How to open Dell Precision 14 3490 – disassembly and upgrade options

Undo the 8 captive Phillips-head screws securing the bottom panel.
Use a lever tool to pop the areas behind the hinges.
Then, use a thin plastic tool to pry the sides and the front, leaving the back for last.

More info: Here’s how the bottom plate looks on the inside.

Battery Removal

Pull out the battery connector from the mainboard.
Undo the 5 Phillips-head screws securing the battery to the base.
Lift the battery to remove it from the device.

Note: This notebook has an optional 54Wh battery (the default variant is a 42Wh unit), providing approximately 9 hours of video playback.

Memory Information

Note: The two SODIMMs support up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz RAM in dual-channel mode. Since the CPU can handle up to 96GB, this laptop may support more than the official manufacturer’s specified limit.

You can buy compatible RAM modules here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Storage Upgrade

Locate the single M.2 slot compatible with 2230 Gen 4 SSDs.
The NVMe drive is covered by a metal plate held in place by two Phillips-head screws. Remove the plate and install the new SSD.
There is a small thermal pad beneath the metal cap to ensure proper cooling.

Hint: Don’t forget to check out our Top M.2 SSDs Performance Rankings for insights on the best storage options available.

You can buy compatible SSDs here: Buy from Amazon.com (#CommissionsEarned)

Wi-Fi Card

The Wi-Fi card is located above the M.2 slot.

Cooling System Overview

The cooling system includes one large fan, two long heat pipes, a top-mounted heat sink, and two heat spreaders.
Ensure all cooling components are clean and free of dust for optimal performance.

Dell Precision 14 3490 in-depth review

The Dell Precision 14 3490 is the smaller version of the Precision 3590 that we already reviewed. The latter is a good office machine with pleasant comfort under load. The 3490 model is offered with the same hardware as its bigger sibling. This means Intel Meteor Lake processors with 15W or 28W base power and an optional NVIDIA RTX 500 Ada Generation dGPU. We picked a laptop with the latter plus a Core Ultra 7 155H - that sounds like a pretty potent combination for such a small notebook. We are curious to see how good the cooling will be when it has to tame such internals fitted into a compact[...]

Read the full review

Pros

The fan is almost quiet under long CPU loads ()
Pretty solid chassis
Comfortable keyboard
PWM-free (BOE0A95)
Wide viewing angles (BOE0A95)
2x SODIMMs
Up-to-date port selection with 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports + HDMI 2.1 + LAN
Long battery life (around 9 hours of videos on a single charge)
Web camera with a privacy shutter
Optional Fingerprint reader, IR camera, keyboard backlight, NFC, Nano SIM slot, and SmartCard reader
Good comfort under max CPU loads
The CPU can sustain high clocks in short and medium loads (~3.00 GHz / 2.45 GHz for the P and E cores)
The bottom plate can be easily pried
The 1TB Samsung PM9C1a is fast for a 2230 NVMe drive