Dell Pro Max 18 Plus is extremely powerful, but the high core temperatures are a setback

The Dell Pro Max 18 Plus is one of Dell's largest mobile workstations and it also happens to be a performance beast. Not only does it ship with some of the fastest processors from the Intel Arrow Lake-HX series and Nvidia Blackwell series, but it's also one of the only 18-inch workstations at the moment to also ship with CAMM2 RAM for significant benefits over traditional SODIMM. The CPU, however, could have likely performed even faster if it weren't for its extremely warm running temperatures.

As shown by our screenshots below, CPU temperature would increase to just over 100 C when running Prime95 stress which, while technically safe, is flying too close to the sun in terms of operating temperatures. Performance consequences are minor but notable as average CPU clock rate would top out at 4 GHz during the start of the stress test before falling to 3.3 GHz over a short period of time. Cooler running temperatures would have likely allowed the CPU to run at higher clock rates for longer periods.

Other unique features include modular USB-C ports for repairability purposes and support for USB-C charging up to 300 W which negates the need for barrel AC adapters. More benchmarks and details about the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus can be found on our review here.