G5 delivers exactly what it promises...An upper mid-tier Gaming rig for 1080p play
The media could not be loaded. I have seen countless negative reviews for this model on YouTube and here on Amazon. I cannot disagree more. I've been an avid gamer (both Console and PC) for 32 years, and I should like to think that I might know a thing or three about these matters. So, I'm going to tell you what you are getting, argue against the negative review points, and maybe teach you a thing or two. So, what I received was a core i7 10700F (locked version...not overclockable by user), 16 GB of DDR 4 at @2933Mhz, an OEM Nvidia GTX 1660 TI (reference model spec), a Dell 1 TB NVME SSD PCI-E Gen 3 without DRAM but offset with HMB technology, standard (low-end standard, btw) 80 mm back case fan, standard cpu cooler/fan, and a 500w OEM PROPRIETARY POWER SUPPLY, glass side panel, and LED bar inside. I also got a 2-year warranty, of course. In terms of cost, you would be hard pressed to assemble this system for less than Dell offers. In other words, you are actually getting what you pay for. Regarding Upgradability....that's a mixed bag with many variables. Do you like to tinker with hardware? Are you capable? Are you the kind of person who just wants to play? Are you a little of both? Well, you can certainly upgrade this machine's processor, memory, hard drives, video card, add certain coolers, replace fans, and add in expansion. But, If you want to put the internals into another box later on, or want to upgrade the power supply, you will need a new motherboard. Why? Because the PSU is proprietary and thus so must the motherboard be. Simple as that...truly the only major downside with this build, and poor choice by Dell Now let's talk about performance. The GT 5000 delivers hands down! However, you have to understand what you are doing here, my friends. This GPU was meant for FHD or 1080p on High/Ultra settings gaming. If you enable V-sync you can get a Solid 60FPS. Without, expect in the high 110 or 120s with most but not all games. This is important to know because most console games are locked at either 30 FPS or 60 FPS, (XBOX ONE, ONE X, PS4, PS4 Pro) and the newer 4K consoles at 60FPS (Series X, PS5) Knowing this, the 1660 TI comfortably outperforms the One X. So, you are not going to get above 30FPS with this config on 4K. Use it at 1080p Ultra or 1440p on medium to get that famous PC gaming performance that outshines the console. For a few examples we have Gears of War 4 Ultra-120FPSish, Witcher 3 Ultra-V-Sync-60FPSsolid, CONTROL High-MSAAx2-Volumetric Lighting Medium-V-Sync-60FPSsome drops to 51FPS, Deus Ex :Mankind Divided-Ultra-MSAAoff-V-Syncoff-60FPS some drops to 52FPS. As you can see, it runs the latest most PC breaking games very very well. Now, some people say that because this rig has only one fan in the rear of the case that it is a hotbox and will fry your CPU, GPU, etc. I can tell you that while the choice of 80mm over 120mm was poor, it is still adequate for this setup. Also, some even have shown the PC shutting down due to overheating. Yeah.......that can happen....if you don't bother to set up your fan profiles through Alienware Control panel. Yup....you are a big boy now! You get to actually control your airflow. So, this system ships for some with quiet fan mode enabled. That's not good for intense gaming. Simply choose either balanced, or performance. You can even make your own custom fan curves to precisely manage temps. The fans are perfectly capable, and the whole PC case is an open damned vent. lol There are two known bugs in software that I have encountered though. if you accidentally uninstall Alienware Control Panel, you are almost SOL and JWF. It breaks an installer and will not allow you to install it again....ever. Well, unless you reinstall Windows, or play in the Registry. But with an NVME drive.......doesn't take much time I guess. Also another Alienware CP bug. You can change your mouse settings, but every time you do, Alienware CP has a hissy fit with .Net Framework. So.......Dell....You think you might wanna fix that for me, bro? You know, seeing as how I am writing you a nifty review. Only other complaint with software has nothing to do with Dell....it's Nvidia. Their drivers has been stinky stanky poo since July. That's on Nvidia and affects most of their GPUs on Windows 10. They broke hardware acceleration. Anywho, the driver that ships with this system is awesome....it is the last one from July. To sum it up, this system is awesome if you have any idea what you are doing, Dell customer Support is still useless as ever, and it can do what it claims. Buy it or don't, man. UPDATE: I just wanted to note that I paid a little over $1200 for this model. It sells for about $1350 atm (1-07-2020) In regards to this...there is another configuration offered with the RTS 2060Super. That model is not a value for the money in comparison to the 1660TI model. It's almost $400 more, yet the price difference in GPUs is only $200. So, call that overpricing. UPDATE: Computer prices have skyrocketed. Getting any configuration on this system is now perfectly cost effective. UPDATE: This particular PC was easily upgraded with the latest NVidia RTX 3060 Ti. Dell now sells this system with an OEM 3070. There is no 3070 on the commercial market that fits well in this small chassis or is able to utilize the proprietary psu. Therefore, I recommend not upgrading beyond 3060 Ti. The particular RTX 3060 Ti I use is the EVGA XC dual fan model. Anything bigger or more powerful involves removing the front HDD cage. The card has performed exceedingly well for 3 months with no power issues or heat problems. You just gotta know how PCs work and quit relying on Dell to hold your hand. They publish all the specs and info. They simply just expect you to understand. Read more
