Thin and light 16-inch Dell Precision 5680 stands out in family of seven new mobile workstations
Dell has launched seven new Precision mobile workstations with 13th Gen Intel Core processors and Nvidia RTX Ada generation GPUs, ranging from 14-inch to 17-inch, thin and light to high-performance.
The model that stands out is the Dell Precision 5680, a brand new 16-inch thin and light laptop that replaces both the 15.6-inch Dell Precision 5570 and 17.3-inch Dell Precision 5770. According to Dell, the Precision 5680 has the smallest footprint out of any 16-inch mobile workstation.
The sub 2kg laptop comes with choice of 45W base power 13th Gen Intel Core vPro processors, including the Intel Core i9-13900H vPro with 14 cores, 28 threads (2.50 GHz to 5.00 GHz Turbo). For graphics, there’s a wide choice of Ada generation GPUs, up to the Nvidia RTX 5000 (16 GB), making it suited to a wide range of wokflows from CAD and BIM to visualisation and simulation. It supports up to 64 GB of DDR5 memory and features Dell’s patented Dual Opposite Outlet (DOO) fan to help keep thermals under control.
Displays options include a 16:10 UHD+ OLED InfinityEdge panel with ‘deep rich blacks and a high contrast.’ There’s a haptic trackpad, which Dell claims to be an ‘industry first’ for mobile workstations, creating a ‘much more seamless, much more consistent experience’ across the entire trackpad surface.
Extended Power Range (EPR) technology means more power (165W versus 130W) can be delivered through a universal USB-C connector. Other features include four ‘grade A’ speakers with bottom facing subwoofers, dual array microphones, a FHD RGB IR camera and the re-introduction of an HDMi port.
Dell says the Precision 5680 is its first mobile workstation to be designed with low carbon and recycled aluminium, including 75% recycled aluminium.
Dell’s other ‘thin and light’ performance mobile workstation is the 14-inch Precision 5480, which Dell claims to be the thinnest and lightest in its class, starting at 1.48kg. The Precision 5480 looks very similar to 2022’s Precision 5470 (read our review) but has all new internals.
The Precision 5470 stood out from the competition thanks to the Nvidia ‘1000’ class graphics. The new Precision 5480 now has ‘2000’ and ‘3000’ class options thanks to new energy efficient Nvidia RTX Ada Generation GPUs. GPU memory is also doubled from 4 GB to 8 GB, which should make the machine better suited to viz-centric workflows.
Despite its smaller size, the Precision 5480 has the same choice of 13th Gen Intel Core processors as the Precision 5680 and up to 64 GB of LPDDR5 memory.
Dell has also updated its broader mobile workstation portfolio – from the entry-level 3000 Series with power efficient 15W base power 13th Gen Intel Core processors (14-inch Precision 3480 and 15.6-inch 3580) to its most powerful Precision 7000 Series with 55W base power 13th Gen Intel Core processors (16-inch Precision 7680 and 17.3-inch Precision 7780).
While some models may share the same CPU and GPU options, performance is likely to vary because of the amount of power that can be fed into the processors.
For example, both the top-end Precision 7780 and thin-and-light Precision 5580 offer the same Nvidia RTX 5000 Ada Generation GPU, but one comes with a 240 W power supply Unit (PSU), while the other a 130W PSU. Meanwhile, the GPU itself has a max power consumption of 175 W. This mismatch might be particularly noticeable in workflows where the CPU and GPU are used together.
The Precision 3480, 3580 and 3581 will be available on 23 March.
The Precision 5480 will be available on 20 April.
The Precision 5680 will be available on 18 May.
The Precision 7680 and 7780 will be available on 23 March.
Meanwhile, Dell has launched new ‘Sapphire Rapids’ desktop workstations
