Precision 7670 & 7770 pre-release discussion (Alder Lake)

[operator]

Got an Update from Dell. Seems like they are waiting for "Performance with SmartCard and SSD Door".

Funny as I did not really choose the SSD door, it was kind of automatically added in my configuration.

I had no focus on the SSD door thing, so after my order was active, I found out that it was on my initial offer.

I don't think I would have actively chosen it, so what a pitty this it is now causing the delay....

 

They say that they "hope" that my order will be handled with priority now. 🤣 And they will get back to me with further info....of course.

[Hank]

On 8/9/2022 at 7:49 PM, terrato said:

The status of mine has been changed to "In-Production". Maybe there are more 1T SSD disks in stock？

 

Still waiting for the "In-Production" change.  Could be the 2Tb SSD or the 4k display.  Maybe next week.

[operator]

I asked Dell to ship the device without the SSD door, they did not agree. 🙂

In the meantime the order status is now showing as delayed and new ETA was set to Sept. 16th. 😞

[Aaron44126]

6 hours ago, operator said:

I asked Dell to ship the device without the SSD door, they did not agree. 🙂

In the meantime the order status is now showing as delayed and new ETA was set to Sept. 16th. 😞

 

SSD door is apparently required if you got the "performance chassis" and also a SmartCard or fingerprint reader.  (They don't offer a performance chassis with the SmartCard reader but without the SSD door.  Adding a fingerprint reader automatically forces the SmartCard option.)

 

If you think about it, there would have to be eight versions of the bottom cover so (...given the challenges that they seem to have had just getting this system ready to go...) it makes sense that they're not all immediately available.

• Thin chassis / no SmartCard reader / no SSD door
• Thin chassis / SmartCard reader / no SSD door
• Thin chassis / no SmartCard reader / SSD door
• Thin chassis / SmartCard reader / SSD door
• Performance chassis / no SmartCard reader / no SSD door
• Performance chassis / SmartCard reader / no SSD door
• Performance chassis / no SmartCard reader / SSD door
• Performance chassis / SmartCard reader / SSD door

Anyway, right, they can't make changes to the system build after the order is put in.  You'd have to cancel and reorder to change it.

[alon]

 

M.2 2280 2 TB, Gen 4 PCIe x4 NVMe, Solid State Drive = 778$

Is it tooo expensive - or am I wrong?

 

[heikkuri]

I just purchased WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD 2TB High Performance NVMe SSD, Gaming SSD, PCIe Gen4, M.2 2280, with up to 5150 MB/s Read, 212€ from Amazon Germany. Just for my kid's gaming rig. But yes $778 for 2 TB is a bit steep.

[nudge]

6 hours ago, alon said:

 

M.2 2280 2 TB, Gen 4 PCIe x4 NVMe, Solid State Drive = 778$

Is it tooo expensive - or am I wrong?

 

Yes, that is way too expensive, you can get one of those on amazon right now for around 230-240 bucks.

[Frosty]

Two days ago I ordered a 7770 to replace my 7730.  Expected delivery is October 6. 

Anyone have a good source for patience?  Amazon?  😄 

[pintie]

new SSD are incoming from Samsung.

[operator]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:03 PM, Aaron44126 said:

SSD door is apparently required if you got the "performance chassis" and also a SmartCard or fingerprint reader. 

 

SSD door is required if you have SmartCard or fingeprint reader?

 

But IIRC you have fingerprint reader but no SSD door?

 

[Aaron44126]

1 hour ago, operator said:

 

SSD door is required if you have SmartCard or fingeprint reader?

 

But IIRC you have fingerprint reader but no SSD door?

Yes… This is specific to 7670 with performance chassis.  They didn’t make a version with the SmartCard reader but without the SSD door (so it appears).

[operator]

7 hours ago, Aaron44126 said:

Yes… This is specific to 7670 with performance chassis.  They didn’t make a version with the SmartCard reader but without the SSD door (so it appears).

 

Think it would help if there is a version without SSD-door, without SmartCard reader but with fingerprint reader.

[Aaron44126]

13 minutes ago, operator said:

Think it would help if there is a version without SSD-door, without SmartCard reader but with fingerprint reader.

 

Fingerprint reader option forces the SmartCard option so you won't see this in any of the variants.  Probably, SmartCard support is included with any ControlVault configuration so they figured they might as well just include the slot.  The non-SmartCard chassis still has a gap in the same spot to allow for "prying" the bottom cover off, so the chassis wouldn't look much different either way.

[FabeFromBOD]

On 13/07/2022 at 21:40, FabeFromBOD said:

 

Date d'expédition confirmer 08-25

 

 

The bad news has just fallen... 😭😭😭😭

 

[operator]

35 minutes ago, FabeFromBOD said:

The bad news has just fallen... 😭😭😭😭

 

Welcome to the Club. 😆

[LegacyZero]

3 hours ago, FabeFromBOD said:

 

The bad news has just fallen... 😭😭😭😭

 

 

My ETA hasn't change yet. However, seeing people like yourself who order before me, get pushed back to late September.... I pray this doesn't happen to me.                            

[operator]

3 hours ago, LegacyZero said:

 

My ETA hasn't change yet. However, seeing people like yourself who order before me, get pushed back to late September.... I pray this doesn't happen to me.                            

 

It mainly depends on your ordered config and if you are lucky enough to get some items which are not out of stock or sold to sb. else with higher priority. 🙂

[FabeFromBOD]

8 hours ago, operator said:

 

It mainly depends on your ordered config and if you are lucky enough to get some items which are not out of stock or sold to sb. else with higher priority. 🙂

 

Here is my config :

 

Dell Mobile Precision Workstation 7770 CTO

---

E5 Power Cord 1M for EuropeNuméro de l’article: 470-AFGQ

Intel Core i9-12950HX, 30MB Cache, 24 Threads, 16 Core, 2.3GHz to 5.0GHz vPro

SmartCard and SSD Door

Intel Core i9-12950HX, 30MB Cache, 24 Threads, 16 Core, 2.3GHz to 5.0GHz vPro

32GB, 1x32GB NECC 4800MHz DDR5 CAMM Module

M.2 2280 1 TB, Gen 4 PCIe x4 NVMe, Solid State Drive

240W SFF Power Adapter

Worldwide Ship Mod (240W)

17.3-inch, WLED UHD 3840 x 2160, 120 Hz, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, 99% DCIP3, 500 nits, IR Cam/Mic WLAN

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti w/ 16GB GDDR6

Non-FIPS finger printer and smart card, with NFC

No Mobile Broadband Card

No Additional Hard Drive

No RAID

Single Pointing Backlit French European Keyboard

Resource Media not Included

No Media

No AutoPilot

Microsoft Office 30 Day Trial - Excludes Office License

No UPC Label

No Anti-Virus Software

BTO Standard Shipment (EL)

Custom BTO Configuration

Dell Order

Shipping Docs - English, French, German, Italian, Dutch

EPEAT 2018 Registered (Gold)

SupportAssist

Dell(TM) Digital Delivery Cirrus Client

Dell Client System Update (Updates latest Dell Recommended BIOS, Drivers, Firmware and Apps)

Waves Maxx Audio

Dell Power Manager

Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Tool

Intel Core i9 non-vPro Processor Label

Windows 11 Pro, English, Dutch, French, German, Italian

Notebook - Free Freight SKU

Contribution environnementale

Manageability Disabled

ENERGY STAR Qualified

Quick Setup Guide for Mobile Precision 7770

Instruction Label France

Dell Optimizer for Precision

FHD/IR Camera, ExpressSign-In, Intelligent privacy, Camera Shutter, Mic

6-Cell 93WHr Lithium Ion Battery

Intel Wifi 6E (6GHz) AX211 2x2 with Bluetooth Wireless

Wireless Intel AX211 WLAN Driver No-Bluetooth South Africa

ProSupport Plus and Next Business Day Onsite Service Initial, 36 Mois

ProSupport Plus and Keep Your Hard Drive, 36 Mois

ProSupport Plus et Garantie Dommage Accidentel, 36 Mois

Basic Onsite Service 36 Months

 

[Rojaho]

My 7670 ....

[FabeFromBOD]

20 hours ago, operator said:

 

Welcome to the Club. 😆

 

Ho no, Ho no, Ho no no no ...

 

[SilverAzide]

After lurking here for a few months (thanks to the OP for this thread, which is the only decent source of 7x70 gossip/info on the net), I just joined to say thanks and... I just got this, re: my 7770, ordered on day 1:

 

 

Quote

 

We apologize for the delay.

Thank you for your recent order with Dell. We are working to ship your order as quickly as possible. The delivery date for your order to arrive has been updated to SEP. 12, 2022

 

[Aaron44126]

I've been following Precision launches closely for over a decade and this is the oddest one by far.  I'm sure there are more, but sitting here at almost six weeks in, I'm only aware of two 7770's in the wild (mine, and the guy who did the Chinese review), and no 7670's at all ... and for order status, of the people posting here, (other than me) only one 7670 has gotten to "In production" status (@terrato, a week ago — should wrap up soon if his timeline ends up similar to mine).

 

...And honestly I sort of feel like I have a "beta" system, with the defective display and seems-to-be defective heatsink assembly.  Precision is supposed to have additional QC with systems going out in the launch window.

 

(As an update, it looks like the display will finally be swapped out later this week and I'm waiting for that to be settled before I start asking about the heatsink assembly.)

 

So, just as well wait and let this settle out; hopefully they will solve whatever production issue is holding these up within the next few weeks.  And hopefully the next units that we see arriving have less issues.  (Also, despite this, it's not like HP or Lenovo have gotten theirs to market any faster.)  😕

 

8 hours ago, FabeFromBOD said:

Here is my config :

 

Other than the SSD, RAM, and keyboard, it looks like we have the same system.  No idea why a few systems got out and most others haven't.

[Redrider]

21 minutes ago, Aaron44126 said:

I've been following Precision launches closely for over a decade and this is the oddest one by far.  I'm sure there are more, but sitting here at almost six weeks in, I'm only aware of two 7770's in the wild (mine, and the guy who did the Chinese review), and no 7670's at all ... and for order status, of the people posting here, (other than me) only one 7670 has gotten to "In production" status (@terrato, a week ago — should wrap up soon if his timeline ends up similar to mine).

 

...And honestly I sort of feel like I have a "beta" system, with the defective display and seems-to-be defective heatsink assembly.  Precision is supposed to have additional QC with systems going out in the launch window.

 

(As an update, it looks like the display will finally be swapped out later this week and I'm waiting for that to be settled before I start asking about the heatsink assembly.)

 

So, just as well wait and let this settle out; hopefully they will solve whatever production issue is holding these up within the next few weeks.  And hopefully the next units that we see arriving have less issues.  (Also, despite this, it's not like HP or Lenovo have gotten theirs to market any faster.)  😕

 

 

Other than the SSD, RAM, and keyboard, it looks like we have the same system.  No idea why a few systems got out and most others haven't.

Have you tested the GPU to see if its power limited yet? Whats you opinion on the CAMM? 

[Aaron44126]

21 minutes ago, Redrider said:

Have you tested the GPU to see if its power limited yet? Whats you opinion on the CAMM? 

 

NVIDIA control panel says 150W limit, but it seems to be practically limited at 130W.  (Less if the CPU is also busy.  GPU+CPU share a power budget of somewhere around 170W.)

 

I have mixed opinion on CAMM.  I can see that something needs to happen with SODIMM or it won't make it to the end of the DDR5 cycle.  Dell is taking the right steps in trying to get a new standard out there that addresses the issues and that everyone can hop on.  It will be a process that could take a few years — CAMM will have to be approved by JEDEC, then other laptop manufacturers will need to negotiate patent agreements with Dell.  The pipeline for designing a new laptop is about two years to begin with — other manufacturers wouldn't even be taking CAMM into consideration at present, so if everything up front goes at blistering speed, I still wouldn't see other laptop makers offering CAMM in their systems before late 2025.  If Dell is successful, it will be better for everyone (eventually), and there should be many manufacturers offering CAMM modules.  If they are not and some other standard takes over, then it'll just be harder / more expensive to ever upgrade the memory in these systems...

 

(Worst case, SODIMM disappears without an agreed-upon replacement.  Most manufacturers move to soldered memory exclusively, and a few move to their own unique "standard", either something entirely unique like CAMM or a proprietary/modified version of SODIMM... this all being similar to what happened with MXM GPUs.)

[Redrider]

3 hours ago, Aaron44126 said:

 

NVIDIA control panel says 150W limit, but it seems to be practically limited at 130W.  (Less if the CPU is also busy.  GPU+CPU share a power budget of somewhere around 170W.)

 

I have mixed opinion on CAMM.  I can see that something needs to happen with SODIMM or it won't make it to the end of the DDR5 cycle.  Dell is taking the right steps in trying to get a new standard out there that addresses the issues and that everyone can hop on.  It will be a process that could take a few years — CAMM will have to be approved by JEDEC, then other laptop manufacturers will need to negotiate patent agreements with Dell.  The pipeline for designing a new laptop is about two years to begin with — other manufacturers wouldn't even be taking CAMM into consideration at present, so if everything up front goes at blistering speed, I still wouldn't see other laptop makers offering CAMM in their systems before late 2025.  If Dell is successful, it will be better for everyone (eventually), and there should be many manufacturers offering CAMM modules.  If they are not and some other standard takes over, then it'll just be harder / more expensive to ever upgrade the memory in these systems...

 

(Worst case, SODIMM disappears without an agreed-upon replacement.  Most manufacturers move to soldered memory exclusively, and a few move to their own unique "standard", either something entirely unique like CAMM or a proprietary/modified version of SODIMM... this all being similar to what happened with MXM GPUs.)

I took into question the size of the power brick and the total watts of both CPU and GPU. I questioned  how they were to get power to both units. My guess was to limit something but the CPU is now also limited by the overheating of the cores.  Even if a solution to the cooling system system is resolved then it goes back to the power delivery. I'm no hardware engineer but I think the engineering at Dell pooched this. LOL its still better than the 6600 I have. I agree with the new CAMM. Hope there's some solution to this I want to get one on order.