Dell Precision 5470 Workstation review: Portable workstation power

Dell’s Precision cell workstations embody quite a few high-end 17-inch laptops that present spectacular efficiency, however their dimension, weight and restricted battery life imply that they are lower than ultimate for engaged on the transfer.  

In distinction, the 14-inch Precision 5470 goals to offer a extra transportable possibility, with Dell claiming that it is “the world’s thinnest and lightest 14-inch workstation”. In actual fact, at 1.48kg, the Precision 5470 is barely barely heavier than Apple’s not too long ago upgraded 13-inch MacBook Professional (1.4kg), however it outguns the M2 MacBook Professional by way of uncooked efficiency. That light-weight design comes with a heavyweight worth, although, particularly for the Core i7-based mannequin reviewed right here, and Dell additionally makes just a few cost-cutting selections which are disappointing for a laptop computer on this worth vary.

Design & options 

The construct high quality of the Precision 5470 is impeccable. The laptop computer measures 19mm alongside the rear edge, tapering to 11mm on the entrance, 310mm huge and 210mm deep. Its aluminium casing is each mild and durable (MIL-STD-810H examined), and effectively suited to life on the highway. The keyboard and trackpad really feel agency and responsive, and the keys journey effectively when typing at velocity, and there is a smooth carbon-fibre palm relaxation on the entrance part of the keyboard panel. 

There are indicators of compromise, although. The FHD+ (1920 x 1200) show (161.7dpi) delivers a 16:10 side ratio and the slimline bezels give it a wise, compact look with a 91% screen-to-body ratio. The show additionally offers 500 nits brightness, and produces a daring, vibrant picture with near 180-degree viewing angles.  

Nevertheless, that decision is kind of modest for a laptop computer costing over $2,500, and it is disappointing that you need to pay a further $200 with the intention to improve to QHD+ (2560 x 1600) decision. The show solely helps the sRGB color normal too, which ought to be nice for fundamental graphics and photo-editing work, however will disappoint artistic customers who want a extra exactly calibrated show for graphics or video work.  

And whereas the stereo speaker system — with two woofers and two tweeters — sounds fairly full bodied, the 720p webcam is a disappointment, though it has IR help for Home windows Hiya face authentication. The webcam performs fairly effectively in dim mild, however the barely grainy picture reveals the low decision so it will not be ultimate for video calls or distant working. 

The Precision 5470 is effectively related, although, that includes Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax at 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz) and Bluetooth 5.2, together with 4 Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports with DisplayPort help. There’s additionally a mix 3.5mm jack for audio enter and output, and a MicroSD card slot. There are not any HDMI or USB-A ports, although, so you may want to offer your personal adapters for older shows or peripherals that use these connectors. 

Costs & choices 

Dell’s web site at present presents quite a few pre-built configurations for the Precision 5470, all geared up with the identical 14-inch show with FHD+ (1920 x 1200) decision. Dell’s costs fluctuate fairly a bit from everyday, however on the time of writing costs within the US begin at $1,659 for the entry-level configuration with a Twelfth-generation Core i5-12500H processor and built-in Iris Xe Graphics, together with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage. Oddly, the UK pricing for that mannequin is significantly larger at £2,928.59 (ex. VAT). 

We examined the Core i7 mannequin, which prices $2,679 within the US with a Twelfth-gen Core i7-12800H processor. It is a 14-core processor, incorporating six high-performance cores that may run at as much as 4.8GHz, together with eight ‘environment friendly’ cores to protect battery life for much less demanding duties. That worth additionally contains 32GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and discrete Nvidia RTX A1000 graphics with 4GB of devoted video reminiscence. The UK pays a premium right here as effectively, with that configuration weighing in at a hefty £3,666.48 (ex. VAT). 

When you delve a bit deeper, Dell’s US web site additionally features a ‘construct your personal’ possibility that features quite a few further upgrades (from the Core i7 mannequin), together with a Core i9-12900H processor for $325.05, and a touch-sensitive 14-inch show with QHD+ (2560×1600) decision (215.6dpi) for $257.71. 

It is also value mentioning that there’s one other 14-inch laptop computer obtainable in Dell’s Precision vary, referred to as the Precision 3470. This has a really related design and specification to the Precision 5470 reviewed right here, though its graphics capabilities are extra modest, counting on built-in graphics, and an FHD+ show with simply 250 nits brightness. On the time of writing, the Precision 3470 begins at $1,479 for a Core i5-1250P mannequin with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage. 

Efficiency 

It isn’t fairly in the identical league as its 17-inch stablemates, however the Precision 5470 offers robust efficiency that may attraction to {many professional} and inventive customers.  

The M2 processor in Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Professional, scores 1,900 for single-core efficiency within the Geekbench 5 CPU check, barely forward of the Precision 5470’s 1,700 rating. Nevertheless, the Dell laptop computer turns the tables with its multi-core efficiency, scoring 11,000 in comparison with 8,986 for the M2 MacBook Professional. It pulls even additional forward on Geekbench’s Compute check for graphics efficiency, scoring 51,700 whereas the MacBook Professional manages solely 30,180. 

That graphical efficiency is confirmed when working 3DMark Wildlife Excessive, the place the MacBook Professional scores 30fps whereas the Precision 5470 sits comfortably at 40fps. To be truthful, the 13-inch MacBook Professional is cheaper at round $2,000, however the MacBook Professional additionally features a 2560 by 1600 show at no further price, and delivers battery life that the Precision 5470 merely cannot match.  

In actual fact, Dell’s web site does its greatest to keep away from the subject of battery life, however in our battery check the Precision 5470 lasted for 7 hours and 22 minutes when streaming full-screen video from the BBC iPlayer utilizing the built-in Iris Xe Graphics and with the display screen brightness set to 50%. When you’re not utilizing wi-fi all day lengthy then it is best to actually be capable of get a full day’s work out of the Precision 5470, however that is nonetheless nowhere close to the 19 hours and 56 minutes we obtained from the 13-inch MacBook Professional. 

Conclusions 

The slimline, light-weight design of the Precision 5470 is engaging, and can attraction to skilled customers who want a robust laptop computer that is transportable sufficient to hold on lengthy journeys or when working outside.  

Nevertheless, the Precision 5470 maybe places an excessive amount of emphasis on portability, leaving room for enchancment elsewhere. Battery life is comparatively modest, even when utilizing built-in graphics, and the FHD+ show and 720p webcam are each disappointing in comparison with what’s supplied by lots of its rivals on this worth vary.

Dell Precision 5470 Workstation specs

Options to think about

There are a variety of 14-inch laptops that now purpose to offer workstation ranges of efficiency, with Apple’s MacBook Professional vary setting the usual for battery life. But when battery life is not a high precedence, there are bigger 16-inch and 17-inch laptops that may genuinely compete with conventional desktop workstations.

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