How to open Dell Precision 5490 – disassembly and upgrade options

LaptopMedia.com Guides How to open Dell Precision 5490 - disassembly and upgrade options

From: Severin Kolakov 01 August 2024 / 13:20 0

#CommissionsEarned

Dell Precision 14 5490

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
VideoCard: NVIDIA RTX 1000 Ada Generation
RAM: 16GB RAM
STORAGE: 512GB SSD

Detailed review

$1998^.00

Dell Precision 14 5490

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
VideoCard: NVIDIA RTX 1000 Ada Generation
RAM: 32GB RAM
STORAGE: 1024GB SSD

Detailed review

$3760^.11

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Opening the Device

Undo the 8 Torx-head screws securing the bottom panel.
Pop the zones close to the top two corners with a lever tool to create gaps in these sections.
Use a thin plastic tool to pry the sides and the front.
Pop the back with a lever tool to remove the bottom panel.

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

Battery Removal

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

Note: The laptop uses a 72Wh battery, providing approximately 14.5 hours of video playback.

Wi-Fi Card

Untangle the Wi-Fi card’s cables around the battery housing. Note that the Wi-Fi card is soldered.

Memory Information

Note: The memory is soldered. The laptop can be configured with up to 64GB of LPDDR5x-7467MHz RAM in dual-channel mode.

Storage Upgrade

Locate the single M.2 slot compatible with Gen 4 SSDs.
Remove the metal shroud protecting the preinstalled NVMe by undoing the single Phillips-head screw.
Slide the plate to the left to unlatch it from the standoff.
Install the new SSD in the slot. Note that there is a long thermal pad on the inside of the small metal plate.

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)

Cooling System Overview

The thermal system includes two large fans and a pair of long heat pipes shared between the CPU and GPU.
There are two top-mounted heatsinks and a duo of large heat spreaders.
Ensure all cooling components are clean and free of dust for optimal performance.

Dell Precision 14 5490 in-depth review

Year by year, the compact workstations are getting more powerful. That's the case with the Dell Precision 5490 which is treated with 28W Intel Meteor Lake-H CPUs and NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation graphics cards. That sounds pretty punchy for a 14-incher. Of course, given the size of this thing, there are some compromises here and there compared to the big heavy-duty iterations meant for 24/7 workloads.The memory is soldered and the storage options are as limited as it gets. Still, at least you can order the device with plenty of RAM and the port selection is one of the most up-to-date ones tha[...]

Read the full review

Pros

Compact and light for the hardware under the hood
Solid and premium build
Comfortable keyboard and touchpad
PWM-free (AUOF99A)
100% sRGB coverage + accurate color with our "Design and Gaming" profile (AUOF99A)
Wide viewing angles and a high max brightness of 466 nits (AUOF99A)
1860:1 contrast ratio (AUOF99A)
4x Thunderbolt 4 ports
Very long battery life (more than 14 hours of videos)
IR Web camera
Fingerprint reader, NFC, and Smart card reader (all are optional)
The CPU can maintain ~3.60 GHz in short and ~2.80 GHz P-core clock in long loads
The SSD (1TB SK Hynix PC811) is fast and well-cooled (it reaches just 51°C during benchmarking)
Up to 64GB of LPDDR5x-7467 MHz RAM in dual-channel mode