Dell Precision 7540 and 7740 Owner's Thread

You should consider uninstalling them altogether: you can acquire driver updates from the Dell support website here. Those two apps are the last vestiges of 'bloatware' on a Dell system.

 

Interesting - thanks.

I guess I like the way they tell me exactly what to update without me having to work it out for myself..... I do update my RTX driver manually though....

 

I have another GPU upgrade question for my 7740.

I started with the Radeon Pro 3200 (lowest discrete option), but it wasn't really working well enough, so I decided to try upgrading.

I have got hold of a refurbished Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000, which arrived today. But I didn't realise I need an extra connector (NGRJG), as the NVidia uses 3 where the Radeon only had 2.

But I also didn't realise it needs a different heatsink.

My questions are:
- Is an upgrade from the Radeon to the RTX 4000 basically feasible?
- Should the heatsink and the extra connector be the only other parts I need to change (I have already upgraded the battery to the larger one, which is apparently required. When taking what I ordered and changing over to the RTX 4000, the battery was the only thing listed as incompatible)?
- Is the part number for the heatsink FHD64? Another post in this thread said the part numbers are different for the 3000 and the 4000/5000, and mentioned this part, but I couldn't work out which one this was for.
- Does anyone know where I can acquire the heatsink? (I am waiting for a price from Dell on the connector - NGRJG - and will ask about the heatsink as well, but would bo good if someone knows where I can find one)
- Will I need to change anything in the BIOS once I've done the upgrade (obviously I'll need to install the Windows drivers)?

 

To replace the GPU, you may need...
* The GPU card itself
* The GPU<->motherboard power connector (I think it should be the same for AMD cards but I am not sure about this?)
* DGFF data connectors
* Heatsink assembly

This is actually the first that I've heard that there are separate AMD and NVIDIA heatsinks for the Precision 7740. But most people who try to upgrade are coming from a system with no dGPU at all, and in that case you have a different heatsink yet with a missing heat pipe so an upgraded heatsink would definitely be necessary.

Unfortunately, no one really stocks specific Dell parts like this other than Dell themselves, best I can tell. You can specifically call the Dell spare parts line and see if they can find it and put together a quote for you. (In the U.S.: 800-372-3355) It might be helpful if you have the service tag of another system that came with the part that you are looking for, it seems to be easier for them to look it up that way. eBay will have parts available from time to time (set up a "saved search" and it will email you). It doesn't look like it is available from Parts-People.com where I have run across before when looking for other random parts.

It might be the case that Precision 7730 and Precision 7740 heatsinks are cross-compatible. (This was the case for sure with 7530/7540.) 7730 heatsinks are readily available on eBay, it looks like. DGFF data connectors from any of these four systems should be compatible. They are also available on eBay but cost more than I would have expected.

Anyway. If you get the card and all of the parts installed, then it should just boot up and work. Install the driver and you're good to go.

 

Parts for the RTX 4000 (7740):

 

Thanks for that. It confirms that I have the right power cable and connectors (just one short on the connectors) - but that the heatsink is different. Mine is:
69PVF ASSY,HTSNK,W/FAN,AMD,P35,7740

The frustration is that they seem to be exactly the same except for the thickness of the pad connecting the GPU, because the Radeon has a lower profile chip.

 

Thanks, I'll have a look at the 7730 heatsinks as well then. The issue is that the difference seems to be the thickness of the pad connecting the GPU, because the AMD GPU has a lower profile than the NVIDIA - and that appears to be the only difference. So it's a bit risky to go for something that isn't exactly the same part number.

I have been in touch with Dell, and I'll hopefully be talking to them again tomorrow so can ask about the heatsink then.

Just wanted to get confirmation that I'm not completely wasting my time - it appears that I'm not far away now!

I was also surprised at the cost of the DGFF data connectors! I've found some at a half decent price, but I'll wait to see what Dell says as well.

 

Yes. It is even the same case for the RX 5700 in the Area 51m R2. I would not even attempt trying to use the AMD heatsink as it may crack the Nvidia GPU core.

 

Is anyone here able to confirm if the 7730 part:
D1HY2
Is identical to the 7740 part:
FHD64

 

For sure I won't be trying it - I'd say at a guess there's a couple of mm difference between the profiles. I'm not even sure I'd be able to get the screws to grab. Haven't actually taken the AMD out yet though, since I might as well wait until I have all the parts.