When the first Dell OptiPlex was launched a few years ago, little did we know that the workforce would require space-saving devices as remote working or work from home becomes the norm. Pitched — and built — for business use, the Dell OptiPlex has all the qualities of a good investment.

The Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra comes with Software Optimizer 2.0, a software application that intelligently and dynamically optimizes the performance of your computer by using artificial intelligence and machine learning. This was meant to improve productivity, performance, and user experience through computer usage analysis and learning.

It carries a price tag of $1,200 (from the website) or around P64,000 in today’s exchange rate.

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Design

Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra module is 4 inches wide, 10 inches long, and .75 thick. While the review unit came with a stand but we opted to do away with it to save some space. Storage ranges from Optane, HHD, and SSD. In such a “small” package, users have various options for network connections and ports — USB-A, USB-C, DisplayPort, Ethernet, HDMI, power — which were placed at the bottom and are easily accessible when there’s a need to change cables. It’s not so much of a bother to retrieve it from the stand to insert a cable, though.

Details

Announced at Consumer Electronics 2021, Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra is an iteration of OptiPlex 7070 Ultra introduced in 2019. Powered by 11th Gen Intel CPUs it also boasts of Intel’s Iris Xe Graphics or Intel’s UHD Graphics. Intel Core vPro platform is considered the “gold standard” for business-class performance, security features, manageability, and platform stability.

Outfitted with the 11th Generation Intel Core series, Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra can still be considered a powerhouse in the segment it was intended for: business. It also boasts 64GB RAM and up to 2TB of NVMe storage. Security slots include a Kensington lock slot, a security screw hole, and a chassis intrusion switch.

Performance

Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra runs on 11th Generation Intel Core with a processor wattage of 28 W. The processor speed starts at 3.0 GHz up to 4.8 GHz.

Dell sent a 24-inch monitor with full HD resolution at 1,920-by-1,080 pixels. There goes the space-saving story angle. Nobody complaining though.

Setting up was a breeze. With a compact hard drive and ridiculously slim monitor, it didn’t take us 20 minutes to figure out which cable is to which ports.

When you talk about performance, boot-up was quick, almost instantaneously. We timed it and it boots up at 2.8 seconds or as soon as we hit the power button.

The only demanding tasks we performed were photo editing and a bit of video clip trimming. There was no lag or hiccup even when saving the files. For games, the performance was the same. It helped that we have a reliable internet connection so performance in any RPG was also a breeze. Then we’re reminded that Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra was designed for business use.

The refresh rate is at 60-Hz and the HD quality display makes the colors vibrant and natural.

While it was designed and built for enterprises, we see no reason why it can’t be a workhorse in the work from home or remote work setup. The size of a module alone is a given for people who have limited space. And in spite of its size, Dell OptiPlex Ultra 7090 is no lightweight when it comes to performance as evidence by our daily use for a couple of weeks.

If we have P64,000 to spare (plus a couple of thousands of pesos more for the monitor), we are sold to acquiring something as sleek, compact, and power-packed as Dell OptiPlex Ultra.