New Latitude 5470

Did anyone update the BIOS to a "new" version 1.18.6 (06.02.2018)?

The first 1.18.6 BIOS was released on 21.12.2017. It was supposed to fix the Meltdown/Spectre issue.
Dell rolled back to version 1.17.3 after users experienced performance problems and random reboots. Myself included

They posted this update a few days ago but it's exactly the same as the problematic one!?
I have a previous file and a bit-by-bit comparison shows it's identical. Even the version number hasn't changed.

 

From the Dell Precision 5510 thread:

Looks like Dell just recycled the old BIOS update files.

 

Does anyone have experience with reapplying thermal paste? What kind of paste did you use? I am considering liquid metal, but i have read that i will destroy any aluminum it gets in contact with, so does anyone know what metal the thermal spreader is made of for the quad core version? thanks!

 

I have plenty of experience with repasting but have never considered liquid metal. I'm currently using Noctua NT-H1. Usually, the Dell paste is applied a little thick and you may also find it has dried out. The purpose of the paste is to fill any gaps between the CPU (or GPU) and heatsink and maximise the direct metal-to-metal contact. Any thicker than that means a layer of paste between the two metal surfaces which will reduce the thermal performance. A dollop not much bigger than a grain of rice is usually enough. The best way to find out is to apply a small amount of paste (after thoroughly cleaning the surfaces), assemble and then take apart again to see whether the paste has spread to the edges in a very thin layer.

John

 

Hi all,

My wife got a Latitude E5470 with an i5-6300U, integrated graphics, 8GB of memory and a 256 MB M.2 drive. It was originally intended to be a general use computer for web surfing, office stuff and skype. Now, I have pretty much inherited it and my main concern is Lightroom/Photoshop. While it is fine for what it is, the lack of dedicated graphics is definitely a bottleneck.

I am trying to decide whether it is worth throwing 32 GB of memory in it, or whether I should just get a matching piece of memory on eBay to get up to 16 GB, which would be much cheaper. Does anyone have any experience with the difference between 16 GB and 32 GB in this machine for general use and/or photo editing? If so, is the difference worth it?

Also, what do I need to know about which docking stations are preferred for this device? Do good deals on them ever come up other than used?

Finally, I see reference to using the WWAN slot for another M.2 drive, but it would be slower. How much slower, and are there side effects on the rest of the system? I had another Dell where I put some parts in it that "worked", but the side effects to the rest of the system made for a less-than-stellar experience.

 

Graphics are a memory hog as everything gets stored as bitmaps. 16GB might be enough (8GB definitely isn't) but there's also an in between option: Add 16GB RAM to get 24GB. This will run in asynchronous dual channel which means that the first 16GB runs as dual channel and the remainder as single channel. The dual channel RAM will give the integrated graphics performance a boost.

If you want a dock then buy a used one. They don't wear out.

Putting an SSD in the WWAN slot may/may not work. I was successful when I had the E5570 (which is essentially the same platform) but others have reported failure. The SSD will run at SATA speed (around 500MB/s) which is slower than an NVMe / PCIe SSD but fast by any other standards. The choice of M.2 2242 SSDs is limited and it might be better to spend money on a higher capacity primary SSD where the market is more competitive. Higher capacities also tend to perform better as the memory access is spread across more chips.

John

 

Back when dual-channel memory was a new thing, I remember that it was pretty important to pair chips that were as similar as possible to get the best performance and stability. I can't help but think that even if things have improved significantly, having mismatched capacities in dual-channel might not be ideal. Is this a bad assumption?

Thanks for the input.

 

The last notebook I had which was fussy about RAM was the Samsung R20. That was 10 years ago. This thread about dual channel RAM is of a similar age. That it's been quiet for so long suggests that matching RAM is no longer a big issue. The BIOS / Intel chipset is adept at reading the SPD info on each module and working out the fastest setting suitable for both. If you could temporarily borrow an 8GB module then you could use Task Manager / Resource Manager to find out if it's enough for your workflow (the objective is to eliminate use of the paging file).

John

 

With a dual core U-series processor, I have a really hard time seeing any workload where I'd feel like 16GB wasn't enough memory but the processor wasn't a bigger bottleneck. I haven't used the U-processor 5470, but I've used enough other machines with similar processors to be pretty sure of that. At the same time, 8GB is getting a little tight even for general use; 16 is definitely the sweet spot.

If you're inclined to spend more, upgrading to a bigger SSD (and/or going to NVMe if it isn't already, although reinstalling on that can be a pain) would be my second step rather than going all the way to 24gb or 32gb.

Any of the E-series docks. Basically, there are two models: a one-monitor model (E-port) and a two-monitor model (E-port plus) and there are two generations of them -- one with USB2.0 support only, and one with USB3.0 support. The USB 3.0 ones are (relatively) thin on the ground; the former are very cheap used. As @John Ratsey already said, they don't (or at least very very rarely) wear out. Newer machines like the E5470 fit very far forwards on them (there is spacer you can buy, but it's silly expensive for a plastic rectangle; you can cut a piece of styrofoam or a couple layers of cardboard for free if it really bothers you.

I seem to recall some discussions of differences between the U-series and H-series processor motherboards for that, up-thread. Assuming it works in the U-series models, the "slower" has to do with the more basic controller on most 42mm drives that would fit in the WWAN slot, not the slot itself. Used it in mine for a year, without problems (and still use that machine it as a spare occasionally) but mine is an H-series, and I've had the separate problem discussed a lot in this thread with shutting down spontaneously on battery.

 

Good point about the processor type. My E5570 (where an SSD worked in the WWAN slot) has the 6440HQ processor. It has 4 more PCIe lanes than the dual core CPU which increases the potential for connecting peripheral components.

John