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Dell G5 15 5590 Laptop Review: Price/Performance King and Problem Child

Attention bargain hunters: With the G5 15 5590-PCNJJ, Dell has a gaming laptop with a Core i5-9300H CPU and a GeForce GTX 1650 GPU on offer at a very attractive price point. In this review, we are going to take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of the 15-inch device.
Dell G5 15 5590

While Alienware devices belong to the high-end sector, Dell's G series was created with more price-conscious gamers in mind.

The G5 15 5590-PCNJJ, which is equipped with a Core i5-9300H and a GeForce GTX 1650 and is available for around 1,000 Euros (~$1,112), is a particularly exciting offer. It comes with 8 GB of DDR4-RAM (2x 4 GB in dual-channel mode) and a 128 GB SSD combined with a 1 TB HDD. The package is rounded-off by a matte IPS display with 1920x1080 pixels.

Competitors of the G5 15 5590 include other budget gaming laptops, which are or recently have been on our top 10 list. Aside from the HP Omen 15, there is also the Acer Nitro 5 (the GTX 1650 version of which can be purchased for around 1,000 Euros or ~$1,112). At close to 1,400 Euros (~$1,557), the GTX 1660 Ti competitors Lenovo Legion Y540-15 and HP Gaming Pavilion 15 are slightly more expensive.

Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ (G5 15 5500 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-9300H 4 x 2.4 - 4.1 GHz, Coffee Lake-H
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 1395 MHz, Memory: 8000 MHz, GDDR5, ForceWare 431.22, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, 2x 4 GB SO-DIMM DDR4-2666, Dual-Channel, all slots occupied, max. 32 GB
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, AU Optronics B156HAN (AUO23ED), IPS, Full HD, 60 Hz, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel HM370
Storage
KBG30ZMS128G, 128 GB 
, Toshiba NVMe-SSD + MQ04ABF100, 1 TB, Toshiba 5.400er-HDD, Slots: 1x M.2 & 1x 2.5-inch
Soundcard
Realtek ALC236 @ Intel Cannon Lake PCH - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
Connections
3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm, Card Reader: SD,SDHC,SDXC, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Noble Lock
Networking
Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 23.7 x 364 x 273 ( = 0.93 x 14.33 x 10.75 in)
Battery
60 Wh, 3750 mAh Lithium-Ion, 4-cell
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 130-watt ac adapter, quick start guide, Command Center, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.712 kg ( = 95.66 oz / 5.98 pounds), Power Supply: 500 g ( = 17.64 oz / 1.1 pounds)
Price
1000 EUR
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
79.6 %
10/2019
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
2.7 kg23.7 mm15.60"1920x1080
81.5 %
07/2019
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
2.3 kg25 mm15.60"1920x1080
82.5 %
05/2019
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
2.2 kg27 mm15.60"1920x1080
83.9 %
08/2019
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
2.4 kg23.4 mm15.60"1920x1080
82.3 %
08/2019
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
2.2 kg26 mm15.60"1920x1080

Case

The G5's budget nature is quite apparent. Although the chassis is visually pleasing at first glance and able to shine with a white exterior in our case, a closer look reveals some flaws. Our test model suffered from loud creaking, which of course detracts from the overall good impression, even though it only occurs when opening or closing the lid and when twisting the chassis.

Speaking of twisting: We would describe the case's rigidity as average. While the base unit does not yield even under higher pressure, the lid could be slightly more rigid still. That said, the same could be said for almost any laptop.

Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590

In terms of materials, Dell has chosen a combination of metal (top) and plastic (bottom & cover), matching the expectations for this price class. We were not quite satisfied with the hinges, however. When opening the lid, the base unit moves along for the first few centimeters. One-handed opening is possible regardless.

In terms of weight, its 2.7 kg makes it heavier than the competition (2.2 to 2.4 kg). Although the G5 comes with a slim-bezel design, its 364 x 273 mm footprint is also larger than that of competing devices (see size comparison). The laptop has an average height of 24 mm.

Size Comparison

365 mm / 14.4 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 26 mm / 1.024 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs363 mm / 14.3 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 27 mm / 1.063 inch 2.2 kg4.76 lbs364 mm / 14.3 inch 273 mm / 10.7 inch 23.7 mm / 0.933 inch 2.7 kg5.98 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 263 mm / 10.4 inch 25 mm / 0.984 inch 2.3 kg5.11 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 256 mm / 10.1 inch 23.4 mm / 0.921 inch 2.4 kg5.24 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

The port selection is solid compared to what the competition offers. Dell equips the G5 with four USB ports in total (3x Type-A 3.0 + 1x Type-C 3.1 Gen2 with DisplayPort support), an RJ45 LAN port, an audio jack, an HDMI output and a Noble lock port. The installed card reader cannot be taken for granted anymore either. While it lacks a Thunderbolt 3 port for a truly well-rounded port selection, the former is absent on most budget gaming laptops.

The port layout, as usual, is a matter of taste. Due to the vents on the sides, some ports are relatively close to the front, which may impair movements of an external mouse.

Rear: AC adapter, HDMI, USB Type-A, RJ45-LAN, Noble lock
Rear: AC adapter, HDMI, USB Type-A, RJ45-LAN, Noble lock
Left: USB Type-C (with DisplayPort), USB Type-A, 3.5 mm jack
Left: USB Type-C (with DisplayPort), USB Type-A, 3.5 mm jack
Right: card reader, USB Type-A
Right: card reader, USB Type-A

SD Card Reader

The SD card reader does not exactly offer first-class performance. 25-26 MB/s for sequential read and write speeds, respectively, when transferring pictures are only on USB 2.0 level and far below the transfer rates of the competition, which tend to at least come close to the speed of an external USB 3.0 hard drive.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Average of class Gaming
  (19 - 202, n=104, last 2 years)
98.2 MB/s +293%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
80.5 MB/s +222%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
74.1 MB/s +196%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
25 MB/s
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Average of class Gaming
  (26 - 269, n=95, last 2 years)
122.3 MB/s +370%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
87 MB/s +235%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
77.6 MB/s +198%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26 MB/s

Communication

We have no complaints in terms of Wi-Fi performance on the other hand. 676 Mb/s in our data transmission and 691 Mb/s in our data reception test (1 m between the device and our reference router Linksys EA8500) is a very good result that places the 15-inch device above many other laptops in our comparison. At least on our test device, Dell installs the popular Intel wireless AC module 9560.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (450 - 1412, n=14, last 2 years)
1006 MBit/s +49%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
684 MBit/s +1%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
680 MBit/s +1%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
676 MBit/s
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
638 MBit/s -6%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
630 MBit/s -7%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Gaming
  (423 - 1700, n=14, last 2 years)
1203 MBit/s +74%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
691 MBit/s
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
671 MBit/s -3%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
646 MBit/s -7%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
619 MBit/s -10%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Realtek RTL8822BE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCIe Adapter
614 MBit/s -11%

Software

Compared to the Alienware counterpart, the command center software lacks several features. While the library tab takes care of any installed games, the Fusion tab allows for system monitoring, changing the power profile and adjusting the sound settings. All of our tests have been performed using the default factory settings.

Command Center
Command Center
Command Center
Command Center

Maintenance

Maintenance on the G5 15 5590 is rather simple. While a convenient maintenance hatch is not available, removing the bottom panel (nine Philips screws + a couple of clips) is far from an impossible task and can be performed even by a layman. On the inside of the case, users have access to all of the important components. This includes the RAM slots, Wi-Fi module, battery, M.2 slot of the SSD and the 2.5-inch drive bay of the HDD. The cooling solution consists of two fans and numerous, light blue-colored heatpipes, which connect the soldered CPU and GPU.

Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590
Dell G5 15 5590

Warranty

The warranty period of the "retail version" is only 12 months.

Input Devices

Keyboard

In the era of mechanical keyboards, this keyboard will struggle to impress anyone. Dell has chosen a classic chiclet model with relatively short travel that did moderately well in our test. Aside from the tiny arrow keys, the keys are decently sized despite the inclusion of a dedicated num pad. The typing experience is relatively crisp, however this also includes the audible feedback (the G5 is not necessarily the best choice for quiet environments).

As usual, numerous convenient shortcuts can be accessed by using the Fn key and the F-key row (volume, display brightness, media controls, wireless, etc.). Fancy RGB effects are not included. The G5 "only" comes with a white keyboard backlight, most likely to save on costs. The backlight has two levels.

Chiclet keyboard...
Chiclet keyboard...
...with a white backlight
...with a white backlight

Touchpad

At 10.5 x 8 cm, the touchpad is fairly large for a 15-inch laptop. Whether the slightly roughened surface is to your liking is a matter of personal preference. While it gives the mouse substitute a good haptic feedback, the gliding properties suffer in return. There is also some room for improvement in terms of the precision. In our experience, the touchpad is not 100% reliable.

By contrast, we noticed nothing unusual in terms of gesture support (zooming in and scrolling with two fingers). The audible feedback of left and right clicks, on the other hand, is particularly noisy. Key clatter is fairly loud in spite of the otherwise solid construction.

Display

Since this is an entry-level version of the Dell G5, users cannot expect a high-end display. Apart from a good black value (0.22 cd/m²) and a good contrast ratio (1,064:1), the display properties of the Full HD panel are relatively disappointing.

218
cd/m²
221
cd/m²
220
cd/m²
213
cd/m²
234
cd/m²
213
cd/m²
204
cd/m²
211
cd/m²
209
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B156HAN (AUO23ED) tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 234 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 215.9 cd/m² Minimum: 11 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 234 cd/m²
Contrast: 1064:1 (Black: 0.22 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.52 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 3.56
ΔE Greyscale 5.33 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
57% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
36% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
96.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
83.1% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.86
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
AU Optronics B156HAN (AUO23ED), IPS, 1920x1080
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
LGD05CE, IPS, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
LG LP156WFC-SPD1 (LGD0563), IPS, 1920x1080
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
LG Philips LGD05FE, IPS, 1920x1080
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
BOE 084D, IPS, 1920x1080
Display
-52%
-52%
-20%
-21%
Display P3 Coverage
83.1
38.37
-54%
37.97
-54%
64.2
-23%
63.6
-23%
sRGB Coverage
99.9
57.6
-42%
57
-43%
95.1
-5%
91.7
-8%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
96.8
39.69
-59%
39.23
-59%
65.8
-32%
65.2
-33%
Response Times
9%
12%
66%
71%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
48 ?(22.8, 25.2)
40 ?(21.2, 18.8)
17%
42 ?(20.8, 21.2)
12%
16.4 ?(8.4, 8)
66%
8.8 ?(4, 4.4)
82%
Response Time Black / White *
30 ?(16.8, 13.2)
29.6 ?(17.2, 12.4)
1%
26.8 ?(16, 10.8)
11%
10.4 ?(5.2, 5.2)
65%
12 ?(6.8, 5.2)
60%
PWM Frequency
Screen
-2%
9%
38%
27%
Brightness middle
234
251
7%
238
2%
345
47%
299
28%
Brightness
216
232
7%
226
5%
324
50%
290
34%
Brightness Distribution
87
76
-13%
83
-5%
86
-1%
89
2%
Black Level *
0.22
0.17
23%
0.27
-23%
0.42
-91%
0.29
-32%
Contrast
1064
1476
39%
881
-17%
821
-23%
1031
-3%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
6.52
6.2
5%
4.11
37%
1.3
80%
3.7
43%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.58
18.6
-76%
6.89
35%
2.8
74%
7
34%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.56
4.8
-35%
3.76
-6%
1.1
69%
2
44%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.33
4.2
21%
1.78
67%
1.2
77%
4.1
23%
Gamma
2.86 77%
2.32 95%
2.41 91%
2.31 95%
2.19 100%
CCT
5983 109%
7454 87%
6311 103%
6476 100%
7166 91%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
36
36.5
1%
36
0%
60.5
68%
59.3
65%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
57
57.4
1%
57
0%
94.9
66%
91.5
61%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-15% / -10%
-10% / -2%
28% / 30%
26% / 24%

* ... smaller is better

The luminosity of only 216 cd/m² on average is poor. While several competitors also fail to achieve significantly better results in this discipline, at least 250 cd/m² should be a given even on a budget laptop.

CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Saturation sweeps
CalMAN: Saturation sweeps
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: ColorChecker
CalMAN: Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: Grayscale (calibrated)
CalMAN: Saturation sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN: Saturation sweeps (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)
CalMAN: ColorChecker (calibrated)

The narrow color space is another weak spot of the display. 57% of the sRGB color space and 36% of the AdobeRGB standard translates to a pale image. Unsurprisingly, the 15-inch laptop does not achieve a convincing result when it comes to color accuracy either. Luckily, our calibration addresses this directly and fixes the shortcomings (our ICC file is linked above, next to the image for distribution of brightness).

Dell G5 15 5590 vs sRGB (57%)
Dell G5 15 5590 vs sRGB (57%)
Dell G5 15 5590 vs AdobeRGB (36%)
Dell G5 15 5590 vs AdobeRGB (36%)

The installed 60-Hz display was not really made for very fast-paced games such as first-person shooters. 30 ms black-to-white and 48 ms gray-to-gray hints at ghosting. At least the display did not exhibit flickering (caused by PWM) during our test.

Contre-jour
Contre-jour
Subpixel array
Subpixel array
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16.8 ms rise
↘ 13.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 77 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 22.8 ms rise
↘ 25.2 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Performance

The inclusion of the Core i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650, and 8 GB of RAM position the G5 15 5590 as a mid-range device that tries to appeal to casual gamers. Since the storage solution and RAM can be swapped, larger/faster drives and more RAM can be installed without too much effort.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
HWiNFO
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
LatencyMon
 

Processor

The Core i5-9300H is a four-core model from Intel's latest Coffee Lake generation. The 14-nm chip is rated for a TDP of 45 watts and is able to process up to eight threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading. While it has a base clock of 2.4 GHz, Turbo Boost allows for much higher clock speeds.

Single-core rendering
Single-core rendering
Multi-core rendering
Multi-core rendering
GPU stress
GPU stress

One of the biggest weaknesses of the G5 is the CPU's clock speed behavior. Whereas the 9300H achieves a fairly good Turbo Boost performance under pure CPU load (see Cinebench loop), reaching 3.1 to 4.1 GHz, the processor tends to throttle when simultaneous GPU stress comes into play.

04590135180225270315360405450495540585630675720765810Tooltip
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ Intel Core i5-9300H, Intel Core i5-9300H: Ø771 (679.21-818)
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng Intel Core i5-9300H, Intel Core i5-9300H: Ø748 (730.55-769.02)
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2 Intel Core i5-9300H, Intel Core i5-9300H: Ø707 (700.72-757)

In many of the 3D applications we tested, the individual cores throttle down to a mere 900 MHz, which - particularly on a gaming laptop - is not supposed to happen and makes us question Dell's quality control.

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (79.2 - 318, n=247, last 2 years)
265 Points +57%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Core i7-9750H
187 Points +11%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Intel Core i7-9750H
186 Points +10%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Core i5-9300H
176 Points +4%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Intel Core i5-9300H
171 Points +1%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
Intel Core i5-9300H
169 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Gaming
  (400 - 5663, n=248, last 2 years)
2986 Points +265%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Core i7-9750H
1155 (899.54min - 1211.72max) Points +41%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Intel Core i7-9750H
1140 Points +39%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
Intel Core i5-9300H
818 Points
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Intel Core i5-9300H
769 Points -6%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
Intel Core i5-9300H
757 Points -7%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Gaming
  (169 - 855, n=243, last 2 years)
690 Points +71%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Core i7-9750H
458 Points +13%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Intel Core i7-9750H
447 Points +11%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Intel Core i5-9300H
419 Points +4%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
Intel Core i5-9300H
404 Points
CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Gaming
  (930 - 13769, n=243, last 2 years)
7152 Points +293%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
Intel Core i7-9750H
2595 Points +43%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Intel Core i7-9750H
2415 Points +33%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
Intel Core i5-9300H
1821 Points
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Intel Core i5-9300H
1723 Points -5%
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
818 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
169 Points
Help

System Performance

The system performance of the G5 15 5590-PCNJJ ranks below those of its competitors. With only 4,615 points, it comes in last among the devices in our comparison. Subjectively, the system also feels slower than many other gaming laptops. The main problem is the sluggish SSD, as we will see in a moment. Due to this, both the boot process and installations require more patience than usual.

PCMark 10 - Score
Average of class Gaming
  (4477 - 9852, n=208, last 2 years)
7531 Points +63%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
5716 Points +24%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
5583 Points +21%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
4973 Points +8%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
4873 Points +6%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H, KBG30ZMS128G
4615 Points

Storage Solution

The operating system (Windows 10 Home 64-bit) runs on a 128 GB M.2 SSD. Surprisingly, Dell has not opted for a 2280 module and instead uses an extremely short 2230 model, the Toshiba KBG30ZMS128G. While its read speeds are on par with other SSDs, the write speeds leave much to be desired. Sequential write speeds of 133 MB/s (according CrystalDiskMark) are closer to those of an HDD than a solid state drive and this will negatively impact your experience in many cases.

SSD
SSD
SSD
SSD
HDD
HDD
HDD
HDD

Dell may want to upgrade to a faster model, in order to be able to keep up with the competition. The fact that the installed 1 TB HDD (Toshiba MQ04ABF100) achieves better results in some benchmarks further illustrates this point.

Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
KBG30ZMS128G
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6
502%
314%
316%
489%
Write 4K
65.3
112.1
72%
109.1
67%
100
53%
158.8
143%
Read 4K
29.71
42.01
41%
42.05
42%
31.39
6%
29.11
-2%
Write Seq
128.8
1964
1425%
1457
1031%
1308
916%
1584
1130%
Read Seq
859
2065
140%
1421
65%
1083
26%
1694
97%
Write 4K Q32T1
95.8
318.2
232%
287.8
200%
362.9
279%
536
459%
Read 4K Q32T1
197.6
406.7
106%
317.9
61%
425.7
115%
363.9
84%
Write Seq Q32T1
132.5
2534
1812%
1455
998%
1411
965%
2536
1814%
Read Seq Q32T1
1208
3438
185%
1739
44%
3240
168%
3458
186%
KBG30ZMS128G
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 1208 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 132.5 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 197.6 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 95.8 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 859 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 128.8 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 29.71 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 65.3 MB/s

GPU Performance

The mid-range GPU GeForce GTX 1650 Nvidia released earlier this year offers a good price/performance ratio - at least within the realm of laptop GPUs.

3DMark 11 Performance
11926 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
96370 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
25549 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
8059 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
3616 points
Help

The DirectX 12-capable 12-nm chip from Nvidia's Turing generation houses 1,024 shader units and has access to 4 GB of GDDR5 memory (128-bit interface). Thanks to GPU Boost overclocking, which is applied automatically and works similarly to Intel's Turbo Boost, the base clock of 1,395 MHz is regularly exceeded by a significant margin during gaming. In our The Witcher 3 test, we recorded around 1,635 MHz. Almost 1,710 MHz in Unigine's Heaven 4.0 benchmark is similarly impressive. During the GPU-Z render test, the clock rate even climbed up to 1,905 MHz.

3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (781 - 53059, n=250, last 2 years)
28955 Points +213%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
14288 Points +55%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
12903 Points +40%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
9536 Points +3%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
9292 Points +1%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
9239 Points
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Gaming
  (224 - 22547, n=248, last 2 years)
11781 Points +238%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
4925 Points +41%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
3565 Points +2%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
3488 Points
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Gaming
  (1029 - 72070, n=246, last 2 years)
39499 Points +198%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
19553 Points +48%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
17264 Points +30%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
13447 Points +2%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
13233 Points
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
13125 Points -1%

In terms of the 3DMark 11 and 3DMark 13 results, the Dell G5's GPU performance falls into a similar category as the competition. In our long-term test of The Witcher 3 (around one hour at maximum settings and 1920x1080 pixels), there were no sudden spikes or drops in performance, which hints at an adequate cooling solution, at least from the GPU side of things.

0510152025303540455055Tooltip
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H, KBG30ZMS128G: Ø35.8 (32-38)
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G: Ø37.2 (33-41)
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2 GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G: Ø36.9 (34-39)
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB256HAHQ: Ø49.5 (44-53)
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G: Ø53.1 (50-58)

Gaming Performance

As discussed earlier, the GTX 1650 is an ideal companion for casual gamers and price-conscious users. As long as the chosen game is not extremely demanding or poorly programmed/optimized (such as, for example, Metro Exodus), high settings are possible in most cases and at the native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, although 60 FPS+ is not always guaranteed.

The Witcher 3
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
Average of class Gaming
  (17.5 - 449, n=177, last 2 years)
213 fps +256%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
95.2 fps +59%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
62.2 fps +4%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
61.1 (51min) fps +2%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
59.8 (50min) fps
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Average of class Gaming
  (8.61 - 216, n=245, last 2 years)
114 fps +231%
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, i7-9750H
53.1 fps +54%
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, i7-9750H
53.1 (50min, 51P1 - 58max) fps +54%
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
37 fps +8%
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
35.4 (28min) fps +3%
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
34.4 (26min) fps

In order to achieve particularly smooth gameplay, the settings have to be dialed back to medium or low. As the table conveniently shows, GTX 1660 Ti-based laptops offer around 50% more performance and require proportionally fewer compromises in terms of quality.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 266 230 209 86.1
The Witcher 3 (2015) 176 110 59.8 34.4
Rocket League (2017) 249 204 136
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 98 57 48 43
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) 71 56 48 30
Apex Legends (2019) 144 81.7 66.5 65.4
Metro Exodus (2019) 85.3 41 30.8 25.1
Anthem (2019) 62.7 56.8 47.3 44.9
Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) 203 89.3 71 41.8
The Division 2 (2019) 114 63 50 37
Anno 1800 (2019) 74.9 64.5 40.1 19.4
Rage 2 (2019) 117 54.5 46 45.1
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019) 166 63.9 38.5 24.4
F1 2019 (2019) 172 102 85 59
Control (2019) 129 44.2 32.1
Borderlands 3 (2019) 98.9 58.3 39 29.5
FIFA 20 (2019) 188 154 148 137
Ghost Recon Breakpoint (2019) 85 48 44 30
GRID 2019 (2019) 123 76.2 59.7 41.3

Emissions

Noise Emissions

During idle and while performing harmless tasks such as using office, video and web applications, the 15-inch laptop remains relatively quiet. The two chassis fans either stand still and only the HDD is audible or the fans spin and produce an acceptable noise level. We noticed almost no fan pulsating behavior.

Noise level during idle
Noise level during idle
Noise level under load
Noise level under load
Noise level speaker
Noise level speaker

Dell would be well-advised to adjust the fan behavior under load however. 47 to 53 dB(A) means that the G5 is the loudest device in our comparison. Without headphones, gaming sessions are only enjoyable to a certain extent.

Noise Level

Idle
31 / 32 / 35 dB(A)
HDD
32 dB(A)
Load
49 / 53 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 30 dB(A)
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
Average of class Gaming
 
Noise
15%
4%
17%
11%
13%
off / environment *
30
28.8
4%
30
-0%
28.2
6%
29.3
2%
24.1 ?(19.5 - 29.9, n=194, last 2 years)
20%
Idle Minimum *
31
28.8
7%
30
3%
29.3
5%
29.3
5%
25.6 ?(21.9 - 41.6, n=195, last 2 years)
17%
Idle Average *
32
29.5
8%
31
3%
29.3
8%
29.3
8%
27.4 ?(21.9 - 42.1, n=195, last 2 years)
14%
Idle Maximum *
35
31.1
11%
33
6%
29.3
16%
29.3
16%
30.7 ?(21.9 - 47, n=195, last 2 years)
12%
Load Average *
49
35.2
28%
46
6%
32.3
34%
35.7
27%
43.2 ?(25.2 - 62.9, n=195, last 2 years)
12%
Witcher 3 ultra *
47
35.2
25%
46
2%
34
28%
44.2
6%
Load Maximum *
53
41
23%
49
8%
41.2
22%
45.6
14%
53.2 ?(42.1 - 68.2, n=195, last 2 years)
-0%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

With high chassis temperatures, the noise emissions do not remain the only values that are higher than average. Up to 49 °C on the top and up to 55 °C on the bottom of the device is the highest result in our comparison and more in line with a high-end laptop with a Core i7-9750H and a GeForce RTX GPU. At least the case remains cool during idle, which is good to see.

The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3
Stress test
Stress test
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (top)
Maximum load (bottom)
Maximum load (bottom)

We determined the maximum temperatures of the GPU and CPU with the help of FurMark and Prime95. Up to 80 °C for the GTX 1650 (which suffered from slight throttling) and up to 100 °C for the Core i5-9300H is quite a lot.

Max. Load
 49 °C
120 F
49 °C
120 F
48 °C
118 F
 
 45 °C
113 F
46 °C
115 F
44 °C
111 F
 
 29 °C
84 F
32 °C
90 F
32 °C
90 F
 
Maximum: 49 °C = 120 F
Average: 41.6 °C = 107 F
55 °C
131 F
55 °C
131 F
54 °C
129 F
47 °C
117 F
54 °C
129 F
50 °C
122 F
31 °C
88 F
32 °C
90 F
28 °C
82 F
Maximum: 55 °C = 131 F
Average: 45.1 °C = 113 F
Power Supply (max.)  59 °C = 138 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-900
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 41.6 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F for the devices in the class Gaming.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 49 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 40.4 °C / 105 F, ranging from 21.2 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 55 °C / 131 F, compared to the average of 43.2 °C / 110 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.3 °C / 99 F, compared to the device average of 33.8 °C / 93 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32 °C / 89.6 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (-3.1 °C / -5.6 F).
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
Average of class Gaming
 
Heat
10%
5%
5%
-18%
-9%
Maximum Upper Side *
49
40.3
18%
47
4%
46.7
5%
42.7
13%
46.3 ?(28.2 - 61, n=194, last 2 years)
6%
Maximum Bottom *
55
48.5
12%
50
9%
53.7
2%
52.7
4%
49.7 ?(30 - 66.3, n=194, last 2 years)
10%
Idle Upper Side *
25
23.9
4%
24
4%
23.8
5%
33.1
-32%
31.5 ?(21.2 - 43, n=194, last 2 years)
-26%
Idle Bottom *
26
24.6
5%
25
4%
23.7
9%
41
-58%
32.7 ?(22.6 - 45, n=194, last 2 years)
-26%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

The audio quality of the 2.0 system in the front is neither very good nor very bad. The positive aspects most notably include the generous maximum volume level of 87 dB(A), which allows for watching movies and listening to music from a greater distance relative to the laptop. However, since the bass is rather poor and the mid and high tones could also be better, we still recommend using a headset or an external sound system.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2032.537.42539.446.53131.535.54033.9385031.132.9632933.18028.529.810024.933.112523.341.816026.85020022.150.825021.960.73152167.440019.870.65001972.863018.277.380017.679100017.778.8125018.874.4160019.176.3200017.678.6250017.877.2315017.876.1400017.670.3500017.868.6630017.655.8800017.8641000017.759.71250017.870.71600017.569.5SPL30.487.2N1.469.7median 17.8median 70.3Delta1.49.132.229.123.525.925.628.525.226.224.323.322.823.421.322.721.522.721.622.422.327.321.441.621.34920.5492055.219.556.818.957.918.458.617.957.117.252.416.461.41658.115.953.315.456.215.456.91560.11559.814.961.814.964.214.765.314.459.328.871.11.227.9median 17.2median 56.937.3hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseDell G5 15 5590-PCNJJHP Omen 15-dc1020ng
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.7% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | reduced highs - on average 6.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 45% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 27% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

HP Omen 15-dc1020ng audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (71.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 21.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 76% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 17% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 18%, worst was 132%
Compared to all devices tested
» 59% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Energy Consumption

Since Dell does not include Nvidia's G-Sync technology and instead implements Optimus graphics switching, the G5 15 5590 shines with very low consumption during idle. 4-12 watts is an excellent result and points towards good battery life. Under load, the system consumes between 86 and 135 watts, which is a moderate range for the installed components and their performance. A 130-watt AC adapter powers our test configuration.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.5 / 1.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4 / 7 / 12 Watt
Load midlight 95 / 135 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile
Average of class Gaming
 
Power Consumption
0%
-2%
-34%
-98%
-127%
Idle Minimum *
4
4.04
-1%
5
-25%
6.8
-70%
14.5
-263%
13.7 ?(2 - 64, n=191, last 2 years)
-243%
Idle Average *
7
7.2
-3%
7
-0%
10.7
-53%
18.5
-164%
18.9 ?(6.5 - 67, n=191, last 2 years)
-170%
Idle Maximum *
12
11.4
5%
11
8%
12.5
-4%
20
-67%
26.5 ?(9 - 101.1, n=191, last 2 years)
-121%
Load Average *
95
80.8
15%
89
6%
87.2
8%
81.6
14%
111.7 ?(32.1 - 202, n=191, last 2 years)
-18%
Witcher 3 ultra *
86
93.6
-9%
90
-5%
121
-41%
132
-53%
Load Maximum *
135
144.5
-7%
132
2%
191.4
-42%
208.1
-54%
249 ?(64.5 - 418, n=190, last 2 years)
-84%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

One of the biggest strengths of the G5 is its long battery life. Almost 8 hours of browsing the web at medium brightness and up to 14.5 hours idling at minimum luminosity are equally impressive. With 3D applications, around 2 hours is possible (unfortunately, gaming performance drops by about 90 % (!) in battery mode). Furthermore, the 60-Wh battery is ever so slightly larger than those of the competition (52.5 to 57 Wh).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
14h 27min
WiFi Websurfing
8h 02min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 11min
Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, 60 Wh
HP Omen 15-dc1020ng
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, 52.5 Wh
Acer Aspire Nitro 5 AN515-54-53Z2
i5-9300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, 57 Wh
HP Gaming Pavilion 15-dk0009ng
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, 52.5 Wh
Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH-81SX00B2GE
i7-9750H, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Mobile, 57 Wh
Average of class Gaming
 
Battery Runtime
-19%
-4%
-41%
-61%
-32%
Reader / Idle
867
951
10%
1044
20%
522
-40%
240
-72%
548 ?(57 - 1290, n=90, last 2 years)
-37%
WiFi v1.3
482
385
-20%
486
1%
290
-40%
145
-70%
366 ?(57 - 745, n=191, last 2 years)
-24%
Load
131
71
-46%
88
-33%
76
-42%
76
-42%
86 ?(36 - 173, n=155, last 2 years)
-34%
H.264
482
317
392 ?(56 - 747, n=99, last 2 years)
Witcher 3 ultra
59
60
81.7 ?(47 - 155, n=23, last 2 years)

Pros

+ low energy consumption for a gaming laptop
+ good value
+ good battery life
+ sleek design
+ fast Wi-Fi
+ Optimus

Cons

- mediocre display (brightness, color space, response time, etc.)
- CPU throttling in many 3D applications
- high emissions under load
- slow card reader
- SSD with poor write speeds
- only one-year warranty
- no Thunderbolt 3
- creaky chassis

Verdict

In review: Dell G5 15 5590. Test device courtesy of:
In review: Dell G5 15 5590. Test device courtesy of:

On paper, the Dell G5 5590-PCNJJ looks great. For 1,000 Euros (~$1,112), buyers receive a sleek and gaming-ready 15-inch laptop with a quad-core CPU and a DirectX 12 GPU from the latest hardware generation.

Unfortunately, the device suffers from a few shortcomings that taint the good overall impression. In order to reduce the price and manufacturing costs, Dell has cut a couple of corners. As a result, users have to contend with drawbacks such as a slow card reader, a creaky chassis, a dimly lit display with poor colors and an SSD with low write speeds.

Our main issue lies in the CPU's behavior with regards to the clock speeds during 3D applications (such as games), which is characterized by varying degrees of throttling - this is tough to accept on a gaming laptop, although a BIOS update may fix this in the future.

Overall, price-conscious buyers would be better served by the HP Omen 15 or the Acer Nitro 5, both of which do not come with as many disadvantages. Note: We will take a look at another G5 that, with a Core i7-9750H and a GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, is better equipped but significantly more expensive as well in the near future.

Dell G5 15 5590-PCNJJ - 05/14/2020 v7
Florian Glaser

Chassis
73 / 98 → 75%
Keyboard
79%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
63 / 80 → 79%
Weight
58 / 10-66 → 86%
Battery
80 / 95 → 84%
Display
79%
Games Performance
85%
Application Performance
84%
Temperature
85 / 95 → 89%
Noise
69 / 90 → 76%
Audio
71%
Camera
40 / 85 → 47%
Average
73%
80%
Gaming - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Dell G5 15 5590 Laptop Review: Price/Performance King and Problem Child
Florian Glaser, 2019-10-24 (Update: 2021-03-12)