56whr Precision 5520 Owners: Observed Battery Life?

Hi folks,

I'm considering one of two configurations as an upgrade from my vintage 2011 M4600:

1. i7-7820HQ M5200, 1080p with 512GB M.2 NVMe + 2.5" 512 GB SATA SSD + 56whr battery
2. i7-7820HQ M5200, 1080p with 1TB M.2 NVMe + 97whr battery

Configuration 2 comes at a significant premium but I'm wondering what if anyone has practical, observed battery life with something similar to configuration 1.

My workload generally consists of running VMWare Workstation with a Windows Server VM + Visual Studio so it is relatively intensive. I don't need all day runtime for this workload, maybe just 3-4 hours for the occasional cross country flight.

Any inputs would be appreciated!

 

Heavy loads on the smaller battery will usually net you about 1.5-2 hours. For casual use expect around 6-7 hours.

Also keep in mind that you may need to mod the VRM cooling to achieve optimal performance as the Precision 5520, due to its size, has trouble keeping the VRM modules under 100*C.

 

Interesting; any links for guides/instructions for the 5510/20?

Would the 3520 be recommended due to the larger chassis?

 

The VRM cooling is discussed in the context of the XPS15 which is basically the same chassis. However, XPS users are more likely to be pushing their machines at the maximum combined CPU + dGPU loading for sustained periods than most business users and hence find the performance limits more often. Does Visual Studio load the dGPU?

I would also note that the 3520 has a numpad whereas the 5520 doesn't giving it a much more central keyboard and touchpad. I had the Latitude E5570 (very similar chassis to the Precision 3510) and couldn't get on with the offset keyboard and touchpad.

John

 

No, so I think it would be fine. I'm not planning on gaming on the machine.

I don't mind the offset too much if the tradeoff is less probability of throttling since I'm already somewhat accustomed to the M4600, but I can see how it would be an issue for some folks.

Thanks for your input!

 

The 3520 is a little less portable but should substantially less expensive (spend some of the saving on 32GB RAM). My tendency would be to get the bigger battery option. If you have access to Dell Outlet then see if you can find one with the CPU, display and battery you want (and check the Dell Outlet twitter feed for coupons to save even more). Then do DIY RAM and SSD upgrades.

John

 

The throttling is actually only on the CPU-side. The XPS 15 doesn't suffer from GPU VRM throttling. Hence why I even brought it up. You will likely end up running the CPU around 2GHz for consistent performance without modding the cooling.

 

Yes, one of my employees has a 3510 via Dell Outlet, but he's had some performance issues with running a 4K monitor. Not sure yet if it's related to drivers, hardware, throttling; unresolved at the moment. I've been back and forth on the 5480, 3520, and 5520 but had been settling towards the 5520 for the more flexible storage options and weight (heck, anything is an improvement on the 4600!).

Yeouch!

Would love to see some comments from folks who code/dev on these machines. Generally speaking should not be an issue, but I do run multiple instances of Visual Studio (not too taxing unless compiling), mobile device emulators, and server applications.

 

I mean - the first thing you should do is undervolt the CPU and see how that affects things.

 

But what is the likelihood of the VRMs getting that hot if the dGPU isn't being loaded? My experience with the 5510 is that the cooling system is fine for only the CPU or dGPU heat but struggles if both are loaded for a long period. Undervolting the CPU would, as you note, improve the situation.

John