Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 2025, Core Ultra 9 285, 64GB, 2TB SSD, Graphite

A CPU monster with a GPU identity crisis. Great for work, terrible for play.

The CPU is the star here. That Core Ultra 9 285 sits in the 93rd percentile for desktops, which means it's one of the best on the market for multi-threaded work. Video editing, code compilation, running a dozen browser tabs while you pretend to work, it'll chew through all of it. The 64GB of DDR5 RAM is also a standout, landing in the 94th percentile. But the GPU situation is a mess. The RTX 4060 config is fine, but the integrated Intel UHD Graphics option is a joke for anything beyond basic display output. And our gaming score of 20.6 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know about this thing's gaming chops.

Against the HP OMEN GT22-3080 and Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10, the Dell gets smoked in gaming. Those machines are built for it, with proper GPUs and better cooling. The Apple Mac Studio M5 Max is a different beast entirely, better for creative work but locked into macOS. The ASUS ROG GM700 is another gaming-focused option that'll run circles around the Dell in any GPU-bound task. For pure productivity, the Dell's CPU and RAM combo is competitive, but the lack of a strong GPU option makes it a tough sell against the Legion or OMEN if you want any gaming on the side.

The price spread is wild. You're looking at USD 2,049 to USD 2,699 depending on the config and seller, and that's a huge range for what's essentially the same tower with different storage and GPU options. The best deal we've seen is the lower end of that range on Amazon, but even then, you're paying a premium for the CPU and RAM while getting a mediocre GPU. If you need raw CPU power for work, it's justifiable. If you want to game, save your money and buy something else.

The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 is a weird one. On paper, that Core Ultra 9 285 with 24 cores and 64GB of DDR5 sounds like a productivity monster, and for home office and workstation tasks, it mostly is. But then Dell pairs it with an RTX 4060 in some configs, or worse, integrated Intel UHD graphics in others, and suddenly you've got a machine that's great at spreadsheets and terrible at games. The 8TB NVMe option is a nice touch, but the whole thing feels like a parts-bin special with an identity crisis.

If you're looking for a gaming PC, this isn't it. Go get an HP OMEN GT22-3080 or Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 instead. They'll actually run games well. And if you need a machine for creative work like video editing or 3D rendering, the Apple Mac Studio M5 Max is a better fit, assuming you're okay with macOS.

The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 is a productivity workhorse with a gaming-shaped hole in its heart. If you're a home office user or workstation grinder who needs 24 cores and 64GB of RAM, and you don't care about gaming, it's a solid buy, especially at the lower end of that USD 2,049 to USD 2,699 range. But if you want to play games, or even just want a balanced machine, this isn't it. Get a Legion or OMEN instead.