Aaron44126

No. No one makes such a card. The one from the Pro Max 16/18 Plus will not fit. You can look at a Thunderbolt / eGPU solution.

...I also cannot find an option for the bottom cover on the order page, but I am pretty sure that I saw it on the 18" system page before? You should contact a sales rep. Not only can they generally get you a better price than you can get on the web site, but they sometimes have access to system configuration options that you can't get on the web site either. The naming convention is truly a mess, superlative soup that does not make sense. You are right that each differently named system is a completely different system, not just an internal spec swap. I am sure that someone at Dell had a "logic" for setting it up the way that they did, but us regular people will have a hard time making sense of it. They aren't even internally consistent. Looking at the order page for the 16" system, it says "New Dell Pro Max 16 Plus" in the header at the top of the page, but the page title (that you see in the tab bar for example) says "Dell Pro Max Plus 16". Do you put the number before or after the "Plus" ...?

@Mambucho's image is a CG representation, you get this by picking the "explode system" view in the 3D/360° viewer thing on the order page. The best place for images is the service manual. I posted a few previously but there are many more. You have to navigate to the section on replacing or installing a specific part and see what you can see. https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/dell-pro-max-mb18250-laptop/dell-pro-max-18-plus-mb18250-owners-manual/Dell-Pro-Max-18-Plus-MB18250-Owners-Manual?guid=guid-0882cfdc-c140-418b-942d-feaed12da755&lang=en-us It does look like the USB-C connectors can be replaced separately from the entire motherboard. [Edit] I appreciate that it doesn't look too hard to get the fans out, and you can also remove the fans (i.e. for proper cleaning) without removing the entire heatsink? This hasn't been possible since Precision M6800 (2013).

Yeah, just right-click any entry and select "TOTP -> Set up TOTP". You'll have to give it the "secret string" from the web site where you are setting up 2FA. (Usually the site presents a QR code but has something to click if you can't scan the code, which will reveal the secret string.) After it is set up, you can pull codes from the KeePassXC UI, or you can also right-click a text field in the browser (if you have the integration set up) and select "Fill TOTP" and it will just plop it in for you.

I am a fan of KeePassXC and I will describe a bit how I put it to use. https://keepassxc.org/ KeePassXC is a free / open source password management solution. It uses the same database format as KeePass 2, but unlike that one, it is cross-platform (Windows / Linux / macOS). There are extensions to have it auto-populate passwords in browsers (Firefox, or Chromium-based). It can also autofill passwords in other desktop apps with a keyboard shortcut. You can specify what the autofill key sequence is for each individual password entry. (Username + tab + password + enter is default, but you can override that.) It also supports TOTP functionality (i.e. Google Authenticator style temporary six-digit codes). For syncing between devices, I put the KeePass database in "the cloud" but protect it with a "key file" which I do not store in "the cloud", but rather only shuffle between devices "by hand". With a "key file" plus a complex master password, if someone were to grab the password database file, it still should be impossible to get anything useful out of it. For access from mobile devices (iOS / iPadOS), I use the app "Keepassium" which can read the same password database format. It hooks into iOS's password autofill mechanism so you can autofill passwords in any browser or app (...well some sites and apps are stubborn and for those you can open the Keepassium app itself and copy/paste what you need out). The free version is adequate if you only use one password database. I imagine that there is also a solution for Android, but I don't have any Android devices to worry about. KeePassXC doesn't support any cloud functionality. To sync the database between devices, you can just put it in a cloud file store of your choice. The specific mechanism that I use to keep it in sync between desktop and mobile is to have the password database stored in iCloud Drive. Keepassium is happy to open the file right out of there, and if you have it "keep the folder downloaded" (you set this in the Files app), it will automatically keep a local copy of that database file any time that it is changed. Two things that need to be set in KeePassXC (on all devices) are "Automatically reload the database when modified externally" (makes automatic sync work properly between desktop/desktop) and "Use alternate saving method: Directly write to the database file" (makes automatic sync work properly between desktop/mobile). (I used to try storing it in OneDrive, which "works" but on the mobile side I sometimes had issues with the sync getting hung up. I would have to unlink the OneDrive-hosted database file from Keepassium and hook it up again in order to jar it into working. With iCloud Drive plus the settings that I mentioned above, it has been completely smooth sailing. The only complaint that I have is that the Windows iCloud Drive client could use some work and sometimes takes several minutes in order to notice that the file has been changed and sync up. But, it is pretty uncommon that I add a new password or change a password on one device and then immediately need access to it on another device.) I know that you've been messing with Linux but I am not sure if there is an iCloud Drive solution for Linux. When I had Linux in the mix, I used a separate script to check a Windows system and keep the database file up to date if one copy or the other had changed. Using this solution puts you in control of your password database and keeping it backed up. With a good backup strategy for both the database file and the key file, it should be "impossible" to lose your passwords. (Here I am thinking that there will be a backup mechanism on top of having it stored in "the cloud". You should have some way to retrieve it if that breaks, or if the database file becomes corrupt somehow — which has never happened to me but is something that I'd like to plan for.) I think a personal password database is too important to trust to someone else.

I don't know about Edge, but AdGuard [free] does seem to offer decent ad protection on Firefox on iOS, which is what I use. (Talking about general browsing, not YouTube, which again I barely touch.)

AdGuard is a good option for ad blocking on iOS / iPadOS. You can use the free plan, don't need to pay for "premium". There are some steps that need to be taken to "properly" activate it in Safari that it walks you through. A cursory check for me makes it seem that it does block ads in YouTube, but sometimes you need to reload the page when starting a new video because it gets hung up when YouTube wants to show an ad. (I very rarely consume YouTube content on anything other than my laptop, so my experience here is pretty light. Well, when I know that I am going to be away for a while and want some stuff to watch on my phone, I might pre-download some YouTube content with a third-party app and that will also avoid ads.)

If the NVIDIA driver installer is requesting that you install a standard driver instead of DCH, that's because you already have a standard driver installed and it wants to upgrade to the same type. Remove the NVIDIA driver that is already installed (using DDU if you have to) and then install the DCH driver.

NVIDIA will answer that for you. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/

The 16" Pro Max Plus has options for 1920×1200 and 3840×2400. The 18" Pro Max Plus just has one option and it is in between, 2560×1600. (You can see these right on the order page where you select your configuration.)

Turing works fine. Finding one that uses the normal MXM form factor is quite a trick, though. I know that people have done heatsink mods to accommodate the Quadro Turing MXM cards from HP.

vBIOS images are here. Again, only for P3000, P4000, and P5000.

Dell has made standalone CAMM modules available from the "memory upgrades" section on their web site before (..........not cheap at all............). As for the pressure plate, you'd probably be looking at eBay or PartsPeople or sites like that to find one. You can get 48GB SODIMM modules now, so you could potentially achieve 96GB RAM without even having to get a CAMM module, assuming that there isn't a compatibility problem. (I wouldn't count on anything there until people have a chance to experiment with it.)

It's the same motherboard. They attach a SODIMM interposer to the CAMM slot if you pick a SODIMM configuration. To switch from SODIMM to CAMM, you'd have to buy a CAMM module, and also a pressure plate thing to attach it (they use a different thickness plate for CAMM vs. SODIMM interposer).

Plus is a replacement for Precision 7000 and Premium is a replacement for Precision 5000. The "Premium" model is thus slightly lower spec, but also slimmer/lighter. Which one is "better" depends on which you prioritize, I guess. If top specs is the highest priority and you don't care about the size and weight, Pro Max Plus is it. I don't think that there will be an 18" version of Pro Max Premium, at least not with this generation.

I am seeing a 64GB option for both 16 Max and 18 Max ($630). I am sure you could replace modules yourself for cheaper, if you just get a configuration with the SODIMM interposer. Also take Dell's prices with a grain of salt. You can (almost) always get a better deal if you buy through a sales rep. (I wish it wasn't that way, but...) When I bought a high-end Precision 7770 (3 years ago) I think I got nearly $2,000 knocked off.

I feel like the market has driven Dell to a design like this, it is sort of a natural outcome. They have to work with what Intel & NVIDIA have cooked up. The target market wants smaller systems but without compromised specs. (Double-stacking NVMe drives gets you some space back in the footprint.) This probably isn't a super high-selling system anyway, so they are under pressure to reduce costs with materials and so forth. I personally think that Dell should slim down their laptop portfolio. They don't need like 40 different laptop models on the market at any given time. Then they could pay more attention to refining each design. It would probably save them money too, with less "different" models they could scale up production of the ones they have left (cost per unit generally decreases as you make more of a thing, there are nice economics words for this that I don't know). Instead of making so many different models, they could leverage the overlap and reuse designs & parts between different market segments. This includes between the consumer and business lines. (They used to use the same chassis and other parts for XPS and Precision 5000 lines, but they don't even do that anymore?) How many different 15" laptop chassis designs to you need to be selling at once? Could you get by with just a "slim" version and a "regular" version, and just change the parts inside to target different market segments? But I don't know. Maybe they need that many different models to serve all of the different use cases that they perceive. Pro Max Premium is out too. (Precision 5000 replacement?) https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-pro-max-16-premium-laptop/spd/dell-pro-max-ma16250-laptop/xcto_ma16250_usx

NVMe drives are also double-stacked in the Lenovo P16 workstation (which I have seen in person), so I was not surprised when I saw this. 😕 I think HP does it too. Framework double-stacks a 2230 and 2280 drive in the Framework Laptop 16.

@MyPC8MyBrain Four slots are there, I edited the post above with some pictures. The owner's manual is the best place to look for now at the internals. I share your general disappointment with the way that things are going with this product line (and really with today's high-end workstation laptop experience in general). I do appreciated this sliding door latch that they brought back for the bottom panel, making it easier to get to the drives. (They used to have something like this with Precision 7710/7720.) [Edit] The support materials indicate model numbers for these systems as MB16250 & MB18250. However, there doesn't appear to be anything on the system which indicates what model it is other than "Pro Max". This will be really fun when another few iterations are out, and people are looking for community help but no one can tell which one they have at a glance 😕 [Edit 2] DGFF connectors have been changed again. But, maybe that is enough pins for 16 lanes?

@MyPC8MyBrain Note that the Precision 7000 series replacement is Pro Max Plus, not Pro Max. Pro Max Plus just launched today. Pro Max 18 Plus does have four drive slots. I am not sure what is going on with the web site configuration not saying anything about the second slot. Pro Max (non-Plus) is more like a replacement for the Precision 3000 line. [Edit] Rummaging through the manual. NVMe slots are 7, 9, 10, and 20. (I guess they are double-stacking two of them?) (To note... I also have a good deal of dissatisfaction with the direction this product line is going and I have no intention to buy one of these. Though is not just Dell that I find fault with. Intel, NVIDIA, and Microsoft all also play a role in my disappointment with today's high-end workstation laptop experience.) [Edit 2] Not quite clear to me how this double-stacking SSD setup works, it looks like there is a frame clip that the upper drive can screw into.

Appears to have popped up in the US: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-pro-max-16-plus-laptop/spd/dell-pro-max-mb16250-laptop/xcto_mb16250_usx https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-pro-max-18-plus-laptop/spd/dell-pro-max-mb18250-laptop/xcto_mb18250_usx I will take a look at the configs... [Edit] No 256 GB RAM option? (Yet?) I also don't see that Qualcomm AI coprocessor that they were hyping up. Two different options for which USB-C power supply to get. 16" has two display options, 18" just has one. All of the extra choices there are around the camera & antennas, not the display. It still kills me that you can't get full 4K in the 18" system. Not much else to say. Pretty standard options that we saw with the Precision 7000 series systems.

Your guide is assuming that you do have secure boot. The normal process these days it to set up a signing key for your third-party drivers so that the system won't reject them at boot time. This isn't needed if you don't have secure boot. You might run into trouble with such an old system, if you haven't replaced the GPU. NVIDIA Fermi GPUs require NVIDIA driver version 390 or older; the same is true on both Windows and Linux. There is a repository for Ubuntu to get this driver loaded on newer versions of the distro; I am not sure if there is something similar for Fedora.

Pascal GPUs won't boot on the M6700 unless they have a specific "engineering sample" vBIOS. We only have appropriate vBIOS for Quadro P3000, P4000, and P5000. (None for GeForce cards.) The behavior otherwise is that the laptop will just hang at the Dell logo boot screen and will not proceed to OS boot. (It's even worse than in the M6800 — in that system you'll just get an ACPI BSOD if you try to boot Windows, but booting Linux is possible.) Because you can't even boot to Linux to flash the vBIOS in the M6700, you'd have to flash the vBIOS in another system or use a hardware flasher to get one of the Quadro Pascal GPUs to work in the M6700.

This reminds me of an old Dell Latitude that I had which would require multiple attempts to boot up to the point of running Windows. I would fire it up, it would show the Dell boot screen and then just power off. It took multiple tries to get it to boot Windows, but it was fine once it finally did that. It was noticeably worse when it was cold in the room (more attempts required), so I chalked this up to some kind of weird hardware issue. In any case, I'd say that this similarly sounds more like hardware than software. I wonder if you just booted to BIOS setup (F2 key at startup) and let it sit there for a few minutes, and then rebooted, if it would boot into the OS normally.

My take. Intel Graphics Control Panel — Should have been automatically installed with the driver, nothing else is needed. Maxx Audio — You might need that tool installed if you want to be able to change any of the audio settings. I have found it needed to disable some of the audio processing "features" that the audio driver has (makes things sound weird in teleconference meetings, to my ears). But if you are happy with the audio as is then you don't need to worry about this. Touchpad — Yeah, you probably want to install that package, the touchpad is too old to have controls for it presented in Windows settings so you have to use its dedicated app. I like to have the setting that automatically outright disables the touchpad if a separate mouse is connected clicked on. You can also change the scroll direction, set what certain gestures do, etc. If you have the Bluetooth driver happy in Device Manager, you don't need to install anything else related to Bluetooth. You can use the Windows UI to manage Bluetooth devices. You don't need Intel RST if you're not going to use the RAID functions. (I don't think you even need it if you are going to use the RAID functions. You can define arrays in a pre-boot BIOS screen.) Dell Command | Update and Dell Digital Delivery, I do not think that you need. Dell Command | Power Manager is useful, just for being able to set the system's "thermal mode" (Balanced / Cool / Quiet / Performance) which can impact the behavior of fans, and some modes will also put a cap on the CPU/GPU speed. This system doesn't have a setting for that exposed in BIOS setup, the only way to set it is to use the app.