Best Dell gaming laptops 2023

What is the best Dell gaming laptop? We’ve selected the top gaming laptops from Dell available right now; that will also give you the best gaming experience for your budget. Dell’s premium Alienware division is often the first port of call for players wanting a new gaming laptop, but Dell also has its own branded, very competent G series lineup.

The G series positions itself beneath the best Alienware gaming laptops, and includes affordable, mid-range machines. It does take cues from Alienware, however, especially when it comes to thermal design, RGB lighting and dynamic performance. The Dell G16 at the top of our guide offers strong, all-round, gaming performance, while the Dell G15 is a great 15.6-inch option with a QHD 240Hz display option if you want the best visuals. many of our choices could easily be among the best gaming laptops in general, but that goes to show the pedigree that Dell has in the market.

When shopping for a Dell gaming laptop, look for the best overall package for your needs, as its machines are generally good value propositions out of the gate. Dell laptops are frequently discounted, making lower-end and previous-generation models an absolute steal. But you’ll need to weigh up whether missing recent technology such as DLSS 3 frame generation will affect the games you play.

Whether you’re after a highly efficient machine, an esports champ, or something that is going to excel at everything, we’ve compiled a list of the best Dell laptops for gaming in 2023.

The best Dell gaming laptops in 2023 are:

1. Dell G16 – best overall
2. Dell G15 – best for esports
3. Dell G15 5520 – best value laptop
4. Dell G15 Ryzen Edition – best budget  laptop
5. Dell G15 4050 – best budget RTX 4000 laptop
6. Dell G16 7620 – best last-gen laptop

1. Dell G16

Best Dell gaming laptop overall.

Dell G16 specs:

Pros:

• Alienware performance for Dell price
• Great screen
• Beefy cooling

Cons:

• 4070 VRAM limitations
• No 4080 option

The Dell G16 bears a striking resemblance to the Alienware M16. As Dell owns Alienware, often those designs bleed into Dell offerings and at competitive prices. Inside, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 review graphics card will make short work of most games and older and esports titles will make full use of the display. Being an RTX 4000 series card, the Dell G16 has access to DLSS 3 frame generation to make for some incredibly smooth visuals.

Keeping the 4070 up to speed is the Intel i9-13900HX which shouldn’t have any issue with CPU bottlenecks as it’s a seriously powerful gaming CPU. Any potential trouble with unoptimized games should be sorted out with DLSS 3 should they support it or have it modded in like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

As the G16 comes equipped with such a capable CPU, it seems odd that the GPU tops out at a 4070. The 13900HX would work very well with a 4080 and ensure a bit more longevity.

It is worth considering if you think 8GB of VRAM is sufficient for your needs going forward. Otherwise, the Dell G16 is a great all-rounder and our top pick for most players.

2. Dell G15

Best Dell gaming laptop for esports.

Dell G15 specs:

Pros:

• Ludicrously quick 360Hz panel
• Well balanced system
• Great value

Cons:

• Tops out at 4060

Esports requires you to have every edge that you can get, and the G15 offers a screen with a 360Hz refresh rate. In conjunction with its well-balanced specs, we’re choosing it as our best Dell gaming laptop for esports, but it’s a great choice for anyone who prioritizes screen performance above all else.

Using the RTX 4060 with sensible settings, you should easily be able to max out your panel’s refresh rate to give yourself an extra advantage. For other gaming titles, DLSS 3 frame generation will give the 4060 some extra legs for a smooth single-player experience, especially in graphically demanding titles such as Cyberpunk 2077.

The 13650HX CPU, whilst not as capable as the 13900HX found in the G16, can still achieve some remarkable feats and it’s very suited to the midrange sensibilities of the 4060. It’d be nice to have seen a 4070 paired with a 360Hz panel for versatility, but at a standard price of around $1,549.99 (£1,399.00), the G15 is a good value proposition.

3. Dell G15 5520

Best value Dell gaming laptop.

Dell G15 5520 specs:

Pros:

• Great value when discounted
• Fast 165Hz display

Cons:

• 4060 isn’t much more

As much as we love the most powerful gaming laptops out there, we equally love laptops that strike the balance between price and performance. The G15 5520 does exactly that, as our best-value Dell gaming laptop. Why?

The G15 5520 features the RTX 3060, a capable card that will offer years of good gaming. If you like less intensive games such as Minecraft, esports titles like CS: GO, or mostly older games, you shouldn’t have any issues running them. DLSS 2 upscaling helps level the playing field when playing more demanding titles and breathes more life into the midrange hero.

The Intel i7-12700H can handle complex renders or code compilation, although it won’t blaze through these tasks as quickly as a more powerful CPU. The 165Hz FHD display leads you to believe you’re using a far more premium laptop, and motion will feel smooth with snappy response times to boot.

The Dell G15 5520 regularly dips below the crucial $1000 (£1000) mark, making it an ideal choice if you’re looking for the best value.

4. Dell G15 Ryzen Edition

Best budget Dell gaming laptop.

Dell G15 Ryzen Edition specs:

Pros:

• Unbelievably cheap
• Upgradeable ram

Cons:

• Dim display
• RTX 3050

The Dell G15 Ryzen Edition gets crowned the best budget Dell gaming laptop, thanks to the amount of gaming power you get from such a cheap device. It’s an excellent option for getting into PC gaming on a budget and even offers some upgrade paths via the RAM and storage to give your device some extra oomph down the road.

The 3050 isn’t going to run Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing but it will happily hum away playing lighter esports, indie games, and those that are a few years old. The Ryzen 5 6600H is a very capable little CPU and has a surprisingly good battery life for such a cheap machine.

The display has certified gaming credentials being 120Hz and the G15 Ryzen Edition is going to feel much snappier than any notebook in the same price bracket. The display is a little dim, however, and the RTX 3050 can be seen to struggle with more modern games. We’d suggest choosing your battles wisely and making use of features such as DLSS 2 to help keep ahead for as long as you can.

At around $849.00 (£849.00)  there is little room to complain, especially given the Dell G15 Ryzen Edition regularly goes on sale down to the $600-700 (£600-700) range.

5. Dell G15 4050

Best budget RTX 4000 Dell gaming laptop.

Dell G15 4050 specs:

Pros:

• Affordable entry point to RTX 4000 features
• Extremely efficient

Cons:

• Mismatched specs between US and UK versions

If you desperately need or want features that are exclusive to the Nvidia RTX 4000 series – such as superb efficiency or DLSS3 frame generation – the G15 4050 is the best budget RTX 4000 Dell gaming laptop for you.

Seeing how expensive energy bills have become in some parts of the world, people are rethinking just how much gaming might cost them. Though the RTX 4000 series has been maligned for its more budget offerings, the 4050 is a very efficient machine.

The aforementioned DLSS 3 allows the 4050 to perform some truly remarkable feats especially as more games adopt the technology. The 4050 can even get playable framerates between 30-50fps in Cyberpunk 2077 with raytracing enabled whilst using DLSS.

In the US, the 4050 G15 gets a better processor with the 14-core i7-13650HX whereas the UK has the 10-core i5-13450HX. The latter is no slouch and is more than up to the task, though. Secondly, at this configuration, the US spec has a QHD 240Hz panel which is lovely for older games and skimming around the desktop but arguably the 165Hz FHD panel of the UK G15 makes more sense to be paired with a 4050 though if you mostly play esports – a faster and higher-resolution panel might just be the money for you.

6. Dell G16 7620

Best last-gen Dell gaming laptop.

Dell G16 7620 specs:

Pros:

• RTX 3070 is still quick
• Powerful 12900H CPU
• Fast 16:10 QHD+ display

Cons:

• Marginally cheaper than 4070 when not on sale
• No longer available in the UK

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the performance on offer by the 3070 if you’re upgrading from a lower-end 2000 series or 1000 series card which is why the Dell G16 7620 is our best last-gen Dell gaming laptop.

The 3070 trades blows with the 4060 and can often be faster than it in many titles owing to its bigger memory bus width and memory bandwidth. The G7620 is equipped with a still capable Intel i9-12900H so any CPU-bound tasks shouldn’t pose much of a problem nor will you be bottlenecked when you approach the max refresh rate of the screen.

The screen is a lovely QHD+ 165Hz panel that the 3070 shouldn’t have any trouble making the most of especially when using DLSS 2 in games that support it. At its average price of $1,799.99, we would suggest you bide your time as you could bag yourself a faithful and diligent performer for a sweet price.

What’s the newest Dell gaming laptop?

The newest Dell gaming laptops are the new G15 and G16 laptops, which make use of the latest Nvidia RTX 4000 series of cards ranging from the 4050 to the 4070. They’re also equipped with Intel’s latest 13th-generation CPUs meaning that there is plenty of power on hand in the midrange market.

There are updated displays too, ranging from FHD panels up to QHD+ 240Hz 16:10 aspect ratio displays that are found in many high-end laptops in 2023.

Is Dell better than Razer and Alienware?

Dell owns Alienware and has done so since 2006, so it’s slightly more nuanced when considering the dynamic between the three. In terms of value proposition, Dell positions itself very well, and given that the G series of gaming laptops shares many of the design cues from the more premium Alienware division, you wouldn’t be wrong to think of them as budget Alienware laptops.

Compared to Razer, its laptops are more affordable and the 4070 class of cards have a bit more breathing room than their Razer Blade counterparts, so temperatures are a bit lower on the Dell side. Razer laptops are generally much more portable, however, so this tradeoff may be worth it if you take your laptop on the go frequently.

The G series currently tops out at the RTX 4070 graphics card though, so if you need more power, Alienware or Razer both have more options available to you.

Is Dell a good gaming laptop brand?

Dell has been in the computer business for a long time and makes many excellent lines of laptops that aren’t exclusive to gaming. The XPS and Precision series have long been regarded as some of the best productivity and workstation laptops going.

Dell also has the expertise of Alienware at its disposal and takes many design and performance cues from there when it comes to designing laptops.