Dell Precision 7920 Tower Workstation, VR CG AI 4K Editing Rendering, 2 x Intel Xeon Gold 6130 up to 3.7GHz (32-Cores), 192GB DDR4, 2 x 1TB SSD + 2 x 4TB HDD, Quadro P1000 4GB, Win11 Pro (Renewed)

I waited seven days for this machine like a kid on Christmas Eve, and when it finally arrived, I was excited to unwrap what I expect to be an absolute beast. I really wanted to give this transaction 5 stars, but I ended up at 3, and here’s why. First star lost – condition. For a refurbished unit, the cosmetic condition was disappointing. Fingerprints, dust, scratches, and dents were noticeable right out of the box (photos provided). I’ve purchased many refurbs over the years and have never received one that looked this rough. Even for used equipment, I expect it to arrive clean and presentable. Second star lost – component age and consistency. I verified the system was manufactured in 2021, which was part of my buying decision. However, one of the installed SSDs dates back to 2018. That’s significantly older than the workstation itself and not what I expected. Additionally, the drives don’t match in manufacturer for both sizes defined. For a professional-grade system, I would reasonably expect storage components from the same era — ideally 2021 or newer — and preferably matched with manufacturers. To be clear, the performance of the machine itself is excellent. It truly is a powerhouse and exactly what I wanted from a capability standpoint. My concerns are purely about delivered condition and parts consistency. I’ve seen reviews from others saying their refurb exceeded expectations. I wish I could say the same. If the vendor addresses cleaning and ensures more consistent, appropriately aged components, this could have easily been a 5-star experience.

I have owned Dell Precision PCs over the course of six years and it's the only model I trust. My first duo were the Precision T5600 (E5-2667 *2, 32GB RAM) and a Precision M6600 (i7-2628, 32GB RAM). They never let me down so why would I not upgrade with something with the same track record? Currently, my duo are a (what else) Precision 5530 Convertible (i7-8706, 16GB RAM) and this beauty. I can feel the speed difference. The only part I have swapped out of the T5600 is the Quadro P4000 due to the fact that I have owned this card for less than three years. All in all, I am very satisfied with the purchase.

Rest of the machine seems fine, but the 5.25 inch optical drive wasn't powering up. Opened the right-hand side panel and discovered the drive wasn't connected to power or data. There was a power connector in the right location that provided power. Unfortunately there was no SATA data cable to connect to the motherboard. So I really just need the proper SATA data cable for that device sent to me. Far cheaper than returning the whole machine because someone in the refurb or shipping department didn't do a simple check and verify everything was connected and worked. Update: Didn't want to wait so spent $8 on a SATA data cable and connected the optical drive. Functioning normally now.

I figured since it was going to be reconditioned workstation it would have a few cosmetic issues and appear to have been used. Not the case. The outside was clean with no sign of wear. Once I opened up the case I found the inside was spotless - not a spec of dust. I'm still learning about the server. I'm using it as a virtualization server. I expected some noise, but it's extremely quiet. The only time I heard the fans was when I entered the BIOS the first time. Since then I have to get real close to hear anything. A great buy for me.

One HDD was bad right from the start, and I could not contact support. Amazon kept forwarding me to Dell and Dell said they would not help w/o a support contract. Thought about sending the unit back due to this and the bent CPU cooler fins but kept it and have been ok with it. I think they owe me a HDD but good luck getting ahold of anyone.