Precision vs XPS vs Dimension?

Question

Hello, all... I'm new here; tried finding info, but haven't quite managed.

I've seen various "comparison" threads, but haven't really found any definitive answer.

Is there any overall difference between the product lines? If I configure a Precision & an XPS and a Dimension with the same RAM & CPU & video, do I have 3 functionally-identical systems (barring empty slots for expansion / etc)? Or are there other architecture issues (system bus, etc) that might give one a performance edge over another?

I had spec'ed out an XPS 400, which seemed "better" for our use vs. the Precision 670. My boss, who followed Dell's "small business" link, likes the 670 and notes the XPS is a "home" system.

I see the Precision DOES have that Quadro card available (for lots of money), which we'd probably rather have than the geForce (we're a CAD shop), *but* Google finds me many happy geForce 6800 / CAD users, i.e. the "consumer" card is also fine for CAD, if not as good as the Quadro (I've seen the NVidia "Quadro_vs_GeForce" PDF; as it's their own marketing for their more-expensive card, I remain unconvinced).

Similarly, the Precision has ECC RAM -- again, it's nice, but is it worth the $$$ ?

Anything else...?

Thanks!

kerriritter · Answer

Precisions are business/professional workstations, the graphic cards like the quadro are isv certified for a long list of apps. their standard warantees are 3 years also.

If you spend 30-100% of your time doing CAD on that machine, you need to get a certified card like the Quadro. It has a very very different set of drivers and the hardware is tuned toward design/engineering apps.

The Dimension is the basic home computing line. Yes, the GeForce cards are screamers and great for gaming. The Quadro FX1400 fares just fine for that also but excels in other areas. We have both and our systems are PWS 380's and 670's.
We did have several Dimensions too and a XPS600 though not for work.

You might want to look at this thread from tom's hardware regarding consumer/professional graphic card issues:

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/3D-CAD-Card-Gaming-Card-ftopict178333.html

This is only my opinion. It all depends on your business and personal needs, the applications you consider to be mission critical, and such. I prefer to have the best hardware suited to my profession and the way I work on a daily basis.

pciguy · Answer

@kerriritter wrote:
Precisions are business/professional workstations, the graphic cards like the quadro are isv certified for a long list of apps. their standard warantees are 3 years also.

If you spend 30-100% of your time doing CAD on that machine, you need to get a certified card like the Quadro. It has a very very different set of drivers and the hardware is tuned toward design/engineering apps.

The Dimension is the basic home computing line. Yes, the GeForce cards are screamers and great for gaming. The Quadro FX1400 fares just fine for that also but excels in other areas. We have both and our systems are PWS 380's and 670's.
We did have several Dimensions too and a XPS600 though not for work.

You might want to look at this thread from tom's hardware regarding consumer/professional graphic card issues:

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/3D-CAD-Card-Gaming-Card-ftopict178333.html

This is only my opinion. It all depends on your business and personal needs, the applications you consider to be mission critical, and such. I prefer to have the best hardware suited to my profession and the way I work on a daily basis.

Thanks for the reply! I know that the "Precision" line is Dell's
business/professional line, but I haven't been (still am not entirely)
clear on what that really MEANS, if you see what I mean.

Gaming boxes (e.g. the XPS) are generally fast & have lots of memory;
that strikes me as much the same criteria as a CAD workstation. So it
comes down to looking at some finer-grained details (bus speeds; the
stability of the chipset; ECC vs. non-ECC RAM... and, of course, the
video card).

Concerning the video card... I had seen, e.g., the nVidia whitepaper:
www.pny.com/support/downloads/quadro_geforce.pdf
Thing is, it seemed heavy on qualitative claims, and light on actual
comparative numbers; in short, a marketing whitepaper. I don't often
trust marketing at face value... call me cynical.

The thread from Toms Hardware was good data for me; thanks! It looks
like the hardcore engineers will really appreciate the Quadro features;
i.e. it's not just marketspeak.

Thanks again!

tonebalone · Answer

Spend some time in the Dimension forums -- are they happy with their after-sale support?  This line has had its support outsourced to Bangalore, and this has made for some unhappy customers.  Same with the Inspiron line.   If tech support is important, you might stick with the Precision Workstations.

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Precision vs XPS vs Dimension?

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