Dell Pro Slim Plus

The Dell Pro Slim Plus is a compact business powerhouse with a best-in-class CPU and excellent connectivity. Its integrated graphics are the main letdown, making it a non-starter for gaming. If you can snag it near the $1800 mark, it's a solid deal for a no-fuss office workhorse.

Dell's Pro Slim Plus is a purpose-built office machine that doesn't try to be anything else. It packs a 20-core Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and 32GB of DDR5 into a compact chassis, and it's clearly aimed at business users who need reliable horsepower for spreadsheets, multitasking, and the occasional AI workload without the desk-hogging tower. The port selection is genuinely impressive, with a mix of USB-C, USB-A, and triple DisplayPort outputs that'll make multi-monitor setups a breeze.

The Core Ultra 7 265 is a standout for productivity, landing in the 89th percentile for CPU performance in our database. That means it chews through heavy multitasking and business apps without breaking a sweat. The 32GB of DDR5 RAM is also well above average, so you can keep a frankly irresponsible number of Chrome tabs open. The weak spot is the integrated Intel Graphics, which sits at a mediocre 46th percentile. It's fine for driving displays and light photo work, but don't even think about gaming or 3D rendering. The 512GB SSD is solid but nothing special, falling right around average for storage speed and capacity.

Pricing is all over the map for this unit, with a spread from $1797 to $3217 across vendors. At the lower end of that range, you're getting a very capable business PC with a leading CPU and plenty of RAM. At the higher end, it's a tougher sell when you could start looking at compact workstations with dedicated graphics. If you're shopping, dig around for a deal closer to that $1800 mark to make this a genuinely smart buy.

Stacked against the competition, the Pro Slim Plus carves out a clear niche. It's not trying to be a gaming rig like the HP OMEN 45L or the ASUS ROG tower, both of which will run circles around it in any graphics test. It's also a very different beast from the Apple Mac mini, which is even smaller and sips power but runs a completely different OS. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is a closer business competitor but leans more toward a bulky traditional desktop. The Dell's real advantage is that compact size paired with a top-tier business CPU and a port layout that beats most of these rivals.

Gamers and creative pros should look elsewhere immediately. The integrated Intel Graphics score a dismal 16.6 out of 100 for gaming, so you won't be playing anything more demanding than Solitaire. If you need any kind of dedicated GPU for rendering or CAD work, this machine's 260W power supply and slim case leave you with no viable upgrade path.

This is a no-nonsense office PC for professionals who value a clean desk and serious CPU power. It's perfect for financial analysts, developers running non-graphical workloads, or anyone drowning in spreadsheets and virtual meetings. Just don't expect it to moonlight as a gaming or creative workstation.