Dell today has debuted an updated line of Precision entry-level workstations. The new models include the Precision 3930 Rack which only takes up 1U workstation space and gives customers an alternative to using shared solutions such as VMWare or having a large tower in an open office floor plan, where such a machine may provide the needed security or fit into the decor of the work space. They also announced the Precision 3630 mid-tower, as well as the Precision 3430 Small Form Factor Tower. The lineup can be powered by Core i3/i5/i7 and Xeon E 8th Generation Intel processors as well as professional graphics from the NVIDIA Quadro and AMD Radeon Pro Graphics.
Dell Precision 3930 Rack
Dell has listened to their customers when came to the portfolio having a 2U rack mount machine. As Rahul Tikoo, Vice President and General Manager of Dell Precision told us in a pre-brief, the 2 U machine was overkill for too many of their customers in the world of video editing, CAD, and finances. They love the rack mount format – but wanted greater density per rack, The 1U chassis itself uses a short-depth btw, or just did not need the horse power of the 2 U solutions that have been offering over the last decade. For those of you who know a rack mount machine from well…we will let you finish that on your own. A U is a measurement of size when comes to machines in what most of you would think of as a server rack. This new one 1 U machine is on par with the power of a mini tower machine but with taking up the need floor space or desk space by your desk. You can have a thin client on the back of your monitor along with a keyboard and mouse at your desk. Think less mess on and around your desk. (we won’t talk about my desk). Housing all the machines in a sever closet or data center can aid in you lower your HVAC costs, if proper design is done during the planning stage of rolling out an upgrade from desk based workstation systems to a thin client solution.
The 3930 can support up to 64GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory. In addition the Intel Xeon E processor supports Error Correcting Code (ECC) for increased reliability.
This behind the curtain workstation can pack up to 250W of doublewide GPUs, and scalability with up to 24TB of storage. With 3 PCIe slots including an optional PCI slot. On the network side, 1Gb Intel and 10Gb Aquantia Ethernet are available .
Pricing on the Dell Precision 3930 Rack starts and $899 and will be available worldwide from July 26th
Dell Precision 3430 Small Form Factor Tower
This is the Dell play in the SFF workstation market that many of you want and need today. (This is the machine we wish was coming to SDCC to use for videoing editing. ) The Precision 3630 Tower is 23 percent smaller than the previous generation but can still handing demand tasks such as 2D CAD and Video editing. All in an internal capacity of only 8 liters ( 11.4” x 3.65” x 11.5”).
The machine is powered by 8th Generation Intel Core (i3, i5, i7, Pentium) and Xeon processors along with 64GB of 2666 MHz DRAM. Plus it supports both non-ECC and ECC RAM depending on the CPU in in the tower. Graphics solutions for the 3430 include options ranging from AMD Radeon RX Pro WX 2100/3100/4100 to NVIDIA Quadro cards in the P400, P620, and P100. The chassis itself allows for up to 55W of graphics support .
“The new Dell Precision entry-level workstations pack a lot of punch into a small footprint,” said Bob Pette, Vice President of Professional Visualization at NVIDIA. “Powerful NVIDIA Quadro GPUs deliver best-in-class performance and are a great fit for pro users who may have constraints due to their space or location.”
For storage, it supports both SATA and M.2 PCIe NVMe based SSDs for up to 6TB of internal storage.
On the networking side there is an integrated Intel I219-LM GbE controller with optional Intel network cards and wireless/Bluetooth support. Plus, there is an faster option of the Aquantia AQtion AQN-108 5/2.5 GbE NIC. One nice thing about 5/2.5 GbE networking, you don’t need to upgrade your cabling when you upgrade your network to a 1 GbE LAN. That is something that cannot be said when moving up to a 10GbE LAN. A great cost savings which improves your network speed by at least over 2X.
While small, you still get a good amount of I/O ports. On the front there are two USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, and USB 3.1 Type-C port along with audio jack. You can order a machine with an optional SD card reader on the front as well. On the back, there are two more USB 2.0 ports (with SmartPower), four USB 3.0 ports, two PS/2 ports for keyboard and mouse, as well as two DisplayPorts for video. This machine also comes with Thunderbolt 3 support, you want the fastest and most flexible port you can have today on a machine.
Dell will also offer an optional Smart Card (CAC/PIV) reader.
Dell Precision 3630 Tower
The Dell Precision 3630 Tower is a larger tower for those of you who want the more traditional form factor or need more powerful GPUs and/or storage capacity. The Precision 3630 measures in at 13.1” x 6.95” x 13.5”. Dell claims, is 23% smaller than its predecessor and is aimed to offer greater expandability. The nut is this chassis is offers greater expandability and capacity over the 3430 SFF Tower along with some port I/O ports in the mix.
The 3630 supports all the same CPUs, as its littler sibling.
“AMD is proud to bring the full power of Radeon Pro graphics to Dell’s latest workstation offerings, further pushing the limit of what’s possible for enterprise professionals” said Ogi Brkic, Radeon Pro General Manager at AMD. “By delivering high-performance graphics for today’s most complex and innovative workloads, Radeon Pro continues to raise the bar when it comes to workstation productivity and stability.”
The first major place where it differs is the option to have more powerful range of graphics cards (AKA more power hungry ) graphics cards. The machine can support 225W of GPU power in total. Options range from AMD Radeon Pro WX2100 to WX7100. Some customer level and professional level dual card configurations are possible. For those of you who want team green (NVIDIA) , the Quadro options range from the P400 to the dual P4000 cards. On the consumer graphics front you can order a machine with a Radeon RX 580/NVIDIA GTX 1060, GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 card.
Storage capacity is much great- up to 16TB via SATA and M.2 PCIe NVMe based storage options.
The machine has 4 Dimm Slots; Up to 64GB 2666Mhz Non-ECC & ECC DDR4 Memory
Front and rear panel ports are similar with the 3630 sans using a separate microphone and headphone jack versus the combo laptop style jack on the 3430. Dell offers an optional Smart Card (CAC/PIV) reader for the 3630, as well.
I/O
- Front
- 2 – USB 2.0 Type A
- 1 USB 3.1 Type A (5Gb)
- 1 – USB 3.1 Type C (10Gb), data only
- Microphone
- Headphone
- Internal
- 1 – USB 3.0
- 4 – SATA 6Gb/s
- Rear
- 2 – USB 2.0 Type A (with SmartPower)
- 4 – USB 3.1 Type A (5Gb)
- 2 – PS2
- 2 – DisplayPort
- 1 – Optional Port (VGA, HDMI 2.0, DP++ 1.2, Type C w/DP-Alt mode)
- 1 – RJ45 Network Connector
- 1 – Serial
- 1 – Audio Line out
Operating Systems Support
These machines support the following OSes, which can be order from Dell:
- Windows 10 Professional (64 bit)
- Windows 10 Pro for Workstations (64 bit) w/ Intel Xeon processors
- Windows 10 Home (64 bit)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5 (coming soon)
- Ubuntu Linux 16.04
- NeoKylin 6.0 SP3 (China only)
Availability And Pricing
Dell backs all the machines with a 3 Year Limited Hardware and NBD on-site service.
- The Dell Precision 3930 Rack starts at $899 and will be available worldwide from July 26
- The Dell Precision 3430 Small Form Factor Tower starts at $649 and is available from today.
- The Dell Precision 3630 Tower starts at $649 and is available from today.
