14 DAY TRIAL // Dell's series of tower workstations has gone through a transformation, one whose purpose is to boost versatility and productivity while not changing the hardware all that much.
Dell came up with its new case after soliciting input from hundreds of engineering, finance, software development, scientific, and media and entertainment companies.
The result was an efficient, award-winning design with the interior separated into two types of areas: those that aren't often accessed (wire harnesses, fans) and those that users most often have to work with (memory, HDDs).
One of the main assets of the new tower cases is the externally removable power supply, with tool-less installation and a built-in handle that lights up green when functioning properly.
Another asset is the front access to the HDDs / SSDs (the T7600, for instance, can house up to four of the former or eight of the latter).
A third advantage is the possibility of turning the T7600 into a rack compatible with PowerEdge servers.
“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,” said Adam Watkins, computer graphics supervisor, Pixomondo.
“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."
The man speaks in plural because, in addition to the Dell Precision T7600, Dell has revealed the Precision T5600, Precision T3600 and T1650 (no product page for this one yet).
All of them have one or two Intel Xeon server CPUs (up to 16 cores), several power supply options, customizable storage configurations, NVIDIA graphics (Quadro 5000 or 6000 series) and, with the exception of the T1650, the Reliable Memory Technology (Dell patented code programmed at the BIOS level that eliminates virtually all memory errors on high-end workstations).