In this review, I provide all you need to know about the Dell 17 3779. To deliver on this, the review offers a detailed analysis of the laptop’s overall design, CPU, RAM, storage, graphics, and battery performance. Hence, at the end of this review, you will be able to decide if buying this laptop is worthwhile.
My Initial Thoughts
Dell introduced the G series as an affordable alternative for gamers who are wary of the highly-priced Alienware laptop. In the US, the G series starts at $800.
Therefore, customers can make their choices based on configurations and budgets. Attractiveness is definitely not the niche of Dell G3 17 3779. This is not surprising as we expect Dell to make some compromises to deliver an affordable but yet efficient gaming laptop. Notwithstanding, do not get disappointed yet because you might be amazed that what Dell G3 17 3779 lacks in appearance, the laptop compensates in performance.
Dell G3 17 3779 Design, Dimension & Weight Review
The design of Dell G3 17 3779 is plain and simple with a smooth finish. We are not surprised by this, as Dell is not known to be much of a flashy brand. The Dell G3’s chassis is made of plastic. As this is a low-quality material, we are not impressed by the build quality. However, considering the price, we were not expecting much better either. As expected, in the middle of the lid, there is the Dell logo in blue accents. Also, Dell placed the G3 logo at the back and on the hinge of the laptop. Opening the lid, you are greeted with the 17-inch screen, surrounded by thick bezels. When you move your eyes away from the screen – towards the bottom, you will be delighted by the keyboard – sufficiently wide as expected of a 17-inch laptop. The keys are spaced so well that you even get a full-sized Numpad positioned to the right. In addition, there is enough space to rest your palms which makes gaming for long hours less stressful. The keyboard is also characterized by a blue backlight, anti-spill protection, and a fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is embedded inside the power button. These features are commendable, considering the affordability of this laptop. Furthermore, the touchpad occupies a relatively large area of the keyboard. Additionally, the blue outline of the touchpad is a nice feature of this rather bland gaming laptop. Another thing this laptop has going for it is its slim size. Dell G3 17 3779 is one of the slimmest 17-inch laptops in the Dell G series. The laptop has a dimension of 415.4 x 279.2 x 25 mm and a weight of 3270 g. Moving on to color options, this laptop ignores the norm of offering multiple color options. Instead, it is available in just two colors – black and recon blue. One thing we are sure of is that you will certainly not run out of ports to use. This is a result of the numerous ports available on the Dell G3 3779. On the left, it has a DC charging jack, an HDMI 2.0 port, an Ethernet LAN port, two USB 3.0 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Impressively, Dell equipped the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 configuration with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) port. Furthermore, on the right-hand side of the Dell G3 3779, there is an SD card reader, a USB 2.0 port, and a noble lock slot. Lastly, Dell G3 3779 supports Windows Hello fingerprint with its fingerprint scanner. This feature is beneficial for seamless biometric fingerprint authentication. Therefore, considering the features discussed above, I will rate the Dell G3 3779 a six.
Dell G3 17 3779 Processor (CPU) Performance Review
Dell offers two configurations for Dell G3 17 3779’s processor. You can get this laptop with the 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8300HQ with 4 Cores or the Core i7-8750HQ with 6 Cores. More so, the Core i5 processor has a base frequency of 2.30 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.00 GHz. Whereas the core i7 processor has a base frequency of 2.20 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.10 GHz. Thankfully, both configurations deliver powerful performances whether you’re gaming, streaming videos, or working on CPU-intensive projects. However, as a gamer, you won’t notice a difference between the two processors. This is because even demanding games played well on the Core i5 option. However, if you will use Dell G3 for tasks like video editing, the Core i7 configuration is the right choice for you. Our test unit comes with the Core i5-8300 processor. Therefore, I will provide a real-life performance of the processor as tested using the Cinebench 20 CPU test. Dell G3 17 3779 scored 1,689 points in the Cinebench 20 CPU test. Unfortunately, this falls short in comparison with Acer Predator Helios 300 with Intel Core i7-8750H, which scored 2,335 points. On a brighter note, on this test, Dell G3 17 3779 surpasses the performance of ASUS ROG Strix GL703VM with Intel Core i7, which scored 1,772 points. Hence, I will rate the Dell 17 3779 a seven for its processor performance.
Dell G3 17 3779 Memory (RAM) Performance Review
Dell equipped the G3 17 3779 with 2 RAM slots supporting a RAM capacity ranging from 4 GB to 32 GB. When using both slots, each slot takes a maximum of 16 GB. Our test unit ships with 8GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM in a single slot. Although 8 GB RAM is not particularly large, it is sufficient for most games and everyday computing tasks. However, the RAM can be upgraded to improve the laptop’s performance. An upgrade can be easily achieved by increasing the RAM capacity via any of the 2 available RAM slots. We tested the performance of the RAM by opening 30 chrome tabs at the same time. Three of these tabs included YouTube video streaming. Despite these tasks running simultaneously, Dell G3 17 3779 seemed unbothered as it kept running the processes smoothly without lag. In a PCMark 10 test, Dell G3 17 3779 scored 7,888 points which is significantly higher than ASUS ROG Strix, which scored 7,695 points. Finally, as a result of its RAM performance, I will be rating it an eight.
Dell G3 17 3779 Storage Options & Performance Review
Dell G3 17 3779 supports dual drives – SSD and HDD. Therefore, users can choose a solid-state drive, a hard drive, or a combination of both. The SSD can take a maximum capacity of 512 GB, while the HDD can take a maximum capacity of 2 TB. Overall, both storage options ensure the smooth running of games and basic computing tasks. In addition, you also get an additional SD card reader for storage expansion. In terms of storage performance, our test unit offers an SSD with 128 GB of storage. It also has a 1-TB 5400 RPM HDD. On a CrystalDiskMark test, Dell G3 17 3779 recorded a sequential read speed of 524.1 MBps. This sequential read is impressively higher than the average read speed of 507 Mbps. More so, the laptop also recorded a write speed of 204.3 MBps. Unfortunately, this write speed lags behind the average write speed of 372 MBps. Furthermore, the Dell G3 15 3590 copied 4.97 GB of multimedia files in 3 minutes 53 seconds at a rate of 24.2 MBps. In comparison, it fell behind ASUS ROG Strix GL703VM, which copied the same file in 2 minutes 38 seconds at a rate of 32.2 MBps. Overall, Dell G3 17 3779 storage speed is below average. Therefore, I am rating it a six in this respect.
Dell G3 17 3779 Graphics Card Performance Review
Dell offers three graphic options for Dell G3 17 3779. You can buy the laptop with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 4 GB GDDR5 memory or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti also with 4 GB GDDR5 memory. Additionally, Dell G3 17 3779 is also available with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q Design with 6 GB GDDR5 memory. This configuration is the most powerful of the 3. Our test model comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050. To determine the graphics performance of this machine, we performed some gaming tests.In our test, Rise of The Tomb Raider (2016), at ultra quality settings and 1080p resolution, played at 39 FPS. Moreover, at 1080p resolution and ultra settings, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey played at 29.8 FPS. In addition to this, we also tested the performance of the Dell G3 using the 3DMark Fire Strike graphics benchmark. Based on this benchmark test, Dell G3 17 3779 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (GDDR5) scored 6,271 points. This result surpasses the 5,959 points of Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (GDDR5). However, Dell G3 17 3779 fell behind ASUS ROG Strix GL703VM with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (GDDR5), which scored 11,675 points. All things considered, I will rate the graphics performance of the Dell G3 17 3779 an eight.
Dell G3 17 3779 Battery Life & Performance Review
Dell equipped G3 17 3779 with a 56Whr, 4-cell battery featuring quick-charge options. The 56Wh battery of this laptop delivers an average of 4 hours 30 minutes under standard operation. During continuous web surfing, G3 17 3779 battery lasted for 4 hours 40 minutes. This is low in comparison with Acer Aspire 7 A717-71G with a 3220mAh 4-cell battery – which lasted for 6 hours 49 minutes. The Dell G3 17 3779 battery also performed below the Acer Predator Helios 300 with a 3220 mAh 4-cell battery, which lasted 6 hours and 18 minutes. G3 17 3779 barely surpassed the performance of ASUS ROG Strix GL703VM with a 64Wh battery, which lasted 3 hours 40 minutes. However, as you can see from the results above, the battery performance of Dell G3 17 3779 is not remarkable. Although, this is not surprising as most gaming laptops are guilty of this as well. Therefore, I will rate the battery performance a seven.
My Final Thoughts
Dell G3 17 3779 might not be the best gaming laptop out there, and we don’t think it needs to be. After all, it is a low-budget gaming laptop. However, it is a great option for anyone looking to save some money and game on the go. Moreover, Dell G3 17 3779 is sufficient for light gaming. Unfortunately, it will not let you play games like Far Cry 5 at maximum settings. In conclusion, the design of Dell G3 17 3779 is obviously not its top-selling point. Notwithstanding, we think it has earned some merits that suit its price via its performance. I hope you found this Dell G3 17 3779 review helpful. If you found the review helpful, kindly spare a few minutes to share your thoughts with Itechguides Community Forum. You may also ask questions or make comments regarding this review at Itechguides Community Forum. Our team and other community members will respond to your questions or comments as soon as possible. Finally, for more laptop reviews, visit our Laptop Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.
