Chalybion

WTF indeed! It's really cool that your 7540 can do this; it is something special. What is your cooling solution? I recently picked up a cheap 7740 with the RTX 5000 and swapped drives. My 7540 had a 24/7 stable undervolt of -90 mV cache/-175 core, and the 7740 has a stable undervolt of -120 mV cache/-120 core (at a few mV lower, it will lock up after a few minutes). After using PTM 7950, the 7740 maxes out at 4.2 ghz / 107W / 95 °C in Cinebench R23. It is stable there, but on the hairy limit of the more heat->more power->more heat->more power cycle. Score of 11050 (my 7540 maxed out at ~10900, on a cold day)

I've installed Windows 11 on two 7520's using Rufus to bypass the hardware requirements (and use a local account). Windows 11 works fine with no hardware-related issues. Only compatibility issue was with a couple of the Dell drivers (free-fall data protection, and one other), but the problem was with Dell's installation "wrapper" - it worked fine to extract the actual driver exe and run that

Hmm, I don't have experience with Kepler GPUs, but do have experience with Maxwell/Turing GPUs on Precision workstations. Some observations: - P5 is usually a power-saving state that locks the GPU to low clockspeeds. - P0 is the max-performance state that performs at the base clock, and boosts to higher clocks as power/thermals allow - P5 is a normal power state when using battery power - P0 should be the normal power state when using AC power - I've experienced a computer incapable of using P0 due to a BIOS issue when connecting with a dock.

One last thought since I'm spending way too much time caring about laptop naming convention: I honestly don't understand why Dell didn't keep their distinctive, well thought-of business brands (Latitude, Precision), and instead merged Inspiron/Vostro into a new brand name. While making the change, they could also do away with the stupid product segmentation where Precision 3000 series = Latitude 5000 series, Precision 5000 series = XPS, and Latitude 3000 series = Vostro = Inspiron. "XPS" could even become the thin-and-light version of each line-up (Latitude XPS, Precision XPS, etc).

These prices are shit; compared with the current XPS 13, Dell is asking 60% (edit: accounting for currency conversion and no VAT) more for a "new" processor with maayybe 5% performance increase, and a fancy new name?

I'm disappointed by the lack of AI! I only count 2 AI; if I'm paying 3,000 quid for a laptop, I expect at least 8 AI!

I'm staying tuned to this thread in hopes that the 4060 works. There should be a solution to the power issue, as long as the video BIOS allows tweaks. Options I've thought about: - Use MSI Afterburner to set a power limit (may not play well with Optimus) - Use nvidia inspector to apply a power or temperature target. Both can be configured to autorun using the Windows task scheduler. And if all else fails, the card's built-in thermal protection will shut the computer down (my experience installing a new MXM card, before noticing that the heat sink spacing was incorrect)

Welcome to the party! Feel free to ask questions if you get the upgrade bug again. What tool did you use to remap the media keys?

My workplace is a Dell shop - out IT guy has dealt with many 'spicy pillows' and said that the most significant difference between OEM and non-OEM batteries is that non-OEMs often skimp on, or ignore, protections for overcurrent / shorts. So buy OEM to prevent fire hazards.

Update on Windows 11 24H2 issues: - On a clean install, 24H2 always makes the discrete GPU "GPU 0," no matter installing drivers in the correct order. This can cause problems for some laptops. - No major issues on my Precision 7540. Clean 24H2 installation is snappier than old 23H2 installation, and Optimus works fine. - On my Precision 7520 with not-officially-supported Kaby Lake processor, lots of problems with discrete graphics. 1) New "Unsupported PCIe device" error, preventing discrete GPU from entering low power states. 2) On battery power, discrete GPU often fails to activate, causing "Driver Power State Failure" BSOD - 24H2 monthly update downloaded (but did not install) files for Edge and OneDrive - so I had to delete them, stop the edge update service, and remove OneDrive links from the file explorer and personal folders. GRRR

115 watts should be no problem for a heatsink with 2+ heatpipes on the GPU. It looks like the M17x R4 has three heat pipes, so it should run cool. Probably need a 240W power supply minimum

A few corrections/notes: The Precision 7530 didn't have the silver aluminum lid. It does have a UHD-specific carbon fiber lid; the importance is that UHD screen lids only fit the IR camera, and as a result don't have space for the WWAN antennae I disable two cores of my 9980HK in the BIOS, and then was able to overclock to 4.7 GHz all-core (six cores) with an undervolt (-185 mV core, -85 mV cache) and full fan speed. Based on that, 4.4-4.5 GHz seems a reasonable speed for the 8950HK in daily usage. You have a good undervolt! The BIOS variables are useful to: 1) Enable undervolting if currently disabled, 2) Enable a persistent undervolt if using virtualization in Windows 11, or 3) reducing IMON slope to enable CPU power to exceed the PL1/PL2, which are normally limited by Dell's embedded controller The RTX 4000 is the Max-Q variant, power-limited to 80 or 90W, so it always runs cool. It is worth it if you want more than 4 GB VRAM, more speed, or a similar feature set to modern nvidia cards (ray tracing, etc) - it is equivalent to an RTX 2070, and in the realm of an RTX 4050.

The 8950HK is an intriguing processor at a reasonable price: eBay Link The heatsink can dissipate a maximum of ~110W from the CPU; this limit is challenged by the octa-core CPUs. However, the unlocked hex-core 8950HK should have plenty of headroom for tweaking and overclocking; it is potentially the most fun CPU in this computer model. Extrapolating my 9980HK voltage frequency curve to the 8950HK - 4.8 GHz all-core should be do-able; the magic 5.0 GHz all-core might be possible if the CPU undervolts well and with a good cooling pad.

Welcome! Some thoughts on upgrades: - CPU: It is BGA of course. The highest upgrade option is the Precision 7540 motherboard with a 9980HK or Xeon 2286M. If you go this route, it is probably best to get a whole, working computer for cheap and swap out the mobo. This would solve your BIOS issue too... - RAM: The memory controller isn't good. The only upgrade is a lower latency. I tried 3200 MHz RAM from the small list of 'officially supported' DIMMs, and it gave a bunch of errors no matter how I tweaked. 2933 MHz might be possible, but I didn't want to spend more time/money, and 2933 MHz DIMMs are rarer than 2666 or 3200. 128 GB of 2666 MHz is also possible, if you can use it. - Delta fans are less whiny than Sunon, but harder to find. Look for the white connector (instead of black): eBay Delta Fan Listing - GPU: I have a spare Quadro T1000 if you want to double your P1000 performance for cheap. It uses the same heat sink. Midrange is the RTX 3000 (~$200 + 2nd heat sink design), high end is RTX 4000/5000 ($300-450 + third heatsink design - best to buy a complete machine) - Screen: The LG LP156QHG-SP(V1) is the best available option - 40 pin, 0.4mm pitch eDP connector, 1440P, 400 nits, 240 Hz. Requires the UHD screen cable, which is only compatible with the silver lid and IR camera. - PTM7950 is a super, stable thermal interface material - Undervolting can be enabled via BIOS variables (see Precision 7540 thread); your 2176M should accept a healthy undervolt and run max all-core turbo speeds at <80°C - Wi-fi: Not sure if Wi-Fi 7 would work, if you find an A+E key module? Otherwise, the only better Wi-fi modules are the AX210 and the Killer (Intel) AX1675

You've got some options! The P5000, GTX 1070, and Quadro RTX 3000 are all nice upgrade options that provide a similar level of performance. Their pros and cons: - RTX 3000: Pro - Newer (Turing) architecture for better performance/watt, supports ray tracing. Con - 6 GB RAM, mid-high priced - GTX 1070: Pro - 8 GB RAM, low-priced. (Perhaps con) - no ray tracing -P5000: Pro - 16 GB RAM. (Perhaps con) - no ray tracing. Con - mid-high priced Higher-performance MXM Type B cards that are available include the GTX 1080, Quadro RTX 5000, RTX 3060, and RTX 3080. Some versions of these have a non-standard, non-rectangular form factor. I'm not sure if those would fit the Precision 7720, or require a heatsink mod. Any with a standard rectangular PCB should fit with no problem. Here's a reliable seller of secondhand MXM cards: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr=1&iconV2Request=true&_blrs=recall_filtering&_ssn=shawn882014&store_name=shawn882014&_oac=1&_nkw=mxm Some NotebookTalk denizens have also ordered from https://www.x-vsion.com/product-category/mxms/mxmn/. I haven't heard confirmed success of these cards in a Precision yet, so let us know how it goes if you order!

Didn't see the 110W at first 🤣. I wonder if the embedded controller sets a limit on power draw? HW info says my 1650 consumes 35W - I'm not sure whether to believe that. The M2200 was reputed to have a 55W TDP, which seems like the maximum that the Precision 7520's thermal solution can handle. An RTX 4060 at 50W performs at ~75% of max performance - if voltage controls are enabled, I could see getting another 5-10% above that.

I'm curious as well; I've been eyeing that 4060 for my Precision 7520 too, and hoping the X-VSION card plays well with eDP

Adventures in performing a clean install of Windows 11 24H2: - Modded graphics driver installations (e.g. .inf mod or using NVCleanInstall) now fail due to driver signature enforcement. Driver signature enforcement can be disabled in "Advanced Startup Options" to enable successful installation - CPU performance is about the same on a 7th gen quad-core (Cinebench R20 was consistently 2026 before, now 2016) I don't think a standard Windows install would be bearable. I used NTLite to nuke Copilot, Recall, OneDrive, Edge, Game Bar, etc. and the result is a nice, classic, Windows experience. The clean installation used ~125 process and 2.4 GB of ram before driver installation.

General thoughts on the Precision 7540 after using one for a year: I still love the good keyboard, good touchpad with nice physical buttons, solid build quality, and ease of maintenance. The LP156QHG screen is a moderately easy upgrade to a high color gamut / high refresh rate screen that improves quality of life. The processor and graphics cards are still reasonable competitive for productvity and gaming at mid-range settings, though a bit power hungry. In newer laptops, the Ryzen 7840U provides slightly better CPU (vs. 9980HK) and comparable GPU to the T1000, all while using less than a third of the power - that would be really attractive in a Precision build package.

I'm not certain, honestly. I enabled it because I thought it went along with the overclocking lock. When I updated BIOS, I actually had to disable the Overclocking Feature to get Throttlestop voltage controls to return. An FAQ in an Alienware BIOS says that the Overclocking Feature allows the CPU to adjust: - Flex Ratio and Voltage in a Turbo Mode environment - Core ratio limit - Core voltage - Long duration PWR limit - Short duration PWR limit. Perhaps the Overclocking Feature is necessary to go above 5 GHz? (Though that is a bad idea in the laptop form factor) In other news, I found that the BIOS settings for PL1 Enable, PL1 Power, PL1 time limit do change the values in the MSR. However, the Dell Embedded Controller still overrides the MSR if the EC power limit is lower. I was able to replicate your result of disabling the EC power limits by making changes in Throttlestop, then sleeping and resuming from sleep. It was somewhat random, and I don't know the exact steps.

Hey, I'm the one with the late reply now! Your suggestion of the Custom Resolution Utility is the trick; if I hadn't learned about it on Reddit first, your post would have saved me. The resolutions do have to be reset each time the graphics driver is updated, which is annoying. Re: Display mounting, I independently arrived at the same solution of double-sided foam tape. Yes, two layers of foam tape is perfect to make the display bezels flush with the screen. I think that I used three vertical tape strips; two aligned with the hinges, and one in the center. Mounting the screen is really tricky, because you there isn't a good straightedge, and you have one shot to set the adhesive, (removing the tape from the screen non-destructively is nearly impossible). I left the backing on the top side of the tape, and test-fit the screen position with the bezel. I used the top edge of the lid as a guide and tried to match the correct side spacing, but my screen still installed a bit crooked (if I look closely). Another tricky part is that the screen provides some of the lid rigidity, and less rigidity without the screw-mount tabs. My lid hinges were quite tight from the factory; I loosened them to avoid stressing the screen or bezel from repetitive use.

I recently bought and installed the LP156QHG panel - but the only refresh rate option is 60 Hz. I wonder if the issue is that Windows does have a driver for it; can you check device manager to see if you have a device-specific driver?

Yep, I followed your advice and understand what you are saying. The purpose of my post was to share an experience where, counterintuitively, the factory reset didn't work on my current BIOS version (1.26.1), but the factory reset did work after I upgraded to v1.27.0

I tried both, and they didn't work with the current BIOS. I did try upgrading one BIOS version to v1.27.0, then resetting to factory defaults, and then voltage/frequency controls came back. No idea why - just a bit frustrating.

I need help getting my undervolt back... I am on BIOS v1.26.1/Windows 11 23H2, and had to replace the CMOS battery. When restarting, I reset all BIOS settings to how they were, including disabling Intel virtualization settings. The overclocking lock and overclocking feature are both set to 0x1. I opened throttlestop, and voltage controls are disabled... I read earlier in the thread how BIOS 1.7.0 is the magic one for consistently enabling undervolts; the problem is that Dell's Support page only has 1.3.3 (can't downgrade past 1.5.1 because different memory map I think?) and 1.8.2. Additionally, 1.24 was the last BIOS that allows downgrading - I can get around that if need be, but it's more involved... Any thoughts or sure-fire solutions?