2020 Dell G7 17 7790 17.3 Inch FHD Gaming Laptop
2020 Dell G7 17 7790 17.3 Inch FHD Gaming Laptop
Pros+satisfying feedback from QWERTY keys
+great CPU Turbo Boost performance
+144 Hz IPS panel comes standard
+quad-zone keyboardRGB lighting
+Thunderbolt 3 + SD card reader
+easy serviceability
+loud speakers
+strong base
Cons
-average battery life and battery capacity
-relatively high CPU temperatures
-higher-end SKUs are very pricey
-no other display options
-very loud when gaming
-slow recharge rate
-no subwoofer
-heavyCPU
Intel Core i7-8750H
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Laptop)
Display
17.3”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
HDD/SSD
256GB NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD
M.2 Slot
1x 2280 M.2 NVMe slot
RAM
16GB DDR4, 2666 MHz
Dimensions
404 x 296 x 25 mm (15.91" x 11.65" x 0.98")
Weight
3.27 kg (7.2 lbs)
Ports and connectivity
1x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, HDMI
3x USB Type-A 3.0 (3.1 Gen 1)
HDMI 2.0
Card reader SD, SDHC, SDXC
Ethernet lan Gigabit Ethernet
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
Audio jack 3.5mm audio jack
Features
Fingerprint reader
Web camera
Backlit keyboard
Microphone
Speakers
Optical drive
Security Lock slot
What’s in the box?
We got the Dell G7 17 7790 in a large, boring cardboard box. It has some more protective cardboard inside, while the laptop is placed inside a thick plastic protective bag. As of the charger, it is a 180W unit with the classic barrel plug.
Design and construction
Well, on the outside, the laptop certainly looks good. Sadly, though, there is not a single metal piece on the panel – everything is plastic. This makes the 3.27 kg chassis easily bendable and there are some squeaking noises coming from it during transportation when opened up, reminding us of the Pavilion Gaming series of HP. At least the 25 mm profile can be considered as a positive feature of this rather expensive device.
Opening up the lid is easy using even one hand, which is nice, but not unexpected, given the weight of the device. By the way, Dell is following their design from last year, however, now we see a lot of stripes on the outer strike. We found it to be a possible dirt magnet as well – at least it looks good.
Next, follows the keyboard. Another feature – another disappointment. While it has a backlight and optional RGB one, we can’t pass the fact that the keys are super small, compared to the Legion Y740 for example, while the key travel is very short. On the bright side, there is a clicky feel to them so during gaming you’ll notice the feedback very well… if you manage to hit the right key of course. Additionally, there is some slight bend of the keyboard area during typing, which is a little unpleasant.
Above the keyboard, there is a shiny surface, housing the G7 logo and the power button/fingerprint reader combo. By the way – this is one of the fastest ones on the market. On the other side of the keyboard is the touchpad, which has a decent size. It is also fast and accurate.
On the bottom side, you can see cut-outs right beneath the fans to supply enough air intake, while the speakers are user-facing and are mounted on the front side of the chassis. Hot air, respectively, comes out of the back and from the corner sides of the device. By the way, the side drills are super tiny, compared to the ones on Lenovo Legion Y740 for example.
Ports
Dell G7 17 7790 is equipped with everything you can possibly need in the I/O selection. They are saying that they’ve put most of the ports on the back so you’re hands are free of obstacles, but actually, we’ve seen companies do better job placing the ports to the back – like the HP Omen 15 (2018).
Anyways, on the right side, you can find a USB Type-C Thunderbolt connector, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) and a headphone jack. Moving to the back we see the power plug, an HDMI 2.0 port, USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1), a Mini DisplayPort and an RJ-45 connector, while the right side is home to the SD card reader and another USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1).
Dell G7 17 7790’s internals is guarded by a bottom plate with 10 Phillips head screws beneath it. Upon doing so, the back side of the bottom plate pops open and you can easily lift it up with your hands.
Inside we see a nearly identical picture to the internals of Dell G5 15 5590 we showed you earlier. Again – the color accent here is blue – in fact, a very beautiful one. The only difference here is that this laptop, expectedly, has longer heat pipes. Two of them (with different diameter) are cooling both the CPU and the GPU, while there is one more each, going around the fan to the other heatsink.
There are two RAM DIMMs available. They are hidden by a black cover, which shows you instructions on how to change the memory. Additionally, you can see a plastic bracket above it, which is meant to structurally enhance the strength of the device. On the left side of this bracket are located both of the storage sockets. There is one M.2 NVMe enabled slot, as well as a regular SATA connector.
This laptop is equipped with the same Alienware-labeled battery we saw on the G5 15 5590. It is rated at 60Wh and has 4-cells.
Display quality
We got the Dell G7 17 7790 in a configuration with a 60Hz Full HD IPS screen, model number AUO B173HAN-9K35D (AUO429D). Its diagonal is 17.3″ (43.94 cm), and the resolution – 1920 Ñ… 1080. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:9, the pixel density – 127 ppi, their pitch – 0.1995 x 0.1995 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 69 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels).
Dell G7 17 7790 has comfortable viewing angles. We have provided images at 45 degrees to evaluate quality.
The maximum measured brightness is relatively high – 303 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 283 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 10%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6840K (average) – slightly colder than the 6500K optimum for sRGB. The average color temperature through the grey scale before profiling is 7020K.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 140 nits) – in this particular case at 46% Brightness (White level = 142 cd/m2, Black level = 0.11 cd/m2).
Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio is very good – 1380:1 (1320:1 after profiling).
To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.
Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people in HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.
Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.
Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.
We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.
Below you can compare the scores of Dell G7 17 7790 with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).
The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.
The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.
Response time (Gaming capabilities)
We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.
We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 30 ms.
Health impact – PWM / Blue Light
PWM (Screen flickering)
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.
Dell G7 17 7790 doesn’t use PWM to adjust the brightness of its screen, thus making it comfortable and safe (in this aspect) for use in extended periods of time.
Blue light emissions
Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.
Conclusions
This configuration of Dell G7 17 7790 has a Full HD 17.3-inch IPS panel with comfortable viewing angles and very adequate default settings. Moreover, it has a relatively wide color coverage – 91% of sRGB and it doesn’t use PWM to adjust its screen brightness. All of this makes the 60Hz refresh rate, the only disadvantage of the panel.
Case
The most visually distinctive feature of the G7 7790 is the horizontal stripes along the edges and corners of the chassis. It's purely aesthetic and contrasts well with the honeycomb design of the pricier Alienware Area-51m or Alienware m17 G2. The Dell logo, default keyboard lighting, and even heat pipes are all shades of light blue to accentuate the "gaming" aspect of the Dell G Series. It may not be the most attractive to our eyes, but it's definitely novel in the gaming laptop space.
Chassis rigidity is excellent and surprisingly tough around the base. The palm rests and keyboard center exhibit almost no flexing when applying pressure and side-to-side twisting is a non-issue with almost no creaking. The lid is comparatively weaker and more susceptible to both flexing and depressions especially down the outer center or from its top corners, but this is expected on large 17.3-inch laptops. The lids of the Lenovo Legion Y740 and Razer Blade Pro 17 are weaker and stronger, respectively.
Build quality is excellent with no unintended gaps or crevices between materials on our test unit including along the bottom edge of the screen. Nonetheless, be prepared for fingerprints everywhere around the case. Much like on the Alienware m15, there is a glossy stripe across the Power button that will attract fingerprints like no tomorrow.
The narrower side bezels of the Dell G7 make it shorter in width than the competing MSI GL73 and Lenovo Legion Y740 which have thicker bezels. Because the larger rear ventilation extends the length of the chassis, however, the Dell laptop is longer in length than the aforementioned MSI and Lenovo. The overall chassis footprint is thus squarer than many other 17.3-inch gaming laptops.
One of the biggest drawbacks about the system is its hefty weight of 3.2 kg to be several hundred grams heavier than the Lenovo Legion Y740, Asus TUF FX705DT, and the Dell G3 17. There's no question that this is a heavy laptop even when considering its size category and this is perhaps the price to pay for a rigid build.
Connectivity
Available ports are actually quite similar to the Alienware m17 albeit rearranged and without the Graphics Amplifier port. Users get optional Thunderbolt 3 and a USB Type-A port on each of the three sides of the chassis. Most of the ports are located towards the rear of the unit where they can be inconvenient to reach. In contrast, laptops like the MSI GS75 have no ports on the rear.
SD Card Reader
Transfer rates from the integrated card reader are limited to about 34 MB/s. Moving 1 GB of pictures from our UHS-II test card to desktop takes about 36 seconds compared to under 8 seconds on the XPS 15.
The card reader slot is not spring-loaded. A fully inserted SD card still protrudes by about half its length for unsafe transport.
Communication
Dell has equipped the G7 17 with the same Killer 1550 WLAN module as on the higher-end XPS and Alienware systems. Users will have access to a variety of gaming-centric features as described .
Note that the product page for the G7 17 incorrectly lists Bluetooth 4.2 when all available SKUs come standard with Bluetooth 5.
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by 10 Philips screws. Servicing is very easy with no anti-tamper stickers or sharp edges to speak of. Users have direct access to both SODIMM slots, internal batteries, WLAN module, and storage bays.
Accessories and Warranty
There are no extras in the box other than the usual AC adapter and Quick Start guides. The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies with up to four-year extensions if desired.
Input Devices
Keyboard
We find the keyboard keys to be surprisingly firm relative to their low-moderate clatter. Feedback is crisper, deeper, and generally more satisfying than on the Razer Blade 15 series. The notable exceptions are the directional keys and NumPad keys which are smaller than the main QWERTY keys. As a result, these keys can feel cramped to use for long periods. For such a large chassis, there is less of an excuse to offer full-size Arrow keys and NumPad keys since more space is available.
Quad-zone RGB lighting comes standard in contrast to the single-zone lighting of the Dell G3 17 or per-key RGB lighting of most newer Alienware machines. The laptop uses the same AlienFX and Alienware Command Center software for lighting control as does the Alienware Area-51m, Alienware m15, and Alienware m17.
Touchpad
The clickpad surface is slightly roughened in contrast to the otherwise smooth palm rests and outer lid to improve traction and reduce sticking. Surface area is decent for the large screen size albeit still smaller than the clickpads on some Ultrabooks like the Huawei MateBook X Pro (10.5 x 8 cm vs. 12 x 7.8 cm). Although the surface still feels slightly sticky when gliding across very slowly, we experienced no cursor jumping or reliability issues during use.
The integrated mouse keys are shallow in travel with relatively weak feedback when pressed. A firmer click would have helped make it less spongy.
Display
All G7 7790 SKUs as of this writing ship with no other display options beyond the default 1080p 144 Hz matte IPS display. A closer look at the panel reveals it to be the AU Optronics AUO409D which can also be found on several 17.3-inch Asus laptops including the TUF FX705GM, ROG Strix Scar II GL704GW and GL704GM, and the Zephyrus S GX701GX. All these laptops subsequently share similar contrast ratios, response times, and color coverage. When compared to the budget Sharp panel on the Zephyrus G GA502, this AU Optronics panel is definitely of higher quality with less ghosting and deeper colors overall. We're glad to see more manufacturers phasing out 60 Hz in favor of 144 Hz as it's tough to go back to 60 Hz once you become accustomed to the smoothness of higher refresh rates.
Note that the older AU Optronics panel on the cheaper Dell G3 17 offers slower response times and a lower native refresh rate of just 60 Hz.
Graininess is minimal and a non-issue on the matte panel for crisp texts and images. Moderate uneven backlight bleeding is present along the top edge of our display test unit that becomes noticeable if viewing videos with black borders.
Performance
Dell is no stranger to offering a very wide selection of SKUs and configurations for its PCs and the G7 7790 is no different. Users can configure from the Core i5-9300H with GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics up to the Core i7-9750H and RTX 2070 Max-Q. These 9th gen Intel and Nvidia Turing options supplant last year's 8th gen Intel and Nvidia Pascal options of yesteryear.
Our test unit is equipped with an 8th gen Intel Core i7-8750H instead of the newer 9th gen Core i7-9750H. Our benchmarks below, however, will show that this does not necessarily put the G7 17 in a disadvantageous position.
Optimus is included by default and so Nvidia G-Sync is unavailable across the lineup.
Processor
CineBench R15
CPU performance is excellent with good sustainability over long periods of stress. When running CineBench R15 in a loop, for example, the initial score of 1190 points drop by only 8.8 percent over time. Performance is better than the newer Core i7-9750H in the Razer Blade 15 even after accounting for performance throttling as shown by our comparison graph below.
Users can expect a rough 60 percent performance boost if upgrading from the old Core i7-7700HQ. The lower-end SKU with the Core i5-8300H is about 30 percent slower than our Core i7-8750H SKU.
See our dedicated page on the Core i7-8750H for more technical information and benchmark comparisons.
2020 Dell G7 17 7790 17.3 Inch FHD Gaming Laptop
System PerformancePCMark benchmarks rank our system in the same ballpark as other laptops equipped with the same CPU and GPU. The Razer Blade 15 RTX 2070 Max-Q, for example, is within just 3 percentage points of our Dell G7 17.
We experienced no software or hardware issues during our time with the test unit.
Storage Devices
Two internal storage bays (M.2 2280 + 2.5-inch SATA III) are available. Our specific test unit utilizes an entry-level 256 GB Toshiba BG3 KBG30ZMS256G NVMe SSD and a secondary 1 TB Seagate ST1000LM035 5400 RPM HDD.
Sequential transfer rates from the Toshiba drive are slow for an NVMe SSD. Read and write rates are only about 1000 MB/s and 200 MB/s, respectively, compared to nearly 2000 MB/s from the more expensive Samsung PM981. Pricier gaming laptops from MSI or Razer are typically equipped with faster NVMe drives. The performance differences between NVMe SSDs shouldn't be an issue for most gamers.
See our table of HDDs and SSDs for more benchmark comparisons.
GPU Performance
The RTX 2070 Max-Q is only 8 to 9 percent slower than the standard mobile RTX 2070. The desktop RTX 2070, however, will still outperform our RTX 2070 Max-Q by about 36 to 44 percent. Users who opt for the lesser GTX 1660 Ti SKUs will see a performance deficit of about 25 percent.
It's important to note that the RTX 2070 Max-Q is about 19 percent and 42 percent faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q according to 3DMark Fire Strike and Time Spy, respectively. This means that users benefit more from the Turing series when running DX12-enabled titles.
Gaming Performance
All titles are playable at maximum settings because of the "low" native resolution of 1080p. Less demanding titles like Rocket League or Fortnite will be playable at a steady 144 FPS to make the most of the 144 Hz refresh rate. Running Witcher 3 shows no recurring frame dips to represent no interrupting background activity when gaming.
See our dedicated page on the GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q for more benchmark comparisons.
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling solution consists of twin fans and four heat pipes between them. With the exception of the initial boot up sequence, fan noise is generally very quiet when web browsing or video streaming. The system even remains relatively quiet at 31.8 dB(A) when running the first benchmark sequence of 3DMark 06.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true when gaming. Expect fan noise to be just over 50 dB(A) after gaming for a few minutes to be louder than the Lenovo Legion Y740 and older Dell G3 17 with GTX 1050 graphics. Perhaps not coincidentally, the system is about as loud as its Alienware m15 cousin when subjected to the same gaming loads. It's unrealistic to expect any gaming laptop to run quietly when under high processing loads, but the 50 dB(A) range is where we draw the line because the noise becomes very difficult to ignore without a good pair of headphones.
We're not able to notice any coil whine or electronic noise from our test unit.
Temperature
Four sets of exhaust grilles
Surface temperatures are noticeably warmer on the keyboard keys than on the palm rests or trackpad even when idling on desktop. We're able to record a temperature of 28 C on the palm rest compared to 34 C on the center of the keyboard. This delta can expand to 18 C when gaming or running other very high loads. The hot spots are thankfully toward the top row of the keyboard keys where users are less likely to touch frequently when gaming. Though we don't find the temperatures bothersome, the competing Lenovo Legion Y740 is able to run cooler than the Dell; the keyboard center of the Lenovo tops out at only 36 C compared to 47 C on the our G7 17.
Stress Test
We stress the system with synthetic loads to identify for any potential throttling or stability issues. When running Prime95, the CPU can be observed running as high as 3.9 GHz for the first few seconds until reaching a core temperature of 86 C. Thereafter, clock rates drop to the 3.6 to 3.7 GHz range in order to maintain a cooler core temperature of 82 C. When running both Prime95 and FurMark simultaneously, core temperatures stabilize in the low 70 C range each.
Running Witcher 3 is more representative of real-world gaming stress. We're able to record stable CPU and GPU temperatures of 89 C and 69 C, respectively. compared to 76 C and 66 C on the MSI GL73 8SE. The CPU temperature is a little high even for a gaming laptop.
Running on batteries will limit performance. A Fire Strike run on battery power returns Physics and Graphics scores of only 4507 and 1793 points, respectively, compared to 15939 and 17466 points when on mains.
Speakers
The stereo speakers are loud and pretty good for the size. Balance is decent even though bass could be better. We're a bit disappointed that there is no dedicated subwoofer considering the four-digit starting price of this machine.
Maximum volume introduces no static or reverberations on the palm rests. Note that our unit does not come with any pre-installed Nahimic software even though Dell advertises the Nahimic Sound Center software on the official product page.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The system demands anywhere between 9 W and 24 W when idling on desktop depending on the brightness setting and power profile. When running Witcher 3, consumption becomes constant at 155 W compared to 147 W on the MSI GL73 with RTX 2060 graphics. When considering that the RTX 2070 Max-Q offers 13 to 17 percent faster performance than a mobile RTX 2060, the 6 percent higher power consumption looks like a fair trade.
At most, we're able to record a power consumption of 172 W from the medium-sized (~15.5 x 7.5 x 3.3 cm) 180 W AC adapter. It's important to note that the system will recharge or even discharge very slowly when both the CPU and GPU are stressed to their limits.
Battery Life
Battery capacity is average at 60 Wh compared to 90 Wh on the pricier Alienware m17. Users can expect about 4 hours of real-world WLAN use when set to the Balanced profile with the integrated GPU active. While better than both the MSI GL73 and Lenovo Legion Y740, the Dell G3 is able to outlast out G7 17 by almost two hours longer when under similar conditions. We expected a little more from the machine especially since it is equipped with Optimus.
Charging from empty to full is slow at about 2 to 2.5 hours. Note that the recharge rate will become even slower when gaming or running other high loads.
Verdict
In review: Dell G7 17 7790
The Dell G7 17 7790 has many of the same pros and cons as the Alienware m15 and m17. Performance is excellent especially when it comes to maintaining reliable Turbo Boost levels for long periods, but this comes at the price of a warmer CPU. The heavy weight and loud fans compare unfavorably to the lighter and generally quieter Lenovo Legion Y740 which comes equipped with the same CPU and GPU options as our Dell. Heavy gaming laptops are understandable, but they should be quieter to make up for the weight and the G7 17 unfortunately has the worst of both worlds.
Despite the above, there's more to like than dislike about the system. The standard 144 Hz panel, easy serviceability, sound base, and bevy of port options leave a solid first impression even if the chassis might not look as sleek as many of its competitors. If you plan on taking your 17.3-inch gaming laptop on-the-go frequently, however, then the lighter MSI GS75 or Acer Predator Helios may be the wiser option.
2020 Dell G7 17 7790 17.3 Inch FHD Gaming Laptop
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