DELL BUSINESS DESKTOPS VS CONSUMER DESKTOPS
Liane Haun
Whether it’s for a busy office or working at home, or just curious about the differences, there are plenty of factors to think about when assessing business vs consumer desktops. We'd like to make this choice easier by looking at some of the key differences between Dell business desktops, Optiplex, and consumer desktops, Inspiron.
Determining Your Use Case
With a desktop, you can achieve more power, performance, and versatility for a similar or even cheaper price tag than a laptop. If you do demanding work or you're hoping to upgrade in the future, a desktop is a perfect consideration.
The real difference is if you'll be using this device for high-demand work and how often. This is where you need to analyze your own use case. Is this a computer for the office, or will it live at home for remote work?
If you think you'll only be using the desktop for work about 10% to 15% of the time, you might be fine with a consumer desktop. For regular, high-performance demands, for business we'd strongly suggest business grade desktop computers.
Dell Inspiron vs. Dell Optiplex
Here are examples of desktop computers for business. Dell Inspiron is an affordable consumer-grade desktop sold in big box stores and online. Optiplex is considered a business desktop or workstation usually acquired from a value added Dell reseller.
Windows Operating System
One key difference is to look at the Windows edition that's offered. Many consumer PCs tend to offer basic versions of Windows, such as Windows 10 Home. Dell business desktops will often offer more premium versions, such as Windows 10 Pro. Windows Home can be upgraded to Pro for an additional cost of $99. Windows 10 is more for business management and deployment for built-in security, productivity, and management features saves time, money, and hassle.
Warranties
Business-level desktops/workstations also include longer or more detailed warranties. For example, Dell's Optiplex has an admirable three-year warranty when new. This may be due to their superior build quality.
Versatility
Optiplex often gives you versatility in their form factor. The Optiplex can range anywhere from a somewhat smaller (yet typical) desktop tower to a tiny box, called a Micro, that can attach to the underside of your desk.
Performance
The biggest difference that people look for in Dell computers for business is the performance they offer. People working in business need reliability, precision, and near-perfect response time. Consumer computers usually include “bloatware” or “junkware” which increases configuration labor costs for removal or performance takes a hit because it is left running in the background. On business systems, these additional and unnecessary programs are omitted.
Choosing Dell Business Desktops
The difference between Dell business desktops and consumer desktops may not always be obvious. If you think a computer is "just a computer," think again and consider your use case. When doing a price comparison be to consider the specs of each for a fair comparison. How often will this computer be used for work, what kind of power and performance is required, and how much reliability and expansion do you need?
If you’re in need of a business desktop, please contact us anytime to hear what we have to offer! Click here to learn more about the Dell Optiplex family.