CES 2021 | The Dell OptiPlex 3090 Ultra is an all-in-one that hides neatly behind a monitor while still offering enough modularity and connectivity options

Having slimmer, easy deployable PCs that don't require much maintenance is the wish of most IT departments. Dell aims to fulfill that with the OptiPlex Ultra series of highly portable desktop PCs. This year, Dell is introducing two SKUs — the OptiPlex 7090 Ultra and the OptiPlex 3090 Ultra.

Both the OptiPlex 3090 Ultra and 7090 Ultra share a similar spec sheet and include support for Dell Unified Workspace and AI-accelerated Dell Optimizer features. The key differences lie with respect to the choice of CPUs, storage, ports, and Wi-Fi adapters.

The OptiPlex 3090 Ultra is just 0.78 inches thick and 3.78 inches wide making it compact enough to be hidden just behind a monitor. This is exactly the kind of setup Dell is envisaging with these all-in-one modular PCs. The idea is to have a zero footprint design with as minimum cabling as possible for a sleek workspace.

Though the OptiPlex 3090 Ultra is designed keeping Dell monitors in mind, third-party VESA-compatible monitors up to 40 inches can be used provided an optional OptiPlex fixed or height-adjustable stand is purchased.

While the OptiPlex 7090 Ultra offers CPU choices up to the Core i7-1185G7, the OptiPlex 3090 Ultra offers a more modest selection comprised of Core i3-1115G4, Core i5-1145G7, and Celeron 6305 processor options. Up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory is supported along with an assortment of M.2 2230 NVMe, SATA SSD, HDD, and even eMMC choices. There is no Optane configuration like in the 7090 Ultra.

Port selection is also somewhat different from that of the OptiPlex 7090 Ultra. Here, we don't get to see any Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and there's only one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port available that offers DisplayPort-out in addition to a dedicated DisplayPort 1.4-out. Wireless connectivity is handled by a choice of Qualcomm QCA61x4a 2x2 wireless AC, Qualcomm QCA9377 1x1 wireless AC, and Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 2x2 wireless adapters.

The Dell OptiPlex 3090 Ultra will be available from January 28 for prices starting from US$659. Note that this pricing is for the computer with a fixed OptiPlex stand only. The display is a separate purchase.