Dell Precision 5820

Solidly built with massive room for expansion. ISV certified. Server-style drive and power supply swapping. Runs quietly. Three-year on-site warranty.

Low-end configurations aren't the best value. No removable dust filters.

Bottom Line: With its enterprise-class features, Dell's titanic Precision 5820 tower blurs the line between workstations and servers. It's an excellent performer that can be configured for almost any budget and workflow.

Powerful 10-core Intel Xeon processor in test configuration. Impressive expandability. Swappable hard drive bays. Dual-orientation chassis. Easy to upgrade or service. Runs quietly.

Upgrades quickly raise the price. M.2 storage only via add-on cards. No built-in Wi-Fi.

Bottom Line: Dell's monster Precision 5820 Tower Xeon workstation offers extreme performance and IT-friendly serviceability and upgradability. As configured, it also rings up good value versus competing power towers.

Well-designed chassis ; Very quick to load software

Quite pricey

The Dell Precision 5820 Tower is a relatively quiet workstation in operation, and the configuration we were sent consumed less than 200W even when under heavy load. While £2,977 exc VAT for a relatively entry-level system isn’t cheap, this is only one...

Professional look ; Multimedia features ; Size is good ; Good optimization of applications ; Enterprise level benefits

No secondary storage ; Probably bit expensive for some people ; Sometimes loud ; Issues with port ; Not easy to repair

Solidly built with massive room for expansion. ISV certified. Server-style drive and power supply swapping. Runs quietly. Three-year on-site warranty.

Low-end configurations aren't the best value. No removable dust filters.

With its enterprise-class features, Dell's titanic Precision 5820 tower blurs the line between workstations and servers. It's an excellent performer that can be configured for almost any budget and workflow.

Excellent chassis design; Great modelling abilities; Quiet; Low power consumption.

Expensive; Memory supplied in dual-channel configuration rather than quad-channel; No secondary storage supplied

The Dell Precision 5820 is a thoughtfully designed workstation with great modelling power, and options for much more, although you do pay for the privilege