Dell Pro Essential QVT1260 Tower desktop i5-14500 16/512 GB Ubuntu

The Intel Core i5-14500 is a 14-core processor whose clock rises to 5.0 GHz under load. Plenty of cores means a browser with dozens of tabs, email, spreadsheets and a video call can all run at the same time without one holding back the other. The high boost clock in turn speeds up tasks that use only a couple of cores, such as recalculating a large spreadsheet, launching a program or compressing files.

16 GB of DDR5 memory running at 4800 MHz leaves room for many open programs at once: large spreadsheets, several browser windows and sync services running in the background. Everything sits on a 512 GB SSD, so the system boots and files open many times faster than from an old hard drive. That capacity covers the operating system, applications and working files; large photo and video libraries are better kept on a network drive or in the cloud.

Graphics are handled by the Intel UHD Graphics 770 built into the processor. There is no separate graphics card in this configuration, which also means no extra power draw and no extra fan from one. Integrated graphics cope with office work, the web, full-screen video and video calls; demanding games, 3D modelling and professional video editing call for a computer with a discrete graphics card. The manufacturer does not list the number or type of video outputs.

The computer comes with Ubuntu preinstalled, a widely used free Linux distribution. It suits developers, server and network administration work, and workstations that mainly run a browser and web applications. LibreOffice covers office work, and software is installed from the app centre or through the package manager. There is no Windows licence in this configuration — if you need one, choose the Windows 11 version of the same computer.

The QVT1260 is a desktop in a classic tower case that fits under or beside the desk and keeps your work surface clear. The case is black. Built-in Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) lets it join the network where a cable will not reach, and on a crowded office network Wi-Fi 6 is more stable than earlier standards. A wired Dell KB216 keyboard with a US International layout is included — an English QWERTY layout, with other languages added in the system language settings.

Offices where one workstation runs many programs at once; accountants and analysts working with large spreadsheets; home offices where the computer sits under the desk and does its job for years. Thanks to Ubuntu it suits developers, Linux-based companies and anyone who does not need Windows. With 16 GB of memory there is headroom for running several heavier programs side by side.