Dell Precision 7540 and 7740 Owner's Thread

Hi all,
I have bought a Dell Precision 7540 without a dedicated graphic card. I have bought an rtx 3000 for it separately.
It looks like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265073804614?hash=item3db7a14546:g:M6QAAOSw7axgPpCJ
I also bought a different heatsink like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/363373711449?epid=24044745278&hash=item549ac2d059:g:ChIAAOSwajhghmM3
Turns out the holes on the rtx 3000 don't match the bolts on heatsink.
After a bit of researching it looks like I need a dell 7530 heatsink in order to match the graphic card, like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255003869958?epid=18043535238&hash=item3b5f6a4306:g:rPUAAOSw-mJfyK5E
I don't understand, that RTX 3000 is for dell 7540 by default, not 7530.
I'm quite confused right now. Any advice what I should do? Buy the 7530 heatsink?

Thanks,
Alex

 

Does anyone know the part number of the Precision 7540 Touchscreen hinge covers, the metal was damaged and I need to replace em. eBay only has the ones for the non touchscreen

 

Call Dell spare parts and if you can provide your service tag, they should be able to figure out the part number and possibly let you order it directly from them. In the U.S., the number is 800-372-3355.
[Edit] Actually I think all 7540 systems should still be under warranty (three years starting in mid-2019), so, check the warranty status and see if you can't just get them to fix it outright.

Not quite sure what's going on here, but there are multiple dGPU heatsinks available for the 7540 so you most likely have the wrong one... RTX 3000 definitely fits in Precision 7540 without having to get a Precision 7530 heatsink. (Though the 7530 heatsink would probably work. Users upgrading Precision 7530 systems with RTX 4000/5000 GPUs can fit in a heatsink designed for Precision 7540 and it fits.)

 

Here is the difference between heatsink. The 7540 will not work with the RTX 3000.

Looking at the Nvidia T1000 and T2000, these cards have the holes lower than RTX 3000, so I assume these will work with the 7540 heatsink.


Not sure why they did it like that. Amazing.

 

Meant to update on this a couple of months back.

Dell replaced the screen and then their technician spend some time re-installing Premier Color and various drivers (requiring a few tries) and finally got Premier Color to accept that yes, maybe it actually does support the 7540 after all.

The 4K screen that didn't work with DPC was, according to HWInfo64, a Sharp LQ156D1 part# YTK73 (SHP14FF) mfg 2019 week 49, and the 'new' one that does is AU Optronics B156ZAN part# 7X71H (AUO41EB) mfg 2018 week 34.

Video looks oh so much better now that I can set a reasonable "Internet (sRGB)" instead of being permanently stuck in the garish horrorland that is "Vibrant Full". I've not noticed the 'banding' that I see people on the net talk about when discussing DPC.

The Intel Graphics Command Centre also seems to be working now after some update, though I'm still a bit scared to touch it.

------------------------

So moving to another topic, what this machine really needs is a bios option to remap the lower middle button to be another left button (preferably independently of the upper one) and the ability to adjust the touchpad scrolling speed in Windows.

The latter issue is with Microsoft's (unrelatedly named 'Precision' drivers). I seriously still can't believe that in 2021 you suddenly can't tweak scrolling speed anymore! Well, it's not too bad I guess. I only want it a bit faster. But it annoys me intensely. Linux has no such issues btw. Does anyone know if its possible to install some Alps driver used on older Precision machines? Or maybe there's some super-secret registry hack? (I've already tried some I came across, but to no avail..)

That aside, I'm still getting used to how ridiculously huge the touchpad is. Well, I guess all modern touchpads have vast acres of untamed wilderness, but as one of the few designs to sensibly retain decent proper below-touchpad clicky buttons, its all a bit too much because of the accursed middle button being exactly where I'm used to thumbing the left button - can't tell you how often I've accidently closed the browser tab I meant to focus! Also its quite a stretch to the left button when I'm resting my little finger on the palmrest beside the touchpad. For the last 20 over years I've become accustomed to the wonderful touchpads on my Latitude E6x30s and my Vostro 1400 before that, and some other even smaller Twinhead thing before that, and this supersized one just doesn't float my boat. (The irony is that having touchpad buttons was my #1 laptop selection criteria and what kept Precision on my radar and alternatives off it. Oh well.)

Might give X-Mouse a try if I still can't get myself used to it, but that won't work in Linux and may be an issue with games?

Frustratingly the PointStick software lets you do this in Windows, but only for the *upper* middle button and not for the lower middle button!
Also, anyone know what's up with the pointstick middle button stick scroll option's scrolling being so fast, it seems to do a dozen PgUp or PgDn on the slightest pressure! - completely unusable, did nobody at Dell ever try using this?

 

Hello, I have searched forum and didn't find anyone reporting same issue but thought I'd ask anyway. I have a Dell 7540 with i9-9980HK cpu, RTX 3000 Graphics card and 32GB ram. 3 Samsung SSD's. Ever since I purchased this over a year ago, I have had problems with blue screen crashes. Nothing is overclocked, just standard win 10 install. I did reduce max CPU to 99% to reduce fan noise but that setting doesn't make a difference. Now here is the thing. The system is rock solid most of the time. After a blue screen, I just restart, then I can work for weeks with no problems, I can shut down, restart, etc and zero issues. Unless...

I change external monitor setup.

At home I have laptop connected to two external displays, A dell U2913WM via mini DisplayPort and a Wacom Cintique Pro 24" via USB-C.
At work, The laptop is connected to a Dell Thunderbolt Dock and connected to the dock are two Dell monitors, I forget the model right now.

If I move from home to work and boot up, the computer will boot and work normally for 1 - 15 minutes then I get a blue screen crash., I restart and computer will work normally indefinitely as long as I stay at work.

If I move home, same thing the computer will boot and work normally for 1 - 15 minutes then I get a blue screen crash., I restart and computer will work normally indefinitely.

When traveling and working I have an external UCB-C Monitor I use - same thing happens when I switch to that setup
occasionally I use the laptop to connect to a Projector for a presentation - same thing happens

My only solution has been to get to wherever i will be working early, boot up, and wait for it to crash then get to work.

I tried getting this resolved through dell, they even swapped out the motherboard. but it didn't help. Every time a new bios or drive up date comes out i hope this time it will be addressed but it hasn't.

I am at the point now that dell is so frustrating to deal with I gave up. how many times can I reinstall windows to prove that isn't the issue.

Anyway, I need to use this laptop soon in a trial and I won't be able to explain to the judge, my laptop is going to crash every time I move from hotel to Courtroom, becasue the display setups are different.

So posting hear hoping someone else has run across this and has a fix.

Thanks Don

 

How do you move the computer between locations? Do you shut it down, or sleep/hibernate?

My Precision 7530 has had behavior like this when I use "Hibernate". I don't think changing monitor configuration or location even matters, just after hibernating and resuming, it would crash after a while. (I think the NVIDIA driver was responsible but I can't remember?)

Now, if you are doing a full shut down, you are probably hibernating without realizing it. I'm going to suggest that you make this configuration change:

Find the Windows Power Options "old" control panel.
Click "choose what power buttons do" on the left.
TURN OFF the option for "Turn on fast startup (recommended)".

(If "fast startup" is enabled, then the PC doesn't actually shut down when you tell it to shut down. It does a log off + hibernate so that startup will be faster.)

 

I don't use the physical Power button - I go through windows - Start - Power - Shutdown

I found the setting you mentioned and it was on. I turned it off. Will see what happens when I get to work in the morning. If that's all it was then AWESOME! But, Grrrrrrrr Dell should have told me that a year ago.

 

Yeah, that doesn't matter. I don't know why this setting is under "Choose what the power buttons do", it applies anywhere you can do "shut down".

 

Hope I am not speaking too soon, but no crash this morning!!! Thank You Thank you Thank You!!