Dell Precision 3490

LaptopMedia.com Laptop Specs Dell Precision 14 3490 Dell Precision 3490

Date Published: 26 Sep 2024

Intel Core Ultra 7 165H
NVIDIA RTX 500 Ada Generation (35W)
14.0”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
1000GB SSD
32GB RAM
1.40 kg (3.1 lbs)

TOTAL SCORE

7.6 Portability Very Good

8.0 Display Excellent

7.2 For Work Very Good

6.1 For Gaming Good

Dell Precision 3490

$2459^.00 $1599^.21

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Specs

Display
14.0”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS

HDD/SSD
1000GB SSD

M.2 Slot
1x 2230 M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 See photo

RAM
32GB RAM

OS
Windows 11 Home

Body Material
Plastic / Polycarbonate, Carbon

Dimensions
321.35 x 212 x 19.06 - 21.04 mm (12.65" x 8.35" x 0.75")

Weight
1.40 kg (3.1 lbs)

Ports and connectivity

1x USB Type-A
3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)

1x USB Type-A
3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Sleep and Charge

2x USB Type-C
4.0, Thunderbolt 4, Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort

HDMI
2.1

Card Reader
microSD (microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC)

Ethernet LAN
10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E

Bluetooth
5.3

Audio jack
3.5mm Combo Jack

Features

Web camera
FHD IR with Ambient Light Sensor, Express Sign-In with Presence Detection and Intelligent Privacy

Microphone
Digital Array Microphones

Speakers
2x 2.5W Stereo Speakers, Waves MaxxAudio

Optical drive

Security Lock slot
Wedge Lock

Portability

Dell Precision 14 3490

12.65" x 8.35" x 0.75" Dimensions

1.40 kg (3.1 lbs) Weight

Average 14.0-inch laptop

1.46 kg (3.2 lbs) +5% Weight

Review

Dell Precision 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 chassis.When it comes to displays, you have a choice of three 60Hz 1080p 16:9 panels with an anti-glare coating. There is also a touchscreen in the mix. The port selection looks great for this ki[...]

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

Cons

Pricey
The NVMe gets hot during benchmarking - 79°C
Too many optional goodies

Disassembly, maintenance and upgrade options

Opening the DeviceUndo 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 RemovalPull 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), pr[...]