Over the past few years, the 15-inch Dell G15 has been one of my picks for affordable gaming laptops. It's not as flashy as the Alienware, nor as functional as the Inspiron. And my recommendation for his G15 is especially well received by the parent with his teenage kids in need of their first gaming laptop.
There's also a new 16-inch version of his screen called the G16 (you guessed it), which seems to have caught Dell's attention. While the G15 typically starts at just under $1,000, the G16 starts at his $1,339 and has many of the same configuration options. While it's not exactly budget-friendly (I think budget gaming laptops are in the $1,000-$1,200 range), the G16 is an excellent value overall for what you get.
I was able to test both systems side by side. The G16 reviewed here has a slight upgrade from the stock configuration, replacing his base Nvidia GeForce 3050Ti GPU with his 3060 ($1,499 total). Also, I was only able to get my hands on his G15 configuration for under $1,000. Buying directly from Dell typically costs $949, but some retailers, such as Best Buy, offer better prices during sales or special configurations that differ from those sold directly by Dell. may occur. The exact configuration for each system is provided in the system configuration section below.
This is where the pricing and configuration options get a little complicated, but the good news. At the time of writing this review, Dell has discounted the very G15 configuration we tested from $949 to $799. A better G15 configuration with double the RAM and storage is now $899 (up from $1,149). Closer to our test configuration, but with 1 TB of storage instead of 512 GB, the G16 starts at $1,299 (up from $1,599). Those retail prices may be gone by the time you see them, but they're a good deal on a budget gaming laptop.
15 inch or 16 inch?
Selling price aside, if both systems are configured identically, with CPUs, GPUs, displays, RAM, and storage as close as possible, the two systems cost about the same, within about $50-$100. will be In this case, it's a heavy laptop with a large desktop footprint, but with a larger 16-inch display. The G15 also comes with 120Hz, 165Hz and 240Hz display options, while the G16 has only one 165Hz, 2560 x 1600 display. However, 16 on the G16 display is larger. 10 aspect ratio becoming the new standard for laptop screens.
Neither of these models are particularly flashy, which is part of my appeal. A basic dark gray laptop look is best, with a cheaper mix of plastic and aluminum and a thicker, less streamlined chassis. It doubles as a machine and a laptop for everyday work.
What both of these laptops lack is a huge selection of ports and connectors that gaming laptops specifically need, like everyone has only one USB-C port on his . You might run out of the small number of ports on both the G15 and G16 very quickly, as you might connect mice, capture cards, headphones, external storage, and more.
This is especially true of the G15, which included a tiny 256 GB SSD in my $949 configuration. This is because we were specifically looking for builds under $1,000. If you decide to buy the G15, throw in an extra $100 for a 512GB SSD. After Windows system files, I had very little space for some games. Buying a 256GB gaming laptop is like buying an entry level 64GB Steam Deck. Memory upgrades aside, the G15 is a great example of a budget gaming laptop that ditches the frills and delivers more gaming experience per buck. The design itself is starting to look a bit dated, and the 16-inch G16 model's thinner frame and slightly larger footprint tip the scales too far.
Playing, I found both keyboards to be just right. Both systems had built-in audio that didn't feel particularly expansive, and the 15- and 16-inch displays were both a little muted, though the G16 could have been brighter. The touchpad is similarly basic, and although these two have different screen sizes, both laptops are 14 inches wide. Oddly enough, the slightly smaller G15 has a number pad next to the keyboard. Not a G16.
Both systems are capable of playing new and current PC games, especially if you leave the resolution at 1920 x 1080. However, there is a significant performance difference between the Core i5/3050 combo in the G15 and the Core i7/3060 in the G16. Played the new Call of Duty.
MW2 in both, in addition to the usual benchmark games. With the "balanced" setting and FHD resolution, I got 87 fps on MW2 on the G15 and 130 fps on the G16 with the same settings, so even the slower G15 has a great gaming experience.
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