Dell G7 15 Full Review: Gaming Tanker

Last October, Dell launched the G series and also brought in the very first Alienware laptop to come to the Philippines.  The G series—namely the G3, G5, and G7—looke pretty much the same physically but come with different specs and features to match each gamer’s needs. The G series all come with NVIDIA GPUs, with the G7 powered by an RTX. They also feature 9^th Gen Intel core CPUS, up to i7. I got to play around with the G7 15, which is touted as one of the thinnest gaming laptops in the industry: at 19.9 mm thin and weighing around 2.62kg. Ideal for those just starting out and want good specs at a decent price point (for a gaming laptop, that is).

Power and Processor

While the Dell G7 is ‘small’ as gaming laptops go, it is still quite a hefty device. It’s not quite something you’re bound to bring around with you when you’re going to be moving around. Plus, its charger is probably an additional kilo or so—but all understandable for a gaming laptop. It sports a 15.6 inch Full HD display with a refresh rate of 144Hz—delivering crystal clear graphics with no lag with its NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU. It’s the most amped out of the G-series. Its display also sports 303 nits of brightness.  

Before anything, I’m no gamer. I’ve only become a slight (okay, quite) a COD (Call of Duty) Mobile addict specifically because of the ROG Phone 2. But I’ve played enough  (…several hours of CS:GO (Counter Strike: Global Offensive)) to really appreciate the fluid display and seamless frame transitions on the G7.

All decked out with 9^th Gen Intel processors and coupled with 16GB of RAM and 2x8GB DDR4 clocked to 2,666 MHz, it offers smooth processing even for RAM-heavy games and processes. It can handle 30+ tabs on chrome while multi-tasking as well as graphics and video processing work without breaking a sweat.  

However, you might want to use an external cooling device with it, as I’ve noticed that it heats up quite a bit especially within around thirty minutes of heavy use. The upper left side (including the keyboard area) was almost burning to touch even as its internal fan whirs steadily on.

Keyboard and Ports

The G7 features a fingerprint scanner that doubles as the power button. It misses a bit, but generally works fine. Thanks to its 15-inch frame, the G7 is able to accommodate a full number pad on its keyboard. The keys have a nice click and are comfortable to type on and the RGB backlighting can be customized on the Alienware Command Center application. Its trackpad is situated a little to the left.

The G7 keeps the chassis slim but does not skimp on the ports. There’s a USB-C port that can accommodate Thunderbolt 3, a USB 3.1 port, and a headset jack on the left side and a SB 3.1 port and a 2-in-1 SD card reader on the right side.  At the back is where Dell put most of its ports, like another USB 3.1 port, an HDMI port, a mini DisplayPort, and an Ethernet jack.

Sound and Battery

So just to make things fun while testing out the G7, I maxed out the sound while playing and the gunshot sound from my game had my mom running in the room and asking what was wrong. Yes, it is that loud. But while it is loud, it was not quite balanced. You can customize your sound through the Alienware Command Center and adjust the bass, change the sound direction, and others.  

As I said earlier, the G7 isn’t something you’d likely be carting around. Unplugged, its battery doesn’t last that long—just around 2.5 hours and so before you’d have to scramble for a socket, shorter, if you turn have everything on and running heavy applications.  Unless you’re willing to bring along the heavy charger with you everywhere, best to keep it close to an outlet.

Our Opinion:

At its price point, it beats out the competition with its specs and overall performance. With a 9^th gen Intel core and RTX 2060 graphics, it delivers solid gaming performance without burning a hole in your pocket. It is also lighter and sleeker than most gaming laptops so if you plan to travel a lot with one, then this is a good choice.

Full Specs:

Model	G7 15 7590
Processor	9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H (12MB Cache, up to 4.5 GHz, 6 cores)
Operating System	Windows 10 Home (64bit), Single Language (English)
Memory	16GB RAM, 2x8GB, DDR4, 2666MHz
Hard Drive	256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive (Boot) + 1TB 5400 rpm, 2.5″ SATA Hard Drive (Storage)
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6
Audio and Speakers	2 tuned speakers with nahimic 3D Audio for Gamers; 1 combo headphone / microphone jack
Display	15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS 144Hz Display
Others	English 4-Zone RGB Backlit Keyboard, Palmrest with Fingerprint Reader
Color Options	Grey
Carry Case	Dell Professional Backpack 15
Warranty	1 Yr Premium Support w/ Accidental Damage: Onsite Service
Battery	60 WHr, 4-Cell Battery (integrated)