Dell EBT2250 Black 2025

The Dell EBT2250 desktop pairs a top-tier Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU with an average RTX 5060 and just 16GB of RAM. It's a strong performer for AI and productivity tasks, but the value is off at $1,499. Most buyers should look for a sale or consider more balanced competitors.

The Core Ultra 7 265 is the star of the show here, landing in the 90th percentile for CPU performance among all desktops in our database. That means it's one of the best processors you can get right now for multi-threaded work. Rendering, code compilation, and heavy multitasking are all going to feel snappy. The dedicated NPU also gives it a leg up in AI-accelerated apps like Windows Studio Effects or local LLM inference, which is a genuine differentiator if your workflow leans that way.

The RTX 5060 with 8GB of VRAM is a more middle-of-the-pack performer, sitting in the 74th percentile. It'll handle 1080p gaming at high settings without breaking a sweat and can manage some 1440p if you're willing to tweak settings. For creative work like GPU-accelerated rendering or video editing, it's capable but not a powerhouse. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is about average, and while it's enough for most tasks today, you'll likely want to upgrade it sooner rather than later if you're running memory-hungry applications. The 1TB SSD is solid, but its speed is just middle of the pack, so don't expect the absolute fastest load times.

Stacked against the HP OMEN GT22-3080, the Dell's CPU advantage is clear, but the OMEN typically offers a better GPU and more RAM for gaming-focused users. The Lenovo Legion 90Y6003JUS is another strong competitor that usually provides a more balanced spec sheet for both work and play. If you're looking at pure CPU grunt for a workstation, the Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is in a different league entirely, though it costs significantly more and locks you into the Apple ecosystem. The ASUS Republic of Gamers GM700TZ-BS978 will run circles around the Dell in gaming performance, but its CPU might not match the Core Ultra 7 in heavily multi-threaded productivity tasks. The CLX SET TGMSETRTU5204BM is a wildcard, often configurable with better overall specs, but you lose the big-brand support and warranty.

At $1,499, the Dell EBT2250 is in a tough spot. The CPU is a genuine highlight, but the rest of the build feels like it's cutting corners to hit a price point that isn't even that low. You're getting a top-tier processor paired with an average GPU and the bare minimum of RAM for a "workstation" in 2025. Alternatives like the HP OMEN GT22-3080 or Lenovo Legion 90Y6003JUS often bundle more RAM or a stronger GPU for similar money, making this Dell a harder sell unless you specifically need that Intel NPU and don't want to build your own system.

The Dell EBT2250 is a bit of an odd duck in the desktop world. It's a mid-tower that packs Intel's new Core Ultra 7 Series 2 processor, an AI-focused chip with 20 cores, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and 16GB of DDR5 RAM. On paper, that's a solid foundation for a workstation, and our scoring backs that up, giving it a 61.2 out of 100 for that use case. But the moment you look closer, you start seeing some choices that feel more like a budget office PC than a $1,499 machine.

You get a decent 1TB SSD and a generous helping of ports, including 10 USB-A connections, DisplayPort, HDMI, and Ethernet. The case design is understated, with Dell's usual focus on airflow and acoustics for the 65W CPU cooler. It's clearly aimed at someone who needs the AI acceleration chops of the Core Ultra 7 for creative or productivity tasks, but doesn't want a flashy gaming rig. And that's fine, except the competition at this price point is fierce, and the EBT2250 makes some compromises that are hard to ignore.

For anyone searching for a pre-built desktop under $1,500 that can handle AI workloads and light gaming, this Dell will pop up on your radar. It's available at retailers like Best Buy, and the spec sheet looks promising at a glance. But whether it's actually a good deal depends entirely on what you value most, and we've got some numbers that paint a clearer picture.

Skip the Dell EBT2250 if you're a gamer first and foremost, as the RTX 5060 and 16GB of RAM will leave you wanting more in modern AAA titles. Content creators who need a lot of VRAM for 4K video editing or 3D rendering should also look elsewhere, as 8GB is limiting. If you just need a reliable office PC for email and web browsing, this is massive overkill, and a $600 mini PC would serve you better. Anyone who values community feedback and proven reliability should steer clear until there are actual user reviews to read.

The Dell EBT2250 is a tough recommendation. The Core Ultra 7 processor is fantastic, and if your work revolves around AI tools or CPU-heavy tasks, you'll love it. But for everyone else, this desktop feels unbalanced. The 16GB of RAM is a bottleneck waiting to happen, and the RTX 5060, while capable, doesn't match the CPU's ambition. The complete lack of customer reviews also means you're buying on faith alone, which is a big ask for a $1,499 machine.

Should you buy this? Only if you find it on a significant sale and you're comfortable cracking open the case to add more RAM yourself. At full price, you're paying a premium for that Intel NPU and getting a mediocre deal on everything else. Most people would be better served by a more well-rounded pre-built from Lenovo or HP, or even a custom build that lets you pair a great CPU with the right amount of memory and a stronger graphics card.