Dell OptiPlex 5090 2021, Core i5-11500, 16GB, 256GB SSD

A tidy little office PC that handles spreadsheets and video calls without breaking a sweat. Just don't ask it to game or store much, and don't pay full price.

The i5-11500 is a solid six-core chip for office multitasking, and 16GB of DDR4 means you can keep a ridiculous number of browser tabs open without things grinding to a halt. But the storage situation is tight. 256GB fills up fast once Windows 10 Pro, a few apps, and some local files get involved. The integrated graphics land in the bottom half of our database, so don't expect much beyond smooth 4K video playback and basic photo editing. For a business desktop, it's fine. For anything creative or gaming, it's a dead end.

Stacked against the HP OMEN GT22-3080 or Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10, the OptiPlex 5090 looks like it showed up to a drag race with a sensible sedan. Those machines are built for gaming and heavy workloads with discrete GPUs and far more storage. The Apple Mac Studio M5 Max is in a completely different performance universe, though it costs accordingly. The ASUS ROG GM700 also outclasses this Dell for anything graphics-related. The OptiPlex only wins if your priority is a small, quiet, business-friendly box that your IT team can service in minutes.

At CAD 1,288, this is a tough sell for what you get. You're paying a premium for the Dell business pedigree, the SFF form factor, and enterprise manageability. If you just need a basic office PC, there are cheaper ways to get similar specs. If you need the Dell reliability and compact size, it's defensible, but don't expect any performance bargains here.

The Dell OptiPlex 5090 SFF is a business workhorse that knows exactly what it is and doesn't pretend otherwise. The one thing to know: this is a compact, no-nonsense office PC built for spreadsheets, video calls, and IT departments that want easy maintenance, not a machine you'll be gaming on after hours. With an 11th Gen Core i5-11500, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB NVMe SSD, it handles daily productivity fine, but that integrated Intel UHD 750 graphics puts a hard ceiling on anything beyond light visual work.

If you're looking for a gaming rig, a video editing station, or anything with real graphics horsepower, this isn't it. Go grab an HP OMEN or Lenovo Legion instead. If you just want a cheap home PC for browsing and email, you can also find better value outside the Dell business tax.

Buy the OptiPlex 5090 if you need a compact, reliable office desktop and you value Dell's business support and easy maintenance over raw performance. For everyone else, especially anyone hoping to game or do creative work, look elsewhere. The integrated graphics and small SSD are dealbreakers at this price.