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MagyarNvidia RTX A5500 debut: Dell Precision 7670 Performance workstation review
Dell is taking a lot of risks with its new Precision 7670 series. Not only is it the first production laptop to utilize CAMM, but the series itself consists of a thinner model and a more powerful thicker model (called the "Performance" or "Ultimate" model) depending on the configuration. We reviewed the thinner model last month and so now we'll take a look at the thicker model.
Other than their slight differences in Z height, the two models share exactly the same chassis design and features. We recommend checking out our existing review on the thinner Precision 7670 to learn more about the physical features of the series.
Our specific review unit is the highest-end configuration with the Core i9-12950HX CPU, RTX A5500 GPU, and 2400p 16:10 OLED touchscreen for approximately $7000 USD. Lesser SKUs go down to the Core i7-12850HX or RTX A4500, but all options come with the same 2400p IPS touchscreen. In contrast, the thinner Precision 7670 can only go up to the RTX A2000 GPU.
Competitors in this space include other 16-inch mobile workstations like the MSI CreatorPro Z16P, HP ZBook Studio 16, or Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4.
More Dell reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89.1 % | 12/2022 | Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance i9-12950HX, RTX A5500 Laptop GPU | 2.8 kg | 25.95 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 | |
| 84.3 % | 11/2022 | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST i7-12700H, RTX A3000 Laptop GPU | 2.4 kg | 19 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 90.1 % | 11/2022 | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA i7-12800H, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 19 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 | |
| 82.9 % | 10/2022 | HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA i7-1265U, T550 Laptop GPU | 2 kg | 19.2 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 89.3 % | 02/2022 | Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS i7-11800H, T1200 Laptop GPU | 1.8 kg | 17.7 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 88.4 % | 10/2022 | Dell Precision 7670 i7-12850HX, RTX A2000 Laptop GPU | 2.7 kg | 24.7 mm | 16.00" | 3840x2400 |
Case
Length and width are identical to the regular slimmer Precision 7670 while thickness and weight have been bumped up by about 1.3 mm and 100 g, respectively. It's difficult to notice the differences in practice as the regular Precision 7670 is already one of the thicker and heavier mobile workstations.
SD Card Reader
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Dell Precision 7670 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST (AV Pro V60) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA (Angelbird AV PRO V60) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Dell Precision 7670 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST (AV Pro V60) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA (Angelbird AV PRO V60) | |
Communication
Though the Intel AX211 is present on all Precision 7670 SKUs, performance is slower than expected on our specific test unit. Average transmit rates is only 891 Mbps when paired to our 6 Ghz network compared to almost twice that on the MSI CreatorPro Z16P or HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9 each with the same AX211 module. We repeated this test six times on two different days just to make sure, but results would not improve.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
Webcam
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by six Philips screws for easy servicing. The internals are similar to the slimmer Precision 7670 save for the differences in battery capacity, number of available storage bays, and presence of a small heat sink.
Display
Display options are identical to the ones available on the thinner Precision 7670. Our test unit uses the same Samsung 160YV03 OLED panel promising full P3 colors.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 325.2 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.59 | 0.59-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 2.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.5
98.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.1
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance Samsung 160YV03, OLED, 3840x2400, 16.00 | MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST B160QAN02.N, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA BOE0A52, IPS, 3840x2400, 16.00 | HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA BOE0A02, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS NE160QDM-N63, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Dell Precision 7670 Samsung 160YV03, OLED, 3840x2400, 16.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -4% | -5% | -22% | -17% | -0% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 99.9 | 97.6 -2% | 97.5 -2% | 68.1 -32% | 72.7 -27% | 99.9 0% |
| sRGB Coverage | 100 | 99.9 0% | 99.9 0% | 96.1 -4% | 99.3 -1% | 100 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 98.1 | 87.4 -11% | 86.3 -12% | 70 -29% | 74.7 -24% | 97.5 -1% |
| Response Times | -441% | -475% | -1843% | -1550% | -2% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 1.84 ? | 12.8 ? -596% | 15.3 ? -732% | 52.8 ? -2770% | 40.8 -2117% | 1.9 ? -3% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 1.92 ? | 7.4 ? -285% | 6.1 ? -218% | 19.5 ? -916% | 20.8 -983% | 2 ? -4% |
| PWM Frequency | 59.52 ? | 59.5 ? 0% | ||||
| Screen | 32% | 50% | 4% | 7% | 2% | |
| Brightness middle | 325.2 | 407 25% | 554 70% | 526 62% | 441 36% | 340.1 5% |
| Brightness | 328 | 388 18% | 516 57% | 499 52% | 420 28% | 342 4% |
| Brightness Distribution | 97 | 88 -9% | 84 -13% | 93 -4% | 90 -7% | 98 1% |
| Black Level * | 0.36 | 0.47 | 0.31 | 0.27 | ||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.59 | 1.3 72% | 1 78% | 3.6 22% | 2.6 43% | 2.5 46% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.65 | 2.5 67% | 2.4 69% | 6.6 14% | 6 22% | 8.19 -7% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.5 | 2.1 16% | 1.6 36% | 5.5 -120% | 4.5 -80% | 3.5 -40% |
| Gamma | 2.1 105% | 2.26 97% | 2.29 96% | 2.02 109% | 2.18 101% | 2.12 104% |
| CCT | 6541 99% | 6437 101% | 6458 101% | 6527 100% | 6623 98% | 6704 97% |
| Contrast | 1131 | 1179 | 1697 | 1633 | ||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 1.2 | ||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -138% /
-64% | -143% /
-61% | -620% /
-339% | -520% /
-283% | 0% /
0% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.92 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.92 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 1 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.4 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 2 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (22.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.84 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.92 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.92 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 2 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (35.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 59.52 Hz | ≤ 100 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 59.52 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 100 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 59.52 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19454 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Flickering is present on all brightness settings as with most OLED panels. We're able to record a frequency of 238.1 Hz from 0 to 57 percent brightness and 59.5 Hz from 58 percent to maximum.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set our unit to Ultra Performance mode via the Dell Optimizer software and the GPU to discrete graphics prior to running any performance benchmarks below. It's highly recommended that owners become familiar with Optimizer as it is the hub for controlling many specific features of the laptop including Presence Detection and charging behavior.
We can find no MUX switch anywhere in the software or BIOS.
Processor
Multi-thread performance is only about 8 to 14 percent faster than the Core i7-12850HX in our slimmer Precision 7670. The narrow margin is not unexpected, but the more surprising aspect is the somewhat poor Turbo Boost sustainability of our Core i9-12950HX. When running CineBench R15 xT in a loop, performance would fall by about 17 percent over time instead of remaining steady throughout. The performance deficit is similar to what we observed on the regular Precision 7670 despite the thicker profile of our Performance model.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (6625 - 8777, n=6) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (18.6 - 26.5, n=6) | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (34.7 - 45.4, n=6) | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| Average Intel Core i9-12950HX (0.4251 - 0.4515, n=6) | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
System Performance
PCMark results are comparable to higher-end mobile workstations currently available including the HP ZBook Fury 15 G8.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 Score | 6883 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage even after several retests. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth and without any dropped frames.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Dell Precision 7000 7670 Performance | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P1 G4-20Y4Z9DVUS | |
| Dell Precision 7670 | |
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G9 62U04EA | |
| HP ZBook Firefly 16 G9-6B897EA | |
| MSI CreatorPro Z16P B12UKST | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Users can install up to three PCIe4 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSDs instead of just two on the slimmer regular model. The two SK Hynix PC801 drives in our unit are installed in RAID 0 configuration for insanely high real-world sequential read and write rates of about 13000 MB/s and 10000 MB/s, respectively. Each SSD slot comes with their own heat spreader and thermal pad for heat dissipation.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The RTX A5500 is roughly 60 to 80 percent faster than the RTX A2000 in the slimmer Precision 7670 to be one of the fastest mobile workstations currently in the market. It's not all that much better than the two-year old Quadro RTX 5000 in the Acer ConceptD 9 Pro or Asus ProArt StudioBook Pro X, however, even in terms of ray-tracing performance. The RTX A5000 in the larger 17.3-inch MSI WE76 outperforms our RTX A5500 in most benchmarks.
