Gaming and creating at a low price is possible with the Dell G15 5520, a creative gamer laptop suitable for recent games thanks to its NVIDIA Ampere GeForce RTX 3060 ray tracing graphics card that also accelerates multimedia processing as well as the Intel Alder Lake-H Core i7-12700H hybrid processor and 16GB of powerful RAM. Featuring a 15-inch Full HD anti-glare display that enhances smoothness in games with its 120Hz frequency, this versatile Windows 11 laptop designed for gaming and creating also benefits from responsiveness boosted by its fast 512GB SSD storage, backlit keyboard and connectivity with USB-C and Wi-Fi 6.
Performance, autonomy of this Dell G15 5520
This Dell G15 5520 may appeal to those who want a versatile 15-inch laptop that performs well in gaming and creation.
Recent games can run on this creative gamer laptop because it is equipped with the dedicated graphics card GeForce RTX 3060 ray tracing NVIDIA Ampere.
In addition to gamers, the GeForce RTX 3060 will be of interest to designers. Because it accelerates processing in software that uses GPU computing power, such as Adobe Photoshop/Premiere, VSDC or Sony Vegas.
In practice, the GeForce RTX 3060 is enabled by NVIDIA Optimus technology to perform graphics processing that is too heavy for the Intel Iris Xe in the processor.
Like the GeForce RTX 3060, the Iris Xe allows you to watch photos and videos but also to play modest games. It is low on energy consumption, which favors autonomy, which is why Optimus favors the Iris Xe to the maximum.
As for autonomy, expect about 5 hours of operation on battery in light use.
Optimus automatically switches between the Intel Iris Xe and the GeForce RTX 3060 in real time as needed.
The Iris Xe is directly integrated into the Intel Alder Lake-H Core i7-12700H processor, here coupled with 16GB of RAM to provide good overall power to appeal to demanding users.
This core, which supports the GeForce RTX 3060 well in games, will be of particular interest to creative people. This is because it ensures faster processing than a conventional Quad/Hexa Core and 8GB DDR4, the difference being very noticeable in CPU- and RAM-intensive work that takes advantage of multicore, which is for example the case in photo editing, video editing or 3D rendering.
The storage is entrusted to an SSD of course because it clearly enhances responsiveness and fluidity in everyday life compared to a simple hard drive.
In concrete terms, thanks to the SSD, games/software launch, processing and start/stop are done much faster, and online games arrive more quickly on the map.
An SSD offers several advantages compared to a simple hard disk, such as higher speed, silent operation, lower power consumption and better shock resistance.
It is a 512GB SSD that is proposed here, a capacity in line with the standard of hard drives. However, if you need more space, you can obviously use an external storage unit. A USB 3.0/USB-C device is an interesting option for fast transfers.
Finally, expect this versatile creative gamer laptop to heat up and make itself heard when pushed hard (e.g. games, processing).
To keep temperatures down, you can add a ventilated stand to this computer if necessary (remember to check the dimensions!).
Features of this Dell G15 5520
| Screen(s) | 15.6” Full HD LED 120Hz 250cd/m² (1920×1080, anti-glare/matte) |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-12700H Alder Lake-H (14 cores, 6P 2.4 GHz, 8E 1.8 GHz) |
| Installed RAM (max) | 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5 4800 MHz (64 GB), 2 slots (occupied) |
| Graphic card | NVIDIA Ampere GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 dedicated, Intel Iris Xe integrated in the processor and Optimus |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 SSD (NVMe PCIe) |
| connectors | 3 USB 3.2 (Gen1) + 1 USB 3.2 Type-C, HDMI 2.1 |
| Network | Wi-Fi 6 ax (2×2), Bluetooth 5.2 + Gigabit Ethernet |
| Backlit Keyboard | Yes |
| Numeric keypad | Yes |
| Windows Hello | – |
| Audio system | 2 speakers (2 x 2.5W) |
| Operating system | Windows 11 64 bit |
| Announced autonomy / Battery | 5 hours / Li-Ion 3 cells 56Whr |
| Weight / Dimensions (mm) | 2.52 Kg / 357.3 x 272.1 x 26.9 |
The Dell G15 5520 vs. the competition
This Dell G15 5520 is currently on special offer at Amazon and offers an attractive configuration/price ratio for its category where it is one of the only ones to offer such a recent processor (Alder Lake) and performance just like the graphics card but also to be supplied with Windows.
If this Dell G15 5520 doesn’t meet all your criteria, you’ll find on our gamer laptop guide other configurations to play with a similar budget. For the same budget, choose the model with the most powerful graphics card, as this will have the biggest impact on performance.
Chassis, connectivity, screen of this Dell G15 5520
It has an original gamer look while adopting the codes of the genre with its dark design with angular lines and connectivity positioned partly at the back.
Related : Dell Inspiron 14 5420 Specs and Price
This creative gamer laptop has good connectivity including 1 USB-C, a practical HDMI video output to easily connect it to a TV or monitor for example, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 ax wireless modules to communicate and connect remotely, Ethernet and audio ports or 3 USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible) guaranteeing transfers up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 if you connect USB 3.0 peripherals.
The chiclet keyboard can be backlit, of course, which is useful for better distinguishing its keys in low-light environments.
The screen has a refresh rate of 120Hz higher than the standard 60Hz which reinforces the fluidity even in games. In addition, the screen is well suited to displaying videos and more broadly High Definition content thanks to its 16:9 format and its Full HD definition. Although it does not have IPS technology, the screen still has comfortable vertical and horizontal viewing angles. Its anti-reflection treatment makes it more readable in bright environments (e.g. outdoors) than a glossy panel.