- Jun 30, 2003
- 32,871
- 12,138
- 136
So as I detailed here, I ended up going with a Dell G15 Ryzen edition instead of a Razer Blade 14 for its performance/price and upgrade-ability. The R7 5800H appears to be about 90-95% of a R9 5900HS/X, so paying the premium didn't really seem to be worth it to me. With the price difference, I got an extended warranty, USB hub, laptop cooler, 2TB SSD...and I could throw in a 32gb ram upgrade, and I'd *finally* be at the cost of the Razer. So yeah, I feel like I made out like a bandit.
Configuration is Ryzen 7 5800H / RTX 3060 / 512gb SSD(+2TB on the way) / 16gb ram /1080p 165hz panel
Now, that being said, my initial impressions are:
The Ryzen 7 5800h runs toasty relative to a desktop, but this is in part due to the garbage stock thermal settings, which prioritize low sound over CPU temp. Initially the CPU idle was like 70C, which is bonkers if you ask me. Under load, the stock profile is even more horrendous - thermals in the 90-100C. I adjusted the CPU/system fan curves in the alienware software, so now it idles between 50-60C depending on the exact background load, and under gaming load I saw temps of about 80-85C. I'd much prefer to be down at 70C under load, but I don't think there's a particularly good way to accomplish that in a laptop form factor (without external cooling...which defeats the purpose of a laptop). Nonetheless, lower temps = longer life = win.
The Ryzen 7 (and RTX 3060) are a powerhouse though.
PCMark Score: 6400 vs. 4600
For Honor (4k @ Extreme detail) : Average 50fps vs. 26fps
I know For Honor isn't the most graphically intensive game out there, but it's what I have installed at the moment
Gaming on the go would put you at 1080p, in which case you can take full advantage of the 165hz panel. For Honor (Extreme, 1080p) pulled an avg of 135fps
This hardware setup will absolutely crush at 1080p no question in my mind.
As far as laptop coolers, I ran the For Honor Benchmark to see what peak CPU temps were like and if they made any difference:
Stock: 86C
Coolermaster Notepal X-Slim: 84C
Thermaltake Massive A21: 90C
I think the TTA21 had higher temps because of how the laptop sits on cooler - the anti-slip bumper at the front means you can't get the whole chassis over the fan area. On a smaller laptop (maybe a 14", definitely a 13") this wouldn't be an issue. Thermaltake says it's good for 17" class laptops, but I have a hard time seeing how unless there's lots of venting on the bottom face of the chassis.
edit: on the thermals, sustained loads (the above benchmarks were brief) will get the CPU back up in that 90-100C range. However, Dell has a "G" key that turns all cooling up full blast, though the cooling fans will get fairly loud. This worked to keep temps down to about 85C. I personally would use this any time I'm gaming. Just make sure you have loud speakers or use headphones.
Initial verdict: hot laptop, but even hotter deal.
Configuration is Ryzen 7 5800H / RTX 3060 / 512gb SSD(+2TB on the way) / 16gb ram /1080p 165hz panel
Now, that being said, my initial impressions are:
The Ryzen 7 5800h runs toasty relative to a desktop, but this is in part due to the garbage stock thermal settings, which prioritize low sound over CPU temp. Initially the CPU idle was like 70C, which is bonkers if you ask me. Under load, the stock profile is even more horrendous - thermals in the 90-100C. I adjusted the CPU/system fan curves in the alienware software, so now it idles between 50-60C depending on the exact background load, and under gaming load I saw temps of about 80-85C. I'd much prefer to be down at 70C under load, but I don't think there's a particularly good way to accomplish that in a laptop form factor (without external cooling...which defeats the purpose of a laptop). Nonetheless, lower temps = longer life = win.
The Ryzen 7 (and RTX 3060) are a powerhouse though.
PCMark Score: 6400 vs. 4600
For Honor (4k @ Extreme detail) : Average 50fps vs. 26fps
I know For Honor isn't the most graphically intensive game out there, but it's what I have installed at the moment
Gaming on the go would put you at 1080p, in which case you can take full advantage of the 165hz panel. For Honor (Extreme, 1080p) pulled an avg of 135fps
This hardware setup will absolutely crush at 1080p no question in my mind.
As far as laptop coolers, I ran the For Honor Benchmark to see what peak CPU temps were like and if they made any difference:
Stock: 86C
Coolermaster Notepal X-Slim: 84C
Thermaltake Massive A21: 90C
I think the TTA21 had higher temps because of how the laptop sits on cooler - the anti-slip bumper at the front means you can't get the whole chassis over the fan area. On a smaller laptop (maybe a 14", definitely a 13") this wouldn't be an issue. Thermaltake says it's good for 17" class laptops, but I have a hard time seeing how unless there's lots of venting on the bottom face of the chassis.
edit: on the thermals, sustained loads (the above benchmarks were brief) will get the CPU back up in that 90-100C range. However, Dell has a "G" key that turns all cooling up full blast, though the cooling fans will get fairly loud. This worked to keep temps down to about 85C. I personally would use this any time I'm gaming. Just make sure you have loud speakers or use headphones.
Initial verdict: hot laptop, but even hotter deal.
Last edited:
Facebook
Twitter