Dell G3

amazon Dell G3 reviews

Although it has been shaped about “gaming” to get out of the Inspirion’s too big shadow, what Dell Gaming G has left behind over the past few years is almost nothing but skepticism. Lack of innovation, relying heavily on brands, I am not surprised that many people think of Dell G-series in the mid-range – high-end segment, where the product range belongs.

With Dell G3, although not as stuck as the two seniors G5 and G7, the 2020 version also shows worrying signs. Even if you want to focus on the good sides of the device, things will still not be easy when the bad sides are still right in front of you.

Design: Not bad, but not up to date

Unlike the two seniors G5 and G7, the design of G3 is somewhat bolder and avoids the trend of “Alienwareization.” The “reckless” here can be seen in the fact that the G3 2020 has a lot of oblique lines, quite similar to the HP Pavilion ones, making the machine sharper and easier to remember in the user’s eyes. These oblique lines have been included in the G3 since the 2019 version and are important factors that help machines regain users’ sympathy.

The boldness is also reflected in the two heat vents, with the familiar aggressive look on the G series products. Combined with the oblique lines above, they help the G3 have its substance and are “eye-catching” more than the two models G5 and G7, which are quite similar and have few highlights.

Besides the bunker, the G3 also leaves a good impression thanks to the certainty in the surface areas. For example, surface A, made with a grained coating, is virtually unaffected by light to moderate forces. If an unfortunate impact happens, this can be a good layer of protection for our device.

However, the G3 hinge is only temporary. The screen of the G3 also proved to be quite heavy like the G5 and G7, and with the middle hinge opening quite a lot, the machine will follow the momentum to close down a bit quickly when the device is folded near the end. The remaining opening and closing feelings are also quite compact except for that point.

I’m not too fond of “reusing” product looks, but at least the G3’s case is still good enough for the machine this year before Dell can improve it in the future. However, our machine will generally still be quite thick (22mm) and heavy (2.34kg, excluding charging). Unless readers are in good health and have convenient transportation, it won’t be easy to find the motivation to put the G3 2020 in a bag and carry it around every day.

Screen – amazing 120Hz from the basic

Regarding the screen, G3 2020 also knows how to please gamers more when “widely” so that the scanning frequency is high right in the default version. With low-cost machines also having 120Hz, Dell has finally done what it has to do to make its products competitive enough. With the high-end versions (RTX 2060), the machine’s screen will also be available with a refresh rate of 144Hz, completely enough to meet the needs of today’s visual experience of gamers.

The G3 doesn’t give too much difference compared to last year in terms of quality. From color coverage, brightness, contrast, or DeltaE deviation. All are average; it will be enough to see when working or playing. In addition, with low brightness, it will not be easy for us to use the device in strong light conditions if needed.

What I still don’t like about the G3 is the thick border. At least with the G5, the side bezels have been trimmed thinner since last year to improve users’ viewing experience.

Keyboard and touchpad – It’s been a long time since Dell has changed

With the G3, the keyboard and touchpad of the machine remain the same from last year (or furthermore, from the Inspirion period many years ago). Therefore, the feeling of manipulation is not too much to say. With the keyboard of the G3, it is still the same: The keyframe is fine, but the layout is quite small, and the pressing feeling is not too deep. The rare advantage of this key will be the LED light, which can be useful for readers or gamers to play games or work at night.

The touchpad feels average, similar to some Latitude models of the same price range. The size is a bit small, so the manipulation is also limited. Its rare advantage will probably only lie in the solid build. In general, with this pair of mouse buttons, the G3 still seems to have not been able to achieve what people expect at the price range of the machine.

Performance – a bit overwhelming for the cooling system

With the Dell G3 2020, the version I’m experiencing is owning an Intel Core i7-10750H CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of NVMe SSD, and a GTX 1660Ti graphics card – a configuration that is still very powerful at present. When put into an unchanged system like on the G3 2020, this has become a fatal weakness in this product.

With a cooling system that has remained the same since last year, even “re-usable” even on the G5 option, the temperature problem is still the story that bothers me on the G3 2020. Even with the G3, heat dissipation is still a problem. The machine’s heat will have a VRM cluster that cannot cover all the capacitors, leading to instability when operating heavily for a long time. It is not easy to find when the machine can cool down during daily use. It seems that with this product in particular and the G series in general, Dell always sets them up in a ready state to run heavy at any time.

So even when working lightly, the CPU is often at the threshold of 70 degrees, and the machine also radiates heat felt from the keyboard area. When switching to heavy tasks, the spike in heat is immediately evident. Even with the “start-up” test of Cinebench R20, single-core and multi-core rendering both witnessed a constant temperature of over 90 degrees.

However, in return, the machine will be able to waste electricity and release air, just like the tradition of Dell Gaming. That will allow the CPU to push the maximum clock and provide good performance.

However, when switching to gaming, the CPU temperature can even stand at 95-100 degrees, a number that seems to be familiar to Dell G-series products from last year until now. It’s good to have high performance, but being subjected to such a high heat level will not benefit the device in the long run. Not to mention, the heat emitted from the keyboard will also increase, which can be felt through the fingertips when touching the keys.

With the GTX 1660Ti graphics card, its power in 2020 is still very respectable. With being able to “weigh” well the vast majority of current games at High/Ultra Settings, this can still be considered a long-term solution for readers with a new series of games approaching. In terms of temperature, the GTX 1660Ti gives a temporarily acceptable temperature of about 80-83 degrees when playing games.

Besides the problem of hardware temperature, the noise level is also a drawback that has not been properly repaired on the Dell G3 2020. Even when working light or heavy, the machine’s fan can still blow quite loudly, causing an impact to experience. G3 2020 still does not have too many customizations for the fan; there is only one G button to increase or decrease the speed. Even the integrated application Alienware Command Center only interferes with the machine’s Sleep mode instead of having modes related to the fan to help the machine run more quietly.

Internal Memory: Beware of overheating!

Dell G3 2020 will be equipped with 512GB NVMe SSD from WD regarding internal memory. Despite the guaranteed durability, the read and write speed of this SN530 option has not made me satisfied. During use, we can also notice overheating due to poor heat dissipation. If not rectified soon, the life of components will likely be indirectly reduced.

Connecting port system – Full facilities

With the Dell G3, the somewhat thick size of the machine also has its advantages, reflected in the number of connection ports that the company can place on either side of the machine. We will have 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.1 port, 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, 1 Thunderbolt 3 port, 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, a Kensington lock, a 3.5 combo jack and finally, an SD card slot. I feel it is enough to comfortably use with this number of connections, whether for work or entertainment.

Battery life: Moderate

With a 68Wh battery, I get about 4 hours of use with the G3 2020 when the screen brightness is 50%. That can be seen as a moderate battery level in the gaming laptop world, enough for users to use the device to do light tasks when needed. Considering that the device’s 240W charger is also quite heavy, this 4 hours of use makes more sense.

Ending

If not for the high refresh rate screen, it would not be easy to find the highlights to talk about Dell G3 2020. Already tend to have high prices because of the brand, if not quickly improve themselves, Dell G3 In particular and Dell Gaming in general, it will be increasingly difficult to compete with competitors in the same segment, who are increasingly optimizing performance/cost over time.

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