The Dell Precision 5690 (2024) is a Windows workstation laptop. It's the successor of the Dell Precision 5680 from 2023 (13th Gen Intel). You can configure the 5690 with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs paired with integrated graphics or an NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation Laptop GPU. It has both a non-touch FHD+ IPS display or touchscreen UHD+ OLED display option, a full-size keyboard with a numpad, and a 1080p webcam. This laptop has three USB-C/Thunderbolt 4s, an HDMI 2.1, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Dell Precision 5690 is very good for school use. Although it might not fit into some smaller bags since it's a 16-inch device, you won't have to worry about bringing the charger, as its battery lasts comfortably through a full school day. The overall user experience is great, as it has a nice big screen for multitasking and a responsive haptic touchpad. The keys feel a bit heavy, though, so some users may find the keyboard tiring to use over long periods. Its Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs can handle general productivity tasks and demanding workloads, making this laptop a great choice for students in fields like engineering and graphic design. You can also get this laptop with integrated graphics if you don't need a lot of GPU processing power.
- Displays have wide color gamut.
- Outstanding battery life.
- Large screen for multitasking.
- Responsive and big touchpad.
- FHD+ resolution is underwhelming for class of device.
- Keys feel heavy and may be fatiguing to use for long periods.
The Dell Precision 5690 is decent for gaming. It's available with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA discrete GPUs, which are fast enough to provide smooth gameplay in demanding AAA games. However, the RTX Ada Generation GPUs are mainly designed for professional workloads, so they don't have the best game drivers and lack features like DLSS and Frame Generation. Also, the available displays are all 60Hz panels; the IPS display has a slow response time, resulting in a blurry image in fast-moving scenes, although the OLED will perform better. None of them support VRR to reduce screen tearing. Finally, the CPU tends to throttle a bit under load, so you may be leaving some performance on the table.
- Displays have wide color gamut.
- Wide selection of CPU and GPUs for demanding workloads.
- Bright and colorful displays.
- CPU throttles under load.
- Visible ghosting due to slow response rate.
- GPUs lack gaming features to boost framerates.
The Dell Precision 5690 is good for media consumption. It isn't the most portable laptop, as it's a little bulky and heavy. Battery life is fantastic overall, as even configurations with discrete graphics will last nearly 14 hours for video playback—it'll likely outlast even the longest binge sessions! The FHD+ IPS panel gets bright and looks great, although its minimum brightness is quite high. It may be fatiguing to use in dark environments. The OLED display sports a UHD+ resolution and will produce deep, inky blacks. As for the speakers, they get pretty loud with minimal compression and have a good amount of bass, but sound slightly shouty and rattle at high volumes.
- Displays have wide color gamut.
- Outstanding battery life.
- Speakers get pretty loud.
- High minimum brightness can be fatiguing in dark environments.
- FHD+ resolution is underwhelming for class of device.
The Dell Precision 5690 is an excellent workstation laptop. It's available with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation Laptop GPUs, which are powerful enough to handle demanding workloads like 3D graphics and simulations. Unfortunately, there's some thermal throttling under load. Storage is user-replaceable, but it can be difficult to open the laptop up to service it without breaking the retention clips on the bottom lid. Its port selection is decent and includes Thunderbolt 4s and an HDMI 2.1, allowing you to transfer files quickly and connect multiple external displays. Finally, all displays are suitable for color-critical work as they offer full coverage of the DCI P3 and sRGB color spaces and near full coverage of the Adobe RGB color space.
- Displays have wide color gamut.
- Wide selection of CPU and GPUs for demanding workloads.
- Thunderbolt 4 support.
- User-replaceable storage.
- CPU throttles under load.
- Poor color accuracy for sRGB color space.
- Difficult to open laptop without breaking clips.
The Dell Precision 5690 is great for business use. Its Meteor Lake CPUs can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. There are FHD+ and UHD+ display options, and both get bright; the FHD+ looks reasonably sharp, though it would've been better to see a higher resolution offered by default, given the class of the laptop. The UHD+ OLED panel is much sharper and offers touchscreen support if you need it for your workflow. It has a good 1080p webcam and a decent port selection. Battery life is fantastic, regardless of the configuration. Finally, the haptic touchpad is large and easy to use, and while the keyboard is good, the keys feel somewhat heavy and may be fatiguing to use for long periods.
- Displays have wide color gamut.
- Outstanding battery life.
- Large screen for multitasking.
- Thunderbolt 4 support.
- Responsive and big touchpad.
- FHD+ resolution is underwhelming for class of device.
- Difficult to open laptop without breaking clips.
Changelog
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
- Updated Sep 16, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Sep 04, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Aug 26, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Dell Precision 5690 with an FHD+ IPS display, an Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, an NVIDIA RTX 1000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The display, CPU, GPU, memory, and storage are configurable; the available options are in the table below:
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You can check out our unit's label for more.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Dell Precision 5690 is an excellent workstation laptop that can handle complex and demanding tasks. That being said, there are more powerful options in its price range that offer a comparable or even better user experience. The basic FHD+ display is bright and clear but somewhat lackluster for this price point; it would've been better to see at least a QHD+ option. Also, configuring the laptop on Dell's website can be quite challenging due to the sheer number of configurations and restrictions. Nevertheless, this laptop is well-built and generally easy to use, and it has lots of horsepower to get the job done.
See our recommendations for the best laptops for programming, the best Dell laptops, and the best laptops for video editing.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (M3, 2023) is better than the Dell Precision 5690 (2024) overall. While both are premium workstations, the Apple edges out the Dell in terms of user experience overall. It has a nicer Mini LED display by default (the Dell has a great UHD+ OLED option, but you have to pay more for it) and a more tactile keyboard. It also gives you significantly more CPU processing power to tackle highly intensive workloads. On the other hand, although the M3 Max's GPU is no slouch, the Dell has options for much more powerful discrete GPUs, up to NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. If your workflow requires this extra graphical horsepower, the Dell is the better choice.
If you're looking for a premium Windows workstation device, the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 (2024) and Dell Precision 5690 (2024) are both great choices. The user experience is similar across both laptops; they have large haptic touchpads, high-quality webcams, and significantly longer battery life than previous-generation workstations. There are options for a 4k+ OLED panel on both models as well. The keyboard is slightly better on the Lenovo, though. While both laptops are configurable with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs, the hardware is the main point of difference. If you only perform workstation applications, the Dell is the better choice. It has a wider range of RTX Ada Generation Laptop GPUs than the Lenovo, up to the powerhouse RTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. But if you want a device that can pull double duty for content creation or gaming as well, then the Lenovo is the way to go. It offers GeForce GPUs with better driver support for these applications.
The Dell Precision 5690 (2024) is a higher-end and much better workstation laptop than the Dell Precision 3591 (2024). The 5690 is a more premium laptop that provides a better user experience. It has a larger haptic touchpad, much better-sounding up-firing speakers, and significantly longer battery life. Also, it's available with sharper, brighter displays, including a 4k+ OLED panel. While both laptops are configurable with Intel Meteor Lake CPUs and NVIDIA GPUs, the 5690 gives you more options; you can get it with up to an NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU. One niche use case the 3591 presents over the 5690 is its compatibility with cellular networks. If you need a laptop with mobile connectivity for remote or on-the-go use, then the 3591 is the better option.
The Dell Precision 5690 (2024) is a better Windows workstation than the HP ZBook Power G11 A (2024). It offers a better user experience overall with a larger haptic touchpad, better-sounding speakers, and a more premium-feeling chassis. Also, it offers a wider range of CPU and GPU configurations, so it'll scale up or down well depending on your needs. One place the HP has the edge over the Dell is in displays. There are a lot of options, and while most are FHD+ displays, there is a high-refresh-rate QHD+ panel that gets significantly brighter than any of the Dell's options. There are also options for cellar connectivity, so if you need to use your laptop in remote locations for work, the HP may be the better choice.
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