Dell Precision 3520 review

A $246 ticket into the workstation class

The Precision 3520 (2016) is the entry shelf of Dell's workstation line: a quad-core i7-6820HQ, a Quadro M620 professional card and 32GB of RAM, listed at $246 — 48% below the workstation-class median of $471. The highlights read honestly for the era: graphics at 18.35 against a class median of 42.23, memory at 32GB versus 64. This is not a machine that competes on metrics; it's one that puts ISV-certified hardware within ultra-budget reach.

What still works

The measured capability sheet retains some green: Overwatch clears its minimum bar, GTA V clears minimum, and VS Code runs comfortably on the quad-core with 32GB. As an office and development machine, the 3520 remains entirely serviceable — the memory pool especially is generous for this price point.

What the flags retire

Far Cry 5 fails its minimum by a wide margin, which retires any modern-gaming claim beyond the light titles above. The Quadro M620's professional credentials belong to a driver era that has closed — modern CAD and 3D packages assume hardware of a newer generation. Judge the card by the ok-flags, not by its workstation badge.

Price trajectory

From a $2,200 launch anchor the machine has settled at $246 — a 8.93% annual rate with a projected $204 in two years, a 17.06% drop. At this floor, depreciation is nearly irrelevant: the machine has already given up nearly 90% of its launch value.

Against its neighbors

Upward, HP's ZBook 15 G3 at $265 and ZBook 15 G4 at $269 offer the same era one generation fresher. Downward, the ZBook 15u G4 at $221 and Dell's own Precision M4800 at $221 undercut marginally. This is a tight price band of comparable legacy iron — condition and configuration matter more than the $20 gaps.

Bottom line

An honest ultra-budget workstation for office loads, development and very light gaming at minimum settings. Buy it for the price and the 32GB of RAM; don't buy it expecting the Quadro badge to translate into modern professional graphics work.