What the Difference Between Dell G5 vs G7?
The difference between Dell G5 and the Dell G7 are mainly from components and performance. The G7 can be configured with Intel i9 CPU, while the G5 is limited to the i7. However, In most cases, the difference between the i7 and i9 is minimal in these types of laptops.
The Dell G5 and G7 are both great gaming laptops for the price and if you are interested in getting one then you might find yourself on the fence regarding which of the two to get.
From the get-go, we can tell you that in terms of specifications, both laptops are very similar and the major differences are in the graphics card and the weight. Other than that, there are some aesthetic differences as well. We are going to compare both models and talk about both of them in depth.
Dell G5 vs G7 Comparison
The following are the basic specifications of both laptops at a glance:
| Features | Dell G5 | Dell G7 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 15.6-inch IPS 1920 x 1080 FHD 15.6-inch IPS 4K | 15.6-inch IPS 1920 x 1080 FHD 15.6-inch IPS 4K |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8750H | Intel Core i7-8750H Intel Core i9-8950HK |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB |
| GPU | Nvidia GTX 1050 Nvidia GTX 1050Ti Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q | Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q |
| Storage | 128GB SSD+1TB HDD 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD |
| Colors | Black with Red accents Red and Black | Black with Blue accents White |
| Weight | 6.28 lbs | 5.82 lbs |
It is worth mentioning that both of these laptops can be configured differently and the price will vary according to the configuration.
Dell G5
When it comes to looks, both gaming laptops look pretty much the same except for some minor variations. The G5 is only available in Black with Red accents. The logo has a Red tint and you get lighting on the keyboard and around the trackpad.
There are plenty of options when it comes to the CPU but the top of the line configuration comes with the Intel Core i7-8750H which has 6 cores and is more than ideal for gaming and content creation. The extra cores do come in handy when editing video or images.
On the graphics side, the laptop can be configured with up to a Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q, which is great for gaming and is also power efficient. If you go with the 1080p display then this graphics card will be able to run pretty much any game at 60 GPS at reasonably high settings.
Gaming Laptop With a Reasonable Price
- 8th Gen Intel i7 Processor
- GeForce GTX 1050Ti
- 16GB RAM Memory
The display is a 15.6-inch IPS 1920 x 1080 FHD screen but you can get a 4K panel as well. It is not ideal for gaming and we do not recommend it as you cannot fully appreciate the high resolution on such a small screen. We recommend getting the 1080p screen so that the graphics card can keep up and you can get better performance in games.
On the left side of the device, you have the power input, a USB 3.1 port, ethernet port and an SD card reader. On the right, you have the combo jack, a pair of USB 3.1 ports, a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support and an HDMI port.
There is a grill design on the back and on the front. The speakers are located on the left and right sides at the front. Most of the body is made of plastic and that is one of the reasons why the price is so reasonable but the laptop is still very well built.
The battery is a 4 cell 64W hour one and the battery life is pretty impressive. You can stream media for roughly four and a half hours and can play games for an hour and a half.
The cooling solution used is effective and the graphics card gets to around 88C at full load. At idle the temperature is around 46C, which is not bad for a laptop. The laptop is slightly lighter than the G5 and has similar battery life if you compare the same hardware. If you go with the i9 CPU then the battery life is going to be a bit shorter but the difference is not going to be significant.
Moving on to performance the laptop with the Core i7 and GTX 1060 can easily run pretty much any game at 1080p 60 FPS at high settings. Games that it can run impressively well include Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of War and The Witcher 3. Some games like Far Cry 5, Overwatch and Fortnite can run at 1080p 60 FPS using the Ultra preset.
Pros
- Impressive build quality
- Red accents
- Great performance
- Reasonable price
Cons
- Red keys are harder to see than Blue
- Backlight is optional extra for the keyboard
- Slightly heavier
- Trackpad click is not ideal
Dell G7
When it comes to looks, the G7 looks pretty much the same. The G5 is available in Black with Blue accents but there is a White version as well which you cannot opt for with the G5. The logo has a Blue tint and you get lighting on the keyboard and around the trackpad. The Blue accent keys are much easier on the eyes and can be seen clearly even with the backlight off.
On the graphics side, the laptop can be configured with up to a Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q, which is great for gaming and is also power efficient. If you go with the 1080p display then this graphics card will be able to run pretty much any game at 60 GPS at reasonably high settings.
Premium Gaming Laptop Pick
- Intel Core i7-8750H
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
- 16GB RAM Memory
The display is a 15.6-inch IPS 1920 x 1080 FHD screen but you can get a 4K panel as well. It is not ideal for gaming and we do not recommend it as you cannot fully appreciate the high resolution on such a small screen. We recommend getting the 1080p screen so that the graphics card can keep up and you can get better performance in games.
On the left side of the device, you have the power input, a USB 3.1 port, ethernet port and an SD card reader. On the right, you have the combo jack, a pair of USB 3.1 ports, a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support and an HDMI port. The layout is the same as the G5, so you are not missing out on anything.
There is a grill design on the back and on the front. There is a small G7 logo on the back and you can see through it. Between the grill, you can see Blue fins that match the accents of the laptop. It is a minor thing but it is still a very nice touch. Other than that, the layout is all the same and the build quality, sound and display are all similar to the G5.
Games that it can run impressively well include Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of War and The Witcher 3. Some games like Far Cry 5, Overwatch and Fortnite can run at 1080p 60 FPS using the Ultra preset.
Pros
- Core i9 option
- Blue accents
- Blue keys are easier to see in the dark
- Available in White
- Lighter than G5
- Better trackpad
Cons
- Minor backlight bleed (varies from unit to unit)
- Screen calibration is slightly worse than G5 (varies from unit to unit)
Dell G5 vs G7: Which Should You Get?
Both laptops are very similar. You can configure both with the same graphics card, RAM and similar storage. So which one should you get? Both laptops have a similar design as well. The G7 has the upper hand when it comes to the CPU as it can be configured with the i9 while the G5 is limited to the i7 but as we have mentioned, it is not really worth the upgrade.
The i9 does have a small edge over the i7 but it is limited and you will need to overclock it to get the most out of the CPU. In most workloads, the difference between the i7 and i9 is minimal and the i9 only takes the lead in workloads that take advantage of the higher single core clock speeds.
