Big Laptop, Little Laptop

"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
10/04/2017 at 15:13 • Filed to: Dell

A new Xeon-equipped 17.3” Dell Precision 7720 just arrived at work. It’s bigly. Yet somehow the trackpad is like half the size of my MacBook’s. I haven’t really done much with it yet, but AMA I guess.

DISCUSSION (30)

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 15:18

quadro m2000m?

I optioned these versus the msi workstation laptops I got my electrical engineers.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/04/2017 at 15:36

Quadro P3000 6 GB actually. Replaces the M3000M. So it should basically be a mobile GTX 1060. One of the things we’re using this for is CUDA-enabled, so we wanted a card that it could really take advantage of.

crowmolly > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 15:37

Does the 7720 work on a port replicator?

Tripper > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 15:42

Hah, I also roll a Precision for work and a macbook 12 for the road (most other things). The precision stays docked in my office. I would normally go for a desktop, but one of the partners had me order it and then wanted a latitude because the precision was so big...So I took his “old” one.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > crowmolly
10/04/2017 at 15:55

It has the standard Dell dock connector on the bottom if that is what you are asking.

crowmolly > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 15:57

Yup, thanks. Dell sales reps were astonishingly misinformed about some of the other models.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 15:59

Looking at my 15" Latitude. Makes me feel inadequate.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Tripper
10/04/2017 at 16:00

Makes sense. I have a Precision tower as my main office workstation. This little (big) guy is a bit of a unique use case. Later this month we have to run a job at a contractor site for six weeks. It’ll basically be sitting on a desk the duration of the time that it is there. After that it might go back and forth a few times on two-week stints and do a few month-long jobs in various labs back here. So nobody will really be hiking around with it, but it is a lot easier to ship this than a tower, monitor, and keyboard.

deekster_caddy > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 16:01

Ugh. We use 99% Dell at work and they are decent machines but everybody hates the trackpads. Literally everybody. It’s one of those things where Apple just does it right and everybody else doesn’t seem to care...

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/04/2017 at 16:03

On the other hand you can take your Latitude places without breaking your back.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > deekster_caddy
10/04/2017 at 16:04

This one is pretty bad in the 15 minutes I’ve used it so far. Too small, weird texture, cursor doesn’t responsd smoothly. It’s a little better than the M4600 this is effectively replacing but yeah Apple does this much better. The rest of the hardware is pretty nice though.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 16:08

True, its more than adequate for what I need.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > crowmolly
10/04/2017 at 16:11

It even came with this adapter plate for the dock:

Kinja'd!!!

It looks like it will stick out from the dock quite a bit because they’ve moved the connector to the back edge of the body right by the hinge, but it will work. It’s frustrating getting correct answers out of Dell support and Dell’s online specs are often incomplete. But I don’t blame the support guys much because some of these systems have really bizarre configuration limitations. Like if you get a fingerprint reader you need to get a 216.3W power supply and the green backlit keyboard but not the white backlit or some other seemingly unrelated bullshit.

Chariotoflove > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 16:23

Every time I touch or use a Dell, it feels like the interior of a base trim Malibu.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 16:37

Daaaamn. That’s a nice workstation laptop. Sucks about the trackpad though.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 16:43

Solidworks?

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove
10/04/2017 at 17:01

At least the Dell doesn’t fabric covering the screen bezel like the Malibu has on the dashboard... wait or is that actually an up-trim thing in the Malibu? All I know is that the last Malibu I rented had seat fabric surrounding the radio and it was awful. (Admittedly this actually kinda-sorta-works on the upper trims where the dash insert is a gray or brown leather.)

Kinja'd!!!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > cmill189 - sans Volvo
10/04/2017 at 17:02

Eh, when the thing is already this big we’ll probably just use a mouse with it.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/04/2017 at 17:06

It’s a custom-developed data visualizer that we want to use CUDA with. We do use SolidWorks, though, and will probably load it on here. I’ve found that the models we do in SW don’t really need more than an NVS card, so this is probably overkill for that application... but room to grow I guess.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 17:08

18 is super bloated right now, neigh on unusable with full power gpu

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > deekster_caddy
10/04/2017 at 17:19

Basically any Windows laptop which doesn’t use the stock Microsoft driver has an awful trackpad. The Microsoft Precision trackpad on my XPS 15 is wonderful and has all the fancy features you could need so I don’t get why people keep making custom hardware and drivers. The Precision trackpad standard is 95% as good as the Macbook trackpads (the Macs are a tiny bit better at not jittering when you click but that is 100% because Mac trackpads don’t actually move. Palm rejection can also be a bit meh on my machine if you aren’t fully resting your hands on the pad).

Funktheduck > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 17:31

Can it run Crysis?

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
10/04/2017 at 17:31

Eek. I’m hanging out on 2017 and actually still have 2015 installed side-by-side with it.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
10/04/2017 at 17:36

I really boggles my mind that the “consumer” Windows laptops have way better trackpads than the “business” and “pro” ones. I get that mobile workstations tend to skip some of the latest tech in favor of reliability, but the trackpad on this 7720 is straight out of 2010. It’s so far behind that it’s ridiculous on a machine this expensive.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > cmill189 - sans Volvo
10/04/2017 at 17:38

it’s more a case of mac having huuuuuuge trackpads

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Funktheduck
10/04/2017 at 17:41

IDK. Maybe not at 4K, but I assume it can do OK. The GPU is P3000 6 GB which is roughly equivalent to a GTX 1060. Pretty sure I’ll get in trouble with our IT guys if they find games on it, though.

Chariotoflove > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 18:53

I saw one last week with leather seating areas, but fabric around the sides. Never saw that before. It was...interesting.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove
10/04/2017 at 19:30

Was it a rental? If not maybe the owner bought a lower trim but had leather seat covers installed? I can’t imagine that’s a factory thing.

Chariotoflove > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
10/04/2017 at 20:17

It was at the State Fair auto show. So all factory. I was surprised

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove
10/04/2017 at 20:28

Huh. How bizarre. But I guess that pretty much sums up GM these days.