October 16, 2018 at 11:05Dell G3 15 (3579): a gaming laptop for a minimal budget
What do you imagine when you hear the combination of the words “gaming laptop”? Almost certainly a laptop with some incredible design, either in the spirit of a spaceship, or a racing car. Indeed, many game lovers like this particular style, but nobody canceled the craving for a classic look. Meet: this is the G3 15, the most affordable mobile gaming computer in our line of laptops. And he does not look like a starship at all - this is one of his "tricks". Under the cut, we talk about it as detailed as possible. Welcome!
This year, we have changed the approach to Dell-branded gaming laptops. Alienware is a separate story, we are not talking about them now. So, if before there were just a few different gaming Inspiron, now we have three series of laptops. Firstly, the G3, produced not only in the 15-, but in the 17-inch versions, and focused, on the one hand, on the use of the latest components and, on the other hand, on budget gaming. Secondly, the G5 is a kind of balance between price and performance. And finally, the G7 with increased power through the use of Intel i9-8950HK processors. The latter, however, have not yet been sold in Russia, but we hope to fix it.
A short educational program for a general understanding of the situation is finished, now let's move on to the point. The hero of today's review is the Dell G3 15, the most starting model from all this variety.
The design of the car is especially interesting, because the laptop seems to be gaming, but its appearance does not scream about it at all, contrary to the established tradition. On the market, after all, as usual: if the car is for gamers, then this should be visible at a glance. Not everyone likes this approach, and we tried to find a balance: to make a gadget with an interesting, but not aggressive appearance. The first reviews pleased: it seems that the idea was a success.
On the case of the gadget there is not a single fanciful element and, at the same time, neat little things add a twist to the calm design. First of all, these are the chosen colors: in addition to the classic black, we have two other options that are quite rare in the world of laptops - with blue and white cases. The frame around the display is black in all cases - nothing will distract from work.
You can also pay attention to the Dell logo - in all three color solutions it is blue and looks great on any of the backgrounds. Around the touchpad there is the same blue border.
The working surface of the computer on which the keyboard is located is emphasized by a nice square texture a la carbon. It is clear that this is actually plastic, but it looks impressive. And - this is important - there are no glossy elements on the cases. On black and blue G3, fingerprints are extremely subtle, on a white laptop they are not visible at all - neither outside nor inside.
We know that browsers love to test the covers and work surfaces of laptops “for deflection”. If you do this with the lid and the working surface of the G3 15, then they really bend a little. But just a little. And in the process you can think about how often you will do this in real life. With a cover, most likely, never at all, and if you just put your hands on the keyboard while typing, and not press hard, nothing will bend at all - the backing is quite thick.
Metal hinges hold the G3 15 cover perfectly in absolutely all working positions. At the same time, it opens easily, although in the process you need to hold the bottom of the computer a bit.
As for the weight, this is clearly not the kind of car that you want to carry with you every day: 2.53 kilograms is a lifting burden, but there’s not much to be said about comfort. In addition, you need to consider the weight of the power supply, which a mobile gaming computer cannot be compact by definition: a 180-watt adapter weighs another 600 grams. All this is not a surprise, but quite standard things by the standards of a gaming laptop class.
In general, it is worthwhile to focus more on transportation between rooms inside the same room, rather than offices or different apartments. But on the smooth surfaces, the computer stands evenly and firmly - two wide rubber feet on the bottom panel additionally contribute to this.
The large case has its advantages - there is no need to save space for connectors at its ends. What does a mobile gaming enthusiast need first of all? Stable connection and a lot of USB for all kinds of peripherals.
On the left side of the Dell G3 15 are two full-sized USB versions 3.1, an RJ-45 connector for connecting an Ethernet cable, HDMI 2.0 for an external monitor, as well as a combined audio jack and a jack for the power adapter plug.
On the right side of the computer is another full-sized USB, but this time it is version 2.0, just for connecting wired mice. Next to it is a place to install a Noble security lock and an SD card reader.
Please note that on the left and right, all interfaces are shifted to the rear of the case. Even if you connect something to each of them, during operation all these wires, plugs and “flash drives” will practically not bother you.
It seems that the Dell G3 15 is not specifically designed for printing texts, but here is a keyboard that is absolutely fine by the standards of the class, which is very comfortable with this. There is a separate digital unit with the buttons Page Up, Page Down, Home and End, the keys on the main unit are full-sized, and the distance between them is such that you can hardly worry about accidental clicks. Perhaps the only thing you can at least find fault with is the narrow Enter, combined with the key responsible for setting the slash.
The button stroke is deep and smooth, the resistance level is below average, printing noise practically does not occur. It is very comfortable to type texts, including at night - the keyboard has a two-level backlight. By the way, on gaming laptops it is often aggressively red, and in G3 15 it has a soothing blue color.
The touchpad on the computer is large enough, and is not exactly in the center - the developers shifted it to the left side of the case. The surface is a little rough to the touch, it’s nice to touch and move it with your finger, with the positioning also complete order. If you have to get used to something, then only to a short stroke when you click on the bottom of the panel.
The diagonal of the display at the Dell G3 15, as you might guess from the name, is 15.6 inches. And it is based on a very good IPS-matrix by the standards of the class with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. It is clear that there is no question of any G-Sync or increased hertz - the model is budgetary, but the image quality is good.
The surface of the screen is matte, viewing angles are wide, with deviations of the display both horizontally and vertically, the image does not lose color and contrast. The upper limit of brightness is average - in the region of 220 cd / m2. Not enough for working on the street, enough for a room. If you do not have time to get used to the cool matrices of “top-end” ultrabooks for 80-90 or more thousand rubles ( like XPS 13 , for example), then the G3 display may seem dull. If not, then such a problem is unlikely to arise.
If we talk about color accuracy, then, of course, the sRGB range of the Dell G3 15 is modest - only about 60%. But for working with graphics, the gadget was not created, but in games, office applications and watching videos, this parameter is far from paramount.
Dell G3 15 is available in several different versions. As a processor, they are either a quad-core Intel Core i5-8300H, or a six-core i7-8750H. There are three video cards to choose from: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 (4 GB), GTX 1050Ti or GTX 1060 in the Max-Q form factor, however, G3 15 configurations with only the first two are available in Russia. If you specifically need the GTX1060, then you need to look towards the G3 17 or G5 15 .
The hero of today's review was the G3 15 in one of the older configurations. Inside the computer is an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, whose six cores in the basic mode operate at a frequency of 2.2 GHz and can accelerate to 4.1 GHz in Turbo mode. Instead of the UHD Graphics 630 integrated into the chip, the main graphics adapter is the GeForce GTX 1050Ti with 4 GB of memory. There is also 8 GB of RAM and a bunch of HDDs with 1 TB of memory and a 128 GB SSD.
Intel Core i7-8750H is a very cool mobile processor: there are six cores and the ability to simultaneously execute twelve threads. Compared with the previous solution of the same class (i7-7700HQ), the power of multi-core computing in benchmarks increased by 1.4-1.5 times, and single-core performance despite a slight decrease in the base frequency remained almost at the same level.
If in your free time you do something else where the CPU mainly affects the result, then all this will be very helpful. And if you do not need this, then you can safely look towards configurations with the i5-8300H, in which there are 4 cores and 8 threads. In terms of performance, it is equivalent to the i7-7700HQ already mentioned above and is also almost 1.5 times faster than the previous i5-7300HQ, in which there were only 4 threads.
The overall performance of Windows 10 with such hardware is at the expected high level. There is nothing to complain about at all: to work absolutely comfortably - with the role of the main home PC G3 15 it can easily cope. Here, however, there is a nuance: in the first place there is such a factor as the presence or absence of SSD. In our case, it is and we strongly recommend that you choose configurations with a solid state drive if possible. Well, or independently buy and install them after purchase. If during the upgrade process no mechanical damage has occurred, then this does not affect the warranty.
Below are the measurement data for CrystalDiskMark. On the left is the HDD, on the right is the SSD. The result, as they say, is obvious. Demanding users will probably note that a solid state drive could be faster, and in general 128 GB is not enough by today's standards. And exactly at this moment you need to remember that the Dell G3 is a budget gaming laptop, and the retail cost of an SSD, even at 250-256 GB, is about 10% of the price of its basic configuration.
All three mobile graphics chips used in the Dell G3 15 are already well studied, and it is precisely the GTX 1050Ti, which is installed in today's test laptop, that it is most logical to choose for mobile gaming with a limited budget. Of course, configurations with a regular GTX 1050 are cheaper, but the price difference is not dramatic, but in performance it is very noticeable. At settings above the average junior version of the adapter, basically only the launch of popular multi-user projects is possible, and for modern "top" AAA games, the ceiling of opportunities will most often be low graphics settings and only occasionally medium ones. At the same time, 1050Ti on average settings feels absolutely confident and sometimes even allows you to switch to higher values.
We tested a bunch of Intel Core i7-8750U, GTX 1050Ti and 8 GB RAM in five games, and this is what came of it. Fresh Assassin's Creed Odyssey works fine on medium settings, and older demanding games often show normal fps even at high. All this, of course, in Full HD.
Next, go to the temperature. During game loads, heating is felt in the upper part of the working panel, mainly in its right part. The user's fingers almost never get there. And even if they get there, then 50-52 degrees, to which this place can be heated up, are unlikely to make you worry about something. In stress tests, with a strong desire, you can get a higher temperature, but why, if in real scenarios of using a laptop such a load will never happen? The main thing is to make sure that the ventilation openings on the bottom of the computer do not block anything, otherwise overheating and throttling, as a result of it, can really happen. Simply put, if you are playing, then you should put the laptop on a flat and hard surface, without padding anything from below. But this is true for all mobile gaming PCs.
And finally, a few words about the noise. Yes, the Dell G3 15 is not a champion in this respect. During games, the laptop is quite loud - the sound of fans can reach a value of 45 dB or even slightly higher, this nuance should be taken into account when choosing. During normal interaction with the system, coolers also work, but they are barely audible.
Unlike ultrabooks, where you often cannot even change anything inside, disassembling the Dell G3 15 is much more interesting. Access to the “filling” is extremely simple: you need to unscrew a dozen screws with a Phillips screwdriver and remove the bottom cover.
Inside, beauty is a fairly massive cooling system with two pairs of tubes and fans and two slots for installing DDR4 RAM.
In our test sample (and most other configurations) only one RAM bay is occupied, so that after buying a laptop you can get hold of another 8 GB SO-DIMM bar (frequency 2666 MHz) and thereby increase the total amount of RAM to 16 GB
There are also two places for drives. In the first compartment, in our case, a 2.5-inch HDD with a terabyte of memory is installed. It can be replaced with a more capacious one or put an SSD in a similar form factor, which is certainly more interesting, although more expensive.
The second drive is a 128 GB SSD in the M2.2280 form factor.
Typically, mobile gaming computers cannot boast of good autonomy, but the Dell G3 15 to some extent refutes this rule. If you disconnect the power from the outlet and run Full HD video at maximum brightness, then a full charge of the built-in battery with a capacity of 56 Wh is enough for more than four hours. In office mode, you can achieve more impressive results. Of course, all this is mainly true for portable models, not gamers, but the bonus is pleasant.
Well, of course, you need to load the car with games only in those moments when it is connected to the mains. And the point here is not only in increased appetites in such scenarios, but also in the fact that the “filling” will work on battery approximately 60% of its maximum power, which is quite easy to track in the same benchmarks.
The cost of basic configurations Dell G3 15 starts at about 58,000 rubles. For this money, you can take a laptop with a model index of 7169: it has an Intel Core i5-8300H processor, a GTX1050 graphics card, 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD drive. The configuration considered in the review with the i7-8750H, GTX1050Ti and the combination of HDD + SSD for 1000 + 128 GB will cost about 70,000 rubles.
We will not say big words about approaching the optimal balance, but it seems to us that the price-performance ratio for this money in G3 15 turned out to be very worthy. User reviews confirm this. If you need to purchase the most budgetary mobile gaming computer, then it will be difficult to pass by - today it is one of the most interesting options.
Well, you can buy a gadget from our official distributors, which are very numerous throughout Russia. A complete list is always available on a special page of the site in the “Retail Partners” tab.
Appearance and Ergonomics
This year, we have changed the approach to Dell-branded gaming laptops. Alienware is a separate story, we are not talking about them now. So, if before there were just a few different gaming Inspiron, now we have three series of laptops. Firstly, the G3, produced not only in the 15-, but in the 17-inch versions, and focused, on the one hand, on the use of the latest components and, on the other hand, on budget gaming. Secondly, the G5 is a kind of balance between price and performance. And finally, the G7 with increased power through the use of Intel i9-8950HK processors. The latter, however, have not yet been sold in Russia, but we hope to fix it.
A short educational program for a general understanding of the situation is finished, now let's move on to the point. The hero of today's review is the Dell G3 15, the most starting model from all this variety.
The design of the car is especially interesting, because the laptop seems to be gaming, but its appearance does not scream about it at all, contrary to the established tradition. On the market, after all, as usual: if the car is for gamers, then this should be visible at a glance. Not everyone likes this approach, and we tried to find a balance: to make a gadget with an interesting, but not aggressive appearance. The first reviews pleased: it seems that the idea was a success.
On the case of the gadget there is not a single fanciful element and, at the same time, neat little things add a twist to the calm design. First of all, these are the chosen colors: in addition to the classic black, we have two other options that are quite rare in the world of laptops - with blue and white cases. The frame around the display is black in all cases - nothing will distract from work.
You can also pay attention to the Dell logo - in all three color solutions it is blue and looks great on any of the backgrounds. Around the touchpad there is the same blue border.
The working surface of the computer on which the keyboard is located is emphasized by a nice square texture a la carbon. It is clear that this is actually plastic, but it looks impressive. And - this is important - there are no glossy elements on the cases. On black and blue G3, fingerprints are extremely subtle, on a white laptop they are not visible at all - neither outside nor inside.
We know that browsers love to test the covers and work surfaces of laptops “for deflection”. If you do this with the lid and the working surface of the G3 15, then they really bend a little. But just a little. And in the process you can think about how often you will do this in real life. With a cover, most likely, never at all, and if you just put your hands on the keyboard while typing, and not press hard, nothing will bend at all - the backing is quite thick.
Metal hinges hold the G3 15 cover perfectly in absolutely all working positions. At the same time, it opens easily, although in the process you need to hold the bottom of the computer a bit.
As for the weight, this is clearly not the kind of car that you want to carry with you every day: 2.53 kilograms is a lifting burden, but there’s not much to be said about comfort. In addition, you need to consider the weight of the power supply, which a mobile gaming computer cannot be compact by definition: a 180-watt adapter weighs another 600 grams. All this is not a surprise, but quite standard things by the standards of a gaming laptop class.
In general, it is worthwhile to focus more on transportation between rooms inside the same room, rather than offices or different apartments. But on the smooth surfaces, the computer stands evenly and firmly - two wide rubber feet on the bottom panel additionally contribute to this.
Interfaces
The large case has its advantages - there is no need to save space for connectors at its ends. What does a mobile gaming enthusiast need first of all? Stable connection and a lot of USB for all kinds of peripherals.
On the left side of the Dell G3 15 are two full-sized USB versions 3.1, an RJ-45 connector for connecting an Ethernet cable, HDMI 2.0 for an external monitor, as well as a combined audio jack and a jack for the power adapter plug.
On the right side of the computer is another full-sized USB, but this time it is version 2.0, just for connecting wired mice. Next to it is a place to install a Noble security lock and an SD card reader.
Please note that on the left and right, all interfaces are shifted to the rear of the case. Even if you connect something to each of them, during operation all these wires, plugs and “flash drives” will practically not bother you.
Input Devices
It seems that the Dell G3 15 is not specifically designed for printing texts, but here is a keyboard that is absolutely fine by the standards of the class, which is very comfortable with this. There is a separate digital unit with the buttons Page Up, Page Down, Home and End, the keys on the main unit are full-sized, and the distance between them is such that you can hardly worry about accidental clicks. Perhaps the only thing you can at least find fault with is the narrow Enter, combined with the key responsible for setting the slash.
The button stroke is deep and smooth, the resistance level is below average, printing noise practically does not occur. It is very comfortable to type texts, including at night - the keyboard has a two-level backlight. By the way, on gaming laptops it is often aggressively red, and in G3 15 it has a soothing blue color.
The touchpad on the computer is large enough, and is not exactly in the center - the developers shifted it to the left side of the case. The surface is a little rough to the touch, it’s nice to touch and move it with your finger, with the positioning also complete order. If you have to get used to something, then only to a short stroke when you click on the bottom of the panel.
Display
The diagonal of the display at the Dell G3 15, as you might guess from the name, is 15.6 inches. And it is based on a very good IPS-matrix by the standards of the class with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. It is clear that there is no question of any G-Sync or increased hertz - the model is budgetary, but the image quality is good.
The surface of the screen is matte, viewing angles are wide, with deviations of the display both horizontally and vertically, the image does not lose color and contrast. The upper limit of brightness is average - in the region of 220 cd / m2. Not enough for working on the street, enough for a room. If you do not have time to get used to the cool matrices of “top-end” ultrabooks for 80-90 or more thousand rubles ( like XPS 13 , for example), then the G3 display may seem dull. If not, then such a problem is unlikely to arise.
If we talk about color accuracy, then, of course, the sRGB range of the Dell G3 15 is modest - only about 60%. But for working with graphics, the gadget was not created, but in games, office applications and watching videos, this parameter is far from paramount.
Configuration and Performance
Dell G3 15 is available in several different versions. As a processor, they are either a quad-core Intel Core i5-8300H, or a six-core i7-8750H. There are three video cards to choose from: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 (4 GB), GTX 1050Ti or GTX 1060 in the Max-Q form factor, however, G3 15 configurations with only the first two are available in Russia. If you specifically need the GTX1060, then you need to look towards the G3 17 or G5 15 .
The hero of today's review was the G3 15 in one of the older configurations. Inside the computer is an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, whose six cores in the basic mode operate at a frequency of 2.2 GHz and can accelerate to 4.1 GHz in Turbo mode. Instead of the UHD Graphics 630 integrated into the chip, the main graphics adapter is the GeForce GTX 1050Ti with 4 GB of memory. There is also 8 GB of RAM and a bunch of HDDs with 1 TB of memory and a 128 GB SSD.
Intel Core i7-8750H is a very cool mobile processor: there are six cores and the ability to simultaneously execute twelve threads. Compared with the previous solution of the same class (i7-7700HQ), the power of multi-core computing in benchmarks increased by 1.4-1.5 times, and single-core performance despite a slight decrease in the base frequency remained almost at the same level.
If in your free time you do something else where the CPU mainly affects the result, then all this will be very helpful. And if you do not need this, then you can safely look towards configurations with the i5-8300H, in which there are 4 cores and 8 threads. In terms of performance, it is equivalent to the i7-7700HQ already mentioned above and is also almost 1.5 times faster than the previous i5-7300HQ, in which there were only 4 threads.
The overall performance of Windows 10 with such hardware is at the expected high level. There is nothing to complain about at all: to work absolutely comfortably - with the role of the main home PC G3 15 it can easily cope. Here, however, there is a nuance: in the first place there is such a factor as the presence or absence of SSD. In our case, it is and we strongly recommend that you choose configurations with a solid state drive if possible. Well, or independently buy and install them after purchase. If during the upgrade process no mechanical damage has occurred, then this does not affect the warranty.
Below are the measurement data for CrystalDiskMark. On the left is the HDD, on the right is the SSD. The result, as they say, is obvious. Demanding users will probably note that a solid state drive could be faster, and in general 128 GB is not enough by today's standards. And exactly at this moment you need to remember that the Dell G3 is a budget gaming laptop, and the retail cost of an SSD, even at 250-256 GB, is about 10% of the price of its basic configuration.
All three mobile graphics chips used in the Dell G3 15 are already well studied, and it is precisely the GTX 1050Ti, which is installed in today's test laptop, that it is most logical to choose for mobile gaming with a limited budget. Of course, configurations with a regular GTX 1050 are cheaper, but the price difference is not dramatic, but in performance it is very noticeable. At settings above the average junior version of the adapter, basically only the launch of popular multi-user projects is possible, and for modern "top" AAA games, the ceiling of opportunities will most often be low graphics settings and only occasionally medium ones. At the same time, 1050Ti on average settings feels absolutely confident and sometimes even allows you to switch to higher values.
We tested a bunch of Intel Core i7-8750U, GTX 1050Ti and 8 GB RAM in five games, and this is what came of it. Fresh Assassin's Creed Odyssey works fine on medium settings, and older demanding games often show normal fps even at high. All this, of course, in Full HD.
Next, go to the temperature. During game loads, heating is felt in the upper part of the working panel, mainly in its right part. The user's fingers almost never get there. And even if they get there, then 50-52 degrees, to which this place can be heated up, are unlikely to make you worry about something. In stress tests, with a strong desire, you can get a higher temperature, but why, if in real scenarios of using a laptop such a load will never happen? The main thing is to make sure that the ventilation openings on the bottom of the computer do not block anything, otherwise overheating and throttling, as a result of it, can really happen. Simply put, if you are playing, then you should put the laptop on a flat and hard surface, without padding anything from below. But this is true for all mobile gaming PCs.
And finally, a few words about the noise. Yes, the Dell G3 15 is not a champion in this respect. During games, the laptop is quite loud - the sound of fans can reach a value of 45 dB or even slightly higher, this nuance should be taken into account when choosing. During normal interaction with the system, coolers also work, but they are barely audible.
Upgrade Opportunities
Unlike ultrabooks, where you often cannot even change anything inside, disassembling the Dell G3 15 is much more interesting. Access to the “filling” is extremely simple: you need to unscrew a dozen screws with a Phillips screwdriver and remove the bottom cover.
Inside, beauty is a fairly massive cooling system with two pairs of tubes and fans and two slots for installing DDR4 RAM.
In our test sample (and most other configurations) only one RAM bay is occupied, so that after buying a laptop you can get hold of another 8 GB SO-DIMM bar (frequency 2666 MHz) and thereby increase the total amount of RAM to 16 GB
There are also two places for drives. In the first compartment, in our case, a 2.5-inch HDD with a terabyte of memory is installed. It can be replaced with a more capacious one or put an SSD in a similar form factor, which is certainly more interesting, although more expensive.
The second drive is a 128 GB SSD in the M2.2280 form factor.
Working hours
Typically, mobile gaming computers cannot boast of good autonomy, but the Dell G3 15 to some extent refutes this rule. If you disconnect the power from the outlet and run Full HD video at maximum brightness, then a full charge of the built-in battery with a capacity of 56 Wh is enough for more than four hours. In office mode, you can achieve more impressive results. Of course, all this is mainly true for portable models, not gamers, but the bonus is pleasant.
Well, of course, you need to load the car with games only in those moments when it is connected to the mains. And the point here is not only in increased appetites in such scenarios, but also in the fact that the “filling” will work on battery approximately 60% of its maximum power, which is quite easy to track in the same benchmarks.
How much is and where to buy?
The cost of basic configurations Dell G3 15 starts at about 58,000 rubles. For this money, you can take a laptop with a model index of 7169: it has an Intel Core i5-8300H processor, a GTX1050 graphics card, 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD drive. The configuration considered in the review with the i7-8750H, GTX1050Ti and the combination of HDD + SSD for 1000 + 128 GB will cost about 70,000 rubles.
We will not say big words about approaching the optimal balance, but it seems to us that the price-performance ratio for this money in G3 15 turned out to be very worthy. User reviews confirm this. If you need to purchase the most budgetary mobile gaming computer, then it will be difficult to pass by - today it is one of the most interesting options.
Well, you can buy a gadget from our official distributors, which are very numerous throughout Russia. A complete list is always available on a special page of the site in the “Retail Partners” tab.