Dell G15 5520 (2022)

Dell G15 5520 (2022)

Manufacturer	Dell
Product family	G Series
Release date	January 2022 (2022-01)
Introductory price	USD 900 to 1500
Discontinued	No
Operating system	Windows 11 Home (Can be configured with Windows 11 Pro)
CPU	Intel Core i5-12500H Intel Core i7-12700H
Memory	8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz (supports up to 32 GB)
Memory slots	2 user accessible
Storage	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Storage slots	2 user accessible
Display	Screen size: 15.6 inch Panel type: WVA Coating: Anti-glare (matte) Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or 2560 x 1440 Refresh rate: 120 Hz, 165 Hz, or 240 Hz Brightness: 250, 300, or 400 Nits sRGB: 45% or 100% DCI-P3: 99%
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4 GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6
Sound	Stereo speakers with Realtek ALC3254, 2 W x 2.5 W
Camera	Front: HD RGB camera with digital-array microphones
Touchpad	Precision touchpad
Connectivity	Intel AX201 WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C, DP 1.4) 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x RJ45 1 x 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack
Power brick	240W AC adapter
Battery	3-cell 56 Wh or 6-cell 86 Wh
Keyboard	White, Orange, or Four-zone RGB backlit
Chassis	Color: Dark Shadow Grey Materials: Plastic Resin, Plastic Painting, Speckle Resin
Number pad	Full size
Fingerprint reader	No
Facial recognition	No
Website	Dell

All statements attributed to reviews are the reviewer's own opinion. Note that these claims were accurate at the time of publication and may be dated when you are reading this article. Read more.

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The Dell G15 5520 (2022) is a mid-range gaming laptop equipped with Intel 12th gen H series mobile processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3000 series mobile GPUs. Available configurations vary by store and location. The G15 5520 is positioned as a budget-friendly option for gamers looking for solid performance without the premium price tag of higher-end models.

Primary Hardware

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Processor

The Dell G15 5520 (2022) can come with the following processors:

• Intel Core i5-12500H with 12 cores (4 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 16 threads, 18 MB cache and a max frequency of 4.5 GHz.
• Intel Core i7-12700H with 14 cores (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores) and 20 threads, 24 MB cache and a max frequency of 4.7 GHz.

Dell supplies the processors with sufficient power and cooling for CPU-intensive tasks resulting in average to above-average performance compared to other laptops with the same processors. In CPU-only tasks, SKUs with the i7-12700H perform as expected. SKUs with i5-12500H perform well for their price range, providing a good balance between performance and cost.

Performance sustainability is good but not perfect, with all processors losing about 5-10% performance in long stress tests.

Benchmarks:

• Cinebench R23:
  • i5-12500H: ~1500 pts (single-core), ~12000 pts (multi-core)
  • i7-12700H: ~1800 pts (single-core), ~17000 pts (multi-core)

Graphics

In addition to the integrated Intel UHD Graphics, the Dell G15 5520 (2022) ships with the following discrete GPUs:

• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU with 4 GB GDDR6 memory.
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 6 GB GDDR6 memory.

All configurations support DLSS and Ray Tracing technologies.

Dell supplies all GPU configurations with sufficient power for gaming and other GPU-intensive tasks. In GPU-only benchmarks, SKUs with RTX 3060 perform slightly above average while SKUs with RTX 3050 Ti perform adequately for their price range.

In gaming, the RTX 3060 SKUs with the i7-12700H perform significantly better than the competition with the same GPU and are just 10% behind higher-end models with more powerful GPUs. The RTX 3050 Ti and i5-12500H SKU also perform well for their price, providing a good balance between performance and cost.

All SKUs lose a significant amount of graphics performance when running on the battery.

Benchmarks:

• 3D Mark TimeSpy 2560 x 1440:
  • RTX 3050 Ti: ~6000 pts
  • RTX 3060: ~8000 pts
• 3D Mark Fire Strike 1920 x 1080:
  • RTX 3050 Ti: ~15000 pts
  • RTX 3060: ~20000 pts
• The Witcher 3 1920 x 1080 Ultra HBAO+:
  • i5-12500H and RTX 3050 Ti: ~60 fps
  • i7-12700H and RTX 3060: ~90 fps

Memory

The Dell G15 5520 supports a maximum of 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz memory.

Pre-configured SKUs come with either 8 GB (1 x 8) DDR5-4800, 16 GB (2 x 8) DDR5-4800, or 32 GB (2 x 16) DDR5-4800 Memory. These sticks perform identically even when paired with different CPUs.

Benchmarks:

• AIDA64 Memory Copy: ~65000 MB/s

Storage

The Dell G15 5520 can ship with 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD depending on the seller. The OEM SSD only uses 1 slot in all configurations leaving the other slot open for upgrades.

Reviews of the i7-12700H + RTX 3060 and i5-12500H + RTX 3050 Ti SKUs note that both came with the Samsung PM9A1 1 TB SSD which is an OEM version of the popular 980 Pro. This SSD provides fast read and write speeds, making it suitable for gaming and other intensive tasks.

Benchmarks:

• CrystalDiskMark 8:
  • SEQ1M Q8T1 (Sequential 1MB blocks): ~6500 MB/s (read), ~4900 MB/s (write)
  • RND4K Q1T1 (Random 4 KB blocks): ~80 MB/s (read), ~200 MB/s (write)

Co-processors

The Dell G15 5520 does not have a dedicated NPU to accelerate AI applications.

Input Devices

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Keyboard

The Dell G15 5520 comes with a standard keyboard layout with full size number pad and full size arrow keys. The keyboard offers 1.5 mm travel and 0.2 mm pitch. The RGB backlight has three modes - single zone, four-zone, and orange backlit. The refresh rate of the display can be changed using the Fn + R keys. The Fn + Q keys can be used to switch between the three performance modes - Quiet, Balanced and Performance.

The typing experience is considered good with deeper travel and stronger feedback compared to competitors like Razer Blade or Asus ROG Zephyrus.

Touchpad

The Dell G15 5520 comes with a precision touchpad.

The touchpad is spacious enough for simple tasks. The clicking is shallow and lacks enough feedback.

Webcam

The Dell G15 5520 comes with an HD RGB camera with digital-array microphones.

The webcam has poor color accuracy with a minimum DeltaE of 2.31 and a maximum DeltaE of 17.75. The webcam looks soft but is much sharper than 720p webcams that used to be common a few years back. The clarity is adequate for casual calls. The webcam also supports Tobii Horizon head tracking that can be used in supported games.

Microphone

The Dell G15 5520 comes with a dual microphone array.

Output Devices

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Display

Dell ships the G15 5520 with 3 confirmed factory color calibrated displays:

• 15.6-inch, FHD, 1920 x 1080, 120 Hz, anti-glare, non-touch, 45% NTSC, 250 nits, wide-viewing angle (WVA)
• 15.6-inch, FHD, 1920 x 1080, 165 Hz, anti-glare, non-touch, 100% sRGB, 300 nits, wide-viewing angle (WVA)
• 15.6-inch, QHD, 2560 x 1440, 240 Hz, anti-glare, non-touch, DCI-P3 99%, 400 nits, wide-viewing angle (WVA)

The 15.6-inch, QHD, 2560 x 1440, 240 Hz panel reaches the rated 400 nits, has good screen uniformity and has above average contrast for a WVA panel at around 1400:1 however the black levels are somewhat high at maximum brightness. It also covers almost 100% of sRGB and DCI-P3 as rated and covers around 88 % of AdobeRGB. The screen is not well calibrated out of the box and NotebookCheck records an average ColorChecker DeltaE of 4.3 on their unit. They also measure an average gray to gray response time of 4.8 ms.

The 15.6-inch, FHD, 1920 x 1080, 120 Hz panel is the lowest-end panel offered by Dell on this unit. NotebookCheck records average contrast of 1000:1 which is below the rated 1200:1 and a gray to gray response time of 12 ms on their unit however the measured brightness is 8% higher than rated at around 380 nits with good screen uniformity. This panel is also calibrated better than the higher end panel with ColorChecker DeltaE of 0.97 on the tested unit.

None of the tested panels exhibit any PWM flickering at any brightness level.

Audio

The Dell G15 5520 comes with two bottom facing speakers near front corners in stereo configuration.

The speakers have a low maximum volume around 75 to 80 dB for a 15.6 inch laptop. They produce balanced to high mids and balanced highs but lack any noticeable bass.

Connectivity

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WiFi

Dell equips the G15 5520 with an Intel AX201 WiFi 6 WLAN module.

The G15 5520 performs noticeably worse than other laptops with the same module however it is still able to reach decent transfer speeds for regular use.

Benchmarks:

• iperf3 transmit AXE11000: ~630 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000: ~1040 Mb/s
• iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6 Ghz: ~820 Mb/s
• iperf3 receive AXE11000 6 Ghz: ~1200 Mb/s

Bluetooth

The Dell G15 5520 comes with a Bluetooth 5.0 module.

SD Card Reader

Dell does not include an SD card reader with the G15 5520.

USB

Dell equips the G15 5520 with the following USB ports:

• 1 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps) with always on functionality in the back (right most port when looking from behind).
• 2 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5 Gbps), one each in the back, left and right side.
• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, 10 Gbps) with 140W Lenovo Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 in the back.
• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, 10 Gbps) with DisplayPort 1.4 on the leftside.

Community reports suggest that the full 140W power delivery is not USB PD 3.1 compliant and only works when using a charger that supports 20V/7A like the Dell C140 and when connected to a 220/240 V outlet. Otherwise, the USB-C charging will be limited to 100 W. In either case, performance mode cannot be enabled when charging through USB-C.

Display Outputs

The Dell G15 5520 comes with 2 display outputs:

• 1 x USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 on the left side.
• 1 x HDMI 2.1 in the back.

The G15 supports up to 3 displays simultaneously including the built-in display.

Case

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The Dell G15 5520 (2022) is available in Dark Shadow Grey. The chassis is made from a combination of plastic resin, plastic painting, and speckle resin. The design is robust and functional, with a focus on durability and ease of maintenance. The lid opens to about 140 degrees, providing a good range of motion for various viewing angles. The surfaces are slightly roughened to reduce fingerprint buildup, but it still attracts dust and fingerprints.

The chassis has a more professional look compared to other gaming laptops with fewer accents and angles. The rear is elongated beyond the display lid to accommodate a larger internal cooling solution, contributing to the overall weight. There are two Dell logos - one on the lid and another on the palm rest. The build quality is solid with no noticeable flex or creaking.

Maintenance

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The bottom panel is held on by 10 Philips-head screws. Four screws on the leading edge are shorter than the rest. There are clips securing the panel that must be popped up after removing the screws.

Upgradeable components:

• 56 WHr or 86 WHr battery.
• Two M.2 2280 PCIe4 x4 SSDs each covered by an aluminum heatsink (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• Two DDR5-4800 SODIMMs covered by a single plastic shield (most configurations only have one slot filled from the factory).
• M.2 2230 wireless card.

Cooling System

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The Dell G15 5520 is equipped with dual fans connected to the core components with multiple heat pipes. The system intakes air from the side and bottom grilles and exhausts air through the back grilles.

Heat

Surface temperatures vary depending on the configuration.

The i5-12500H + RTX 3050 Ti SKU gets quite warm while idling, up to 38 °C on the bottom of the device. The left side with the WASD keys heats up more than the right side. Under heavy load, there is a hot spot of 55 °C on the bottom.

The i7-12700H + RTX 3060 SKU is slightly cooler while idling across all areas reaching up to 35 °C on the bottom. The palm rest and the WASD keys remain comfortable during intensive tasks.

Benchmarks:

• i5-12500H + 3050 Ti:
  • Maximum upper side: ~42 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~50 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~29 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~33 °C
• i7-12700H + 3060:
  • Maximum upper side: ~43 °C
  • Maximum bottom: ~54 °C
  • Idle upper side: ~32 °C
  • Idle bottom: ~35 °C

Noise

There is no electronic noise or coil whine. The laptop is effectively silent during undemanding loads like light browsing or video playback, hovering below 30 dB(A). During intensive tasks, the fans quickly ramp up even when set to balanced mode. Fan noise while gaming in balanced mode is identical to performance mode despite temperatures being noticeably lower in balanced mode. During intensive tasks, the laptop emits noise above 50 db(A) and is louder than most other gaming laptops. Most variants emit the same amount of noise with more powerful configurations being slightly louder.

Benchmarks:

• i5-12500H + RTX 3050 Ti:
  • Load: > 50 db(A)
• i7-12700H + RTX 3060:
  • Idle: ~23 db(A) (min), ~23 db(A) (avg), ~25 db(A) (max)
  • Load: ~45 db(A) (avg), ~53 db(A) (max)

Energy Management

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Power Consumption

The Dell G15 5520 ships with a 240 W AC adapter.

Dell remains very liberal with the power supplied to the CPU during combined CPU and GPU loads. Both the i5-12500H + RTX 3050 Ti and i7-12700H + RTX 3060 SKUs consume around 200 W during load with temporary spikes to around 240 W.

The i5-12500H + RTX 3050 Ti G15 draws around 45 W when idling for the most part, reducing to 15-20 W after waiting a very long time and any minor input brings the consumption back up to 45 W.

Battery Life

All Dell G15 5520 SKUs come with either a 56 WHr or 86 WHr Li-Polymer battery that Dell claims can charge from 0-50 % in 30 mins using the provided power adapter.

The battery life during light tasks is slightly below average for this class of laptop. Many competitors now include 90+ Whr batteries. Reviews verify the charging claims to be accurate.

Benchmarks:

• i5-12500H + RTX 3050 Ti:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 300 minutes
  • Load: 100 minutes
• i7-12700H + RTX 3060:
  • WiFi Browsing (150 nits): 280 minutes
  • Load (max brightness): 60 minutes

Biometrics

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The Dell G15 5520 does not support Windows Hello face recognition and does not have a fingerprint reader.

Software

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All SKUs ship with Windows 11 Home but the laptop can be upgraded to Windows 11 Pro, either manually or when buying directly from Dell.

Preinstalled Software

Alienware Command Center

The Alienware Command Center program acts as the primary control center in the Dell G15 5520. In addition to the performance profiles, the program also handles keyboard lighting, hardware troubleshooting, always on USB settings, toggling flip to start (opening the lid starts the laptop), battery conservation mode (limit charge to 80 %), MUX switch, system updates and other things.

There are three preset performance profiles - quiet, balanced and performance. Dell supports adding an AI engine in balanced mode that automatically adjusts system parameters based on the context. There is also a customized mode where the user can manually set various parameters.

Most reviewers use performance mode for performance benchmarks and quiet mode for the battery tests unless otherwise stated.

Other Preinstalled Software

The G15 also comes with other less useful software like Dell Digital Delivery, Dell Update, and My Dell.

There is also unwanted software like a 30-day McAfee security trial.

Accessories & Warranty

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The Dell G15 5520 comes with a 240 W AC adapter and paperwork.

There is a one-year limited manufacturer warranty if purchased in the US.

Reviews Summary

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Overall Sentiment

The Dell G15 5520 is considered a solid mid-range gaming laptop with good CPU and GPU performance relative to competitors. Often found under $1500, the G15 is suitable for people looking for a high-performance gaming laptop without breaking the bank. The laptop also comes with a decent screen for gaming and is highly upgradeable. The primary downsides are the poor battery life, large size, and weight which make it unsuitable for portable use away from an outlet for a long time.

Problems Summary

• No SD card reader.
• Below average speakers given the form factor.
• Slow WiFi compared to other laptops with the same module.
• High idle power consumption.
• Higher than average surface temperatures while idling and during intensive tasks.
• Below average battery life.
• Heavy.
• Large size.

Links

i5-12500H, RTX 3050 Ti, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD: TomsHardware,

i5-12500H, RTX 3050 Ti, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD: TechReviewer

i7-12700H, RTX 3060, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: NoteBookCheck