Skip to main content

Do you work virtually all the time? Dell's latest Precision desktops are for you

Dell Precision Tower Family
Looking for a workstation capable of running the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive? Dell has announced that it has updated its Precision Tower 5810, 7810, and 7910 Workstations, and its Rack 7910, with new options to make these solutions ready for premium virtual reality headsets.

In a nutshell, Dell has outfitted these workstations with Intel Broadwell EP processors, the latest professional GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, up to 1TB of DDR4 memory clocked at a blazing fast 2,400 MHz, and Dell Precision Ultra-Speed PCIe drives, which supposedly offer up to 40-percent faster performance than traditional SATA-based SSD drives. Dell has also expanded its liquid cooling options to keep those components cool and your workspace quiet.

Related Videos

In addition to the hardware upgrade, Dell has injected “exclusive technologies” into these workstations, such as an upgraded Dell Precision Optimizer that tweaks the workstation to run optimally with 22 professional application profiles. Dell will also provide graphics drivers that are qualified to work with the new Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and other VR-related head mounted displays.

“Working closely with its hardware and software partners, Dell is formalizing its commitment to the future of VR by delivering solutions that are optimized for VR consumption and creation alongside ISV applications for professional customers,” Dell reports.

Dell provides a recommended list of hardware that customers should consider including the Intel Xeon E5-1600 and the E5-2600. On the AMD front, Dell suggests a FirePro W9100 or a Radeon R9 390X graphics card, whereas Nvidia’s list of graphics cards consists of the Quadro M6000, the Quadro M5000, the GeForce GTX 970, and the GeForce GTX 980. Configurations will also need at least 256GB of storage on an SSD, and 8GB or more in RAM.

Naturally, for each workstation, Dell offers several starter configurations that are customizable. For instance, the Dell Precision Tower 5810 comes in three flavors: $1,200 with a quad-core processor, $1,480 with a quad-core processor, and $2,600 with a six-core processor. All three models come with Windows 7 Professional by default along with a 500GB hard drive and 8GB of memory on the two cheaper models (the third model has 16GB).

The Dell Precision Tower 7810 also comes in three customizable flavors: $1,530 with a six-core processor, $2,000 with a quad-core processor, and $3,650 with a ten-core processor. Like the other model, the 7810 defaults to Windows 7 Professional, a 500GB hard drive, and memory ranging from 8GB to 16GB. Default GPU configurations include the Nvidia Quadro K2200 4GB, the AMD FirePro W4100 2GB, and the Nvidia Quadro NVS 310 512MB.

Finally, the Dell Precision Tower 7910 is offered in four base configurations: $2,050 with a six-core processor, $2,999 with an eight-core processor, $4,399 with a ten-core processor, and $5,500 with a ten-core processor. Again, all base configurations use Windows 7 Professional and a 500GB hard drive, but the base memory spans 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. Nvidia professional GPUs are on three of the models while the most expensive of the bunch sports an AMD FirePro W5100 4GB graphics card.

Dell says that these new VR-focused options will go live on its online store beginning April 5, 2016. Additional information about the company’s VR-ready workstations can be found here.

Editors' Recommendations

You can strap HP’s Omen X desktop on your back for ultimate VR immersion
OMen

As part of its push into the gaming hardware market, HP unveiled a number of redesigned and revamped gaming laptops and desktops on Tuesday -- and one of them can be strapped to your back. No, it is not just a laptop in a backpack. It's the Omen X Compact Desktop, a gaming system designed for a new type of portability.
Omen X Compact Desktop
Don't be put off by the Omen X Compact Desktop's unusual design. It looks that way because it is only a desktop part of the time, the Omen X Compact Desktop is actually designed to be worn on your back to provide a truly seamless (and cordless) VR experience.

Even though VR backpack PCs are still relatively new, HP saw a flaw which would likely prevent most users from even considering one as a viable option. Most of them are backpacks first, PCs second. In order to provide a versatile gaming experience, HP built a compact PC that can be removed from its backpack housing and put into a dock, where it becomes a normal gaming PC.

Read more
Dell's mixed reality 'Visor' goes up for pre-order in time for the holidays
Dell Visor

The Dell mixed reality Visor is now available for pre-order, just in time for the holiday season -- Halloween is a holiday, technically. But that is beside the point, the point is Dell's snazzy new mixed reality headset is hitting store shelves sooner, rather than later. Pre-orders began Thursday, September 14, and they start shipping on October 17.

If you are unfamiliar, Dell's mixed reality Visor made big waves at Computex and IFA, lauded both for its functionality and its unconventional -- but sleek -- design.

Read more
Dell celebrates Precision’s 20th birthday with limited-edition Precision 5520
Dell Precision 5520

Dell is now celebrating the 20th anniversary of the its Precision workstation brand with the launch of three new towers and a 2U rack. But that’s not all, as the company is also introducing a limited-edition Precision 5520 mobile workstation that will only be sold in a quantity of “a few thousand.” This special edition laptop will also have a custom shell, and limited hardware configurations. Dell is also finally making available its innovative Canvas interactive touchscreen input device that made its initial debut in early 2017.
Precision 5520 Anniversary Edition

Previous

Read more