Dell’s new RTX Pro AI PC boasts an ‘unlimited turbo’ mode
Image: Dell
Dell’s new Pro Max AI PCs boast the new Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell GPUs, making them desirable to AI developers for that reason alone. But the new desktop and laptop lineup also include several nerdy new innovations that we haven’t seen before, including an “infinite turbo” mode that most gamers would pine for and 18-inch displays.
Dell’s “Pro Max” lineup isn’t for the everyday user. Instead, the Pro Max is what Dell traditionally called the Precision lineup: workstations, basically.
Dell will ship its 14- and 16-inch laptops with the new Nvidia RTX Pro laptop GPUs in July, alongside AMD Ryzen and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips; versions with integrated graphics will ship on March 27. Dell’s desktops — the Slim, Micro, and Tower series — will be available with “Ada”-class RTX 4000-series GPUs on March 27; versions with the Core Ultra Series 2 desktop or AMD Threadripper CPUs plus the RTX Pro Blackwell desktop GPUs will ship in July. Dell did not announce prices.
Dell also plans to sell Nvidia’s new GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip inside a “desktop” design. That’s 20,000 TOPS, Nvidia says, plus a whopping 784GB of memory (288GB to the GPU and the remaining 496GB to the CPU) to basically run all of the AI models that you can think of.
Dell’s Pro Max desktops include tech that gamers would die for
That “desktop,” though, will be likely out of reach for many. Dell’s Tower, Slim, and Micro Pro Max PCs should be priced much more affordably, and include some cool tech that is making us drool already.
Dell
Dell claims that its Dell Pro Max Tower T2 will be the world’s fastest tower for single-threaded application performance, based on what Dell is calling its exclusive unlimited turbo duration technology. As many enthusiasts know, Intel and AMD cite both a base clock speed and a “turbo” clock speed at which one or all of its cores can run. Eventually, the CPU has to drop out of its turbo or boost speed to avoid overheating; the time in which the CPU runs in turbo mode is known as the “tau,” and is prolonged as long as possible. It’s one of the reasons that PCWorld uses the prolonged transcoding application Handbrake as part of our laptop testing, to try and see how long the laptop can run in turbo mode.
Dell is apparently saying that the T2 never has to drop out of turbo mode, due to the tower’s cooling. (I’ve asked for confirmation of this, but haven’t heard back from Dell.) The idea, of course, is to allow the T2 to serve as an AI workstation, running prolonged AI applications. It would certainly be nice to see this feature appear in a gaming PC from Alienware someday, however.
Interestingly, “select” Dell Pro Max desktops will ship with a modular USB-C port, designed to enhance durability. It’s not clear what the purpose is on a desktop, although the poor mechanical reliability of USB-C ports on smartphones can lead to them wearing out. A modular USB-C port would be a great addition to a future laptop.
Dell’s Pro Max laptops balloon to 18 inches
Dell’s AI Max laptops, meanwhile, ship in three product categories: the Base, Plus, and Premium tiers. The base 14-inch and 16-inch tier receives a boost just from its upgraded components, between 33 and 36 percent more performance from the Precision 3-series workstations.
Dell
The Plus tier offers both 16- and 18-inch models, which I’d like to see fit inside my backpack. (At 6.9 pounds minimum, to boot!) Here, we’re seeing Thunderbolt 5’s power delivery, delivered: These laptops will boast the latest 48-volt EPR USB-C power adapters, delivering up to 240W directly to the laptop. Naturally, these laptops are designed for running code, and will include RTX Pro 5000 GPUs with 24GB of GPU memory and up to 256GB of system memory, cooled with three fans. Inside is up to 16 terabytes — yep, terabytes — storage, with RAID options.
The Premium tier, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t offer an 18-inch model. Instead, Dell’s premium AI PCs boast tandem OLEDs, which debuted with the M4 version of the Apple iPad but have since started appearing in laptop PCs. Tandem OLEDs combine two OLED panels one on top of another, potentially increasing the HDR light output (to TrueBlack 1000, in this case) without robbing them of their key advantage: “perfect,” deep blacks. The laptops also include a zero-lattice keyboard. Dell is including up to 64GB of LPDDR5X memory and up to 8TB of dual-storage RAID.
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Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld
Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers’ News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.
