Dell G15 5530 review – still a little obese, but has a good cooling
Verdict
Once again, Dell has produced a controversial gaming laptop. Is it because it doesn’t want to take the storm away from its Alienware brand, which itself is being overshadowed by the ROG and Predator series of ASUS and Acer in terms of popularity? Nevertheless, the G15 5530 is not that bad of an option, if you are looking for a relatively affordable piece of gaming machinery.
Let’s start by saying that it lacks a Thunderbolt 4 port and an SD card reader. This, and the all-plastic body is what makes it less expensive. In addition to that, Dell has equipped the laptop with an office keyboard – unlike its more premium G16 7630, which sports a pretty good gaming unit.
On the bright side, we have to mention that the laptop gives you an HDMI 2.1 connector, as well as a USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen. 2) port, which can output a DisplayPort 1.4 signal. As for the internal ports – you get two SODIMM slots for DDR5 RAM and two M.2 PCIe x4 slots for Gen 4 SSDs.
Despite the fact that the motherboard is flipped, the upgrade options remain on the “right side” of the unit, and access to them is pretty simple.
Dell G15 5530’s IPS display in this configuration has a Full HD resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, comfortable viewing angles, and a good contrast ratio. Its backlight doesn’t use PWM for brightness adjustment, which means you can use the laptop for long periods of time without experiencing the negative effects of screen flickering on your eyes and brain.
In addition, the display covers 90% of the sRGB color gamut, and offers quite accurate colors, thanks to our Gaming and Web design profile. Add to this its quick pixel-response times, and you get one fantastic display for playing games, and even working with color-sensitive content.
You know, to take advantage of the fast-paced G-Sync-enabled displays, you need good hardware. Indeed, the one inside this machine is pretty good, even though it is not exactly efficient. Its RTX 4050 is the coolest (in terms of temperature) one we’ve tested so far, while the overall acoustics of the device while gaming is pretty quiet.
One use case where we would definitely recommend getting this particular notebook is if you are not going to take the device out too much, and you have a lot of siblings, and you need to keep it quiet.
Generally, the machine is too heavy for what it offers (the 2.81 kg weight usually indicates that there is an RTX 4090 inside, not an RTX 4050). However, with the rest of its qualities being not too shabby, the Dell G15 5530 can be a pretty good deal at the end of the day.
You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/dell-g15-5530/
Pros
- Relatively affordable
- 2x DDR5 RAM SODIMM + 2x M.2 PCIe x4 Gen 4
- 90% sRGB coverage and accurate colors with our Gaming and Web design profile (LG M4H3V-156WFG (LGD06E2))
- Fast refresh rate options with G-Sync and DDS
- No PWM (LG M4H3V-156WFG (LGD06E2))
- Decent performer
- Sturdy chassis
- Good cooling
Cons
- Heavier and thicker than the competition
- All-plastic body
- No Thunderbolt 4 port
- No SD card reader
- Its GPU can’t reach its 140W TGP
Author: Alex Iliev
Author: eng. Kroum NikolovHead of Engineering at LaptopMedia.com, inventor and innovator with 40+ years of experience in electronics and high technology.
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Hi. Are you sure this one has no PWM ( 0 PWM ); because Notebookcheck mentioned it has 21620 Hz PWM flicker at all times. Can you kindly confirm the same before i purchase. Thanks.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-G15-5530-Review-A-viable-Alienware-alternative-now-with-Raptor-Lake-HX.726585.0.html
The Display here is a LG, the one in the Notebookcheck review is from AUO. Sadly, we as a consumer have no way to tell Dell which display we want. But the meassured frequency in tthe notebookcheck review is quite high so it should not affect the user.
Oh, ok. Thanks for the confirmation , I think I’ll have to email to DELL directly then
Hello, it seems like that the i9-13900HX model is only available in some countries, so far, the “Dell G15 5530 i9” is available in Tunisia, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Tunisia offers the cheapest option, here’s a link to it. https://www.tunisianet.com.tn/pc-portable-tunisie/68323-pc-portable-dell-gaming-g15-5530-i9-13e-gen-64-go-rtx-4060-8g-windows-11.html
It’s around 2000 USD assuming no sales.
Hola por allá… como ya viste el cargador es masivo y si es pesado, por lo que necesito ayuda para ver si podría haber en el mercado alguno otro cargador compatible de menores proporciones, sin perder tanto capacidad.
Saludos desde México.
I recently bought a 5530 with an RTX 4060. It will not run 3840×2160 HDR 60Hz thru the HDMI 2.1 port. I turned off the Intel UHD GPU in the bios. Despite that, this resolution runs thru the USB-C DP 1.4 port via the Intel GPU. My desktop, 8930 Dell, with the RTX 2060 will also do it. My Sony STR-DH790 AVR, Vizio M658-1 and cables should be fine, not the problem. The last Tech support I received from a supervisor blamed my Vizio. What is wrong with HDMI 2.1?