Product Notes: Dell OptiPlex 980

March 8, 2010

In early March, Dell announced new tower, desktop, and small desktop systems branded as the OptiPlex 980. The OptiPlex 980 will supplant the OptiPlex 960 line introduced in November 2008 and is the first OptiPlex to offer Intel's Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors.

Design and Changes

The OptiPlex 980 has the same general enclosures as the previous generation OptiPlex 960. As in the 960, there is significant variance in size, from 1.16 cubic feet for the tower, 0.54 cubic feet for the medium desktop, and 0.30 cubic feet for the small desktop. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) believes that the most users will be well served by the small desktop.

The OptiPlex 980 adds the option of more advanced Intel management technology (vPro/iAMT 6.0 Professional). It also moves the OptiPlex 9x0 series from 800 MHz DDR2 to 1333 MHz DDR3 memory.

Ninety percent efficient power supplies are available with all OptiPlex 980 form factors. When correctly configured, the OptiPlex 980 is EPEAT Gold-compliant and Energy Star 5.0-certified.

Ordering Notes

Several considerations when ordering an OptiPlex 980:

1. ISC suggests choosing the i7/i5 vPro systems management option.
2. ISC suggests choosing the Energy Star 5.0 Category B efficiency option (for Core i5 processors) or the the Energy Star 5.0 Category D efficiency option (for Core i7 processors). This requires selecting the 90% efficient power supply and does not prevent otherwise appropriate system configuration.
3. ISC strongly suggests configuring the OptiPlex 980 with Core i5 processors (Core i7 processors optional) instead of the Core i3 processors. In general, ISC believes that users considering an OptiPlex 980 with Core i3 will be better served by purchasing an OptiPlex 780 with a Core 2 Duo.
4. Having 4.0 GB of RAM is essential for the optimal functionality of any modern Performance PC, including the OptiPlex 980.
5. With the OptiPlex 980, ISC strongly suggests a discrete video card instead of integrated video. ISC believes that most users will be well served by the ATI Radeon HD 3450, which is orderable with either dual VGA or dual DVI outputs. Higher performance video cards are also available, ranging up to 512 MB on the small desktop and up to 1.0 GB on the tower and medium desktop.
6. ISC suggests choosing Dell's higher-quality UltraSharp and Professional displays. A cost savings strategy commonly employed at the University is to buy high quality displays every other life cycle, instead of every life cycle.
7. ISC believes that most providers will prefer that Dell not include any security software in the factory image.
8. If a system is going to be in use for the full four year life cycle, a four year warranty (which adds about $75 to the overall cost over a three year warranty) may be appropriate.
9. Many Schools and Centers at the University may wish to choose the "Keep Your Hard Drive" option, which allows the School or Center to retain a defective hard drive when receiving a replacement hard drive under warranty.

See ISC's Performance Desktop Purchasing Guide for more configuration hints. As of March 2010, configuring an OptiPlex 980 to the performance desktop specification can be done for approximately $1,300 to $1,350. The cost delta between an OptiPlex 980 and an OptiPlex 780 with the same general configuration (can not be precisely duplicated because of basic system differences) is currently about $75.

The University's Computer Connection will have at least one OptiPlex 980 configuration available to order as soon as possible.

Analysis

The OptiPlex 980 is a significant update to Dell's high-end enterprise desktops, with an improved chipset, the option of more management capability, and greater configuration flexibility. Users previously considering an OptiPlex 960 almost certainly should move toward the OptiPlex 980, while potential purchasers of high-end OptiPlex 780s should also consider the 980.

ISC will follow up with a full review of the OptiPlex 980 as soon as testing has been completed. The 980 likely will be a significant component of the 2010-2011 Desktop Recommendations.

--John Mulhern III, Lead for Client Technologies, ISC Technology Support Services (March 8, 2010)