A Workstationlike Experience Without the Workstation Price Tag

Historically, businesses have largely had to decide between affordable entry-level devices for everyday users and premium workstations for engineers, designers and other professionals running graphics-intensive or compute-heavy applications.

Over the past several years, though, we’ve started to see these boundaries blur. A subset of users still need the high-end performance of workstation-class devices, but other workers are beginning to demand a more modest performance boost above what baseline devices can offer. Many employees now spend their days moving between video meetings, data visualization tools and other applications that place more demand on their devices than simple web browsing and word processing.

The Dell Pro Precision 5 14S and 16S laptops are designed to close this gap, giving users professional-grade power without the high price point and bulky footprint of a high-end workstation. 

Here are four reasons we see businesses opting for these more powerful devices. 

More intensive everyday workloads. The most compelling reason to move beyond a baseline business laptop may also be the simplest: Modern work is more demanding than it used to be. Many users now keep Teams or Zoom running throughout the day, while also working across spreadsheets, dashboards and collaboration platforms. On a standard system, these workflows can lead to frozen apps and frustrated users. By offering more power than a standard business laptop in a similar form factor, Dell Pro Precision 5 series systems can help users move more smoothly through daily workflows that have become too intensive for entry-level configurations.

Longer refresh cycles. While devices like the Dell Pro Precision 5 14S and 16S cost a bit more than entry-level devices, the price difference is far less than the difference between a baseline device and a high-powered workstation. Often, organizations can make up the difference by extending their device refresh cycles by an extra year, because users will be less likely to grow frustrated and clamor for upgrades. Plus, the additional performance may come with another lifecycle cost benefit: When users no longer have to wait for their devices to respond, they’re more productive throughout the workday.

Price-to-performance value. Most employees don’t need the most powerful device available. Often, they just need a modest boost of additional power to keep their everyday work from slowing down. For these users, the experience of using a laptop that’s one step up from an entry-level machine is practically the same as using a high-end workstation, since both machines provide the performance they need. This logic applies in reverse, as well: Some employees who previously required larger, more expensive systems may be able to step down from a high-powered workstation to a Dell Pro Precision 5 series laptop.

Workforcewide premium experience: No sizable company can afford to equip every user with a high-end workstation. But with devices like the Dell Pro Precision 5 series, organizations can now afford to give their entire workforce a premium experience. In addition to providing a performance boost, the devices weigh under 3 pounds and offer all-day battery life. By standardizing on devices that deliver stronger performance and a better user experience, organizations can also streamline IT management and maintenance. Ultimately, an affordable, premium device helps improve productivity and reduce frustration, and gives employees confidence that they have the tools they need to work at the top of their game.