Dell XPS Tower Plus Black 2025 Review

The Dell Tower Plus is a CPU powerhouse in the 86th percentile, built for developers and multitaskers. Its killer feature is a 95th percentile port selection with Thunderbolt 4 and WiFi 7. Just don't expect a top-tier gaming rig, as the RTX 5060 GPU is its most average component.

The Dell Tower Plus is a desktop that knows its strengths. It leads with a CPU that lands in the 86th percentile, thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 7 265's 20 cores, and backs it up with a generous 32GB of DDR5 RAM. That's a combo that scores an 85.7 for developers in our system, making it a serious contender for coding and multitasking. But this isn't just a brainy box. It's also a connectivity champ, sitting in the 95th percentile for ports with Thunderbolt 4 and WiFi 7, which is great news for creators moving big files around.

Let's talk numbers. That 86th percentile CPU score means this thing chews through multi-threaded tasks. Compiling code or rendering a video timeline will feel noticeably faster than on a median desktop. The 32GB of RAM at 5200 MT/s is solid, landing in the 83rd percentile, so you can keep a hundred browser tabs and your IDE open without a sweat. The GPU is the more modest part of the package. The RTX 5060's 8GB of VRAM puts it in the 67th percentile. It's perfectly fine for 1080p gaming and can accelerate some creative apps, but it's not the star of the show here. That honor goes to the processor and the insane port selection.

At $1399, you're paying for a well-rounded productivity and development foundation. You get a top-tier CPU and a great amount of fast RAM upfront, which are often expensive upgrades. The value is in that core compute package and the future-proof connectivity. Compared to building it yourself, you're paying a slight premium for the Dell warranty and assembly, but you're avoiding the hunt for parts. Just know a chunk of your money is going towards that CPU, not a flashy graphics card.

Stacked against competitors, the Tower Plus carves a niche. The HP Omen 45L at a similar price often prioritizes a stronger GPU for gaming, but might skimp on the CPU core count. The Alienware Aurora R16 can be faster for pure gaming but often costs more for equivalent specs. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is a closer match, but the Dell wins on port selection with that 95th percentile score. If you need Thunderbolt 4 or WiFi 7 now, the Dell has a clear edge. If you want the best gaming frames per dollar, you might look at the Omen or a custom build focused on the GPU.

Hardcore gamers should look elsewhere. The GPU is the system's statistical weak point at the 67th percentile. If your main goal is maxing out the latest games at high frame rates, you'll get more performance per dollar from a competitor like the HP Omen that prioritizes a stronger graphics card. Also, if you need a small PC, this scores a 30.3 for compactness. At 12.9kg, it's a desktop anchor.

We recommend the Dell Tower Plus if your workflow is CPU and RAM-hungry first, and gaming is a secondary concern. The data is clear: it's a development and multi-tasking workhorse (85.7 score) with best-in-class connectivity. For $1399, you get a system that's ready for heavy productivity and creative tasks out of the box, with a GPU that's capable but not exceptional. It's a smart buy for a developer or content creator who values I/O speed and processing threads over pushing pixels at 4K.