It seems that Dell is trying to improve and upgrade its mid-range G gaming laptop line to become more attractive to users. Proof that the brand recently launched the G15 5511 model equipped with Intel’s Tiger Lake-H45 chip series, (and the 5515 with AMD’s Zen 3 series) that share many of the same features as the high-end Alienware line.
We will soon have a comparison of these two models 5511 and 5515, it is worth noting that most recently, Dell has released a BIOS update for the graphics card, thereby somewhat increasing the performance advantage for a version using an Intel chip. In addition, G15 will have three display options, all using Full HD IPS panels, the difference lies in the refresh rate: 120Hz, 165Hz, and 360Hz, only 165Hz and 360Hz options will be available. has 100% sRGB color coverage.
Specifications
Dell G5 5511 (configuration available at Biareview):
Intel Core i5-11400H / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 / 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM / 56Wh battery
Intel Core i7-11800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 / 512GB SSD / 16GB RAM / 86Wh battery
In the product box, you will find a 180W charging power supply, if you choose the RTX 3060 configuration, it will be a 240W power supply.
Design and finish
The G15 5511 from 2021 is still sitting in Dell’s mid-range (G-series) lineup , right there in the middle price band, so it’s kinda easy to see why the machine’s outside housing is still made of plastic. In terms of weight, the machine is a bit heavy (2.81kg) and has a thickness of about 25mm, in general, it is heavier and thicker than most competitors in the same segment.
The first advantage in terms of design is the sturdy but flexible hinge, which can open the lid with one hand. The back edge of the G15 5511 is stretched out a distance from the screen frame to support heat dissipation through the slots. The two sides of the screen are thin, the top border is also quite thin and there is an HD webcam.
The area above the keyboard is a multitude of small heat sinks arranged in a stylized manner. The full-size keyboard at first glance looks like a keyboard on office laptops, and to be honest the white LED backlight, Numpad key cluster, and small navigation keys made us feel like we were using Dell Vostro.
The typing experience on the 5511 is quite good, the touchpad is the same, its size is not large, and the sensitivity is quite good. The G15 5511 has a four-zone RGB backlit option.
Connector
On the left side of the device, there will be a LAN port and a headphone jack with a mic. On the right side, there will be two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports. There’s a kind of interesting point on the side, too, about the Dell G15 5511 , it should have two connection options. Like, the model with the RTX 3060 will come with a Thunderbolt 4 port , USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, an HDMI port and a power jack.
Meanwhile, with the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti options, people end up with USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, and there’s, no Thunderbolt 4 support anywhere in sight. Also, those two USB-A ports on the right side of the unit are capped at USB 2.0, so it isn t exactly “fast” not even slightly.
Disassembly and upgrade
You can easily see the 56Wh battery, in terms of RAM and hard drive storage, both can be upgraded, with two RAM SODIMM slots and two M.2 PCIe NVMe x4 SSD slots.
To see the cooling system of the machine, you will need to remove the entire motherboard, this operation is a bit complicated and needs to be careful.
The cooling system consists of two common heat pipes between the CPU and GPU, in addition to each fan has an additional heat pipe. There are also heatsinks on the graphics memory and VRM modules.
Battery life
Battery test in the G15 5511 with Windows’ Better Performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, shutting down all running programs except our test program. This model uses a 56Wh battery and it can give you 9 hours and 15 minutes of web browsing, plus about 6 hours and 24 minutes of video playback.
Temperature
For this test, we crank it to 100% on the CPU cores while we watch the clock speed and the chip temperature inside the machine, based on each workload timeline.
Given its price, the G15 5511 is quite competitive compared to other competitors. The temperature was high during the test, but near the end of the test, the temperature level can be considered quite good.
We appreciate the model 5511 with the RTX 3050 Ti that we are testing, it maintains a high clock rate but still has a fairly cool temperature, although the operating power is about 9W higher than the “brother” Its is G15 5515.
Experience while playing games
The performance level is really high, so you kind of have to trade off with that loud fan noise, but hey on the upside , the warmest spot on the keyboard, is only around 36 degrees Celsius.
Summary
If your main goal is a mid-priced gaming laptop with good gaming performance with even the RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti, the G15 5511 is a worthy choice. The efficient cooling system with the support of multiple heat vents keeps temperatures cool, even though the GPU consumes more than 10W of power and maintains a high clock rate. It is worth noting that even though there is a BIOS update for the graphics card, we have not reached the 95W TGP limit yet.
We rate the Intel version of the G15 better than the AMD version, you get better processing power, stronger gaming, and slightly longer battery life (when surfing the web, in general use).
Regarding the gaming experience, we recommend that you buy a separate keyboard, of course, a separate mouse. The ability to upgrade and expand this machine is very good with two Ram slots and two M.2 slots. The only downside is that the machine is made of plastic, the weight is a bit heavy and it is relatively difficult to clean and maintain the internal cooling system (we don’t understand why the company arranges it like that?! ).
We acknowledge and commend Dell’s efforts in this new gaming lineup but, frankly if youre looking to buy a device with an RTX 3060 inside, wed point you toward the Legion 5 /5i first.
Dell G15 5511 Gaming Laptop (2021) | 15.6″ FHD | Core i5 – 256GB SSD – 8GB RAM – RTX 3050 | 6 Cores @ 4.5 GHz – 11th Gen CPU Win 10 Home: Buy it now
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Dell G15 5511 Laptop, 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) Non-Touch, Intel Core 11th Gen i5-11400H, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, nVidia GeForce RTX 3050, Webcam, Windows 10: Buy it now
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.