Is Dell Inspiron 15 7000 good for gaming?

Best answer: Dell's Inspiron 15 7000 isn't good for PC gaming due to the rather underwhelming NVIDIA MX130 GPU. You'll struggle to enjoy most modern games at 1080p on anything but bare minimum settings. You'll need to choose another Dell (G3 15 series) if you want to do some gaming.Dell: Inspiron G3 15 ($780)

Restricted to NVIDIA's MX130

The Dell Inspiron 15 7000 comes equipped with the NVIDIA MX130 GPU. While we recommend gaming laptops to feature dedicated graphics processing, the MX130 is barely a step up from Intel's own CPU-driven integrated GPU. Games, including Fortnite, will not run well unless you turn down the resolution to below 1080p and all visual settings, which doesn't make for a pleasant experience.

Dell's Inspiron 15 7000 range of laptops may feature dedicated GPUs but they're designed for lighter workloads. Running anything more demanding than League of Legends will spring up some issues, be it related to frame rates or visual stutter and tearing.

You technically can play games on the Inspiron 15 7000, but you won't want to after a few attempts. You used to be able to kit out the Inspiron 15 7000 with better integrated GPUs, but Dell has since discontinued this special gaming edition in favor of launching the new G series.

G for Gaming

Dell has a Gaming line of laptops that aren't Alienware branded and as such don't come with super-high prices. The entry model for the G3 15 series comes rocking a GTX 1050 GPU, which is light years ahead of the MX130 included in the Inspiron 15 7000.

If you really want to do some gaming on the go, you'll want to look at the G3 class laptops or possibly the XPS 15, if you don't mind spending some more. Better still, the G3 15 series starts from $780, the same price as the Inspiron 15. The only drawback is the storage, which isn't an SSD in the G3 15 entry model.

Our pick

Dell G3 15

Made for gaming with a capable GPU.

The G3 series of laptops from Dell aren't range-topping in specifications or design. What these notebooks do offer is an exceptional value compared to Alienware models. Even the base entry model comes with an Intel Core i5 processor and GTX 1050 GPU.

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.