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Aaron44126

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Everything posted by Aaron44126

  1. Aaron44126
    That would be fine. 7X60 (last year's systems) have one PCIe gen 4 slot. 7X70 (these new systems) have all PCIe4 slots.
  2. Aaron44126
    If you want to take the stock Dell image and move it to a different SSD, you can just use any drive cloning tool. I'm currently fond of Macrium Reflect (which is free). Acronis True Image is another good one (not free). Some commercial SSDs actually come with such a tool — Samsung has one that you can download from their site. If you're a bit comfortable with Linux, you can just boot a Linux live CD/USB and clone a drive using the dd command, and then fix up the partition layout with GParted. It's best to create bootable media and do the clone from there, rather than trying to do it live while the OS is running. (Macrium Reflect has a tool to create bootable media which you can run after it is installed.) It doesn't matter if you do the clone before or after booting the system up for the first time. I would also suggest that you either remove or disable the "original" SSD before trying to boot the new one. (You can disable SSDs individually through BIOS setup.) I've had cases where Windows gets confused about which drive to mount when it has just been cloned and the old SSD is still present. After a successful boot on the new drive, you can install/enable the old drive and wipe it. (Use "diskpart clean" to make sure the boot partition is cleared out too.) The system comes configured in RAID mode but you might need to switch it to NVMe/AHCI mode for the bootable drive clone tool to be able to see the drives. If this is the case, just switch it back to RAID mode after the drive clone is complete (before attempting to boot Windows). This is also controlled from BIOS setup.
  3. Aaron44126
    WD22 docks are out but there is no "dual connect" dock in this set. If you want to power the system off of the dock, you need to use WD19DC/WD19DCS (or TB18DC). That said, a few users have noted that there is a lower power limit when running off of the dock (210W vs 240W) which can impact performance if you are pushing the system hard. It might make sense to plug the system directly into a power adapter anyway. ...In that case, it doesn't matter whether you get a "DC" dock or not, you can use any of the new ones, or you could use a third-party dock. [Edit] WD22TB costs over $500? Holy cow.
  4. Aaron44126
    No SSD door for me. I can see it being handy to quickly remove or swap out a drive. But I do not think that I'll ever need to do that beyond the first few hours of getting the system set up with drives that I want (and I'll need access to all four drive bays for that). I'd rather have the "clean" bottom panel. (And as you say, it's a little bit of a security issue if it is so easy to open it up and pop out the drive. Not that popping off the entire bottom panel is very hard either, mind you... Anyway you can just encrypt the drives with BitLocker; that is feasible to break with access to the drive and system together, but not with access to only the drive by itself.) No hard answer for either of these. I asked about the GPU TGP and was told that information would not be available until after the launch. I have not heard anything about 2.5Gbe support so I am not expecting it and would be "pleasantly surprised" if it turns out to be present. These systems use discrete Intel Ethernet chips and Intel does have this part available, so it wouldn't be that much of a surprise... Maybe when the support/driver page goes live (any time now) we will have an indication there.
  5. Aaron44126
    Also wanted to mention, I have some saved posts here from @Ionising_Radiation who managed to raise/bypass the stock CPU power limit in the Precision 7560 with ThrottleStop. Hopefully a similar technique can be used in this system if the "default" power limit is too low? one | two (yellow checkbox can be seen here) I agree that 75W+150W seems a bit too high for a sustained load. Hoping that NVIDIA Dynamic Boost 2.0 does a good job shuffling power between the CPU and GPU as needed to achieve maximum performance on the current load, given the "global" power limit. I haven't actually tried it out myself with anything.
  6. Aaron44126
    That seems like a pretty good price too. I knew I wanted 5 years going in so there was no reason for the rep to be pushing it. I did mention that some systems currently have a "buy four years ProSupport, get the fifth year free" deal going on, so maybe ask about that. I saw it on the Precision 7760 config page yesterday (U.S. market). I didn't get a good answer from my rep on if that was available/applied to the 7770 that I got. (When the price came back a bit lower than I "feared" it would be, I didn't push much around on that.) ...I think the 128GB CAMM module accounts for a good chunk of the price difference between our quotes. I also have 4K panel, IR camera, and fingerprint reader which would each add a little bit. (Still waiting for the systems to go live on the web site so we can see some of what the actual advertised component prices are.) [Edit] I think the reps have more latitude on what they quote for ProSupport/warranty, compared to physical components. When I bought my M6700 (ten years ago), when I hesitated on ProSupport, the rep threw in an upgrade from basic NBD to ProSupport for free. (Ended up being glad for that.)
  7. Aaron44126
    It looks like the available specs are very similar to the Precision 7760 with obvious things changed like available CPU/GPU, the CAMM memory modules, and 7670 getting an OLED option. So, you can basically look through the online 7760 "choose your specs" page to get the list of what you need to look at. Current CPU and GPU choices are enumerated in the first post of this thread. RAM choices right now are 16GB / 32GB / 64GB / 128GB (all CAMM, non-ECC). You can also look at page 7 of the spec sheets. 7670 | 7770 Avoid ordering 7670 with the base FHD+ display. Even if you don't want the 4K/OLED panel... Upgrade to the 500 nits FHD+ and confirm that on the quote. When you receive a quote, pay close attention to some of the smaller things like fingerprint reader type, whether or not the SSD door is present, whether or not you get the IR webcam and backlit keyboard, etc. and make sure that they are set up how you want. (My rep did not do all of these as I asked the first time through.)
  8. Aaron44126
    At the moment you can order through a sales rep only. Dell normally doesn't do overnight go-lives. The system might go live on the web site sometime during the morning. (I wonder, though, seems like it should be live on the China page by now...)
  9. Aaron44126
    Very strange. For me it only shows one of the three options out of stock. You should always start with configuring the cheapest/base model (starting with a higher one doesn't save you any money — if you configure the base one the same, the price will be the same). That is, unless you need the system to arrive more quickly, sometimes they have limited/preconfigured ones that can ship out faster. That said, it's a hassle but I always order through a sales rep. They should be able to do better than the web price. You could decide what specs you're interested in and send it to a sales rep for a quote. 7760 should be orderable for a while yet, though some spec options may become available as they wind down inventory. Also based on my experience ordering the 7770, I don't think 7760 is going to be much cheaper. One other thing you could check is Dell Outlet. They put overstocks/refurbished machines on sale there. Configuration might be more limited but systems ordered through the outlet have the same full warranty coverage as systems ordered normally. Precision 7000 systems get 3-year NBD service by "default".
  10. Aaron44126
    Huh. Are you in the US market? It still acts like I can order from here. https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/precision-7760-workstation/spd/precision-17-7760-laptop#configurations_section
  11. Aaron44126
    @Dell-Mano_G, with the launch happening, I was wondering if you could take a look at these questions: What are the maximum boost power level of the GPU in the 7670 and 7770? Assuming top-spec GPU. (NVIDIA's GPU spec sheet shows RTX A5500 maxing out at 165W.) Are power limits the same between the RTX A5500 and the RTX 3080 Ti? Can you share what the PL1/PL2 CPU power limits are in these systems? Is it the case that just two NVMe slots are available for use in Precision 7670 systems with the thin chassis? Are you able to give any timing for when SODIMM/ECC configurations will be available? Will a 64GB ECC configuration be available / supported? (This is not listed on the spec sheet, but seems like it should work with 2× 32GB ECC SODIMM modules...) Thank you!
  12. Aaron44126
    Hopefully, the system goes live on the web site tomorrow so I can see if this was really a decent deal or not. Orders are live. Ended up being a little over $6,000 with the extra battery warranty added. Hopefully, the system goes on sale on the web site tomorrow so I can see if this was actually a good deal. (Can always cancel and re-order if necessary but I am doubting that.) Also I'm hoping that they hit that ship date but wouldn't be surprised if they miss it... I was sort of expecting them to be pushing the estimate out to near August. But I guess maybe the supply chain situation is a good bit better than last year? I can get the information on the specific rep I ordered through to you if you are interested (PM me). Nope, but I am hoping we can get an answer on this soon:
  13. Aaron44126
    Order placed! (More details to follow.) I can confirm that the price to go from GeForce RTX 3080 Ti to RTX A5500 is about $900 USD. (Sticking with GeForce myself.)
  14. Aaron44126
    Core i9-12950HX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 4K 120 Hz display 128GB CAMM (cheapest SSD option) 5 year ProSupport Plus I was wondering what sort of price I'd get from a chat rep... Total is coming back at just under $6,000 USD — Honestly cheaper than I thought, by a good bit. I'm having the rep tweak the quote (he put in wrong options for fingerprint reader, bottom cover, and battery) but I do expect to proceed with the order. Also it shows an ETA of July 11, also sooner than I would have expected them to show.
  15. Aaron44126
    I've got a chat rep putting a quote together at this very moment. If you want to get your order in ASAP, go through the sales channels, it looks like they can put orders through even though it is not live on the web site yet. I can confirm that GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is an option at launch. Core i9-12900HX is not available (as expected, you have to get 12950HX). I'll update in a bit once I actually get the quote.
  16. Aaron44126
    Got tired of waiting, went and asked a chat rep if there was any new information on availability. The guy came back and said even though it is not posted on the web site yet, he can put a quote together and I can order it through the quote. Working on the quote right now. I might be ordering it. I'll post back in a few minutes 🙂 [Edit] To avoid double-posting, see discussion in the 7X70 thread.
  17. Aaron44126
    NVIDIA doesn't manufacture MXM cards... That is on laptop OEMs. MXM 3.0b isn't well suited for modern high-end GPUs — the power and physical space requirements are too great, which is why you see contorted versions of it (in the odd case a system has a swappable GPU at all). It's also getting worse with each generation as NVIDIA cranks the power limit up. Someone would have to design an upgrade/replacement to the "standard" and get the greater industry onboard with it... Seems unlikely because its not really in the OEMs' interest to do this.
  18. Aaron44126
    You just need physical clearance for the chips on the “bottom” side of the drive. You may be able to make a judgement by carefully checking a laptop that you already own. I think it would be hard to tell from online pictures…
  19. Aaron44126
    Basically, no way to know other than "someone tries to install a double-sided drive and it fits / doesn't fit". You'd have to poke around forums like this and see. ...It's not even confirmed that 7X70 will support double-sided drives (though I have the drives already and will be trying it right away). Past Precision 7000 series systems do support them, though. And the extra NVMe drive slots not having the drives physically stack on top of the motherboard PCB is a good sign for this, I think. There should be plenty of space.
  20. Aaron44126
    Just following up again, I saw an article about it today and this photo shows a good look at the keyboard layout (if you zoom in). Doesn't really seem like a great "work" keyboard. Basically same complaints about this one that I have about 7X60/7X70 — No dedicated Home/End keys, no dedicated PgUp/PgDn keys. But, there's more... The numeric keypad layout is interesting, making the buttons slightly smaller to allow for full-size arrow keys, but it makes for a strange layout for other keys that are normally around the numpad. Fn key is in a strange place as well. Not sure why there's a second backslash key between the right Ctrl and Alt keys. Touchpad is not centered beneath the spacebar?
  21. Aaron44126
    Reps will typically beat the web price if you place an order through them. If there was a deal available yesterday / last week / etc. that is not showing on the web anymore, you still might be able to get a similar price through a rep, especially if you can be specific with regards to what was available. (General frustration that I have with Dell as I mentioned before. You don't know what anything "really" costs.) I will also mention... this happened to a few people last year in the weeks following the 7X60 release. If you buy a system, and a cheaper deal for the same system comes along soon after (i.e. while you are waiting to receive it), you can go through customer service and have them credit you the difference. [Edit] Thanks for the note about the 7th confirmation from your rep. ...If the 7th launch is happening, we should have some indications late in the day on Monday the 6th (...support site with manuals and drivers goes live, system goes on sale in China / Asia markets first, etc.).
  22. Aaron44126
    This is a good point too. I had to replace a display hinge on my M6700 after seven years of use. I just picked one up off of eBay for cheap. Dell also offers freely available service manuals with full instructions with pictures for replacing any major part. They're pretty unique in this regard.
  23. Aaron44126
    Basically. I checked this out. GT77 appears to be a gaming-focused system. 7770 is a business-focused performance system (targeting computationally-heavy productivity / ISV apps) that happens to also be pretty good for gaming, just on account of the fact that it is a high-performance system. GT77 does have four NVMe slots which is cool (not very many current-gen laptops that I have seen offer this). I think if you look at other 17-inch Alder Lake HX offerings you will see pretty much all of them in the same vein as the GT77 (gaming focused). (No one seems to be making a 17-inch "workstation" other than Dell.) It is a fair bit larger, as you have mentioned. Systems like GT77 with the large rear heatsink fin stacks can push the power limits a bit higher. Basically falls down to what your priorities are. If you're looking for a gaming system then you should also look at HP Omen 17, Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 SE, Aorus 17X, etc. There are lots of options, and most of them will probably be cheaper than 7770, though honestly I haven't checked them out in great depth. If you're looking for a workstation (with full pro/business support) then you're pretty much stuck with Dell Precision, HP ZBook, and Lenovo P-series. Things missing on the pro/business side would be like, I doubt that MSI will be offering next-day on-site service for their system. I also don't know what their long-term support plan is like. (Example of what I mean here — Dell Precision 7710 is getting close to seven years old and still getting BIOS and driver updates from Dell.) A couple of other things that I noticed are: There is no mention of Optimus / hybrid graphics for the GT77. This is helpful for people who spend more time using the system on battery. I don't see anything about RAID support either. (You could still use a software RAID solution.) It might support these things but just not have them listed on the specifications page...
  24. Aaron44126
    Windows 10 Enterprise is no different than Pro/Home in this regard. The difference is simply in licensing and which features are toggled on/off. The underlying platform is identical, and Enterprise has no special optimizations for performance tuning or stability. (Enterprise LTSC is a bit different. I have an article about it linked in my sig. Though, really any performance or stability improvements from it would just come from the fact that it comes with less cruft installed.) Regarding stuttering, I've spent a fair amount of time addressing stuttering and optimizing my system. Here are some things that I can recommend. If you have a higher-end mouse with a high poll rate (>250 Hz), trying turning the poll rate down, or switching to a basic mouse to see if that makes any difference. Normally, the polling rate can be adjusted in the mouse's control panel / software. Seems crazy, but my 1000 Hz mouse causes major stuttering in some games and turning it down to 125 Hz eliminates it. Windows seems to be pretty bad at handling a high poll rate and having certain background apps or game overlays running can exacerbate it. (Google for "high mouse poll rate stuttering" and you will see tons of people complaining about this.) Check the profile for your game in NVIDIA control panel (Manage 3D Settings -> Program Settings). Find the setting for "Power management mode" and set it to "Prefer maximum performance". I've actually seen cases where the NVIDIA GPU can cause stutters while switching power states; this setting should take care of that. Run LatencyMon while you are gaming. Look at the "Drivers" section afterwards. Anything reporting more than ≈2ms under "highest execution" should be checked out. I've used this to tease out issues relating to networking/Wi-Fi drivers, audio drivers, and disk controller drivers. (What action to take depends on what driver / .sys file you see consuming time.)
  25. Aaron44126
    Earlier in the thread I mentioned this turbo boost trick: I have since written up directions on a number of options to enable/disable turbo boost on the fly. Something you can look into if fan noise is an issue and there are times that you would be willing to sacrifice performance for quiet. I have found that it does make an impact on my Precision 7560 so I keep turbo boost off unless I need the extra CPU power. (Also note the different thermal profiles that you can select from the BIOS or from the Dell Power Manager app.)
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