Dell releases 7 PCs for CAD, graphic designers

Dell released two entry-level Precision workstations built for designers that need a lot of processing power.

The compact Precision 3450 and the Precision 3650 tower are for video editing, graphic design, and CAD applications. The 3450 starts at $1,120 and the 3650 at $1,230. Dell introduced both this week.

Dell said the 3450 and 3650 are "ideal for those working with large data sets, or 2D and 3D CAD."

Both Precision models come with either an 11th-generation Intel Core or a Xeon W-1300 processor and memory speeds of up to 3,200 Mhz. They include PCI Express Gen 4 graphics and storage configured with NVIDIA and AMD graphics options, as well as RAID-capable storage.

"Both are slotted in their more entry-level series but can still handle most workloads for your typical engineer, data scientist or content creator," said IDC analyst Linn Huang.

Huang said the timing for the two desktop workstations is not ideal, as the market has been favorable to laptops since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of many offices.

IDC data shows that while the commercial laptop market has grown nearly 95% year over year in the first quarter of 2021, the business desktop market has fallen almost 7%. The overall growth for workstations, which includes desktop and laptop computers, was 25%.

"Consequently, this could end up being a case of a great product at a not-so-great time," Huang said.

Dell also announced this week five new models of Precision workstation laptops that will be released in the summer in the U.S. They include the 3561, 5560, 5760, 7560, and 7760. Dell said it will announce pricing closer to launch.

All of the workstation laptops will run on the Intel Core Tiger Lake-H processor, which Intel released this week.

Maxim Tamarov is a news writer covering mobile and end-user computing. He previously wrote for The Daily News in Jacksonville, N.C., and the Sun Transcript in Winthrop, Mass. He graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in journalism. He can be found on Twitter at @MaximTamarov.