Dell G5 15 5500 Gaming Laptop : A Closer Look!
Contents
Dell G5 15 5500 : A Closer Look!
Available Ports
One advantage of not going thin and light is the additional ports. On the left side, you will find these ports (from left to right) :
- its barrel power port,
- a Mini DisplayPort 1.4b port,
- a HDMI 2.0 port,
- a USB 3.2 Gen 1 PowerShare port,
- an RJ45 LAN port, and
- a Thunderbolt 3 (USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C) port.
On the right side, you will find the following (from left to right) :
- an SD card reader, which supports SD, SDHX and SDXC cards,
- a 3.5 mm earphone + microphone jack,
- two USB 2.0 Type A ports, and
- a wedge-shaped security lock slot
Keyboard + Touchpad
Thanks to its larger form factor, Dell could fit a full keyboard with a numeric keypad, and a horizontal key pitch of 18.7 mm.
The keyboard is backlit in blue by default, with WASD key highlights. But it can be programmed to support any RGB combination, in up to 4 zones.
It has a pretty small touchpad – just 105 x 65 mm, and it’s offset to the left, which makes it a little awkward to use, unless you are left-handed.
But this isn’t a big problem. This is a gaming laptop, and you will definitely be using a mouse.
RGB Lighting
Complementing the RGB keyboard lighting is an RGB LED light strip along the front edge. This is arguably the Dell team’s only concession towards pointless gaming bling.
Some gamers will argue that it will give a more immersive gaming feel. Whatever rocks your boat, my friend.
Fingerprint Sensor
Dell offers an optional fingerprint sensor integrated directly into the power button, right above the keyboard. There is no IR camera option for face recognition.
We highly recommend adding this feature, as it allows for convenient logging in and greater security especially in public – there’s no need to type in your password.
Webcam + Microphones
The Dell G5 15 5500 comes with a basic webcam, capable of recording 720p video. As well as two microphones – one on each side of the webcam.
This is hardly the ideal setup for video streaming, but it is perfectly adequate for gamers who just need to use it for video chats.
Note that it doesn’t come with a privacy cover, only a status light to let you know when the webcam is activated.
Speakers
The Dell G5 15 5500 comes with two side-firing speakers with a 2 watt output.
Powered by the Realtek ALC3254 with an integrated amplifier, they are loud and offer pretty decent sound quality.
Killer Connectivity
Our premium model comes with a Killer E2500 Gigabit LAN connectivity. Otherwise, you will receive Realtek Gigabit LAN, which isn’t bad at all.
Wireless connectivity is provided through Killer 1650i, which offers Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
The basic models though come with Qualcomm DW 1820, which offers Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) connectivity on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, as well as Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.
Dell G5 15 5500 : Surface Temperatures
An important criteria that many potential buyers forget to check for in a gaming laptop is “how hot does it get?”
What’s the use of buying a powerful gaming laptop if it literally burns your hands while you game?
Take a look at the surface temperatures of the Dell G5 15 5500, with an ambient temperature of 29.8°C.
As you can see, the G5 15 5500 can get pretty toasty, with the temperature of the keyboard reaching a peak of just under 52°C.
On the underside, it peached a peak of 54.3°C in the middle. It is definitely not advisable to game with it on your lap!
We highly recommend you pair the Dell G5 15 5500 with a good laptop cooler, or play in an air-conditioned room. That will greatly reduce its contact temperature, and allow for hours of comfortable gaming.
Next Page > Dell G5 15 5500 : Performance, Verdict + Award
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