Wave, Breathing and Spectrum. While I wish the individual keys were RGB-lit, the lighting is pleasantly bright. I played Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for 15 minutes and the machine never felt hot thanks to the fans going full blast. Dell G5 15 SE (2020) software and warrantyIn the Alienware Command Center app, you’ll find a tab for the Nahimic audio software, which is relatively helpful in getting better sound. There are multiple presets, such as Alienware, Com, Movie, Music, Racing, Role Play, Shooter and Strategy. You can also create your own custom profiles. Within each profile are settings for the Audio Effects (Bass, Treble, Voice, Loudness, Reverb and Surround Sound), Equalizer and Microphone. Dell G5 15 SE (2020) gaming, graphics and VR The results on the 3D Mark benchmark are normal for the GPU in place. Graphics performance drops significantly on battery power since the GPU only runs at its base speed (300 MHz) here. The options aimed at managing temperature that are provided by Dell Power Manager have no effect on graphics performance. On the Geekbench 4.3 overall performance test, the Dell G5 15 SE nailed 29,253, which soared over the 21,322 mainstream gaming laptop average. It crushed the Intel Core i7-9750H in the Omen 15 (19,956) and Legion Y545 (23,868), but the Ryzen 9 4900HS in the Zephyrus G14 (30,181) killed the G5 15. I hit 72 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is just above my 70-wpm average. If you’ve played around with a Dell Gaming laptop, then you probably know exactly how these keyboards feel: the keys are tiny and shallow, offering an overall mediocre experience. That's not to say its all junk, though. The pre-installed Alienware Command Center software gives you the ability to customize the keyboard lighting, fine tune the system's performance for specific games, and look over various system statistics, which is genuinely useful.

The port count is another highlight. With three USB A ports, a USB-C with Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, LAN and an SD card reader, you really do have all your bases covered. It’s also worth noting that most of these ports plus the power connector are at the rear of the chassis, ensuring a minimum of cable clutter. Specs appeal The Dell G5 15 SE transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 6 minutes and 43 seconds on our HandBrake benchmark, sailing past the category average (10:35). It not only surpassed the Omen 15 (12:34) and Legion Y545 (8:51), but also topped the Zephyrus G14 (6:59). These flaws are forgivable, though, especially when you consider how cheap the Dell G5 is compared to rival machines that offer similar performance. I failed to find a AAA game that would bring this machine to its knees when played in Full HD with optimum graphics settings. At 301 nits of brightness, the Dell G5 15 SE’s screen surpassed the 290-nit category average. It just barely beat the 300 nits from the Legion Y545, but wasn’t bright enough to match the Zephyrus G14 and the Omen 15, which hit 323 nits and 320 nits, respectively. Conversely, the Dell G5 15 SE’s baseline 60Hz panel dropped to 231 nits of brightness, which is dimmer than the 268-nit budget gaming laptop average. Dell G5 15 SE (2020) keyboard and touchpadBut while the G5 feels “budget” in terms of design, I’ve no concerns about it becoming damaged or breaking. Slam your fist on the shell or hurl it onto the floor in a Call of Duty-inspired rage, and I’m betting the Dell G5 will come through unscathed. According to our colorimeter, the Dell G5 15 SE’s display nailed 108% of the sRGB color gamut, sliding past the 106% mainstream gaming laptop average. It also beat the HP Omen 15’s 102% and the Legion Y545’s 99%, but couldn’t quite keep up with the 117% from the Zephyrus G14. Meanwhile, Dell G5 15 SE’s baseline 60Hz panel covered 63% of the sRGB color gamut, which is duller than the budget gaming laptop average (72%). The G5 churned out even worse results for photography colour gamuts, proving that this isn’t a multi-talented machine – although I didn’t expect so given the G5’s (relatively) low price. All other products will be delivered via the fastest available method (excluding bank holidays and weekends) and generally within 3-5 days, depending on customer location.