Dell G5 5500 Review: Competition Is Tough
The Dell G5 5500 is a gaming laptop that performs well, but you’re better off getting something else if the price is not right.
This laptop doesn’t have anything new; it runs on last-generation hardware, with an Intel Core i7-10750H as its processor along with 8GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti, and a 512NVMe SSD hard drive. This is pretty much the base configuration the G5 5500 has in Singapore, which would cost approximately S$1700.
However, if you’re planning on purchasing one in the US and you’re okay to settle for an Intel Core i5 and half the amount of SSD storage instead, then you can get it at a much lower price of around US$800. The downside of only having the base configuration is that it only comes with 8GB of RAM which is quite little in this day and age. Thankfully, the RAM is dual-channel, which means you can upgrade it yourself if you so wish.
As mentioned earlier in the article, the G5 5500 is a well-performing laptop and it shows. eSports games like CSGO and Apex Legends can run at more than 60fps at 1080p in high settings, while more recent games like Devil May Cry 5 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider displays an average fps of 85 and 57 respectively in the same graphics settings.
Temperature-wise, the GPU barely reaches 80-degrees celsius at any point in time. The CPU’s temperature, on the other hand, hovered at around 90-degrees celsius. All of this was tested using the High-Performance Mode available on the G5 5500, which can be easily toggled using the F7 key.
The G5 5500 performs similarly to laptops of the same configuration. The Core i7-10750H is still a great chip, the GTX 1650Ti is powerful enough for most people, and the 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display will provide you with a decent visual experience for your gaming pleasure. Unfortunately, the G5 5500’s good points end there.
The design isn’t awe-inspiring in our opinion. It has a rather chunky profile along with a really thick bezel for its display. We also don’t find the Interstellar-esque finish on the lid appealing either. Had this laptop came out in 2015 or so, it would’ve been fine. But by 2020 and 2021 standards, the design really isn’t great.
We would rather not have the Numpad, but as far as typing experience goes, it’s still not bad. What we definitely not like, however, was the trackpad’s placement. You will find your palm resting on half of the trackpad due to it being placed too much to the left. You will have to turn the trackpad off in order to play games without any accidental movements caused by your hand resting on the trackpad.
You get an SD card reader with the G5 5500 and four USB ports, but two of these ports are for the standard USB 2.0, which doesn’t make sense at all.
You’re probably asking right now if the G5 5500 is worth buying at full price right now. We’re here to tell you that it’s not. For the same price at S$1700, you can get Asus’ TUF Gaming A15 which has almost the same specifications but with a 144Hz display and twice the amount of SSD storage.
You can also opt to get the MSI GL65 Leopard, which has the same specifications, but with, yet again, a 144Hz display and a much more powerful port selection. These two laptops also look modern by today’s standards compared to the G5 5500. There are many more options out there from Acer to your OEM customs.
Only consider this laptop if you’re able to get a good price for it – about S$1300 or US$900 will do. Any more than that and you have much better options elsewhere. The G5 5500 is an okay laptop; it’s not great, and not bad, just okay.
Content by Soon Kai Hong