The 5 best Dell desktop PCs in 2024

If you’re thinking of buying a new desktop, then you may want to consider Dell, which makes some of the best desktops on the market, whether you’re looking for a work desktop or a gaming desktop. In fact, it probably has one of the widest lineups of desktops you can pick from, including the XPS lineup, which is the same sub-brand Dell uses for its XPS laptops, the same ones that compete with the MacBook Air. So, when you buy a Dell, you know that you’re buying something of solid quality, which is why we’ve gone ahead and picked out the best Dell desktop PCs to save you the trouble.

The Best Dell Desktop PCs in 2024

• Buy the Inspiron 27 All-in-One if you want the best all-in-one Dell Desktop

• Buy the Inspiron Small Desktop if you want the best budget Dell desktop

• Buy the OptiPlex Micro Form Factor if you want the best small form factor Dell desktop

• Buy the Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop with RTX 4080 if you want the best Dell desktop for gaming

• Buy the Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop with RTX 4060 if you want the best budget Dell gaming desktop

Inspiron 27 All-in-One

Best all-in-one Dell Desktop

Going for an all-in-one solution makes sense if you are on a tight budget and don’t want to worry about buying a monitor, keyboard, and mouse; it also makes it relatively easier to move things around. Luckily, Dell’s Inspiron 27 All-in-One is a really good middle ground in terms of price vs performance and should be more than enough for most folks out there. For example, it comes with a 27-inch FHD screen that’s touch-enabled, so you can use it without even needing the mouse and keyboard.

In terms of internal specs, it comes with an Intel Core i7-1355U processor, which is an excellent mid-to-high-end CPU that will handle productivity tasks without any issues. Luckily, it also comes with a very entry-level GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 so it should also let you get some more complex tasks done, such as some graphical editing and maybe even gaming. That said, it only has 2GB of video RAM and is about equivalent to an older GTX 1050; we wouldn’t push it too hard if we were you.

Besides that, it has 16GB of RAM, so more than enough to give you a smooth day-to-day experience, and it comes loaded with Windows 11 Home. It has 1TB of storage, which is also quite a bit and it even has a 1080p webcam for any meetings you need to do digitally. One thing to note, though, is that the included mouse and keyboard are quite generic, so you may want to spring for a proper set in the long term; they’ll work fine to get you started, but you probably won’t enjoy them for too long.

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Inspiron Small Desktop

Best budget Dell desktop

If you need something basic for work and don’t want to spend a ton of money, then you’ll be happy to know that the Inspiron Small Desktop is an excellent option. Not only does it have a great price tag attached to it, but it’s also relatively small and easy to move around or place in tight spaces. That said, you are giving up something in the process when it comes to performance, which may not be a dealbreaker for you if you need a work desktop and something that will let you get online.

Under the hood, you’ll find an Intel Core i3-13100m, which is a very entry-level processor that will still let you run things like Microsoft Word or other Microsoft suite products, although it may struggle a bit if you have an Excel sheet with hundreds of tables. You could, in theory, upgrade to an Intel Core i5-13400 for an extra $100, which also nets you a larger 512GB SSD, and it might well be worth it for the sake of general quality of life, but if performance isn’t an issue for you, then the Intel Core i3-13100m should be fine. Either way, you can always look online to see if the Intel Core i3-13100m will be enough for the apps and needs you have before making the decision.

As for RAM, you’re getting 8GB of the older DDR4, which, again, isn’t excellent, but it’s good enough for most basic uses. You could upgrade it to 16GB, but that would require an upgrade of the CPU to an i5 and the storage to 512GB, all of which will run you an extra $250 or so. Ultimately, it’s probably not worth it if you don’t need the extra processing power since you can always just add an extra 8GB stick of RAM to the machine sometime in the future if you feel the 8GB you have is not enough for you. Either way, you have a lot of options in how you can set up the Inspiron Small Desktop, so be sure to properly consider your needs vs your budget.

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OptiPlex Micro Form Factor

Best small form factor Dell desktop

With so many folks working from home, it’s very likely that you don’t really have the space to stick in a large desktop computer, and if you don’t want to grab a laptop, then there aren’t a ton of options left. Luckily, Dell does have the OptiPlex Micro Form Factor, which, as the name suggests, is pretty small and can probably fit into a tight nook, at least within reason. Obviously, all computers need some space to breathe so that they can expel heat using the fans, but at least with the small size, you could also just put it under your monitor to save space.

This OptiPlex runs an Intel Core i5-13500T, which is actually a pretty solid mid-range CPU and has the additional benefit of not running too hot compared to something a bit higher-end. In terms of what you can do with it, most productivity tasks should be handled fine, and you could, in theory, get some graphical editing work done as well. Luckily, you do get 16GB of RAM to work with, although it’s the older DDR4 standard, so it’s not as fast as it could if you went with the more recent DDR5.

If you don’t really need anything powerful, then the specs are perfectly fine as they are, but you can always upgrade, and even quite significantly if you go for the Micro Plus range, which bumps you up to DDR5 RAM and more DisplayPorts to work with, as well as a USB-C. Of course, the switch will run you an extra $370, and you’ll still be running the Intel Core i5-13500T processor, so if you aren’t programming or using CAD apps, then it’s probably not worth the upgrade. Either way, both options include a mouse and keyboard, although they are quite generic so you’ll probably want to buy nicer ones down the line.

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Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop with RTX 4080

Best Dell desktop for gaming

You may not be aware, but Dell also owns the Alienware gaming brand and makes some pretty excellent gaming desktops that you can grab, and a lot of them even look really excellent to boot. For example, this Aurora R16 comes in a sleek black case with a half-window side panel and an LED ring running along one side of it, so it looks really sleek and minimalist and will fit in almost any environment. Of course, that does mean that you pay a premium, and it’s quite an expensive PC if you buy it at MSRP, although it’s not a ton cheaper when on sale either, although that’s the price for top-tier performance.

For gaming, you get an RTX 4080, which is currently one of the top five GPUs on the market. So you’ll be able to play many games across the board at a high resolution. While you may not necessarily be able to push 4K at 144 fps on the ultra setting, you’ll get close to at least 4K resolutions at around 100 fps, especially with a few graphical compromises here and there. On the other hand, if you’re planning on using something like a 2K resolution gaming monitor, you’ll have more freedom to run higher graphical settings and framerates, so really, you have quite a few options in terms of what you want to prioritize.

As for processing power, you get the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which is one of the most powerful CPUs on the market and will not only easily handle any game you want to run on it, but it should also let you stream to Twitch or YouTube if you want to give that a shot. It also has a whopping 32GB of DDR5 RAM, so it’s going to handle strategy and sim games well, and if you’re a programmer or use CAD apps, then you’ll also be very happy with that amount of RAM. You’ll also be very happy with the 2TB of storage, and while that may start getting tight given how large modern AAA games are, you won’t be bumping into that issue to much, especially with some smart storage management.

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Alienware Aurora R16 Gaming Desktop with RTX 4060

Best budget Dell gaming desktop

If you still want a gaming laptop but can’t really spend upwards of $3,000, then you’ll be happy to know that Alienware has some budget options that are much more affordable while also having great performance. While you don’t get a powerful GPU like the RTX 4080, you do get the RTX 4060, which is a very solid 1080p gaming GPU. That means you should be able to reach just about 90 fps or so on ultra settings, and potentially higher if you’re willing to compromise a little on the graphical fidelity.

Another good thing about the RTX 4060 is that it gives you cost-effective access to DLSS 3.0, which is Nvidia’s AI-driven frame-addition technology. It can help increase the number of framerates a game has without too much of an impact on performance, although not all games run it, so it can be a hit-and-miss. Either way, it’s not a bad option, and while this configuration has an MSRP of $1,400, you’ll likely find it on sale from time to time, which makes it an even better option for those who want a budget gaming desktop from Dell.

As for the rest of the specs, the Intel Core i7 14700F is a solid mid-to-high-end CPU, so you won’t get any bottlenecks there, and it will handle productivity and editing tasks without an issue. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is also more than enough for most folks, so you won’t likely bump into issues with opening many tabs and apps at the same time. You’ll also be happy with the 1TB SSD, at least for the first year or two, and you can always upgrade your case with an additional SSD down the line if you feel up to it.

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How We Chose These Dell Desktop PCs

Overall Value

Dell has one of the widest ranges of desktops of any brand out there, and it includes the Inspiron, XPS, Alienware, OptiPlex, and Precision lineups, so there is a massive amount of choice to pick from. Of course, that doesn’t mean that everything Dell has to offer is going to give you the best bang for your buck, and sometimes, things are a little bit overpriced, especially if they’re made for more business-focused applications. That can include something like the Precision lineup, which is sold and marketed as workstations, and will often include high-end components that an average consumer would have no use for, or the XPS lineup, which is Dell’s high-end line of both desktops and laptops.

To that end, we did our best to find desktops that aren’t incredibly expensive yet still have great performance and are at least on par with other brands in the same price bracket. Even better, Dell often has sales and deals on its gear, so if you find any of these on sale, you’re getting an even better return on your money than if you bought it at MSRP. Either way, know that the picks above are going to give you the best bang for your buck in their respective categories when it comes to Dell.

Performance

There are a lot of different reasons why one might want to buy a desktop, but pretty much everybody is looking for solid performance that will let them get the basics done. Luckily, Dell has a very good selection of mid-range products, and in this case, we’re especially thinking of processors. As such, we’ve mostly picked desktops that run with an Intel i5 or higher since the extra cost over the i3 is usually worth it for the extra performance, and most apps are tuned to work great on an i5.

The only exemption from that is the budget pick, which does have an i3, and we picked that for the folks who really just need the cheapest and most basic thing possible. That’s not to say that the i3 doesn’t perform well or is a terrible CPU; quite the contrary, you’ll get productivity work done without issue, and getting online for meetings or accessing content on the cloud is easily doable. You just won’t be able to do more complex things like graphical editing or any form of simulations since that would usually stress the CPU too much.

RAM

While most modern desktops don’t really have any issues when it comes to RAM, it’s important to address the fact that Windows 11 tends to bite quite a substantial chunk of RAM to run smoothly, usually around 3-4 GBs. That may not seem like a lot, but if you’re running a computer with only 8GB of RAM, that’s nearly half of it going just to run the OS, which can be problematic, especially if you like to have lots of browser tabs open. That’s why we did our best to aim for desktops that have at least 16GBs since that gives you a lot more leeway to have lots of apps and tabs open at the same time without constantly bumping into issues.

The only real exemption to this is, again, the budget option, which was picked to give the best possible price while still offering a good level of performance. That said, the big advantage of desktops is that you can upgrade them, so even if they don’t have the perfect amount of RAM that you need, you can always add another stick or replace the RAM altogether if you’re so inclined and the motherboard can handle it.

This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.