A Review Of The Dell G3 15 (3579): This Inexpensive Gaming Laptop Gets The Job Done

Dell has the 3579 model for under $850, a great deal considering the quality and performance. The Acer Nitro 5, a budget gaming laptop that we also enjoy, was a no-brainer compared to this one. Battery life and benchmarks were better on the G3 15. Even more so, the GTX 1050 Ti graphics demonstrated the Nitro 5's GTX 1050's limits. However, if you're willing to fork up a little more money, we recommend the G3 15.

Price, Specs, Features

In a first for Core i5 processors, the quad-core Core i5-8300H in the Dell G3 15 system we tested supports Hyper-Threading. As a result, it may maximize efficiency and performance by allocating CPU resources to other processes that need them. While prior generation Core i5 chips were left trailing in the dust, the G3's 8th generation CPU can keep up with the previous generation of core I7s.

The G3 15's GTX 1050 Ti graphics card is at the lower end of Nvidia's GTX Series 10 graphics card family. Depending on the game, you should expect frame rates of 30 to 60 frames per second.

Design

Regarding gaming laptops, Dell's G3 15 has a very understated appearance. A corporate laptop with no flashing LED patterns, racing stripes, or fancy cooling grilles might be mistaken for one. We received our "Recon Blue" evaluation unit with the usual Dell logo etched into the lid's smooth and curved surface.

A blue-backlit keyboard, an average-width display bezel, and a palm rest with diagonal stripes are just some of the G3 15's standard features when you open its lid. Only the highlighted WASD keys on the G3 indicate that it is a gaming laptop.

The G3 15 is a mid-size gaming laptop that measures 16.35 x 10.99 x 0.89 inches and weighs 5 pounds, 8 ounces. In terms of weight, it's heavier than the slimmer MSI GS65 Stealth Thin 8RE but lighter than an Alienware R17 R5 that weighs 10 pounds. Acer's Nitro 5 is a better comparison of weight and pricing.

Display

In addition to its 15.6-inch IPS display, the Dell G3 15 has a wide range of viewing angles. At a viewing angle of roughly 45 degrees or so, the 1920x1080 screen begins to dull noticeably. Even if tilting the screen does decrease the image slightly, there is no suggestion of reversed colors, as you could see with an inferior laptop display.

The good news is that the G3 15's display does not disappoint. The bad news is that it's not as bright as we'd want it to be, with our measurements showing just 246 nits at the dead center. That's not even close to meeting our indoor viewing threshold of 250 nits. While a laptop with a 250-nit panel could be acceptable, we expect more from a gaming setup.

Typewriter, Trackpad, Speakers, Webcam

Compared to other laptop chiclet keyboards, the Dell G3 15's features a smooth, flat keycap design, good travel, and a satisfying tactile bump with each press. A hotkey allows you to choose between two levels of blue illumination, while a 10-key numeric keypad lies on the right side of the keyboard. No macro keys, but a typical set of hotkeys, search and display choices are all there for you to use.

Because of the G3 15's specialized numeric keypad, the trackpad is positioned slightly to the left of the center, below the space bar. There are no unwelcome palm inputs on the trackpad, and it does its job well enough. However, clicking the trackpad required more pressure than I'd wanted. We can safely anticipate that gamers will use their mice significantly more than the G3's trackpad in their gaming sessions.

Ports

In addition to a barrel-shaped power connector on the left side, the Dell G3 15 gaming laptop has a complete HDMI 2.0 port, Ethernet, two USB 3.1 Gen. 1 Type-A connections, and a combination audio jack for connecting external devices. A Noble lock security slot, a single USB 2.0 connector, and an SD memory card reader are all located on the right side of the device. G3 variants with GeForce 1060 Max-Q graphics can include a Thunderbolt 3 connector, according to Dell.

General Performance

The G3 15 is not the most powerful gaming laptop on the market. Despite its relatively low price tag, our benchmark results show that it makes the most of its CPU capacity, with eight threads to work with. While the G3 15's GTX 1050 Ti's GTX 1050 makes the Acer Nitro 5's GTX 1050 appear fantastic, the laptop regularly falls short of the 60-fps barrier. However, if you're willing to fork out more money, the G3 15 is a better option than the Acer Nitro 5.