Dell lays claim to smallest business desktop PC

Dell touts the OptiPlex 780 USFF as the smallest fully functional commercial desktop PC

Dell has extended its business desktop line-up with the OptiPlex 780 Ultra Small Form Factor (USFF), the world's smallest fully functional commercial desktop PC to include a built-in power supply and Intel vPro technology, according to the firm.

Available immediately, the new model adds a new form factor to the existing OptiPlex 780 line-up, and is ideal for space-constrained environments, Dell said.

"The death of the commercial desktop has been greatly overstated. We are seeing customers look to deploy small form factor systems in ways never before imagined," said Mike Basore, senior marketing manager of Dell's Business Client group.

Measuring just 23.9 x 6.5 x 23.6cm, the new Optiplex has no expansion slots and space for only a single internal hard drive, but is otherwise a fully specified business PC with Intel dual-core processors up to the 2.93GHz E6500, up to 4GB memory, and hard drives up to 320GB.

The system has image stability and long lifecycle support of 15 months as part of Dell's Global Standard Platform programme, and systems management options include those based on Intel's vPro technology.

The OptiPlex 780 USFF ships with Windows 7 Professional as standard, with Vista and XP optional, along with Ubuntu Linux support in selected countries. Prices start at £479.

Dell also announced the OptiPlex 380 for customers in emerging countries and businesses looking for a cost-efficient business client.

The new family is available in three form factors - Minitower, Desktop and Small Form Factor - with the price of the Minitower starting at just £289.