Precision 7530 & Precision 7730 owner's thread

I hope this in an active sub here. Im about to get out my credit card for this but would HIGHLY appreciate some input on a few questions
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...MIkcikuoGE6AIVAdbACh3nmwNSEAAYASAAEgKYJ_D_BwE

Ive been in the market for a well built laptop for amateur photoediting and nonprofessional, but mid level, CAD, as well as HTPC use that is futureproofed or futureproof-able for about the eight years my last HP workstation has been. Since size and weight are not an absolute priority I keep returning to the lenovo p53 to check most of my boxes. But at 1600USD i just cant get off the fence.
My daily stop through slickdeals/laptops turned up the 7530 for 999. Clearly a LOT of computer for the price.

*** Is the screen limiting for photo editing work? No online reviews for the 1080p version. 4k version criticized for dimness. How is the 1980p? Is the one listed here 72% adobe RGB? Are these screens the Dell "select" and verified free of defects?

*** Am i correct in assuming that i can add a very good 500gb primary
SSD to this for about 60USD?

*** is this a good deal? And why, do you suppose it is? I've found too often that if it seems too good to be true it often ain't)

Is this price as good as it looks?
I'm shopping for a laptop that is futurepproofed/upgradeable that will serve me as well as my eight year old HP Workstation.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...MIkcikuoGE6AIVAdbACh3nmwNSEAAYASAAEgKYJ_D_BwE

This is for amateur photoshop, non pro mid level cad, and HTPC use.
Was shopping for a lenovo p53 since size/weight are not important to me, but this popped up on slickdeals and really got my attention. 999USD.
*** Will the screen serve well for photo editing? Does it suffer low nits as per some reviews? Is it true 72% Adobe RGB? Are these the certified free of defect "select" displays from Dell?
*** Can I easily install a good 500gb mvme ssd for about 60usd purchased from amazon?

I'd highly appreciate any input on this. My credit card is getting itchy in my pocket.

Sorry for the triple post here. Embarassing. Typing this on a flakey cell phone. First post seemed to disappear. Rewrote and posted again. Cant seem to perform any edit function. Forum just freezes. Sorry.

I just scanned Dells site again and noticed the base model 5530 is 929usd. P1000 vs p2000, lacking ssd again. But for my purposes perhaps better, more portable, since im not a power user likely to test its thermal limits.
How would you compare these values? Theres that screen question again

 

Today, I installed a Chi Mei / Innolux N156HHE-GA1 120Hz 8-bit panel in my Precision 7530. The panel is much superior to the LG 72% gamut panel. For only 50 USD and 20 minutes, in my opinion this is a fantastic value upgrade.

First, some notes:

• Backlight adjustment works with BIOS 1.12.
• Windows 10 immediately detected the panel at 120 Hz and 8-bit.
• Viewing angles are not a problem. 10 years ago, TN panels were bad, but this one is not. There is some vertical shift, but it is very subtle and easily corrected by tilting the screen to your approximate seating position.
• The panel is available on eBay from several sellers in the US and elsewhere. Look for a seller with good feedback and inventory, because there are counterfeit panels on the market.

Important considerations:

• This panel will only work with a 30-pin eDP connector. If the machine has a 4K display, then it will have a 40-pin connector at the panel, and the cable will require replacement.
• This panel will not work in any/all Precision 7540 display assemblies due to how the panel is bracketed.

Procedure:

• Refer to the service manual if that is helpful.
• Open the laptop to 180 degrees. Rest the display on a small book or similar object about 3 cm tall.
• Using a guitar pick or plastic scribe, first pop the clips of the display bezel at the hinges. Then, slowly work around the perimeter of the bezel. Go slowly, because you are separating both mechanical clips and adhesive.
• Once the bezel is separated, remove the 4 screws at each corner of the display panel.
• Place a soft cloth or similar protection over the keyboard. Now tip the display panel onto the keyboard.
• Slowly and carefully peel back the metallic tape covering the eDP connector. The tape is attached to the eDP cable, so work from all corners and be gentle. It may help to use a sharp blade to start the corners.
• Peel off the blue plastic spacer.
• Using a plastic tool, raise the eDP connector latch and disconnect the cable.
• Set the panel aside and replace it with the new panel.
• Reconnect the eDP cable and secure the latch.
• Replace the blue plastic spacer and the metallic tape. Tip the panel back into the display assembly.
• Check that the eDP cable is properly routed. Secure the panel with the 4 screws.
• Put the computer in normal operating position and turn it on. Check that the panel works. If it does not, the cable may need to be re-seated or the panel is defective.
• Replace the bezel.

Hopefully this is helpful to someone. I am very happy with the result.

 

Glad to hear this is an upgrade option for the 7530. Maybe the 7540 could be compatible if you used tin snips to cut the bracket ears off the display and held it in place with double-sided sticky tape?

It is funny that you make the same comment about the viewing angles of TN panels. I have had so many people say that a TN panel is a no-go compared to an IPS, but these Chimei wide gamut TN panels are much better than the low end TN that you commonly find.

Does the panel work fine in both hybrid graphics mode and dedicated graphics mode? Hopefully it does as my N173HHE-G32 does in both modes.

 

I do think that the panel would work in a 7540 with double-sided tape. It has been some time since I looked inside one of those assemblies though.

It was good to ask the question about dedicated mode. I have just performed a test.

Brightness adjustment works in hybrid mode.
Brightness adjustment does not work in dedicated mode.

Using ToastyX Custom Resolution Utility and Unigine Heaven 4.0, I tested both graphics modes with 30 Hz, 60 Hz, and 120 Hz refresh rates.

Confirmed by visual inspection, 120 Hz works in hybrid mode.
Confirmed by visual inspection, 120 Hz works in dedicated mode.

So there is no placebo of the Intel driver reporting 120 Hz but doing something else. I did not test the performance impact of buffering through the Intel GPU.

Hopefully @Ionising_Radiation has an RTX card remaining. The 7530 is a good system now, but with more GPU capability to go with the 120 Hz display, it would be great.

 

Downgrade the BIOS back to 1.11.0. This is a known bug in 1.12, regardless of the panel.

I’ll add you to the PM group shortly; thanks for the reminder.

I’ve seen the GA1 panel, and it does look good. Thing is, I frequently push the laptop down to 180 degrees for group work, and the IPS panel works much better in such a use case.

Interesting that the 7540’s panels no longer have the screw brackets, given that the 7540 has the bezel space to spare. I’m still looking out for a good display to swap to; I would jreally like to get the 10-bit one working, but I don’t think I want to waste any more cash. I’ll probably get the NV156FHM-N4B (the only 30-pin 8-bit 144 Hz display around). The replacement should be straightforward, given even the cable doesn’t need to be changed and it comes with screw brackets.

 

I should clarify this to be sure I am not misleading anyone. The 7540 does use screw brackets for the panel. However, the bracketing (that I have seen) is mechanically incompatible with the N156HHE-GA1 and other panels with equivalent mounting tabs.

It will be interesting to learn more about the NV156FHM-N4B.

 

Did the 7540 have a 4k panel? I think they use the same "narrow bezel" Sharp panel from the XPS 15 with the side mounting brackets even though on the 7540 they have plenty of space for a panel with the normal mounting tabs that are used.

 

The 7540 had an FHD. At the time, I placed a panel with regular tabs on top of the panel in the 7540, and unfortunately I don't remember the details, but the two were obviously mechanically incompatible.

 

Has anyone compared rtx5000 and p5200?

 

I've been using a Precision 7730 for about a year and half. I'm a full-time photographer. I can tell you that the upgrade from my Dell XPS 15 9550 has been worth every penny. I can hammer through photo editing twice as fast in Lightroom and with infinitely less frustration with the 7730. However, I don't use the 4K laptop screen for editing. I have not found it to be accurate enough . I use a external monitors for that.

As for as hard drives, with the 7730 I was able to install FOUR M.2 SSD drives of various capacities -- all the way up to 2 TB.

This laptop has been a not-inexpensive but very valuable investment for me. Hopefully this isn't too late to be helpful.