Dell's 3000 lineup of mobile workstations includes the Precision 3541, a 15-inch notebook available in budget configurations with average hardware, up to powerful models with Intel Xeon processors (CPU) and NVIDIA Quadro dedicated graphics (GPU). The Precision 3000 lineup isn't as thin and light or as powerful compared to the 5000 and 7000 models, but it's also considerably more affordable. I used the 3541 for a week to see what it's all about and whether or not it's worth being your next mobile workstat
The Precision 3541 is made up of a carbon fiber polymer that helps keep the weight down, and there is an aluminum option if you'd like something a bit more robust. There's nothing exactly exciting about the design, but it's considerably lighter and has a smaller footprint than many other 15-inch workstations we've reviewed. It's a laptop made for professionals who are more interested in productivity than showing off.
Something you're going to notice immediately is heat management. The Precision 3541 is equipped with a single fan, and even browsing the web with a bit of video streaming seemed to heat things up to a noticeable point. With the dedicated GPU humming, you'll have a tough time keeping this PC on your lap, and you're no doubt going to see thermal throttling. That's with a Core i7 CPU, nevermind Core i9 or Xeon options.
Dell provided Windows Central with a review unit of the 15.6-inch Precision 3541 mobile workstation. This exact model includes a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H CPU, 16GB of DDR4-2666MHz non-ECC RAM, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), and NVIDIA Quadro P620 dedicated GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. It also includes a 15.6-inch non-touch display with 1920x1080 (FHD) resolution. Expect to pay about ,874 for this review model with included Windows 10 Pro and 97Wh battery.