The SD card reader and one USB port moved from the right side to the left side the fan exhaust is now on the back. The predecessor had the SIM card slot and the VGA port on the back - the new version features them on the right side. The biggest difference is the location of the physical ports, which Dell revamped completely.
The chassis looks identical to that of the predecessor, but it's a little lighter. An identically-equipped version of the workstation we configured on Dell's US site cost $2170 at the time of writing. The original review was conducted by our German colleagues. For a direct comparison, we are also going to check out the predecessor-GPU Quadro M600M in the ThinkPad P70. For comparison purposes, we are going to look at alternative workstation offerings like the ThinkPad P50, ZBook 15 G3 or the Precision 5520. Particularly interesting here is the Quadro M620 GPU, which we haven't been able to review thus far. Since the 3520 is a fairly minor update, we are omitting the sections dealing with the input devices, maintenance and security features and will focus on the display and the inner merits instead.
Our review workstation with the fastest i7 processor, Full HD display, 32 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD is the top-of-the-line model and sells for 2500 Euro (~$2800).Īt a first glance, the Precision 3520 looks like the Precision 3510, but there are differences as far as the chassis and the feature set are concerned. Well-equipped mobile workstations cost easily above 2000 (~$2250) and sometimes up to 3000 Euro (~$3360). By these standards, the Precision 3520 is almost a bargain: the entry-level configuration as sold by Dell can be purchased for 1400 Euro (~$1570).
Of course, we might have to define what "inexpensive" means here in the first place. Īn inexpensive mobile workstation - isn't that a contradiction in terms? Not according to Dell, who promises that the review notebook - the Precision 3520 - is exactly that.
For the original German review, see here.