Dell Precision 7730 VR Ready Review (Pros + Cons)

Some mobile workstations are bigger than portable. For example, consider the Dell Precision 7730 VR Ready, a powerful 17-inch workstation laptop for experts in industries like engineering, graphic design, advanced data modeling, and virtual reality content creation. There are no surprises in the build quality or feature set, and not every model will be as quick as this top-notch edition.

However, it has a near-ideal pro-machine loadout thanks to its 4K monitor, Core i9 CPU, powerful Quadro GPU, 32GB of memory, and lightning-quick twin SSDs. Because of its improved portability and excellent screen, the Dell Precision 5530 retains our Editor’s Choice, but if you want to go big, this is very appealing. It is only a little slower than the Dell Precision 5530.

Dell Precision 7730 VR Ready

The Precision 7730 is the only laptop you need to consider if you require the maximum power possible, regardless of cost or size. This workstation offers lightning-fast speed and a gorgeous, colorful 4K display. This powerful computer hits (nearly) all the right notes when premium design, a comfortable keyboard, and durable construction are considered.

Unfortunately, there are some problems with battery life and heat control. Take the jump, though, and invest in a Precision 7730 if you’re an engineer or creative who requires a powerful workstation.

You won’t regret it. Lift the Dell Precision 7730 with both arms to protect your wrists. If you have a reputable chiropractor, travel with this setup in a backpack. The laptop weighs 7.5 pounds, which is heavier than the HP ZBook 17 G4’s (7.1 pounds), but less than the sumo-sized ThinkPad P71 (8 pounds).

Display

Your watching experience on the Precision 7730’s 17-inch display is comparable to going to the movies. The colors it generates are extraordinarily brilliant and rich, and its bright 4K panel is incredibly detailed.

The minor elements in the set design could be seen in the trailer for the upcoming autobiographical movie Green Book, such as individual records in Mahershala Ali’s home during a broad pan of his opulent living room and wisps of smoke rising from Viggo Mortensen’s cigarette. The blue paint on the pianist’s Chevy stood out, looking like it had just left the showroom.

Your watching experience on the Precision 7730’s 17-inch display is comparable to going to the movies. Like this, the neon lights and vibrant explosions in the upcoming sci-fi movie Kin’s trailer burst with deep, saturated blues and oranges.

I was amazed every time I visited my favorite websites on the Precision, even though matte screens don’t usually have the same wow impact as their glossy equivalents. Skin tones appear oversaturated, which is my biggest issue with the display, although you can change the color temperature using Dell’s built-in display calibration program.

We measured the noteworthy characteristics of the display. The panel achieved one of the highest ratings, reproducing an astounding 211 percent of the sRGB color gamut. Although the HP ZBook 17 G4 (173%) and Lenovo ThinkPad P71 (183%) made an impression, their panels were far less vibrant than the Precisions. At 149 percent, the workstation average is substantially lower.

It would help if you didn’t have trouble using the Precision 7730 in bright surroundings because of its matte display and high peak brightness. The display’s maximum brightness of 330 nits was higher than that of the HP ZBook 17 G4 and ThinkPad P71 (283 nits) (256 nits). At 325 nits, the workstation average is also darker.

Keyboard, Touchpad, And Pointing Stick

The chiclet-style keyboard with Numpad has an actuation force of 69 grams and essential travel of 1.6 millimeters (1.5mm to 2mm is recommended). It is comfortable to use, even for extended periods. The illuminated keys are substantial, tactile, well-spaced, and provide satisfying feedback.

I could type 114 words per minute with a 5% mistake rate on the 10fastfingers.com typing test. That is slower than my 119 word-per-minute average but matches my accuracy rate of 95%; this is probably due to the key’s more vital than average actuation force.

The Precision 7730’s 3.9 x 2.1-inch touchpad is relatively small for a powerfull laptop of this size. Fortunately, it compensated for its size by responding swiftly to my actions, such as pinching to zoom, tapping with four fingers to open settings, and swiping with three fingers to switch between programs.

You can utilize the tiny rubber nub in the middle of the Precision 7730’s keyboard if touchpads aren’t your thing. Suppose you can even locate it. The absence of a bright ring around the black pointing stick allows it to blend in with the dark deck. However, I had no trouble navigating the web with the pointing stick and another left, right, and middle click keys.

Performance

A powerhouse in terms of performance is Precision 7730. The Precision 7730, which has an Intel Core i9-8950HK processor and 32GB of RAM, loaded 30 Microsoft Edge tabs swiftly, four playing YouTube videos, and two streaming Fortnite on Twitch.

The workstation opened the Xbox and 3D Paint Windows apps without breaking a sweat, even with that intense job happening in the background. Yes, impressive, but not unexpected, given that the Precision 7730 handles the most taxing jobs, such as video encoding and 3D rendering.

Graphics

With 16GB of GDDR5 memory, the Nvidia Quadro P5200 GPU has enough capacity to handle the most graphically demanding software or the newest games at high settings. With this GPU, the Precision 7730 outperformed the workstation average (3,643), the Lenovo ThinkPad P71 (3,588), and the HP ZBook 17 G4 (3,643) with a score of 3,953 on the 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra synthetic graphics test (1,490).

With 16GB of GDDR5 memory, the Nvidia Quadro P5200 GPU has enough capacity to handle the most graphically demanding software or the newest games at high settings. Drifting through hairpin curves should feel smooth because the Precision 7730 ran the racing game Dirt 3 at 223 frames per second. The identical game ran 171 frames per second on the HP ZBook 17 G4 with an Nvidia Quadro P5000.

Audio

The Precision 7730’s bottom-firing speakers provide enough volume to fill a big room, but the sound quality suffers. Glen Hansard’s strong voice was prominent when I listened to the vocal-driven song “Grace Beneath the Pines,” but the Irishman seemed muffled, and the sad piano chords that give the song its pulse were hollow and empty.

The fast-paced song “New Light” by John Mayer gave me the same feelings. Although Mayer’s silky-smooth vocals sounded somewhat realistic, the lively song’s instruments were disorganized, and the percussion strikes lacked weight.

A Battery’s Life

Even with the additional 97Wh battery, the Precision 7730’s battery life is short. On the Laptop Battery Test, which involves continuous web browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the device shuts down after only 4 hours and 14 minutes. Even though the HP ZBook 17 G4 (5:23) and Lenovo ThinkPad P71 (5:57) lasted for more than an hour longer, they still fall short of the workstation run-time average (6:49).

Webcam

The webcam on the Precision 7730 works fine. The 720p lens generates unnatural-looking hues but captures a respectable amount of detail. My face appeared oversaturated in red in a selfie I took in our dimly lit office, and the blouse I was wearing was so black that I couldn’t see the pattern of white dots on it.

Heat

After we played a 15-minute HD YouTube video, the Precision 7730 couldn’t maintain its cooling. The underside (108 degrees) and the center of the keyboard warmed up to above our 95-degree comfort threshold while the touchpad remained at a pleasant 83 degrees Fahrenheit. The vent on the underside recorded a worrying 110 degrees.

Programs And Warranties

There isn’t much-preinstalled software on the Precision 7730’s Windows 10 Pro operating system. What’s provided is very practical, including PremiereColor, which lets you change display color, brightness, and white balance, and Dell Power Manager, which monitors the condition of your battery.

A total of 10 Dell-branded applications help you improve the workstation’s performance and offer general warranty and technical assistance. The Dell Precision Optimizer, which employs AI to optimize apps automatically, is one prominent program. On the Precision 7730, the bloatware that Microsoft generally bundles with Windows 10 is mainly missing.

There are still a few programs, such as LinkedIn and the Microsoft Solitaire Collection, but Candy Crush games are no longer available. Dell Precision’s standard three-year guarantee can extend with on-site repair services to five years.

Editors Rating

4.5 Out Of 5 Stars

Testing

The Precision 7730 finished our Excel Spreadsheet Test, which entails matching 65,000 names to their respective addresses in just 1 minute and 19 seconds. The average for workstations is slightly slower, at 1:21.

The Geekbench 4 total performance test result for this conventional laptop was 23,130. This score is much higher than the workstation average (15,839), the Lenovo ThinkPad P71 (15,972), and the HP ZBook 17 G4 (15,839) (15,252).

The Precision offers rapid storage as well. The workstation’s two 512GB M.2 PCIe SSDs replicated 4.97GB of mixed-media files in 9 seconds on our file transfer test for a speed of 565 MB/s. That is faster than the workstation average (505.6 MBps) and the Lenovo ThinkPad P71’s rate (463 MBps), but it falls short of the HP ZBook 17 G4’s lightning-fast dual-SSDs (848 MBps).

The Precision 7730 completed a 4K to 1080p video transcoding task using the HandBrake program in just 8 minutes and 59 seconds, which is more than twice as quickly as the workstation average (17:44).

Product Comparison

The NVIDIA Quadro P1000 graphics card, Intel Core i7-8850H processor, and 16 GB of RAM are all included in this Dell laptop. The Precision 7730’s construction is almost identical to those of its predecessors. Although the Precision 7730’s case is less substantial, it shares the Precision 7720’s keyboard, trackpad, and port display.

The chiclet-style keyboard with Numpad has an actuation pressure of 69 grams and a critical journey of 1.6 millimeters, making it pleasant to use even when typing for extended periods. The spacious, illuminated keys are heavy and tactile, providing excellent feedback.

Since the ZBook 15u G5 was created by the same team that created the stunning Spectre 13, it makes sense that it is a stylish laptop. It’s incredibly slim for a 15.6-inch laptop, measuring just 0.72 inches, and light enough that you won’t mind carrying it around, especially considering the performance trade-off. This immediately makes me think of the LG gram 15Z980. Although the lid may be opened with one hand, the hinge is strong.

Final Summary

A fantastic workstation with class-leading performance and a vibrant, bright 4K display is the Precision 7730. The cherry on top is a comfy keyboard, an upscale design, and a powerful GPU. It would be nice if the laptop’s battery lasted a few more hours and the chassis didn’t get uncomfortable and heated while under a lot of strain.

It can fit on your table to serve as your primary desktop alternative. It’s a big, bulky thing. It’s hardly a laptop you’d relish lugging on a trip or carrying on your commute home. It fills up most of any typical carry-on bag, and its weight quickly strains your shoulder.

Although it’s a mobile workstation, the workstation is the main subject. With dimensions of 0.66 by 14.1 by 9.3 inches and a weight of 3.93 pounds, its smaller brother, the Precision 5530, is a far more appealing option for anyone who needs to travel with their gadget.