Dell precision 7510 vs. XPS 15

[relaxaqueencaxa]

Hello guys.

I am looking for a new laptop. I am an IT engineer which means it wil be mostly used for programming or running virtual machines (i use vmware heavily).

I read that precision stations are better for work and designers because of their gpus while XPSs are more premium laptops and for gaming. I am looking for a physically robust laptop not for gaming at all which can handle virtualization well. I am becoming inclined to the 7510. Yet i cannot find opinions/reviews on the laptop, not even on amazon or newegg. I believe this happens because the laptop is very recent and hardly anyone has it. Does anyone have a word of advice?

Kind regards fellow techy friends.

 

[k_tech_18]

I am using these for programmers at my job, just a heads up if you plan on putting an M.2 Samsung 950 pro or something similar in the M.2:

You will need to update the BIOS to the latest version! Without doing this windows will not see the M.2 drive for a valid install location. You also need to format the install USB in a UEFI compatible partition scheme like GPT using Rufus or a similar program. Other things to consider if installing windows on a 3rd party M.2:

Make sure the BIOS is is UEFI mode, secure boot off, and SATA operation in RAIDon mode. I know the SATA thing does not make sense since its SATA, but I ran into issues with Windows seeing the M.2 without keeping SATA operation in RAIDon.

Lastly, you might need to inject some drivers into your Windows installer if you are trying for a fresh install of Windows 7 on an M.2. Dell and Microsoft have this documented, just google it.

 

[soko80]

hey guys,

I'm also an IT engineer and looking at the 7510 for my next working machine.
I need only one info to pull the trigger and was hoping some of you guys can tell me:
When on battery (no AC cable plugged in) how far gets the CPU throttled? I want to order my with a Xeon CPU and don't want to get just half the performance under battery.

thanks
Soko

 

[technologist]

Hi everyone,

I would like to buy a new laptop. The laptop needs to be very powerful as I will be primarily using it for very large, complex financial excel models (huge amount of data and vast number of array formulas and scenario analyses, e.g. monte carlo, etc.). In the future I will also be using other programs for big data analysis.

I feel that the Dell Precision is very a compelling product in terms price/performance. However, I need some advice on which specs to chose.
As I travel regularly, the laptop should not be too heavy (Precision 5000 vs 7000 series).

Precision 5000: http/www.dell.com/uk/business/p/pr...emea&ref=PD_OC
Precision 7000: http/www.dell.com/uk/business/p/pr...&ref=PD_Family

- I definitely want the strongest cpu (however, I do not believe that the additional computing power the Xeon Processor E3-1535M offer compared to the Xeon Processor E3-1505M will be noticeable in excel).
- Which and how much RAM? (does it make sense to choose 32GB vs 16GB?, shall I go for ECC or non-ECC?, 2x/4x 8Gb or 16GB?)
- Which hard drive do you recommend? (obviously SSD, but there are so many options to choose from, especially with the 7000 series)

Thank you very much for your help in advance!

 

[BDockS]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a 7510 but i have a quick question to validate that choice.

Some of you have a 2 drives configuration (1SSD + 1HD)

but when i'm looking on Dell's website for the 7510 (link http/configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=xctop7510emea&model_id=precision-m7510-workstation&c=fr&l=fr&s=bsd&cs=frbsdt1)

I can't choose a 2nd drive, and Reviews on the net arn't specific about that point so : is there a slot for a 2nd drive in the 7510 serie ?

I come from the apple environment and i already have that configuration in my Mbpro, I'm wondering if i can transfer the drives so are they sealed ?

thanks a lot !

 

[soko80]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a 7510 but i have a quick question to validate that choice.

Some of you have a 2 drives configuration (1SSD + 1HD)

but when i'm looking on Dell's website for the 7510 (link http/configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=xctop7510emea&model_id=precision-m7510-workstation&c=fr&l=fr&s=bsd&cs=frbsdt1)

I can't choose a 2nd drive, and Reviews on the net arn't specific about that point so : is there a slot for a 2nd drive in the 7510 serie ?

I come from the apple environment and i already have that configuration in my Mbpro, I'm wondering if i can transfer the drives so are they sealed ?

thanks a lot !

Hi,

Your drive options are:
1) one SSD (SATA) 2.5"
2) one M.2 (NVMe) PCIe
3) one SSD (SATA) 2.5" plus one M.2 (NVMe) PCIe
4) two M.2 (NVMe) PCIe

On the order website though you have to select a specific 1st HDD to be able to select a 2nd one. The options above is whats possibe once you have the 7510 in your hands.

Background: There is a conversion (interposer) which converts the 2.5" SATA to a M.2 slot. If you order just with a 2.5" SATA (as I did) you don't get all the parts to convert it. But apparently its possible to order them (http/en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19681795)

Soko

PS: Nothing is sealed on windows Notebooks 😀 You can change everything you want with ease by just removing a few screws....

 

[BDockS]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy a 7510 but i have a quick question to validate that choice.

Some of you have a 2 drives configuration (1SSD + 1HD)

but when i'm looking on Dell's website for the 7510 (link http/configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=xctop7510emea&model_id=precision-m7510-workstation&c=fr&l=fr&s=bsd&cs=frbsdt1)

I can't choose a 2nd drive, and Reviews on the net arn't specific about that point so : is there a slot for a 2nd drive in the 7510 serie ?

I come from the apple environment and i already have that configuration in my Mbpro, I'm wondering if i can transfer the drives so are they sealed ?

thanks a lot !

Hi,

Your drive options are:
1) one SSD (SATA) 2.5"
2) one M.2 (NVMe) PCIe
3) one SSD (SATA) 2.5" plus one M.2 (NVMe) PCIe
4) two M.2 (NVMe) PCIe

On the order website though you have to select a specific 1st HDD to be able to select a 2nd one. The options above is whats possibe once you have the 7510 in your hands.

Background: There is a conversion (interposer) which converts the 2.5" SATA to a M.2 slot. If you order just with a 2.5" SATA (as I did) you don't get all the parts to convert it. But apparently its possible to order them (http/en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19681795)

Soko

PS: Nothing is sealed on windows Notebooks 😀 You can change everything you want with ease by just removing a few screws....

Hi !

thank you sooo much for the quick and clear answer !

the clue was to add a PCIe first and then choose the 2nd HD

and for the seal part of my post, lenovo business laptops are now sealed for processor and memory. I just find out this today so i wanted to be sure 😉

Your tip for the 2nd PCIe slot is really interesting ! I plan to have a 2,5 + a PCIe so I'm not "concerned" but might be usefull

thx again !

 

[soko80]

No prob!

Didn't know that about Lenovo, a bummer! I had IBM, then Lenovo and now swapped to Dell cause the IBM/Lenovo business notebooks are getting worse and worse...

 

[BDockS]

I had the chance to test Dell through my actual position and my Mbpro is about to die.

The 7510 seems to fit all my expectation

 

[V Shekhar Avasthy]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had ordered a Lenovo P50 (i7-6820HQ/ 64GB RAM/ 512GB M.2/ 1TB SATA 5400 RPM) - to my surprise, Lenove's customer care (at least in in India) is HOPELESSLY PATHETIC. The make false promises, do not deliver on time, and when I cancelled the order even before shipping, the kind of torture I had to go thru was extreme! I tried escalating to Lenovo India then Asia-Pacific then Lenovo worldwide, used their Facebook as well as Twitter handle - NO ONE CARED TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE OR RESPOND! I won't ever go for any Lenovo product ever! They are just not interested in listening to the customer...

I am a PhD Electrical Eng Candidate at the Ohio State , have got mine with following config
intel Xeon 1505 V5, 32 GB ECC Ram, 512 GB NVe Fast Drive, 1TB 7200 rmp Drive, intel vpro, smart card reader, 3880* 2200 igzo DISPLAY, Backlit keyboard.
after using for two weeks I think performance is still lower then the Macbook pro, build quality of Lenavo seems to be better the Dell and HP. Power button dont work has to press five times to get things done.

I would not recommend it, I think Lenavo P50 can be an alternative or you are not an engineering guy then Macbook pro is also good option.

 

[rp2004]

Hi guys!
I m not sure about the RAM I really need, so my question is:
Can I buy the laptop with 32GB of ram and upgrade the ram to 64GB if I need it? OR does the customisation you do on Dell's website affects the board/slots and make any upgrade impossible...?
May seem a stupid question for you but I m sure I'll get quick answer here (I ve been waiting from dell for a couple of days)!!! Thanks

Hi Ali_109,

Yes, you can buy the laptop with 32Gb of DDR4 RAM now and upgrade to 64Gb later. Whatever RAM configuration you buy now, your system will still come with 4 RAM slots in total.

This means that if you want the possibility of upgrading to 64Gb of DDR4 RAM later, you need to order your system with 2 sticks (DIMMs) of 16Gb each (be careful because you could also buy 4 sticks of 8Gb each, filling all 4 RAM slots). This 2 x 16Gb configuration will leave you with 2 empty slots in your system for later use.

Then, when you will be ready to upgrade to 64Gb, you will have to buy 2 sticks of 16Gb and fill the 2 empty slots in your system. At this point, you will have 4 x 16Gb or DDR4 RAM for a total of 64Gb.

What you need to know is that RAM sticks work better in pairs in this type of system. This is called dual-channel RAM. This means that your system will optimize the use of your RAM sticks using pairs of DIMMs (sticks). For example, your initial setup will have 2 sticks of 16Gb. In dual-channel mode, your operating system will assign one stick to channel 1 and the other stick to channel 2. If the Dell technician who will build your laptop knows what he is doing (!), he will put the first stick of 16Gb in slot 1 and the second stick of 16Gb in slot 3. This is how it is usually done in dual-channel RAM systems. FYI, your operating system should automatically work in dual-channel if your system was built correctly. There is a way to verify if your operating system is using dual-channel, just search online and you will find info about how to verify this in the Windows Control Panel.

When you will upgrade to 64Gb, you will have slot 2 and slot 4 empty on your system. You will be able to add one stick of 16Gb to slot 2 and another stick of 16Gb to slot 4. With this configuration, your system will be able to use the full power of dual-channel RAM. You will then have 32Gb for channel 1 and 32Gb for channel 2.

I am telling you this because you might be tempted to add ONLY 1 more stick of RAM later... Don't do this. It is not worth it. RAM is not that expensive and your system will be much faster if you upgrade your RAM in pairs. This means that you could buy 2 sticks of 8Gb later (for a total of 48Gb of RAM) instead of 2 sticks of 16Gb. This will work better than if you buy only 1 stick of 16Gb. Always buy your RAM in pairs of sticks (DIMMs) for optimal performance.

That's it, just make sure that you order your laptop with 2 DIMMs of 16Gb for now and you will be ok for upgrading later.


Cheers,

Hi simonize

Thank you very much for your explanation. I have Dell precision 7710 with 4x16=64gB of DDR4 RAM .
CPUz shows the memory operating in Dual mode. Shouldn't it be Quad mode? If yes what to do to fix that?

 

[rgd1101]

Next time, please don't nero thread
https/ark.intel.com/products/89610/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1535M-v5-8M-Cache-2_90-GHz
Max # of Memory Channels
2