Precision 7550 & 7750 Owners' Thread

Have you checked that MaxxAudio is enabled?

 

@Ionising_Radiation

I don't think it works with the 7550. The link to the Windows Store application is not on the Drivers page for the 7550, though the Realtek driver is.

The toggles in the app don't work at all. I've done clean installs of the Dell provided audio driver off the support page and no bueno.

 

Odd. I get a feeling installing MaxxAudio will improve your audio quality. Why not navigate to the link from the 7530/7540 driver page, and see if that installs?

The Realtek driver page for the 7550/7750 mentions that MaxxAudio is a requirement (under Important Information).

EDIT: just saw your second paragraph. I'm surprised at this. Maybe wait and see. It seems the 7550/7750 is still a work-in-progress, as many pages in the service manual don't have pictures as neat as those for the 7530/7540, and the DGPU removal bit is missing altogether.

 

I have a theoretical question in case there is someone who could give they opinion about it. 7550 has better fans. Could it be possible, of course assuming that physical size is the same, to swap fans from 7550 heat sink assembly to 7540 heat sink assembly and archive a bit better thermals in 7540 system? Are fans in laptops interchangeable in general?

I am doing some very heavy video editing on my laptop and it is so hot that it makes me worry.

 

Can the CPU be undervolted of has this been neutered due to Plundervolt ?

 

In earlier posts it has been mentioned that undervolting is no longer possible. It looks like, for 10th gen, undervolt requires explicit support in the BIOS. Precision 7X50 systems do not have it (I doubt that Dell will offer it on any systems).

 

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way.

The heatsink of the 7550 has completely different dimensions that that of the 7540. The Z-height of the heatsink and fan assembly is different in different places. The 7550 has much larger rear vents (almost 70%, I would say) and the mounting holes and component locations are completely different.

 

I have some bad news regarding thermals: If you repaste, expect that you will need to replace the paste regularly if you run heavy workloads. The machine now hits 100C frequently at 75W CPU, whereas it maintained 85-86C under the same load right after repasting.

All of the thermal pastes I have tried have broken down within 48 hours of continuous heavy load (75W sustained on the CPU). These pastes include:

1. Arctic MX-4
2. Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
3. Gelid GC-Extreme
4. Kingpin KPx

I believe the issue is that high temps cause the paste to lose their viscosity over time, and then cause the 'pump-out' effect. I believe I have heard of this phenomenon in another forum / thread, from @Papusan

Now, some possible solutions (which I will test soon):

1. I have some K5-PRO, which is a gooey, non-electrically-conductive thermal pad replacement compound. I can fill in the space around the CPU die and the metal shim surrounding it with this compound, to 'seal' off the actual thermal paste and make it so that there isn't any room for the paste to flow away from. I will reapply with a very small amount of KPx.
2. I can choose to forego this and simply apply an absurd amount of KPx in hopes that this will prevent the paste that actually fills in the gap between the top of the CPU package and the copper heatsink from flowing out. This might work if the surrounding paste is viscous enough to prevent pump-out.
3. Remove and apply a proper amount of thermal paste (as little and as thin as possible) using the spread method (possible air bubbles). Press down on the heatsink (not the pipes as this will cause them to deform) to provide more pressure to thin out the paste. I have found that this method works the best. Time will tell if it holds up under stress testing.

Fun fact: the PL1 power limit dynamically changes between 62W and 66.250W under sustained max CPU-only load in Balanced Mode. Temps are also a lot more reasonable and fan noise is reduced. CB20 sustained scores are only about 100 points apart, from 3800 in Ultra Performance to about 3700. This is of course, dependent on so many factors like ambient temperature and how long it's been since the paste was changed. The fan curve is more aggressive in Ultra Performance so if you like lower surface temperatures in exchange for more noise, then you should stick with Ultra Performance.

The factory paste that Dell uses is actually an ideal compound since it really is designed for longevity. I wish I hadn't removed it but I couldn't help myself

 

Excellent, I have been a bit disappointed with the 7730 keyboard (compared to the 6800)

 

I would say it isn't just because of this, but because paste is probably applied automatically at the factory, and uses the same 'spread thin' method. Take a look at the pre-applied thermal paste on many desktop heatsinks.