Dell workstations get makeover

Six weeks after HP unveiled its new, sleeker workstations, Dell has announced redesigned tower workstations that "give creative and design professionals new levels of performance".

Dell has announced a newly redesigned portfolio of Dell Precision tower workstations that deliver performance, accessibility and best-in-class chassis design to help creative and design professionals deliver results faster," says the company. 

The announcement comes just six weeks after HP unveiled its new range of workstations, including the sleek Z1, also aimed at creative, design and video professionals. The Dell range appears to target the same range but, unlike the Z1, has not been able to lose the tower case format.

"Dell engineered its tower workstations to enable engineering, product design, animation, and other graphics and compute intensive professionals increased productivity and minimised downtime so they can focus on their innovations," ran the announcement.

"From creating the 854 stereo 3D VFX shots featured in the award-winning movie “Hugo” to designing unique architectural spaces to analysing seismic data to accelerate exploration of natural reserves, companies around the world rely on Dell Precision workstations to design and deliver superb results fast."

Adam Watkins, Computer Graphics Supervisor at Pixomondo, added his comments to the announcement: "Dell Precision workstations are the number one recommendation I've made to other visual effects professionals over the years. We need cutting-edge technology and performance while working tough deadlines.

“I have been delighted, and sometimes saved, by every Dell workstation I've ever used for more than 20 shows!  It's one technology that I know I can consistently count on and I’m looking forward to the new design and performance of Dell’s new workstations.”

Dell solicited input from hundreds of the top engineering, finance, software development, scientific, and media and entertainment companies to design the new chassis. This user feedback and testing drove the development of "a sleek and efficient award-winning design with a re-organised interior and easier access to important components". 

The interior separates areas more commonly accessed by users, such as memory and hard drives, from more service accessed components, such as wiring harnesses and fans, thereby simplifying tasks and greatly reducing time required for service or upgrades. Additional innovations built into the new workstation family include: 

-          Externally Removable Power Supply – Dell is offering what it says is the industry’s only tool-less externally removable power supply on a mainstream tower workstation. The power supply is lockable and has a built-in handle that lights up green when functioning properly which decreases downtime spent detecting and servicing issues.

-          Front Accessible Hard Drives - The new efficient chassis design on the T7600 provides one of the only front accessible quick release hard drives on a tower workstation. Designed for customers in data intensive fields like video editing who need to swap out hard drives easily and military and research organisations who need to store sensitive data in a secure location at the end of the day, it comes with up to four 3.5-inch hard drives or eight 2.5-inch hard drives.

-          Remote Access – The Dell Precision T7600 easily converts to a rack solution, which can be mounted to any standard Dell PowerEdge server rack. By centrally locating the workstations, businesses can help maintain a clean and quiet work environment, keep hardware safe and give remote workers access via a Dell Precision FX100 zero client.

-          Reliable Memory Technology - Reliable Memory Technology (RMT) is a Dell patented code programmed at the BIOS level that eliminates virtually all memory errors on high-end workstations. RMT extends the capability of ECC memory by detecting the location of the corrected memory error and prevents the system from writing to that spot again following a reboot.  

Available on the T3600, T5600 and T7600, RMT increases the reliability of the workstations and eliminates the need for extensive full memory tests, IT support calls and memory DIMM replacement.

The new Dell tower workstation portfolio includes:

-          Dell Precision T7600 – Engineered for compute and visualisation performance, Dell’s most powerful and expandable workstation is designed for video, animation, engineering, simulation and financial and scientific analysis of massive data sets. The advanced architecture of the T7600 features one of the highest performing CPU stacks, power supplies and graphics power for a dual-socket system. It offers up to two Intel Xeon E5-2687W 150 watt processors with a total of 16 computational cores, a 1300 watt 90 percent efficiency power supply, up to 600 watts of graphics, and up to four full x16 graphics slots which can power up to an NVIDIA Quadro ultra high-end 6000 professional graphics card and two NVIDIA Tesla C2075 processors at the same time.

-          Dell Precision T5600 – Designed for space-constrained environments that need substantial compute capability, Dell’s dual-socket workstation is built for designing complex 3D models, creating film and video content and performing complex engineering and analysis work. It features up to two Intel Xeon processors each supporting eight processing cores, 128GB of quad-channel ECC memory, two power supply options of 635W or 825W and up to an NVIDIA Quadro 5000 high-end professional graphics card and NVIDIA Tesla C2075 processor.

-          Dell Precision T3600 – Built for performance for mid-range workstation workloads, Dell’s single socket workstation offers a balance of performance and scalability for mainstream 3D, computer-aided-design (CAD), computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) and digital content creation applications. Key features include Intel Xeon processor E5-1600 or E5-2600 family, two power supply options, up to 64GB 1600MHz ECC or non-ECC memory and up to a single NVIDIA Quadro 6000 or two NVIDIA Quadro 5000 professional graphics cards, and an NVIDIA Tesla C2075 processor.

-          Dell Precision T1650 – For professional applications that push beyond a standard desktop, Dell’s entry-level tower workstation offers certified performance for professionals working with 2D and basic 3D models, editing photos, CAD drawings and web development. The T1650 will feature next generation Intel Xeon processors, up to 75W for graphics and new ISV and graphic certifications.

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