Dell Precision 5680 Workstation 13th Gen: Configurations and Design

The Dell Precision 5680 is a high-end workstation with a stunning 16-inch screen. It offers up to 64GB of memory and 8TB of storage, but it's not the most powerful option. For serious performance, consider the Precision 7680. In the UAE, the base model starts at AED 6000:00, but for top-tier specs like a Core i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 5000 GPU, expect to pay more. Despite its power, it's surprisingly slim and durable. It lacks some ports compared to its bigger sibling, the Precision 7680, but still offers Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and more. It's equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and comes with Windows 11 Pro.

Dell Precision 5680 Workstation 13th Gen: Features and Functionality

This Dell laptop screen has thin edges, but the webcam lacks a privacy cover. However, it offers IR face recognition for easy login and can blur backgrounds. You can also use the fingerprint reader on the power button for security. The keyboard has dedicated Home and End keys, but Page Up and Page Down require using the Fn key. It has a responsive touchpad, but it sometimes misses taps. The OLED touch screen offers sharp details and rich colors, with customizable color settings. Despite dual speakers and subwoofers, the sound lacks volume and bass. Some pre-installed software, like Dell Optimizer, enhances performance and offers useful features like noise cancellation and network prioritization for video calls.

Dell Precision 5680 Workstation 13th Gen: Productivity

We use the same tests to measure how well both laptops and desktop computers handle everyday tasks. The PCMark 10 test imitates different real-life office tasks to see how fast the computer can do them. It also checks how fast the computer's storage is.

Geekbench 5.4 Pro test makes the computer do different tasks like reading PDFs and recognizing speech. The last test, HandBrake 1.4, changes a big video file from super clear to a little less clear.

We also test how well the computers handle editing pictures with a program called Photoshop. The Dell Precision does really well in the PCMark 10 test, showing it's great for everyday stuff like using Word or Excel. It didn't do the best in the CPU tests, but it still did pretty good, even though the MSI computer did a tiny bit better despite having a slightly older processor.

Dell Precision 5680 Workstation 13th Gen: Graphics

We check how good a computer's graphics are using two tests from 3DMark: Night Raid, which is for simpler graphics like those on laptops, and Time Spy, which is for fancier graphics like in gaming computers.

We also do two tests from GFXBench 5, which looks at different parts of the graphics system. One test, called Aztec Ruins, checks how well the computer handles detailed graphics, and the other, called Car Chase, looks at how fast it can move things around the screen. The faster it can do these things, the better.

If you're really into playing the newest and coolest games, you might want a gaming computer that's even more powerful. But the graphics card in the Dell, called the RTX 5000 Ada, is still really strong, especially for the kinds of graphics in GFXBench 5. However, if you're buying this computer, the Dell Precision 5680  probably not just for gaming.

Dell Precision 5680 Workstation 13th Gen: Performance Testing

Just like PugetBench for Photoshop, PugetBench for Adobe Premiere Pro 15 is a tool that automatically tests how well a computer can handle video editing. We also use Blender, which is a program for making 3D images and animations. We measure how fast it can create realistic pictures using both the computer's main brain (CPU) and its graphics brain (GPU). Faster times are better.

SPECviewperf 2020 is another test which checks how well the computer can handle different kinds of 3D models. We test it with popular software like PTC's Creo CAD, Autodesk's Maya, and SolidWorks. The results is measured in frames per second.

The Dell Precision 5680 did slightly worse than the ThinkPad P16 and CreatorPro X17 in Blender, but it did the best we've ever seen in SPECviewperf tests for a laptop. Even though two gaming computers with powerful processors and graphics cards scored a bit better, we're really impressed with what the Dell can do. We're excited to test the RTX 5000 Ada in other computers, but for now, we're very happy with what we've seen.

Dell Precision 5680 Workstation 13th Gen: Battery and Display

We check how long a laptop's battery lasts by playing a movie stored on the computer with the screen at medium brightness and the sound turned up. Before the test, we make sure the battery is fully charged and turn off Wi-Fi and keyboard lights to make sure they don't use up power.

To see how good the Dell Precision’ screen is, we use a special tool called Datacolor SpyderX Elite. It measures how well the screen shows colors by comparing it to standards like sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3. We also measure how bright the screen is at medium and maximum settings.

Most of the time, laptops like this stay plugged in, but the Dell Precision 5680 lasts about twice as long on battery power as its competitors. The colors on its screen are perfect, although it's just a bit dimmer than we'd like. OLED screens like this one have really high contrast, so they're still easy to see even when not very bright, but we prefer screens with at least 350 nits of brightness.

Final Thoughts

The Dell Precision 5680 is pricey, but most people buy it in large batches at a lower price. Still, we really like its high SPECviewperf scores. If you're okay with having 64GB of RAM instead of 128GB, it's just as good as the Lenovo ThinkPad P16. The ThinkPad has a nicer keyboard and touchpad, plus two regular USB ports. But the Dell is much easier to carry around, so we picked it as the best mobile workstation.