Dell Optiplex 980 review

Inside this impressive enclosure is a powerful specification. Intel's Core i5-660 is a relatively new chip, and its 3.33GHz clock speed is augmented by the familiar Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. It's evidently a powerful part, returning a score of 1.99 in our application benchmarks. That's more than enough to handle the most demanding business software. Elsewhere, the specification is more ordinary.

A 320GB hard disk is sizeable enough, Intel's integrated graphics are capable of handling basic desktop computing, and there's a DVD writer in tow. Given there's 4GB of RAM inside, we were slightly baffled to find Windows 7 Professional 32- bit edition installed; in this configuration the OptiPlex 980 can access only 3.4GB of the machine's memory. But, thankfully, Dell lets you choose a 64-bit version of Windows at no extra cost when ordering.

What you want

There's also a full range of customisation options available if this specification - which costs £689 exc VAT and is one of the cheapest available - doesn't take your fancy. Downgrading to a Core i5-650 will save you £20 exc VAT, and a range of more powerful processors are also available: a Core i5-750 adds £29 to the cost, a Core i7-860 an extra £103, and the Core i7-870 £340.

Elsewhere, it's possible to upgrade to a 500GB hard disk for £17 or a 128GB SSD for £269, double up to 8GB of RAM for £92 or add 16GB of memory for an extra £404. A wide range of graphics cards are also available: although we don't anticipate much demand for the Nvidia GeForce GT330 and ATI Radeon HD 4550 options, there's a trio of entry-level professional cards from Matrox that can be fitted. And, needless to say, the impressive three-year, next-business-day warranty can also be upgraded, with an additional two years costing £39 exc VAT, and more advanced levels of support also available.

Dell has left no stone unturned here, and there's plenty to get your teeth into on the software side too. Dell has spent plenty of time getting the BIOS right, and has eschewed the traditional keyboard-operated utility for a cursor-controlled environment. It's far easier to use than the average BIOS, and packed with sensible settings: the front and rear USB ports can be disabled along with the TPM chip, PCI slots and Wi-Fi, and it's possible to choose how secure your administrator password is with a range of character and length options.

The software within Windows 7 Professional is less impressive, with utilities to handle basic network and security duties. It's more than you'd see on most business machines, but can't compete with Lenovo's ThinkVantage Toolbox for breadth or versatility.

Nevertheless, this minor complaint pales into insignificance beside the Dell's superb case design, attention to detail and performance - and, suddenly, £689 exc VAT seems like a bargain. If small-form-factor systems just aren't versatile enough, then the OptiPlex 980 is as good as it gets.

Author: Mike Jennings