Dell Pro Max 16/18 Plus (2025 model) pre-release discussion — MB16250, MB18250

[MyPC8MyBrain]

2 hours ago, yslalan said:

I don’t have any experience with HP laptops, so I can’t comment on them.

from my experience dealing with HPE is a can of worm nightmare you don't want open for any price.

[AL123]

14 hours ago, yslalan said:

I’m satisfied with what I got from the Pro Max Plus 16-inch model, the build quality and performance are decent. It’s better than any of the Precision machines I’ve owned before, including the 7550, 7760, 7670, 7680, and 7780, in many respects. Plus, the 4K 120Hz Tandem OLED is wild, if you are not sensitive on OLED panel, don't miss that option.

 

In my opinion, if you’re looking for a true workstation-class machine, I would not recommend the ThinkPad P16 Gen 3. This model is heavily limited by its preset power limits and power adapter. The combined power budget is only 15W for the CPU plus 115W for the GPU. If you don't care about performance, P16 Gen3 is still acceptable.

 

HP ZBook Fury is probably another option worth exploring. Honestly, I don’t have any experience with HP laptops, so I can’t comment on it.

My tests of the HP Fury G1i range showed they had significantly lower CPU/ GPU power limits that throttled performance much quicker and the fan noise was incredibly loud in comparison. 
 

Pro max range is clearly not without its teething troubles but for us it’s certainly the best balance of performance, fan noise. Alot more effort has gone into the cooling solution vs HP in my opinion and that’s important if you work in an office with colleagues or don’t want earbuds in all day just to block out the noise of the HP under heavy load! 

[whyshchuck]

Hi,

I’m having an issue with a Dell Pro Max Plus 18 and a Dell SD25TB5 dock, and I’m trying to figure out if others are experiencing the same.

Setup:

• Laptop: Dell Pro Max Plus 18
• Dock: Dell SD25TB5 (TB5)
• Connection: original Thunderbolt 5 cable (⚡ + 5)
• Monitors: 2× QHD (2560×1440), connected via DP and HDMI

Problems:

1. Display resolution issue
   • Monitor connected via DisplayPort only runs at 1920×1080 (FHD) instead of QHD
   • Same happens even with just one monitor connected
   • Expected: 2560×1440 works fine on this hardware
2. Thunderbolt not detected
   • The dock does not appear in Thunderbolt Control Center at all
   • Looks like the system falls back to USB-C (DP Alt Mode) instead of full Thunderbolt
3. BSOD on wake
   • Occasionally getting 0x0000019C (WIN32K_CRITICAL_FAILURE) when waking monitors from sleep
4. Temporary fix (but not permanent)
   • Performing a “flea power drain” on the dock (disconnect power, hold power button, reconnect) temporarily fixes everything
   • After that, QHD works correctly
   • But the issue returns after monitors go to sleep / system idles

What I already checked:

• BIOS: Thunderbolt enabled, no restrictions
• USB4 PCIe tunneling enabled
• No “video only” limitation
• Latest drivers and BIOS via Dell Command Update
• Tested different ports and configurations
• Using original TB5 cable

Conclusion so far:

It looks like the dock is not consistently establishing a proper Thunderbolt connection and falls back to USB-C mode. The behavior suggests a firmware / compatibility issue (possibly USB4/TB stack instability).

---

Has anyone else with this laptop + TB5 dock experienced:

• fallback to FHD over DP
• missing dock in Thunderbolt Control Center
• instability after sleep / wake

Any confirmed fixes or firmware updates that resolve this?

Thanks!

[SvenC]

Did Dell Command Update find and install the latest BIOS 2.6.1?

 

I don't use that updater, always manually checking and installing updates.

[whyshchuck]

Yes, it did.

No I have my motherboard an gpu replaced by dell technician but it didn't help.

What helped was forcing computer to use GPU for external screens.

But still no ports in TCC:

Do you see yours here?

 

 

 

[JRS]

I acquired a Dell Pro Max 16 Plus as an impulse purchase and I'm debating whether that was a mistake or not.  Unfortunately, I did a clean install of Windows before doing much check out of the factory configuration.  For those running the factory install of Windows, I'm trying to determine:

1. Whether the internal display (4K OLED) supports VRR when the dGPU is driving it because I only see VRR as supported when using the iGPU
2. Whether "Dolby Atmos for Speakers" is a selectable spatial sound option for the Cirrus Logic XU sound device

Any help is appreciated.

[Aaron44126]

22 minutes ago, JRS said:

1. Whether the internal display (4K OLED) supports VRR when the dGPU is driving it because I only see VRR as supported when using the iGPU

 

I don't have experience with this system, but what you describe here is the exact behavior from the Precision 7770 and 7780. If the built-in display supports VRR but not full GSYNC, then you can only use VRR with the iGPU driving the panel.

[MyPC8MyBrain]

On 3/30/2026 at 6:15 PM, whyshchuck said:

I’m having an issue with a Dell Pro Max Plus 18 and a Dell SD25TB5 dock

first thing the SD25TB5 is brand new model and should still be under dell's warranty if its defected.

second, the spesific unit you got has a builtin KVM (which sounds like your stuck on one) and other network management features, i deliberately didn't get that spesific model because of the KVM and extra network and firmware nonsense.

make sure you installed the latest firmware for the doc, if that doesn't change much try validating the doc power supply by swapping it with the one from the laptop (that should be 280W vs your doc 300W they will interchange just fine) and see if you still stuck in low power mode which the smart pin could cause if its faulty or cant make contact it will default to lower power mode crippling everything until power is restored.

plug your doc power supply to your laptop and turn it on then watch post screen for low power detected during boot.

 

[samatsu]

Is the next generation of Dell Precision 9 professional series laptops coming soon?

[Aaron44126]

1 hour ago, samatsu said:

Is the next generation of Dell Precision 9 professional series laptops coming soon?

There is no indication that we are getting such models this year. Nothing has appeared in regulatory databases. Intel didn’t release “business/pro” versions of the HX CPUs for this generation.