Dell Precision 7540 and 7740 Owner's Thread

Yes i am using these. Working fine, no Problems.

Anybody have problems with updating the bios to 1.2.3 on the 7740? I start the biosupdate file, then i have to restart, the screen stays black, nothing happens. i have to shut down an statt the 7740 again. when windows starts, bios is not updated. tried it several times. i am not able to update the bios to the newest Bios version (15.09.2019)

 

Hi. I just signed up here to ask a couple of questions about the 7740. I've read all 19 pages of this thread as well song_1118's 6-page series on 51nb and most things are answered already.

TLDR:

1) How usable is it on a lap?

2) Is the Linux version identical to the Windows, and will I have problems installing Windows from a stock Microsoft distribution?

More info:

I'm a software engineer with many lower back issues, and as a result I spend most of my time (including work time) reclined in a zero gravity chair, with 17" laptop on my lap. How usable will the 7740 be? From images here, and the awesome review on 51nb, it looks like it vents out the side and rear (yay). But it also looks like the intakes for the fans would be right over legs and it's not clear to me if there's enough airflow in from the bottom to keep things cool. And if you think "It's too hot for my lap" do you have an alternative to suggest?

I'm trying to bring the cost down, mostly via supplying my own ram & ssd. But I also have a legit copy of Windows 10 Pro whose license is not currently being used. Having it shipped with Linux would save another $108. I assume all the hardware when ordered with Linux will be identical, although it would be good to verify that. But also, when I install Windows from Microsoft media it will just be basic Microsoft drivers--will I have any problems doing the install? It's been probably 10 years since I've used a Dell computer, but my past experience finding drivers was always positive. I assume that's the same. So I guess the more important question is: will I be able to install directly from Microsoft media and then come back and install Dell driver? Or will I need to first build installation media that has Dell drivers in it so that I can get the OS installed?

Also, wrt the Linux version, Dell's configurator doesn't like me to choose NVidia GPU with Linux , but would Dell build such a configuration for me anyhow?

 

No issue ordering a Linux system; the hardware is the same. The downsides are you have to install Windows yourself (which some would do anyway) and you have some limits in what you can configure (as you have discovered). I have no idea why the NVIDIA GPU isn't allowed for a Linux build, that seems strange. You could try to place an order with a rep (over the phone) and see if they can push it through anyway. I know that there are some other restrictions on the NVIDIA GPU; you have to order the larger battery with it, which in turn means that you are forced to order a M.2 NVMe drive instead of a 2.5" SATA one.

Installing your own drivers for Windows isn't too bad.
* Get the latest install media for the best chance that drivers for your hardware will be included at install time.
* If the system is set up in RAID mode (which is default) then you might need to provide the Intel Rapid Storage driver to Windows 10 setup before it will let you see a disk to install Windows on. You can avoid this by switching to AHCI.
* After the Windows install, install the Intel serial I/O driver (you can get it from Dell's support page for this system) — until you install this, the touchpad will not work.
* Install either the Wi-Fi or Ethernet driver (again from Dell) and get the system connected to the Internet.
* Run Windows Update once and it will automatically pull down drivers for almost everything else.
* From Dell, install the latest Thunderbolt drivers and firmware, and the latest system BIOS
* Install the Dell ControlVault software if you configured your system with a fingerprint reader... which is probably not allowed with Linux either

That should be it. If you want to come back later and install Dell's drivers over whatever Windows provided, that's fine. They will likely have some stuff that is a little newer, or in some cases like the graphics drivers, customized a little bit for this system specifically. You don't need to install extra Dell software packages (Dell Precision Optimizer, Dell Command Update, etc.) unless you have a specific need for it.

 

Finally i got mine also.(7740)

I am quite happy, but have a lot of work to do now.

Question: Does anybody face sound problems with window sounds? They are distored somehow.
I tested some music, that is ok. So the speakers are not the problem.
(I did fresh install to a new Samsung 970 Pro by using the supplied win10 recovery stick.)
All drivers and updates are installed.

Some ideas? Somebody same problem?

Thx.

 

On 7510 and 7530 I noticed funny stuttering with Windows alert noises. Solved by using Microsoft sound drivers instead of Realtek ones. (You can switch in Device Manager. Just do "update driver" and then "let me pick from a list..."... The Microsoft one is called "High Definition Audio Device".)

 

How long is the battery life in the Precision 7740?

 

Thanks Aaron44126,

but no success so far...

 

are you running 1903 updated all the way?

If so, read some headlines on this site
https://www.windowslatest.com/

You will see in that site some posts about people having a number of issues with some new windows update, from the search taking a bunch of cpu, to wifi/Ethernet issues to audio issues

 

Thanks Aaron, that's good to know. Mostly what I expected, but your checklist will be handy.

NVidia and Linux has a history of being problematic. I haven't kept up with current state of affairs, no clue what the support for an RTX chipset would be, but it doesn't surprise me for a large company like Dell to just wash their hands of it. But I will see if I can twist a salesperson's arm for the config. So much for that speculation. You can order Linux with NVidia with 1920x1080, but they will not let you order Linux + NVidia + UHD.

No responses to my question about how comfortable this will be on a lap. But at this point I'm figuring it's probably on par with HP & Lenovo as far as thermals.

Does this mean that the 7740 does note use Microsoft's precision touchpad driver? And if that's the case, how is the touchpad?

I tried looking for answers to this, but since "Precision" is in the product name anything written about these machines is full of the word but I've yet to find it referring to the touchpad.
Edit: And I just found the answer in your own post on the 7730 owners thread where you said that the 7730 uses an ALPS touchpad with Microsoft Precision drivers. I assume the 7740 is the same.

 

The Precisions do use the Precision trackpad driver, but they use Dell's own.

The trackpads are very, well, precise, and I'd say rival the MacBooks' ones. The ones on the Precision are doubly good because the surface is rough rather than mirror-smooth, which adds more tactile feedback. I swipe and scroll easily with absolutely no problems at all.