Customer Ratings & Reviews

I've had this computer for a couple of week now. It is nice, compact and does everything i need it to do for my online business! It fits right between my 2 monitors and is just the perfect size for my desk.

Much faster than my old desktop. Does not have a CD rom, but apparently nobody uses those anymore. I was behind in the times. Works great!

Love this new desktop! It does everything needed for remote work and or volunteer roles you may have that demand computer work Great memory and the best thing is that it is small and compact! Leaves more room so speakers fit great and not overwhelming !

It does work perfect for my office. I manage a lot of information. Pretty fast

I’m very please with my purchase. It was so easy to set up because the “Geek Squad” transferred everything on my lap top.

This Dell desktop computer is very powerful and fast while also not being too big. The build quality of this machine is good and it has a sleek look. Included in the box is the computer, power cord, wired keyboard, and wired mouse. The mouse and keyboard are pretty basic, but they get the job done. For office and personal use, this computer is excellent. It is so fast and snappy which makes it a great machine for productivity and quickly getting things done. With the Intel Core Ultra 7-265 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a Solid State Drive (SSD) you can blaze through any task without waiting for this machine to load. One thing that is a little disappointing with this machine are the ports. It has 7 USB A ports (3 in the front and 4 in the back), but only 1 USB C port. It is hard to believe that in 2025, desktop computers are still being equipped with so many USB A ports and only 1 USB C port. Additionally, the one USB C port that this machine has only supports USB 3.2 up to 5Gbps transfer speeds. It is disappointing that this machine does not have more USB C ports that support higher transfer speeds. This machine does have PCIe expansion slots that allow for additional connectivity options. It has 1 DisplayPort and 1 HDMI connection in the back. In the front, there is an SD card slot and an audio jack. There is no audio jack in the back. This machine supports WiFi 6 connectivity. While that is sufficient, it is unfortunate that it does not support WiFi 6e or WiFi 7 for better connectivity and faster speeds. That being said, if desired, it should be possible to upgrade this since the WiFi card is removable on this machine. Overall, this is a very fast machine that appears to be built well and would be an excellent choice for office and productivity use. It doesn’t have some of the latest connectivity technology, and it is lacking in terms of number of USB C ports and transfer speeds, but for everyday office and productivity tasks, it will work great. And since it does have PCIe expansion slots and components that are upgradable, you have the option to add additional ports and upgrades to this machine in the future if needed.

It works fine for what I need. It needs an audio out jack on the rear panel!

Fast, lightweight and quiet, recommended gracias BestBuy

Excellent sales service and tech service. Willie an awesome asset.

This is an odd one for me. On one hand, I am a tech enthusiast so I expect at least decent specs or some performance forward thought to go into a desktop PC. On the other hand, if it gets the job done at a fair price, isn't that good enough? The Good: Whisper quiet operation even under full load Performance is actually decent Compact and elegant looking Decent smattering of ports Comes with a keyboard and mouse Minimal bloatware (McAfee) Easy to open for upgrades 1TB of speedy storage The Bad: Single stick of DDR-5600 16GB memory Mediocre non-backlit keyboard and mouse Monitor refresh rate tops out at 144hz The Ugly: 180w PSU Very bad memory timings Very slow USB-C Single usable full length half height PCIE slot is placed at the very bottom No PCIE GPU cable Packed inside the Dell box, you will find your very small and compact PC, power cord, keyboard and mouse. Before setup, I popped it open to take a look. Opening it up is very easy as it just requires two push screws to remove the side case. I was a little disappointed to see the system has only a paltry 180w PSU in case you wanted to add a GPU but the single full length PCIE slot you would need has been reversed and is at the very bottom up next to the PSU versus higher to give room for more than a single slot card including GPUs. If you're thinking of adding a GPU to this for work or gaming, you options will be severely limited to a single slot GPU that doesn't require an external power connector. While it does only come with a single stick of memory, it is 16GB which I like. This makes it easy to add an additional stick of 5600 or greater memory and achieve 32GB fairly easy. After taking a quick look around, I then closed it up and set it up along with the included keyboard and mouse and off we go. Coming from mechanical keyboards and gaming mice, the included keyboard and mouse is "starter" status at best. I won't call it e-waste because it is usable but it isn't great nor backlit. If you are picking this up and do not have a keyboard and mouse, they will actually be usable. The system comes with Windows 11 Home and has the standard setup steps. I was pleased to find outside of Dell's own custom programs and McAfee, there wasn't much of anything else installed. Once into Windows, you will want to launch Windows Update as there are plenty of updates needed. I ran some benchmarks and the system is actually fairly speedy. The SSD was fast enough for a Gen4 and the Ultra 7 265 (non K) CPU scored very well with Cinebench R23. Multicore it was in line with a 12900k (26000+) and single core was 2200+ which is very nice. Memory latency and scores in Aida64 were pretty low, but so what? For standard day to day use, it really won't matter. Using the system for some surfing, typing and general tasks like Microsoft Office, it was very response and fast enough. I had no problems getting done all the testing I needed to do from spreadsheets to Youtube and more. Just remember, this is using integrated graphics only and for evedn the 1440p display I used for testing, the max refresh rate is 144hz. That is more than fine for desktop use, but must be noted. One area of disappointment is the USB speeds. The USB-C topped out at Sata speeds. I used my Sandisk 2TB external which on other systems routinely hits 1000MB/sec+ transfers which is as fast as it can handle, but on the Dell it was chugging along at around ~450MB/sec. Lastly, I thought the price was a bit high but a quick search showed me Dell's pricing is right in line with just about every other desktop packing similar stats. In summary, this is a perfectly acceptable system for someone who needs a computer but doesn't plan on playing any type of intensive games or needs serious GPU power. In every other category, it will get the job done all in a small, compact quiet desktop. The Ultra 7 265 performance was surprisingly performant especially single threaded. The only major caveat I would give is if you have any designs on wanting to use a discrete GPU in the future, look elsewhere. This system from the size of the PSU to the slot placement is basically making that near impossible. I will be giving this to my niece along with a 27" 1080p display and a laser printer and she will be absolutely thrilled with it as it will do everything she could ever possibly need and then some while she pursues her classwork. If you're someone who needs a basic computer that is easy to setup and use for a fair price, the Dell is a solid pick.

This thin desktop runs a speedy and highly efficient Intel Core Ultra 7 265 laptop CPU in a compact desktop chassis that takes up little space. As configured and used as designed, you will probably never hear its fan at all, and it will run cool as a cucumber. If the marketeers have guessed correctly, the purchaser of this computer, if he or she decides to upgrade, might later increase the RAM to enhance performance, and perhaps nothing else. Design choices are aimed in that direction. The supplied DDR5 16 GB of memory running at 5600MT/s occupies a single slot, making it ultra easy to upgrade by filling the second memory slot. The price is right for what you get. Office applications, web browsing and media consumption are going to run speedily and efficiently for the home user, and the 1TB m.2 NVMe (2230, not 2280) should well suffice for the intended user. If you want to install a 2280-sized SSD, you can, but it will be a hassle that the typical buyer of this device might not want to endure. There is only one usable NVMe slot and the supplied SSD occupies it. You would have to place the replacement SSD in an enclosure and use third party software to image the Dell supplied SSD to the replacement, power off the computer, remove the power cord, open the chassis, switch out the SSDs, replace the power cord, reboot the computer (and pray). If you’ve done that before, you shouldn’t be intimidated. I will probably do this at some point. As configured, there is no way to install a second SSD or conventional hard drive inside the chassis. Neither the caddy nor the power connector for the additional drive(s) is supplied with this model. I am not a gamer, but for those who are, the gaming experience should be exactly as this Ultra 7 265 processor supports on laptops that do not have separate video card, which seems to be fine for many users. Serious gamers are probably not going to be looking at this model as their go-to device. This computer has 1 PCI-E x16 slot, making it possible to install a video card, but I would recommend caution before going in that direction. Two factors mitigate against video card installation. The first is space and the second is heat. This case is tiny and meant to be that way. Any video card produces heat, and a heat producing component inside this chassis offers the potential for trouble. The case does not have the ventilation to exhaust air around the video card, possibly limiting the life of the card and damaging other components. The power supply is only 180 watts, and the video card and CPU together may use up to the full capability of that power supply depending on what you are trying to do. The placement of the slot in relation to other components does not leave room for fitting any card that occupies more than a single slot, and there is no provision for any separate power connection. You will have to also have a half-height bracket for the card to fit in this machine. In case you want to look for a video card that will fit and work on this computer, I could not find one on either the BB or the Dell website. The single slot cards that I did find from other sources were at or around $200, raising a huge cost-benefit issue on adding such a card. I would also think that the quiet operation of this computer would be adversely affected by the addition of a video card. The fan on that card will produce plenty of sound when it is taxed, destroying one of the built in features of this Dell, which is silence. The SD card reader on the front panel is a great convenience, and there is a plethora of USB-A connections on the front and back of the computer. A single USB-C 3.2 port is on the front panel as well as an audio input jack. Both HDMI 2.1 and Display port 1.4 video connections are on the back panel. This Dell is recommended for those who fit the use profile it was designed for and not recommended for those who want to make it into something else. It shines the most as the small silent and efficient type.

I received my Dell desktop with the Intel Core Ultra 7-265, 16GB memory and a 1 TB SSD. I really was anxious to get this particular model because I'm so limited on the space it needs to set in and it fits perfectly. Upon opening the well packed box I found a wired keyboard, wired mouse, power adapter, computer and a Quick Start Guide. Since I am so familiar with setting up these computers with Windows 11 Home it really was a breeze. I was able to transfer my information over from another desktop I own which made it a simple procedure with moving my files, folders, websites, etc. I am very impressed with how lightweight this computer is ~ weighing in at just 3.49 pounds! The dimensions are 11.95" high x a mere 3.74" wide x 11.54" deep and it's energy certified. Offers a media card reader, headphone jack using High Definition Audio Realtek, Bluetooth, Wireless Standard AX Wifi 6, ethernet port 10/100/1000, USB-A 2.0 (4 of these), USB 3.2 (3) and just one USB-C 3.2. Has an HDMI output and a Display Port 1.4 and it's 64 bit. Also has integrated graphics Intel UHD. The ram is expandable to 64GB with system rams speed 5600 megahertz and 2 memory slots for DDR5. After using I don't feel I need to add more memory as the computer blazed through whatever I used it for with just the 16GB. It even connected flawlessly to my Singsnap recording program unlike some other Windows computers I've used. I did use my Google Gmail account as it asks for that when setting up. It has the Windows AI Copilot built in and it's fun to ask questions then get fast, accurate responses. It did a Windows update as well right away. I did some word processing and looked at various websites with all loading promptly. YouTube and a couple other video streaming services I use played my selections without issues. No buffering and super fast loading. I own a computer with 32GB of memory and it buffers when I stream. This computer is a real little workhorse! It also recorded my singing music selections first rate which really sold me on Dell's reliability. It seriously has everything I need for what I use and I am extremely pleased with the performance, looks, size and its ability to handle workloads properly. The only small con I see is the fact it only has one USB-C input but that truly is not a deal breaker in my opinion. If you are looking for a slim, space saving, fine working desktop computer that really performs this model Dell is the answer! It might be small but it's mighty! I couldn't be happier!!

My first impression when the Dell Slim ECS1250 came out of the box was being amazed how light it was! I checked and its about 11lbs but still that’s significantly lighter than most of the desktops I’ve owned the past few years. The size is slightly smaller, about 11.5 x 12 x 3.75 inches so it saves some room on the office desk. On the front of the PC is the power button, headphone jack, an SD Card reader, two USB standard A size ports, and two high speed USB ports: one USB-C and one USB-A. There’s a HDMI and a DisplayPort Dual-Mode connection available on the back of the tower for hooking up monitors as well as two more high speed USB-A ports, a LAN port, and two powered USB-A ports. I opened the PC via two thumb screws on the back and inside there’s a tiny M.2 single side SSD (looks to be 2230 profile) but you could swap it out for a 2280, there is no second port I can see to add an additional M.2 SSD but there is a connector for a SATA drive if you want a 2nd hard drive inside the PC. Inside under the hood you get a pretty standard productivity PC with a 1tb drive which allows about 980 actual gigs of usable space, 16 gigs of RAM, an Intel 7 2.6gHz chip, and the integrated graphics typical with a basic Windows PC anymore. This means you’ll be able to edit your photos and make all the spreadsheets in the world but don’t plan to play any of the newer hotter games with this one. I’ve had hit or miss performance issues with Dell in the past but this computer was totally fine and usable right away (after the extended Windows setup, that’s not their fault though). Its quiet, it runs smooth, it does have Co-Pilot available and on mine it was the free version but I’m unsure if that was due to being for review or if all of the Dell Slim ECS 1250 PCs come with the free version of Co-Pilot. If you’re looking for a solid computer with plenty of ports to connect all of your devices then you could do a lot worse than Dell Slim ECS1250! I can’t imagine needing more ports than it offers and the small quiet tower is definitely desirable over some of the jet engines I’ve had on my desk. If you’re more of a demanding user then it may not be a good choice, there are some small PCI slots inside but nothing that looked like it would fit a graphics card, especially with the thinner size. Skip this one if you want to play a lot of demanding games, but smaller stuff will definitely work like Minecraft or Portal. Highly recommend!

I was very impressed with how much power can come in such a small package. I was looking for a small PC that could really pack a punch from a performance perspective and this Dell Slim PC does not disappoint. At a little less than 1’ tall and 11.5” deep with a 3.7” width, you really can put this anywhere. Dell did a fantastic job with the hardware and left some room for a few upgrades as well. The Intel Core Ultra 7 processor with 20 cores is absolutely amazing. The stock system comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and there is an extra slot to add another to increase the RAM which is great. Also included is a 1TB NVMe SSD supporting lightning fast boot times and allows me to do all my business tasks without any application latency. I can have multiple applications open and this system can handle it with no problems. It is fast. I also appreciate all the USB ports both on the front and on the rear of the system. This provides so much convenience when plugging in peripherals. From an upgradeability perspective as I said above, there is another RAM slot for an additional DDR5 stick if you choose to add one. There is also a PCIe x16 and 2 PCIe x1 slots. There is also a single SATA-3 connector on the board but it appears there is a proprietary power slot on the motherboard for the SSD. I'm not familiar with this as I have always had the power cables for additional drives come from the power supply. I did attempt to get a cable off Amazon but once plugged in, the system did not even power on. I believe it was the incorrect cable. But if you can find the right cable, it does appear to support an additional SSD. I added some photos of the internals for reference. Overall, I'm very pleased with the size and power of this system. I would have liked to have an additional NVMe slot to add more hard disk space instead of having to use the PCIe x16 slot to add an additional NVMe drive. If you are looking for a small form factor PC that is powerful and fast from a performance perspective, I don't think you can go wrong with this unit.

The first thing you’ll notice about this latest Dell PC is its convenient compact size; note the photo of it next to a similar Dell PC from a few years ago. Internal PC components have continued to shrink over the years as things like solid-state drives (SSDs) take up less room that the old hard drives. The last holdout was the space taken up by a CD/DVD optical drive and those have now disappeared as standard components (note the space for an optical drive on the older PC in the photo). If it’s really necessary to use an optical drive, they are readily available as USB devices. Looking at the included ports, most needs should be covered. The old VGA and DVI monitor interfaces are long gone and this PC has both an HDMI and a DisplayPort connection. Dual monitors are supported if both are connected. There are four USB Type A ports on the back: two low-speed (USB 2.x) best used for the keyboard and mouse, plus 2 high-speed USB 3.2 5Gbps. On the front panel there are two additional low-speed USB-A ports, one 5Gbps USB-A port, and one 5Gbps USB-C port. This should be sufficient for most uses although it’s a bit disappointing that the higher speed 10Gbps USB 3.2 feature is not available. On the front panel there is also a 3.5mm audio “headphone” jack and a slot for inserting an SD memory card. The one missing connection that I was expecting was an audio jack on the back panel; there’s only the one on the front and that would be a bit messy for plugging in my desktop speakers. However, it’s also true that the HDMI and DisplayPort connections carry audio as well as video signals. This is convenient when connecting to a TV or monitor with speakers, but the monitor that I bought to go with this PC happened to have an audio jack on its connection panel, so I was able to easily connect my speakers to the monitor and still have the headphone port on the PC available if I need it. The PC has a standard RJ45 port for a wired network connection but of course WiFi is faster and more convenient. So all that was necessary to set up the hardware was to plug the (included) keyboard and mouse USB connectors in back, run an HDMI cable from the PC to the monitor, and plug in the power cord. The PC was nicely boxed and it took only a few minutes to be ready for the initial power-up procedures. This is a review of the PC and not of Windows but I have to say that the initial boot and configuration of Windows went well except for taking a bit of time. Mainly, there were updates to apply and it was easier to just walk away and check back a while later than to wait for it to download and install everything. Once that was done and the rest of Windows was configured, I was looking at the familiar Windows desktop screen and had access to all my usual files, browser favorites, etc. In use, this PC beats anything that I’ve previously used. The big terabyte (1000Gb) SSD is fast and it powers up and boots into Windows in just a few seconds. Of course, as apps and other software packages are installed, the boot-up time tends to lengthen, but for the average user it’s still going to be more than adequate. With the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, it is going to be especially useful for those who do things like video editing, graphics, AI, and other compute-intensive work. I installed one app that does editing of complex simulation data containing video, GPS coordinates, and AR (augmented reality) features and it worked perfectly without the occasional glitches and hesitations that I see on my older PC. The only thing it probably wouldn’t be good for is gaming, due mainly to the basic graphics chip that’s built in and the probable inability to install a high-end graphics card. Given the price of this model, I would recommend that you consider your requirements before making the purchase. Processor model and size of the SSD are the two big drivers that affect the price. Before this became available, I had been looking at the same Dell slim PC but with an i5 series processor and 500Gb SSD that costs a third less. So make sure that you can use the enhanced performance and larger drive space that this version offers. If so, then this will certainly do the job for you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) — Powerful, Fast, and Reliable Performance in a Sleek Package I recently purchased the Dell Desktop with Intel Core Ultra 7-265, and it has exceeded my expectations in every way. From setup to daily performance, this machine is smooth, responsive, and clearly built for both productivity and multitasking. The Intel Core Ultra 7-265 processor delivers blazing speed, whether I’m running multiple applications, editing large files, or streaming media. The 16GB of memory ensures that even heavy workloads or several open browser tabs don’t slow things down. Pair that with the 1TB SSD, and you get lightning-fast boot times and plenty of space for files, photos, and software. What really stands out is how quiet and efficient this desktop is. It stays cool even during long sessions, and Dell’s sleek black design gives it a modern, professional look that fits perfectly in a home office or workstation setup. The connectivity options are great, offering a good mix of USB ports, HDMI, and Bluetooth support, making it easy to connect monitors, peripherals, and wireless devices. Overall, this Dell desktop is a top-tier choice for professionals, students, or anyone who wants a high-performance PC without the fuss. Fast, stylish, and dependable — it’s a powerhouse that makes computing effortless. Pros: Exceptional performance with Intel Core Ultra 7 processor Generous 16GB RAM for smooth multitasking Fast and spacious 1TB SSD storage Quiet operation and efficient cooling Sleek, minimalistic black design Cons: No dedicated graphics card (not ideal for heavy gaming, but great for productivity) Final Verdict: If you’re looking for a fast, modern, and reliable desktop that handles demanding tasks with ease, this Dell model is an excellent investment.

I am tech savvy but not a nerd. This is a Workstation PC and it only has one DP and one HDMI and zero of the old type VGA. System is fast and easy to set up but did require a lot of updates. Keyboard feels and appears very cheap so I will probably replace it. DELL or Best Buy doesn't advertise all the features on this desktop very well. Its a good buy aka BEST BUY for me as it does everything I want fast and has wireless plus Wired Internet. The Size is incredible and I think it might also work as a good Gaming PC (I didn't say great as the Video Card is not great) but its good.

If you are an average PC user that buys a PC, uses it as-is with no intentions of changing, updating, upgrading it, this might be a PC that works for you. Read on to find out why it might not work for you. Unboxing the Dell Ultra 7 didn’t wow me, it’s just your average slim desktop pc case, nothing more or less than I expected. The keyboard and mouse are likewise just average wired units that work but are nothing special. I popped open the case, 2 simple thumbscrews and it slides off. It looks pretty bare inside, a proprietary main board and power supply with minimal wiring. For the ‘goods’ inside you have -2 DIMM slots, 1 which is occupied with a stick of 16gb DDR5. -1 m.2 slot occupied with a 1tb drive -1 m.2 slot occupied by the WLAN card with antenna cables running to the front cover of the case -1 SATA data connector on the main board, along with a non standard sata power connector, but interestingly enough no place to actually mount an extra drive if you wanted to - the CPU heatsink and fan are basic units, but as I learned later they get the job done When I started hooking the Dell up I ran into a couple issues. I tried to plug in the monitor and the HDMI port on the main board did not line up well with the cutout on the back panel. Taking a close look, all the ports that come off the main board thru the rear panel were shifted towards one corner, not centered. I had to angle and force the HDMI cable in to fit. Not the best QC when things don't line up. When I tried to plug speakers in, guess what, no audio jacks of any type on the rear panel, you get 1 headphone/speaker jack on the front and that’s it. First boots and Win11 setup was pretty standard. I did have a couple failures during the initial Win11 updates but they eventually cleared after a few reboots and updates. It was nice to see there was no bloatware installed other than Mcaffe, which was easily and promptly removed. After all the Windows updating was done I went straight into running some benchmarks to verify everything was working as expected. The hard drive shows up as a ‘Kioxia’, which I’ve never heard of. Benchmarks put it roughly in between a Samsung Evo and Pro except the Q1T1 test which was about ⅓ of what it should have been. I’ve never seen that before on a drive, not sure what was going on there, but I tried multiple times with the same result. The CPU benchmark test put it right about where the Ultra 7 should be, and of note, during the test the case around the air vent warmed up, and the fan stayed nice and quiet. In real world use, about all I can say is, average. It’s what I expect from the component specs. Nice and snappy for 99% of what most people use a PC for, and what I use this one for. But still at the end of the day I can only give this an average rating of 3 stars. Alignment issues on the case to main board connectors, and no rear audio aren’t what I want to see when spending this much money.

This is the next in line of Dell's mass consumer series of PC's. There is nothing flashy about the unit compared to some other brands that have put more effort in upgrading the aesthetics, of which some look very nice with wood grain accents, etc. If items like this had been bypassed to focus on providing the things that really matter (hardware) then I would applaud Dell , however that does not seem to be the case. Upon recieving & inspecting the unit it has a few things that raise red flags for me if I were to purchase. Of these, the most notable is upgradeability if I choose and this PC just falls flat in that category. With the design that was chosen to use on this particular model there is essentially no way to upgrade the GPU to a unit that would allow me to accomplish the tasks that I encounter on a daily basis even though the processor itself is more than capable of handling them. The reason is that its impossible to install a new GPU because the motherboard/power supply is too small & not capable of supporting one. This in my opinion is inferior, they did not do this because they provided an upgrade on some other components, they just went cheap. The processor is solid but only 16GB of memory & 1 TB of storage which are both standard nowadays at this price point. With that said I would personally go another route if I was in the market however I do not want it to sound like this is not a good PC because it is. The components, while not having max specs are of quality and the overall unit is well built like every Dell I have ever owned, and there are MANY. I would suggest to anyone looking for a daily workhorse that did not have specialized needs, as it should handle most any task & last you a long time.

TLDR: Good, powerful productivity desktop that takes minimal room yet still has some expansion options; however, a few component choices and a lack of modern day ports holds it back from being a good value. I have to start the review by once again commending Dell for their packaging. The computer was ultra secure and safe, while all packaging materials are recyclable. They’ve been at the forefront of that the “sustainable packaging” movement, and I appreciate that. Moving onto the computer… It’s a pretty small device. I told a family member that it feels like if you have enough space on your desk for a 2-liter bottle of soda, then you probably have enough room for the Dell Slim desktop. And, despite its size, it didn’t necessitate too much sacrifice in performance or function. The device was dead simple to hook up via HDMI, and I was up and running within about 15 minutes. It wouldn’t have been that long, but Windows 11 had a large update or two during the process. The Dell comes with a pretty nice chiclet-style keyboard and a basic mouse, but both were wired, so I opted not to use them. I’d honestly rather PC Co.’s stop including these devices if they won’t be wireless. It was easy to access the inside of the PC via two thumbscrews in the back. Looking inside revealed a large shroud around the CPU fan to funnel cool air into the cooler. The motherboard also revealed two (2) PCIEx1 slots and a PCIEx16. I’m unsure what generation of PCIE they are, but I’d bet Gen.4 (not even the online-only manual mentions the generation of the slots). Both are low-profile slots to accommodate the slim PC design. However, before you get too excited about expandability, it needs to be pointed out that the power supply on this PC is only rated for 180W max. There’s also no venting through the case for component cooling, only slits in the PCIE covers at the rear for ventilation, and that’s not much. Connecting to my network was a breeze and took mere seconds, however, the download speed was just over half of what I expected (I have a 1.3gbps connection, but only managed 400-500mbps). The router was probably 15 feet and a thin wall away, so this is not a great performance. The ethernet connection is another letdown being only gigabit ethernet rather than the more up-to-date 2.5Gbps ports I’m currently seeing. Bad call on the networking, Dell. Performance-wise, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 handles everything you can throw at it. And the fan never becomes an issue either. I ran several benchmarks on the CPU, and even at the end I could barely hear the fans. It’s a 65 watt CPU, so that helps with the heat, along with that giant shroud funneling cool air to the CPU cooler. The CPU has AI capabilities and Copilot is one of my favorite AI models. If you have a compatible keyboard, Copilot is a single button press away. I don’t have a Copilot keyboard so I just used the double-click method. I love being able to ask Copilot questions: Anything from random entertainment questions (“Who voiced Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story movies?”), generative art (“Make a cartoonish drawing of a golden retriever”), and even some stock question (“What is the financial outlook for Microsoft for 2025?”). I use Copilot probably 8-10 times per day, and I’m certainly no expert on the topic. There are a few things that I’m disappointed in here though: 1) The aforementioned networking solutions/adapters are a generation behind; 2) The ports are also a generation behind. A few USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports that max out at 5gbps is a major whiff when the CPU supports 10gbps, 20gbps, and even Thunderbolt 4 (40gbps) ports. There’s also a handful of USB 2.0 ports. Really? 3) The lack of ventilation may limit the use of PCIE components. 4) Single 16GB memory module means dual channel memory isn’t supported OEM. This basically limits your RAM to half it’s cited speed. You’ll need another RAM module to enable dual channel mode. Yet, despite these shortcomings I feel like the Dell Slim is a good desktop computer, particularly for productivity/office work, internet browsing, and media consumption. Yet, with the type and number of shortcomings, I find it hard to 100% recommend the computer. Why? Well, it comes down to money. For the list price ($900 at time of this review), I would expect updated WiFi, ethernet, and at least one next-gen USB port (preferably a Thunderbolt port). None of these additions is prohibitively expensive to implement. For performance alone, I’d give 5-stars. But minus 1 star for lack of value.