Dell G5 Gaming Desktop 5090 review

Our Verdict

The Dell G5 5090 can handle both demanding games and productivity tasks with ease, but its specs are lackluster.

For

Good productivity and gaming performance
Reasonably priced
Great chassis

Confronting

Preinstalled software can be a pain
Non platonic for QHD/UHD gaming

Tom'south Guide Verdict

The Dell G5 5090 tin can handle both demanding games and productivity tasks with ease, but its specs are lackluster.

Pros

+
Expert productivity and gaming functioning
+
Reasonably priced
+
Swell chassis

Cons

-
Preinstalled software tin can be a hurting
-
Not ideal for QHD/UHD gaming

The Dell G5 5090 ($570 starting; $1,050 as reviewed) is a relatively powerful gaming PC, provided you proceed your games in the total-HD range. This gaming desktop can handle both demanding games and productivity tasks with ease, and if you need to upgrade it in the futurity, all you need is a single screwdriver.

The cheapest G5 5090 configuration comes with pretty minor parts, while the much fancier model we reviewed still tin't offer 4K gaming or a great bargain of storage space. Still, taken on its own merits, the G5 5090 is one of the best computers around, with a lot to offer the full-Hard disk drive crowd. If yous don't feel comfortable building your own system, the G5 holds its own against the best gaming PCs in its price range.

Dell G5 5090 toll and configurations

Our review unit of the Dell G5 5090 costs $ane,050 on Dell's website, marked down from $ane,239. This unit comes equipped with a ninth-Gen Intel core i7 9700 processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics carte, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 1TB SATA hard drive. (In the interest of full disclosure, our unit came with a 500GB SSD and naught else, but this configuration doesn't seem to be available for purchase. Everything else was identical to the $i,050 configuration.)

At the cheapest end of the spectrum, you tin get an Intel Cadre i3 processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB SATA hard drive, all for $570. The peak-stop configuration costs $1,500 and comes with an Intel Cadre i7 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

At that place are some gradations in between, as well as options, similar adding more RAM or storage space, that will increase the price. But generally speaking, the G5 5090 will set you dorsum somewhere betwixt $600 and $1,500 for low- to mid-range gaming PC specs. Dell recommends running all models at 1080p.

Dell G5 5090 pattern and lighting

I thing I appreciate about the G5 5090 is that it keeps things simple, appearance-wise, but still has a little flair. The chassis is surprisingly pocket-sized, at xiv.5 x 12.1 10 vi.7 inches and 18.6 pounds. You can put information technology correct on acme of your desk if yous accept enough room, but information technology's too sturdy plenty to live on the floor without getting kicked over accidentally. On the front, there'south an elegant crosshatch pattern and a diagonal blue LED strip. I liked the LED, merely I was disappointed that in that location'southward no fashion to dim information technology without going into the BIOS and no way to change colors.

What I really like about the chassis, though, is the clear side console. There's a clear, rounded, plastic rectangle on the G5 5090's left side, which lets you see the inner workings of the machine at all times, softly illuminated by the same blueish LED. It's a very attractive setup, and information technology could theoretically let yous diagnose hardware problems without e'er cracking open your PC.

Dell G5 5090 ports and upgradability

The G5 5090 should take enough ports for all but the most accompaniment-laden PC enthusiasts. On the front end of the machine, you'll detect three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a 3.5mm sound jack and a 3.5mm mic jack.

On the dorsum, you get 3 more audio jacks (subwoofers or environs audio), 6 USB-A ports, an Ethernet port, a DVI port, an HDMI port and a DisplayPort. The computer likewise has an internal Qualcomm DW1810 bit for 802.11ac wireless and Bluetooth 4.ii connectivity.

Upgrading the Dell G5 5090 was also admirably straightforward in our testing. You need just remove ii large screws in the dorsum; then you become direct access to the motherboard. The wiring is simple, so fifty-fifty a neophyte PC builder should be able to bandy out RAM, upgrade a GPU or clean out a fan. However, there aren't many extra slots, and then you'll exist replacing parts, not adding them.

Dell G5 5090 gaming performance

While I'yard notwithstanding not sure a 1080p-optimized auto merits more than $1,000, the G5 5090 performs well enough in its comfort zone. This PC ran Far Cry New Dawn at 79 frames per 2nd, Middle-earth: Shadow of State of war at 65 frames per 2nd and Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 42 frames per second, all on Very High graphics settings. The Tomb Raider performance is a niggling disappointing, since even consoles can run this game at 60 fps (albeit not with perfect consistency).

Compare and contrast these numbers to our category averages: 88 fps for Far Cry, 123 fps for Shadow of State of war and 96 fps for Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming Desktop Buying Guide: 7 Things Y'all Need to Know

Along similar lines, the G5 5090 scored two,910 on our 3DMark Burn Strike Ultra synthetic benchmark, compared to a category average of 8,055. (It'due south worth noting that most gaming PCs we review are much more powerful than the G5 5090, and nosotros oasis't reviewed a similarly specced machine recently, so take this comparison with a grain of common salt.)

From a qualitative perspective, the Dell G5 5090 works quite well. I ran information technology through Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, with well-nigh of the settings turned up to Ultra. The games never dipped below 30 fps; about ran closer to 60. The G5 5090 stayed relatively quiet this whole fourth dimension. While I wouldn't trust the organisation with 4K, or even QHD, resolutions, the Dell G5 5090 provided a solid gaming experience.

Dell G5 5090 overall performance

Like most gaming PCs, the G5 5090 handles everyday productivity better than nigh desktop PCs. No matter how many programs I ran on it simultaneously — Chrome, Slack, Microsoft Part, Netflix, Spotify, Thunderbird and more — the RAM and CPU rarely pushed upward past the halfway marks. I fifty-fifty hooked upwards a second monitor, with no discernible loss in speed or fidelity.

Nonetheless, equally in gaming, the G5 5090 tin can't really measure out up to more powerful PCs in the productivity department. In the Geekbench 4.iii synthetic test, the G5 5090 scored five,558 — far less than the 37,301 category average. On the other hand, the G5 5090 positively flew through transferring 5GB of files from a USB bulldoze, doing then in 9 seconds and easily besting the category average of xv seconds.

Dell software

The G5 5090 isn't overburdened with bloatware. You lot get Windows ten Home Edition, plus some standard Dell software, which allows y'all to update firmware, contact customer support, optimize USB-C displays and and then along. This software didn't really become in the way while I was testing the machine, but I besides deactivated a lot of it to salve RAM.

What did get in my style was the reckoner's free trial of McAfee Antivirus. When you purchase a G5 5090 (or most Dell machines), y'all get 12 months of this service for gratis. That's a overnice gesture, merely I would still delete the program correct abroad.

Best gaming PCs of 2020

Not only is McAfee a resources hog; information technology'southward also a pushy program that's constantly popping upwards with unwanted advice and recommendations. Only the program's biggest mistake is its imitation positives. Information technology considers some very of import gaming executables to be "trojans," deleting them without then much equally a quarantine. I had to completely reinstall Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds from scratch — later on uninstalling McAfee first, because there is no easy style to make its detection less aggressive or even just to disable the program. The default Windows Defender program is honestly a better selection, and that's saying something.

Lesser line

I liked using the Dell G5 5090. It provides smooth performance for 1080p games, along with excellent productivity options. The chassis looks nifty; the software is easy to utilise (with ane notable exception); and it's not too expensive, every bit gaming PCs go.

For the Dell G5'southward starting price, a 4K console offers ameliorate functioning for the coin, but our configuration is a perfectly skillful choice for gamers who want to bring together the PC market merely aren't quite comfortable enough to build their own machines. And given the G5 5090's easy upgradability, this gaming desktop is more hereafter-proof than your typical console.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of scientific discipline and technology. Later on hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.