Review Dell G15 (5530) Review: Retro on the Outside

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This laptop is impressive, they did go all retro, and the ability to replace components is excellent.

I may have a lot of beef with some of Dell's decisions over the years (like windows only firmware updates), but this is a solid, solid budget laptop.
 
Can we also have the button-free track pad listed as a Con? I have that on my work laptop and I hate it. So much that I was set to buy a Dell, for my next personal laptop, but now I won't.

I really can't emphasize just how evil they are. I'm always having to use it so carefully, to avoid clicking the wrong button - not to mention that you obviously can't disable tap-to-click, which I always hated and made sure to disable. Tactile buttons are a good thing!
 
bit_user said:
Can we also have the button-free track pad listed as a Con? I have that on my work laptop and I hate it. So much that I was set to buy a Dell, for my next personal laptop, but now I won't.

I really can't emphasize just how evil they are. I'm always having to use it so carefully, to avoid clicking the wrong button - not to mention that you obviously can't disable tap-to-click, which I always hated and made sure to disable. Tactile buttons are a good thing!
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While I respect, and even prefer tactile feedback on most buttons, I typically hate trackpad mouse clicks and prefer the tap to click. For some this trackpad is a hard CON and for people like me its a hard PRO.
 
helper800 said:
While I respect, and even prefer tactile feedback on most buttons, I typically hate trackpad mouse clicks and prefer the tap to click. For some this trackpad is a hard CON and for people like me its a hard PRO.
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You can have your tap-to-click, but give me the option to disable it & use hard buttons. Ideally, 3 of them.

This used to be true of Dell laptops, but then they got Apple envy...
 
bit_user said:
You can have your tap-to-click, but give me the option to disable it & use hard buttons. Ideally, 3 of them.

This used to be true of Dell laptops, but then they got Apple envy...
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I would prefer the ability to physically click be completely removed from the trackpad. This is because the physical clicks on trackpads are prone to breaking or be physically depressed creating an uneven track pad surface. The real best scenario would be to have two distinct trackpad options at checkout.
 
helper800 said:
I would prefer the ability to physically click be completely removed from the trackpad. This is because the physical clicks on trackpads are prone to breaking or be physically depressed creating an uneven track pad surface. The real best scenario would be to have two distinct trackpad options at checkout.
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I don't want to click or tap the trackpad in any way, shape, or form. So, you can have your non-clicking trackpad, as long as I can have my discrete buttons. A build-to-order, checkout-time option would be fine with me.

Sadly, none of this matters. Dell has already decided for me, leaving me to curse them on a daily basis and swear off ever buying a Dell with that kind of trackpad. If that continues to be the only option they give me, then I'll just have to buy a different brand.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I was this dissatisfied with a technology product.
 
helper800 said:
You are describing an external mouse?
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No, because that is something that has to be separately carried, plugged in, and requires additional table/desk space. In my experience, there's not room for an external mouse on the fold-down tables of an airplane or train.

Also, when I take video calls at home, I'm usually in my bedroom for noise/privacy reasons. I don't have a desk in there, so I'm on my bed. There'd be nowhere to use a mouse.

Examples like this abound. Like, what if you're using a laptop on a sofa or recliner? What if you're at a cafe and table space is at a premium, or you don't want to put your mouse down on a dirty table?

Is this much explanation really necessary? If an external mouse were really the solution to all my problems, wouldn't I just be using one? I'll tell you this: any time I can, I absolutely do plug my laptop into a proper external monitor, mouse, and keyboard!
 
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bit_user said:
No, because that is something that has to be separately carried, plugged in, and requires additional table/desk space. In my experience, there's not room for an external mouse on the fold-down tables of an airplane or train.

Also, when I take video calls at home, I'm usually in my bedroom for noise/privacy reasons. I don't have a desk in there, so I'm on my bed. There'd be nowhere to use a mouse.

Examples like this abound. Like, what if you're using a laptop on a sofa or recliner? What if you're at a cafe and table space is at a premium, or you don't want to put your mouse down on a dirty table?

Is this much explanation really necessary? If an external mouse were really the solution to all my problems, why wouldn't I just be using one?
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Touch screens are another option, though, as with everything they have their own drawbacks. There are also trackpads that have tactile feedback for tap to click similar to what phones do. I feel like most scenarios that you created are remedied easily. Obviously, I am all for more options, but to not buy a laptop that may otherwise be perfect because the touchpad doesn't not have a tactile click is being very picky. Personally, I have only ever had to use laptops for work and always use an external mouse when I can.
 
helper800 said:
Touch screens are another option,
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Never used them, as I simply cannot stand trying to read on a dirty screen. My current work laptop has a touchscreen, but I've only ever used it by accident, when adjusting the screen angle and my finger brushes the screen edge.

I also don't really see how it's any kind of solution to the "click" problem. I already said I hate tap-to-click. Touchscreens seem like they'd be even worse, in that regard.

helper800 said:
There are also trackpads that have tactile feedback for tap to click similar to what phones do.
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I do not want tap-to-click. I never did. I do not want a trackpad that's a button, either. Why is this so hard to accept? A lot of people don't like tap-to-click, which is why trackpads that had buttons always give the option to disable it.

Discrete buttons were a good technology. Too bad that you have to change things, in order to seem innovative, these days. I guess that's why we cannot simply keep the tried-and-true solutions that actually work. Maybe Dell saves $0.50 per laptop, for not having separate buttons, but they lost a customer.

helper800 said:
I have only ever had to use laptops for work and always use an external mouse,
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If you always use an external mouse, then why do you even care how the trackpad behaves??? What even qualifies you to have such a forceful opinion, on the matter?
 
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bit_user said:
If you always use an external mouse, then why do you even care how the trackpad behaves??? What even qualifies you to have such a forceful opinion, on the matter?
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I edited my comment about 1 min after I typed that. Re-read it.

You simply stated you liked one thing and I said I liked the opposite. I suggested solutions like selectable trackpad/buttons as an option at checkout to which you agreed would be a good idea. I asked if you were describing an external mouse when you were talking about "discrete buttons" because I forgot those were even a thing. You then started talking about how mice were an issue in a lot of specific scenarios and then asked the question, " If an external mouse were really the solution to all my problems, wouldn't I just be using one?" I took this as a question of how to solve your issue and listed some alternatives. I am not trying to force anything, but just trying follow the logical line of the conversation.
 
helper800 said:
I edited my comment about 1 min after I typed that. Re-read it.

You simply stated you liked one thing and I said I liked the opposite. I suggested solutions like selectable trackpad/buttons as an option at checkout to which you agreed would be a good idea. I asked if you were describing an external mouse when you were talking about "discrete buttons" because I forgot those were even a thing. You then started talking about how mice were an issue in a lot of specific scenarios and then asked the question, " If an external mouse were really the solution to all my problems, wouldn't I just be using one?" I took this as a question of how to solve your issue and listed some alternatives. I am not trying to force anything, but just trying follow the logical line of the conversation.
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It doesn't matter. The problem isn't you, it's Dell. They're trying to act like they're Apple, but they're not. I don't want them to be Apple, either. If I wanted a Mac, that's what I'd buy. I do not, so I'll buy neither an Apple nor a Dell.
 
I just bought a Lenovo ultraportable, a refurb from their outlet. I'm not much of a gamer, and tend to favor biz laptops over consumer ones. I used to buy Dell, but now favor Lenovo for better driver support.

IME, physical trackpad buttons are disappearing from most models, largely for reducing cost, but as someone said, also for better reliability over time, as mechanical parts are usually the first to go.

The thing with laptop keyboards & trackpads is that they're all worse than desktop variety. But we users acclimate to them, getting used to their quirks through enough muscle memory. I'm used to trackpads now, although I still use an external mouse when I can. I also liked buttons, but now the lack of them don't bother me.

I also used to prefer ThinkPads for their superlative keyboards. But their newer ThinkBook lines have better bang/buck, and more features (ports), so I'm OK with the chiclet-type keyboards.

That, and some (most?) newer ThinkPads only accommodate 2242 NVMe, not the 2280, which is a deal-killer for me as the first thing I upgrade is to a 2TB SSD. Upgradability is not something covered in these so-called reviews. Fortunately, all Lenovo products have PSRef docs that list specs of the inner components, as well as hardware maintenance manuals that DIYers will appreciate.
 
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baboma said:
I just bought a Lenovo ultraportable, a refurb from their outlet.
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I tried to buy a refurb Lenovo from their website, back in 2017. They cancelled my order, so I just went on ebay and bought an "open box" new model.

For my next laptop, I had wanted to switch to Dell, due to their non-China sourcing strategy, but I can't get around that trackpad. Even their Precision "biz laptops" have it, which is what my employer makes me use.

baboma said:
as someone said, also for better reliability over time, as mechanical parts are usually the first to go.
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I've never had a button fail on a gaming mouse. Only the cheap mice that come bundled with new desktop PCs at work have failed on me, and that was after like 5 years. So, if laptop trackpad buttons are failing, it's not because you can't have a reliable switch, just that they're using ones which are too cheap.
 
>I've never had a button fail on a gaming mouse.

I was speaking of trackpad buttons. Yeah, most of my mice(?) are years old and are still working fine. The ones that tend to fail were the older non-optical variety. I used to have to take those things apart to clean the gunk from the gears.

Anyway, ThinkPads still have trackpad buttons. I'm also a fan of their TrackPoint, because of its space efficiency, although I realize that many hate it.

The Lenovo outlet is difficult to buy from, as they don't remove the OOS entries, wasting a lot of time if you browse manually. I use a scraper which only shows available products. It also has filters you can set.

logaze - watching laptops on Lenovo outlet

Better interface for filtering/sorting laptops on Lenovo outlet
ackerleytng.github.io ackerleytng.github.io
 
baboma said:
>I've never had a button fail on a gaming mouse.

I was speaking of trackpad buttons. Yeah, most of my mice(?) are years old and are still working fine. The ones that tend to fail were the older non-optical variety. I used to have to take those things apart to clean the gunk from the gears.
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Well, I had the left button of a Dell-branded mouse go flaky on me more than once. They were the cheap mice that you'd get almost by default, when you order a Dell desktop.

On Logitech pointing devices, I've had the click-wheel go flaky, but that wasn't on a gaming model. Since I use middle-click=paste, I use the middle button a lot more than most people. My hunch is that they used a cheaper switch there, than for the L/R buttons.
 
Amdlova said:
https://www.nicswell.co.uk/health-news/skin-damage-linked-with-laptops if you try'n find on google you will find lots of articles...
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Definitely a good reason to keep gaming laptops off your lap, then!

I always make sure to use my laptops on some hard surface, whenever possible. Even in bed, I have something hard to put underneath it, so that its vents stay unobstructed and don't inhale lots of lint.

Ugh. When I was a kid, I used to lie right in front of the heating vents we had in the floor. Sometimes, I'd lay there too long, occasionally even falling asleep, and my skin would get red and tender. Fingers crossed that I didn't do any long-term damage, that way.
 
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