MyPC8MyBrain

i was looking at Intel® Core™ Processors HX-Series (14th gen) brief specs, interesting, the Ultra Core for Desktop processor is showing 192GB limit with 2 memory channels only while the Core Ultra Mobile 285HX is Listing 256GB limit still with 2 memory channels, CAMM's 4 channel is still in the air outside of Dell's marketing bubble, until CPU's ship with 4 IMC's CAMM's are pointless atm. mobile platforms with these processors onboard will never be able to utilize CAMM's 4 channels as the CPU is soldered to the board, since the premises of CAMM is quad channel, the tech currently embedded is moot.

not to mention most of this is not supported by current and likely next gen mobile CPU IMC's to begin with, these are "LaLa Land" numbers, by the time these will be a reality this platform will be too old to even get driver updates, pointless cramming into this particular platform generation imho.

i believe heat was the issue with the larger modules,

You don’t need to remove the interposer—dual 64 GB cSO-DIMMs can match or even outperform CAMM in sustained real-world performance while running cooler. The 4-channel CAMM design in laptops is more about marketing than transformative engineering. While it’s theoretically possible, current mobile CPU IMCs and chassis designs aren’t fully realizing that potential. HX-series CPUs support dual-channel memory configurations, so any “4-channel” claims are achieved through Dell’s trace routing and rank interleaving techniques. Dell’s omission of 2×64 GB cSO-DIMM configurations from their official specs may be a strategy to promote proprietary CAMM modules. However, laptops with Intel HX CPUs can support up to 192 GB of DDR5; using two 64 GB cSO-DIMMs is well within spec for the CPU and IMC, and many users have successfully implemented it as a cost-effective alternative to CAMM. Keep your interposer in place and consider this kit: https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr5/ct2k64g64c52cs5

most of these setting can definitely be changes via powershell, porb why Dell retired most of the older resource hogging tools, @AL123 have a looksee here https://notebooktalk.net/topic/632-dell-precision-7670-dell-precision-7770-owners-thread/?do=findComment&comment=21688

did you look into changing power plan settings in bios to performance for low level settings, and than higher in windows power plan settings? there's also settings in NVIDIA to prefer more performance etc. in control panel setting as well as additional tweaks via external third party tools. with my 7770 i undervolted my cpu, run bios on cool profile, and windows profile in balanced mode, i created a powershell script that changed bios power plan to performance from within windows, and switched windows to maximum performance power plan (old classic power schema), the script would toggle everything back if i run it again, i think i posted it somewhere in the 7770 owners thread you could possibly adopt it to this unit easily with your preferred settings to quickly switch to pedal to the metal profile.

our sales rep called me last week to let me know they are running specials on the new 16/18 pro max's internally for limited time, it seem they proactively trying to push these out.

While SoCs do offer real engineering advantages in terms of performance per watt, the business model they enable is a major contributor to the growing e-waste problem and the erosion of consumer freedom. SoCs in personal computing are, in my view, an abomination—a step in the wrong direction for the average user. They exist not because they serve the long-term interests of consumers, but because they maximize profit, streamline manufacturing, and reinforce planned obsolescence. The trade-off is clear: ownership, control, and product longevity are sacrificed for short-term efficiency and corporate margins.

I’m not sold on the idea that this form will hold up under sustained heavy loads. Mobile chassis designs already have minimal wiggle room, and if the trade-off here is improve latency over optimizing thermals, I’d take optimizing thermals—because once temps spike, latency will happen anyway. Lower latency isn’t much of a win if the rest of the system is cooking itself. That’s not just counterproductive, it’s self-defeating in the long run.

good catch there, thats a typo i meant iGPU.

That’s generally true for desktop boards, but in laptops I’ve rarely seen it followed this closely. My guess is Dell’s doing some channel tuning for the CAMM layout—even though, in practice, CAMM performance is still mostly theoretical right now. In these mobile Precisions, CAMM is still just running dual-channel like a standard SoDIMM.

ive examined the board and components closer, it doesn't look like they are doing negative pressure, i think your sales rep sold you a nice story from the 8 second video below

ooh wow... i need a minuted to collect the few pieces i have left from my brain after it just exploded. for some reason i was sure the CPU is buried under the fans somewhere i just realized where they placed it.

im confused... there's no dGPU solution under the hood, just 1 full tilt GPU?

Thank you for the clarification @AL123 i do see the traces now for the negative fan airflow, it seem to me that under load it would be scrubbing hot air over the GPU? what ever happened to the discrete GPU with AI integration etc. where is that hiding?

@AL123 Great images, thanks for sharing. I’m honestly baffled by some of these design choices. The first glaring issue—among too many to list in one post—is thermal logic. Heat naturally rises, yet here it looks like the GPU is mounted upside-down, and possibly the CPU as well (hard to tell from the angle). That means both ‘hot plates’ are effectively facing the keyboard, while the thick vapor chamber sits below the heat source. Then there’s the wasted chassis space—large empty pockets that feel more like parts were jammed into place than thoughtfully laid out. Not a single fan appears to be positioned to push air directly over the NVMe drives or CAMM memory. Speaking of CAMM, that heat spreader has nowhere obvious to dissipate to—it seems more cosmetic than functional. From what I’m seeing here, this doesn’t look like a ground-up redesign at all. More like a rushed parts shuffle in a new shell.

they must be doing some advance "Dell marketing math", isn't that just the overall battery capacity?

great info @AL123 i believe at 280w even tough a proprietary USB-C power connector Dell already exceeding the limits for power delivery over USB-C as is.

Well… it’s been a minute. By now, customers should’ve received their first MB18250 units—but where are the reviews? No respected tech reviewer has posted, and I haven’t seen any user feedback either. It seems like retail units are still under wraps. Is it just me, or does it strike you as odd that there’s been zero activity around the MB18250 in the past month? It really feels like there’s a coordinated effort to keep things quiet—and companies don’t usually do that unless something’s up.

judging from past CTO builds these components usually are shared across platform models, although going off contradicting sales rep feedback atm i am questioning the info i received, in the past we could still see all available components in the manual, which atm is just incomplete and missing many options.

It cannot. I had our sales rep look into this, and the maximum GPU that fits under the hood is the 4090. I was planning to order it with the 13950HX—despite it being two and a half a generation behind, I would’ve been happy with that setup. But it wasn’t meant to be—the last 4090 unit was ordered just before I could place mine. Ideally, we’d see the 285 and 5090 offered in the final generation platform. But of course, if they gave us that, nobody would touch the new 16/18" “Max Crap Pro on a Plate.” FYI: The Precision line can easily support 128GB—just use 2×64GB SoDIMMs. There’s no need for CAMM modules, which—even with 4-channel config—are still outperformed by good old SoDIMMs. Not to mention the price: just get the base 8GB config from Dell, and grab 2×64GB or even 2×128GB from a third-party vendor for half the cost (if not better). that is correct, the issue isn’t compatibility—it’s update frequency and spesific gaming/title support. For newer titles that rely on frequent driver updates or patch support, the consumer RTX line is better suited. The RTX Pro GPUs are designed more for CAD workloads (which the OP hasn’t indicated he uses). If the priority is running VMs, then GPU type won’t make much difference. You can game on the Pro cards—just manage expectations when it comes to driver support for the latest games and features. It’s not published yet, but it is available. Our sales rep confirmed it’s visible in their backend system. This entire new line feels rushed—and it shows.

@win32asmguy interesting! so it converts back to 2280 from 2230

Thank you for the links @Aaron44126 i still don't see daughter boards in the explosion image (Direct Link) it also appears that not all 4 SSD slot are made equal, its 3 x M.2 2280 SSD and 1 x M.2 2230 SSD Sliding door (optional) GPU card Heat sink for computers shipped with discrete graphics Discrete FPC beam connector cable SSD1 thermal shield SSD holder M.2 2280 SSD Battery Battery cable Memory interposer board bracket Memory connector Memory module Memory interposer board WLAN card bracket WLAN card SSD3 thermal shield SSD2 thermal shield SSD4 thermal shield Inner frame Smart card reader WLAN antenna module Left speaker Darwin bracket Display bracket Right speaker Display assembly Power button board with fingerprint reader (FIPS) Power button board with fingerprint reader bracket Interposer board Power board Power button Power button board USH board cable System board Keyboard Power button board cable Keyboard bracket Fan assembly WWAN card bracket WWAN card WWAN card shielding cover Base cover for computers with sliding door M.2 2230 SSD

if it is then its not reflected in the image @Mambucho posted, red circles seem to be embedded USB-C ports, the other silver looking marked in blue i'm not sure what it is, if its usb ports it appears that only the outer shell is potentially replaceable, seems oddly conductive material whatever it is, either way i a m not seeing modular daughter boards separate from the main board the way it used to be, it seem cheaper and less modular then id expect from a flagship stepping around with shoes it cant fill. i cant wait to hear the verdict on thermals with the main nvme slot stacked with another nvme below and surrounded with ram slots and another nvme on the other side, and for good measure the new AI gpu right above to make sure heat buildup as much as possible, maybe its just my bad vision but it seem that the fans are all pointing in the other direction of that massive heat centered area, so heat is dissipated away from cpu and gpu mainly in this 3 fan layout that completely neglect the hottest area under the hood in this carefully thought out new design.

Oh no... the disappointments just keep rolling in, one after another. From the image above, it’s clear we've lost all port modularity. Aside from the GPU, Wi-Fi, and RAM, nothing appears to be modular anymore. If a port fails, you're either stuck living with it or replacing the entire motherboard. This is deeply underwhelming—a staggeringly uneventful product launch, perhaps the most forgettable in Dell’s Precision history. It feels poorly executed and hastily thrown together, made worse by the absence of a complete, finalized spec sheet. Once again, those of us who care about workstation-grade quality are left with little more than plain crackers to choose from. No surprise that none of Dell’s execs are chiming in on this—likely out of embarrassment, and perhaps because there’s simply no way to justify this brutal dismantling of a once-legendary product line. RIP Dell Precision. It was a great run—nearly three decades of innovation and reliability. Sadly, it seems even Dell has forgotten what made it great in the first place.