Dell is rolling out an entry-level design workstation powered by the latest processors from Intel and offering a choice of graphics cards from Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia.
The single-socket Precision T1500 also is certified by Autodesk to run the AutoCAD design software.
“This is primarily targeted at the SMB type of customer, and especially at the CAD type of customer,” Rick Perez, Precision product manager, said in an interview.
The new Dell workstation, which was announced Sept. 29, is powered by Intel’s quad-core Core i7 “Nehalem” processors, and comes with a chip set that offers 1333MHz DDR3 memory. Users also can choose between an AMD ATI FirePro or Nvidia Quadro graphics card, which both can help with 2D and 3D model views, according to Dell.
Perez said the new Precision workstation was a significant announcement for Dell.
“We definitely see this as an expansion play for us to achieve more market share than we have today,” he said.
The system is aimed at both workstation tasks and power desktop users, and offers a variety of SATA and RAID options, multiple operating system support and four memory slots.
Perez said Dell is using the Precision T1500 in the company’s portfolio between the high-end Vostro 420 desktop and the T3500 workstation.