Dell Precision 7730, i9-8950HK, Nvidia Quadro P5200

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Reviews for the Dell Precision 7730, i9-8950HK, Nvidia Quadro P5200

Dell Precision 7730
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
The highly configurable Dell Precision 7730 is a big, fierce 17-inch workstation for pros in design, VR-content-creation, and engineering fields. Our stacked Core i9/Quadro P5200 model delivers best-in-class performance.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/18/2018

80% Dell Precision 7730 Review
Source: Laptop Mag Archive.org version
The Precision 7730 justifies its high price with powerful overall performance and a gorgeous 4K display in a durable, attractive chassis.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/27/2018
Rating: Total score: 80%

Comment

Model:

Most users would require a standard consumer laptop with an i5 or even an i7 processor with around 8 GB of RAM. The Dell precision 7730, on the other hand, is on the extreme side of the consumer laptop. Being in the Precision series, it is generally designed for industrial usage, i.e. for software simulations, heavy graphics processing and even heavy virtual reality simulations. For a start, this laptop is not ultra-portable or sleek. It tries to be one, but it definitely does not even get close to that. It weighs 3.17 kg, which is heavy even for something in its category. Most gaming laptops with ultra-high specs weigh much less than this. For a 17-inch laptop, it is also much wider and bigger than others in this category. With its carbon fiber lid and metal frame, the laptop certainly looks durable and shouts professional. The soft-touch panel on the inside gives off the XPS vibe, and its industrial silver and black colours provide a pleasant look for the eye. On the back side of the laptop are the aggressive dual vents meant for keeping this laptop cool even under pressure. There is a wide range of ports available in this laptop. On the right side are the Kensington lock, headphone/mic port and two USB 3.1 Type-A ports. On the left are a smart-card reader, an SD-card slot and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. The rear part houses an HDMI port, a mini DisplayPort, an Ethernet port, another USB 3.1 Type-A port and the DC power jack. In terms of hardware, Dell provides a lot of customizable options for it, but the base spec is good enough for some serious power users. There is an Intel Core i9 processor coupled with 32 GB of DDR4 RAM with a 512GB high-speed NAND flash drive. And if that is not enough, this laptop can be configured with an Intel Core Xeon processor and up to 64 GB of RAM. For those who are concerned about graphics, this laptop can be configured with an NVIDIA Quadro P5200, which has 16 GB of GDDR5 RAM.

The 17.3-inch display can be configured to sport a 4K resolution, which is not so common on laptops. The matte display is reportedly a very high quality display in terms of color accuracy and brightness. Running graphics right on the laptop screen is thus not a problem. The bezels around the screen, on the other hand, are an eyesore. In these bezel-less times, it is really hard to see something with this kind of borders surrounding the display. The laptop is shipped with Microsoft Windows 10 Pro by default. The chiclet style keyboard looks like one of those uncomfortable ultrabook keyboards, but make no mistake, the keyboard and number pad have been reported to be nice to use, even in long typing sessions. Its tactile and well backlit keys are also well-spaced. The track pad is relatively small but precise, and it registers multi-touch gestures accurately. Now, for the drawbacks: The Precision 7730 comes with a rather small battery. It only comes with a 97Wh 6-cell battery and, for a laptop with these specs, this certainly is not enough for long usage. Typical heavy usage might give just slightly over 4 hours of usage, which certainly is not food for portability. Though they might sound loud enough, the speakers are not particularly good for media playback. If used for applications that require some sound playback, it is highly advisable to connect them to an external speaker. The Dell Precision 7730, then, is a laptop made for a very specific type of user. Like other models in this range, the laptop is mostly purchased by big corporations for their Engineers or Designers. For that alone, this laptop is certainly one of the best out there, considering the support Dell gives for this laptop.

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

NVIDIA Quadro P5200: High-end workstation graphics card for laptops that is based on the 16 nm GP104 chip (Pascal). Similar to the desktop GTX 1080 but with GDDR5 memory. An efficient but slower Max-Q variant is also available.

With these GPUs you are able to play modern and demanding games fluently at medium detail settings and HD resolution.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

i9-8950HK: On Coffee Lake architecture based processor for big and heavy laptops. Integrates six processor cores clocked at 2.9- 4.8 GHz (4.3 GHz with 6 cores) that support HyperThreading. Manufactured in an improved 14nm process (14nm++). Offers an unlocked multiplier that allows overclocking of the CPU.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

17.30": This display size is a standard format for desktop replacements (DTR). The DTR laptops are heavier to carry, need more power, but texts are easy to read and high resolutions are no problem. DTR are mainly intended for stationary desk use, where weight and energy hunger don't matter. In return, you enjoy the advantages of high resolutions (more details, better legibility).» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.

3.17 kg:

A laptop with this weight is comparatively heavy and less designed for mobility than for use at the desk. Therefore, the devices tend to shine less with battery life than with a large screen and higher performance.

Dell: Dell is a U.S. manufacturer (based in Texas) of computer hardware founded in 1984 and is one of the largest international manufacturers in terms of both market share and notebook models. Its product line includes desktops, notebooks, storage systems, monitors, servers, printers, consumer electronics and peripherals. Dell offers laptops that are suitable for various applications, such as business laptops, gaming laptops, ultra portables and workstations. Dell's business laptops from the Latitude and Precision series are an option for professional users and businesses.

In 2023, Dell had an approximate 17% market share of global PC sales, ranking #3 after Lenovo and HP.

For gaming enthusiasts, Dell's Alienware brand is for gaming notebooks.

80%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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