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MagyarDell Precision 5470 workstation review: Nvidia RTX A1000 debut
The Precision 5470 is Dell's smallest mobile workstation yet. Much like the XPS 17-inspired Precision 5750 and XPS 15-inspired Precision 5560, the 14-inch Precision 5470 is inspired by the XPS 13 9300/9310 in terms of looks and design. If you've played around with an XPS system in the past, then the Precision 5470 should look and feel very familiar.
The two distinguishing factors of the Precision 5470 relate to its 12th gen Core H-series CPU and optional Nvidia RTX A1000 GPU for an immense amount of processing power considering the 14-inch form factor. Our particular review unit comes with the Core i9-12900H CPU, A1000 GPU, and 1600p glossy touchscreen for approximately $3000 USD retail. Other SKUs with the i5-12500H to i7-12800H, integrated Iris Xe graphics only, and matte 1200p display are also available for lower starting prices.
Direct competitors include other high-end 14-inch mobile workstations like the HP ZBook Firefly 14 or Lenovo ThinkPad P14s. This size category is still new when it comes to workstations and so we will also be comparing the Precision 5470 to a few larger models instead like the ThinkPad P15 G2 or Dell's own Precision 5560.
More Dell reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87.6 % | 09/2022 | Dell Precision 5000 5470 i9-12900H, RTX A1000 Laptop GPU | 1.6 kg | 18.95 mm | 14.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 86.2 % | 06/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE i7-11800H, T1200 Laptop GPU | 2.3 kg | 22.7 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 88.3 % | 10/2021 | Dell Precision 5000 5560 i7-11850H, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | 2 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 3840x2400 | |
| 85.2 % | 09/2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD R7 PRO 5850U, Vega 8 | 1.5 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 | |
| 85.2 % | 04/2021 | HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA i7-1165G7, T500 Laptop GPU | 1.4 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 82.4 % | 01/2021 | HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 i7-10610U, Quadro P520 | 1.4 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case — XPS Look And Feel
There is no XPS 14 at the time of writing, but the Precision 5470 is essentially the precursor to one. It sits comfortably in between the classic 13-inch XPS 13 and 15-inch XPS 15 while utilizing the same gray magnesium alloy shell and carbon fiber deck that have become standard on XPS models.
Chassis quality is excellent with only minor creaking or warping when attempting to twist or bend its surfaces. It certainly feels stronger and more professional than the new XPS 13 9320 design. Nonetheless, the hinges could have been stiffer or more rigid for a better sense of longevity.
The 14-inch Precision 5470 is larger and heavier than the 13-inch XPS 13 9300 by noticeable margins. It's even a bit thicker than the XPS 15 while being closer in weight to the XPS 15 than to the XPS 13. It's still very compact for its class nonetheless especially in terms of footprint when compared to the HP Firefly 14 G8 or ThinkPad P14s.
Connectivity — USB-C Only
Port options are limited to USB-C only whereas most workstations have a much wider variety. Precision 5470 owners are therefore expected to rely on adapters or docking stations for connecting most devices.
SD Card Reader
Transfer rates from the integrated card reader are very fast at almost 230 MB/s from our UHS-II test card. Depending on the file sizes involved, however, actual transfer rates may be lower. Moving 1 GB of pictures (~4 MB each) is slower and takes about 13 seconds.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5560 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD (AV PRO V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5560 (AV Pro V60) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD (AV PRO V60) | |
Communication
An Intel AX211 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. Though we experienced no noticeable issues, transmit rates would be slower and more variable than expected.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5560 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5560 | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
Webcam
The webcam is limited to just 1 MP or 720p whereas most other laptops have already moved on to 2 MP or even 5 MP as is the case with many high-end HP laptops. Image quality is muddy much like on the webcam on the XPS 13 series.
IR is present for Hello support, but there is no webcam shutter for privacy.
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by eight T5 Torx screws for easy removal. There is not much to upgrade, however, as the RAM and WLAN modules are soldered.
Warranty
The base warranty is only 12 months in the US instead of the 36-month period we've come to expect from most mobile workstations and high-end professional laptops.
Input Devices
Keyboard
The model inherits the keyboard as found on the older XPS 13 9300 or 9310 design. If you've typed on an XPS 13 before, then you'll know what to expect on the Precision 5470. Key feedback is uniform with moderate travel, but the keys on the HP EliteBook or Firefly series tend to be crisper or sharper when pressed.
Touchpad
Clickpad surface area is roughly the same size as the one on the XPS 13 9300 (10.8 x 6.7 cm vs. 11.2 x 6.5 cm). Traction is smooth and only slightly sticky at slower speeds for better precision when needed. Feedback when clicking on the clickpad is relatively soft and shallow but with a much quieter clatter when on most other laptops.
Display — Identical To Latitude 9430 2-in-1
The Precision 5470 shares the same high quality AU Optronics B140QAN IPS touchscreen as found on the Latitude 9430 2-in-1. Thus, both models share similar black-white response times, gamut, contrast ratio, and even overall brightness. This display is excellent for users who desire full sRGB coverage and relatively deep black levels, but it unfortunately suffers from noticeable ghosting which can be an issue if dealing with applications involving fast-moving graphics or video.
There are no OLED, AdobeRGB or P3 colors, or higher refresh rate options to choose from meaning users are limited to IPS and 60 Hz on all current configurations.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 94 %
Center on Battery: 537 cd/m²
Contrast: 1627:1 (Black: 0.33 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.97 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1, calibrated: 0.88
ΔE Greyscale 2.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
78.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
79.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.06
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 AU Optronics B140QAN, IPS, 2560x1600, 14.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE N156HCA-EAC, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Dell Precision 5000 5560 Sharp LQ156R1, IPS, 3840x2400, 15.60 | Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD MNE001EA1-5, IPS LED, 3840x2160, 14.00 | HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA AU Optronics AUO068B, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 InfoVision IVO8C78 (X140NVFC R0), IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -41% | 16% | 10% | -7% | -4% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 79.3 | 43.7 -45% | 94.9 20% | 96.8 22% | 70 -12% | 73.8 -7% |
| sRGB Coverage | 100 | 65.1 -35% | 100 0% | 99.9 0% | 99.5 0% | 99 -1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 78.7 | 45.3 -42% | 100 27% | 85.8 9% | 71.4 -9% | 75.5 -4% |
| Response Times | 11% | 8% | 8% | -7% | -19% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 52.4 ? | 48 ? 8% | 47.2 ? 10% | 52 ? 1% | 64.4 ? -23% | 54.8 ? -5% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32.4 ? | 28 ? 14% | 30.4 ? 6% | 28 ? 14% | 29.2 ? 10% | 43.2 ? -33% |
| PWM Frequency | 284.1 ? | |||||
| Screen | -116% | -24% | -19% | -10% | -27% | |
| Brightness middle | 537 | 305 -43% | 501.5 -7% | 512 -5% | 461 -14% | 934 74% |
| Brightness | 518 | 281 -46% | 467 -10% | 487 -6% | 439 -15% | 937 81% |
| Brightness Distribution | 94 | 88 -6% | 83 -12% | 90 -4% | 89 -5% | 87 -7% |
| Black Level * | 0.33 | 0.32 3% | 0.44 -33% | 0.35 -6% | 0.24 27% | 0.37 -12% |
| Contrast | 1627 | 953 -41% | 1140 -30% | 1463 -10% | 1921 18% | 2524 55% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.97 | 5.9 -99% | 4.73 -59% | 3.1 -4% | 2.6 12% | 4.7 -58% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.33 | 20.1 -277% | 8.45 -59% | 8.4 -58% | 5.8 -9% | 10.5 -97% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.88 | 4.5 -411% | 0.51 42% | 0.4 55% | 1.1 -25% | 1.6 -82% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.4 | 5.3 -121% | 3.6 -50% | 5.5 -129% | 4.4 -83% | 7.1 -196% |
| Gamma | 2.06 107% | 2.1 105% | 2.08 106% | 2.22 99% | 2.29 96% | 2.31 95% |
| CCT | 6668 97% | 6307 103% | 6447 101% | 6373 102% | 6478 100% | 6348 102% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 65.2 | 68.5 | ||||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.4 | 98.9 | ||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -49% /
-82% | 0% /
-11% | -0% /
-9% | -8% /
-9% | -17% /
-21% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is well calibrated out of the box against the sRGB standard with average grayscale and color DeltaE values of just 2.4 and 2.97, respectively. We're able to improve these values even further with our X-Rite colorimeter to <2 each as shown by our CalMan results below.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 15.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 16.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 86 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 52.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 24.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 28 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 87 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18982 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The display is brighter than on most consumer-based Ultrabooks for better outdoor visibility. Nonetheless, many HP EliteBook or ZBook models offer 1000-nit panel options for a significantly easier time outdoors. Dell has yet to offer similar brightness options for its Precision series.
Performance — Core i9 H-series CPU and Discrete GPU
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Ultra Performance mode via the Dell Optimizer software prior to running any benchmarks below. We also enabled the discrete Nvidia GPU via Nvidia Control Panel. Note that the same power settings can be configured through Dell Power Manager or Dell Optimizer. Thankfully, making power profile changes on one program will automatically change the settings on the other.
Processor
CPU performance is a mixed bag. When compared to other 14-inch business laptops or workstations, the Precision 5470 offers significantly faster performance to be on par with even larger workstations like the MSI WE76 or HP ZBook Fury 17 G8. This is essentially a CPU designed for thicker laptops squeezed into a 14-inch form factor. When compared to other laptops with the same Core i9-12900H CPU, however, the processor in our Precision is slower by about 15 to 20 percent on average.
Another drawback to the CPU is its unstable clock rate. When running CineBench R15 xT in a loop, for example, scores would fluctuate between 1500 and 2100 points as shown by our graph below to suggest fluctuating clock rates. In comparison, no such fluctuation would occur when running the same test on the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 or MSI Creator Z17 each with Core i9-class CPUs.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.2 - 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.2 - 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (4074 - 18289, n=22) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (5709 - 10410, n=22) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (2235 - 10511, n=22) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (20960 - 48269, n=23) | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
System Performance
PCMark 10 results are higher than expected when compared to other mobile workstations. We attribute this to the 12th gen Core i9 H-series CPU and PCIe4 x4 SSD which are relatively uncommon options for a 14-inch workstation.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H, NVIDIA RTX A1000 Laptop GPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H, NVIDIA RTX A1000 Laptop GPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H, NVIDIA RTX A1000 Laptop GPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H, NVIDIA RTX A1000 Laptop GPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 6870 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (34438 - 74264, n=22) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (36365 - 74642, n=22) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (32276 - 66275, n=22) | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12900H (88 - 118.1, n=21) | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals slight DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage which is a bit disappointing to see on a workstation. 4K playback at 60 FPS is otherwise perfect with no dropped frames during our minute-long video test.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5560 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Dell offers 256 GB to 4 TB PCIe3 or PCIe4 storage options with optional self-encryption. The PCIe4 Samsung PM9A1 drive in our test unit includes its own copper heat spreader for better sustained performance than on laptops without an SSD heat spreader like the Latitude 7330.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5560 | |
| Dell Precision 5000 5470 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G2 AMD | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 2C9Q2EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P15v G2 21A9000XGE | |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance — 40 W RTX A1000 Graphics
Overall graphics performance is about 10 to 20 percent faster than last year's NVIDIA T1200. Most notably, however, the RTX A1000 is only about 10 to 15 percent slower than the RTX A2000 in the Precision 5560 except when it comes to ray-tracing applications where the A2000 can be over 2x faster. If your workloads involve ray tracing effects, then the RTX A1000 is the one to avoid.
Running on Balanced mode instead of Ultra Performance mode reduces CPU performance by about 33 percent while GPU performance is less impacted.
