DELL Precision 5680 Mobile Workstation (2023)

DELL Precision 5680 Mobile Workstation (2023) is Dell's 16-inch mobile workstation, made for architects, CAD engineers, video editors and 3D artists who want to carry their workstation with them instead of staying at one desk. It runs on 13th Gen Intel Core H-series vPro processors with professional NVIDIA RTX graphics, and offers an optional color-accurate UHD+ OLED touchscreen, all in a body noticeably more compact than many traditional 16-inch workstations. This article walks through the design, display, performance and connectivity, plus the points to weigh before you choose a configuration.

Dell Precision 5680 Design: Slim, Compact and a Sturdy Aluminum Chassis

The Dell Precision 5680 features a silver-gray aluminum chassis, minimalist lines and thin display bezels, so it looks like a premium laptop rather than a bulky workstation. It weighs 1.91kg, measures 20.05mm thick at the front and 22.17mm at the rear, and is 353.68mm wide and 240.33mm deep.

At this size, it slips into a backpack made for 16-inch laptops and is light enough to carry between the office, the job site and client meetings. If you want a Dell laptop with workstation power but don't want to carry a machine of 2.5kg or more, this body style is worth considering.

Dell Precision 16 5680 Display: Color-Accurate, With an Optional UHD+ OLED Touchscreen

The Dell Precision 16 5680 offers two 16-inch, 16:10 display options, both with a 60Hz refresh rate and an anti-glare coating. The FHD+ (1920 x 1200) non-touch panel delivers 500 nits of brightness and 100% DCI-P3 coverage, a good fit for office work, CAD and sitting near a window. The UHD+ (3840 x 2400) OLED touchscreen covers 100% AdobeRGB and 99% DCI-P3 at 400 nits, with deep blacks and fine detail for photo editing and video color grading.

The 16:10 aspect ratio adds vertical space, so you see more toolbars, layers and timeline tracks than on a 16:9 screen. If you work in print or edit photos in the AdobeRGB color space, the OLED version is the right choice. If you mainly do CAD modeling and coding and want longer battery life, the 500-nit FHD+ panel is enough. The 60Hz display isn't meant for fast-paced gaming, but it handles professional work well.

Dell Precision 5680 Performance With 13th Gen Intel Core vPro, NVIDIA RTX and DDR5 RAM

The Dell Precision 5680 comes with three processor options: Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Core i7-13800H and Intel Core i9-13900H. All are vPro chips with 14 cores, 20 threads and 24MB of cache, with max boost clocks of 5.0GHz, 5.2GHz and 5.4GHz respectively. The two versions on sale at Hung Phat Laptop use the Core i7-13800H and the Core i9-13900H. vPro technology lets IT departments manage the machine remotely in a business environment.

Source: average scores from Notebookcheck. The Core i7-13800H scores are based on few samples, so treat them as a reference only. Results on an actual machine may be lower depending on the power mode and ambient temperature.

In real-world use, these three chips differ only slightly. The Core i7-13800H is enough for AutoCAD, Revit, SolidWorks, 4K video editing and running virtual machines. The Core i9-13900H clocks higher and suits people who render and compile code often, but in a thin chassis the gap under sustained heavy loads is usually small.
For graphics, the machine always includes integrated Intel Iris Xe, with discrete options of NVIDIA RTX A1000 6GB, RTX 2000 Ada 8GB, RTX 3500 Ada 12GB, RTX 4000 Ada 12GB, RTX 5000 Ada 16GB or GeForce RTX 4090 16GB. The i7 version on sale uses the RTX A1000, and the i9 version uses the RTX 2000 Ada.

Source: average scores from Notebookcheck. In the thin chassis of the Precision 5680, the card runs at a lower power level, so actual scores may be lower than shown.

The RTX A1000 suits 2D/3D CAD, video editing and moderately sized models. The RTX 2000 Ada with 8GB handles Blender, 3ds Max, Twinmotion and large architectural models more comfortably. If you do heavy rendering or AI work that needs a lot of graphics memory, look for the RTX 3500 Ada, RTX 4000 Ada 12GB or RTX 5000 Ada 16GB versions.
DDR5 6000MHz RAM comes in 32GB and 64GB, and later RAM upgrades are limited by the thin design, so choose enough capacity from the start: 32GB for CAD and video editing, 64GB for simulation and large projects. The PCIe Gen4 M.2 SSD comes in 512GB or 1TB, and can be swapped for a larger SSD as your project library grows.

Spacious Keyboard, Touchpad and 8W Quad Speakers on the Dell Precision 5680

The Dell Precision 5680 has a backlit keyboard with clear key feedback, comfortable over long typing sessions and easy to use when you work in the evening. The large touchpad sits in the center of the palm rest, wide enough for smooth dragging, zooming and scrolling even before you plug in a mouse.

The four-speaker system pairs two 2W woofers with two 2W tweeters for 8W total peak output, enough for online meetings and reviewing audio while editing video. The 1080p webcam includes an IR camera for Windows Hello facial sign-in, plus an ambient light sensor and dual microphones, so you look clear on video calls with clients.

Dell Precision 5680 Ports and Battery: 2 Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SD Card Slot, 100Wh Battery

The Dell Precision 5680 has 2 Thunderbolt 4 (USB4) ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort support, 1 HDMI 2.0b port, 1 SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. The HDMI port lets you connect an external monitor or projector right away, and the SD card slot is handy for photographers and videographers who need to copy files quickly.

The machine has no USB-A port and no RJ45 LAN port, so you'll need a USB-C adapter or Thunderbolt dock to connect a mouse, older USB devices and a wired connection. Wireless connectivity comes from an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 2x2 card with Bluetooth, which stays stable when transferring large files over the network.

The 100Wh battery is a large capacity for a laptop, so the machine can handle office work, document editing and online meetings for quite a while unplugged. For rendering or heavy 3D modeling, the RTX card draws more power, so plug in to keep performance stable.

DELL Precision 5680 Mobile Workstation (2023) Overview and Review

The DELL Precision 5680 Mobile Workstation (2023) is a 16-inch workstation that balances portability and power: a 13th Gen Intel Core vPro chip, NVIDIA RTX graphics, up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM, a color-accurate display and a 100Wh battery in a 1.91kg chassis. It suits architects, design engineers, video editors and 3D artists who need to take their machine to client meetings or out to the job site.

The one thing to consider is the missing USB-A and RJ45 LAN ports, but a small USB-C adapter takes care of that. The RAM is hard to upgrade later, so pick 32GB or 64GB to match your projects from the start. The 60Hz display isn't meant for fast-paced gaming, and new units are fairly expensive, so the Like New 99% versions are a way to save money. You can also browse other models in the Dell Precision 16 category.

Where to Buy a Genuine Dell Precision 5680 at a Great Price?

Do you draft in CAD, edit video or work in 3D? Tell Hung Phat Laptop which software you use every day, and we'll advise whether the Dell Precision 5680 in the i7 version with the RTX A1000 and FHD+ display or the i9 version with the RTX 2000 Ada and OLED display suits you better. If you're after a thin and light 16-inch workstation for technical graphics, we're happy to compare every configuration with you.

Every Precision we sell is genuine and comes with a full invoice. Warranty terms are stated clearly. In the first 30 days, a unit with a manufacturer defect is exchanged or returned. Our technicians can install a larger SSD whenever you need one. You also get long-term technical support and doorstep delivery of your workstation laptop nationwide. Order today at Hung Phat Laptop.