If you create custom content, you know that the widespread availability of powerful content creation tools means that audience expectations are higher than ever. Consumers expect engaging, cutting-edge design and high-resolution multimedia, and they expect it now. Many high-end mobile workstations promise to provide the power and flexibility to help us meet that demand, but even small advantages in performance and user experience can add up to the difference between a job well done and a job not yet done. We all need gear that can power through compute-intensive workloads—at home or on the go—without unnecessary delays or interruptions to our creative flow.

We used a suite of demanding, media-oriented benchmarks and custom collaboration workflows to test and compare the performance of two high-end workstations: a Dell Precision 5680 with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor and a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro with an Apple M2 Max processor. Because user experience issues like excessive heat are often a factor when systems tackle heavy demand, we also measured the external temperature of the bottom of the two laptops during testing to see which one would be more comfortable when you work on your lap.

The Precision 5680 delivered up to 3.4x the video AI performance and up to 3.3x the 3D rendering performance of the MacBook Pro. The Precision 5680 also took less time to complete our custom collaboration workflow, and it handled a sustained multi-core workload while maintaining a 12.8°F cooler temperature than the MacBook Pro on the underside of its chassis. These results indicate that the Precision 5680 workstation is an excellent option for creative professionals looking for a combination of high performance and personal comfort while running demanding workloads.

To read more about our mobile workstation comparison, check out the report below.