Temporary Fix - I have the same problem with my Precision 7750. Tech support suggested rolling back the BIOS however when I did this the system automatically updated to v1.8, even after removing Dell Support software. I unchecked two controls in BIOS setup, "UEFI Capsule Firmware Update" and "BIOS Recovery" and this stopped the autoupdate. See the CrystalDiskMark results below. Now just waiting for BIOS fix so I can turn auto-updates back on.
@treeski3 May I ask when you spoke with Dell and they suggested you perform the rollback? I had a SERVICE REQUEST 1065242234 where they came out and replaced the motherboard on my Precision 7550 and it did not solve the problem. After countless hours of dealing with this on my own (their Pro Support completely dropped the ball with me) I decided to downgrade the BIOS.
Below are benchmark results from CrystalDiskMark (Settings: NVMe SSD, Profile: Default) for the exact same drive when the laptop was running BIOS v.1.8.0 and v.1.7.0
@StlCardsFan04 Within the last two weeks. They mentioned the possibility of a power source issue like others have mentioned but my machine is on AC 24/7. I actually went through Chat and they have been responsive. The agent was not aware of the BIOS setting that I found to keep it from auto-updating. By your results on 1.7, it looks like my system still has some speed to gain. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure how to interpret the results. I just know the response is speedier without BIOS 1.8.
Is anyone else seeing this problem with the WD19DC Docking Station? I can get my 7550 to perform again by undocking this docking station which would seem to rule out a bios problem unless it is a problem with the bios working correctly with the WD19DC. This is the docking station intended for the Precision 7550 (high power), but when I connect the docking station it slows down the laptop.
Now this morning on boot up it says that the docking station fan is dead, but the fan does fire up at times ... I ran diagnostics and every thing was fin. It would be nice if someone could articulate clearly the problem here. Is it a bios upgrade problem. A bios upgrade problem with integration with the WD19DC.
I really dislike calling support. They usually have enough to do, but I'll give it another day.
By the way, I rebooted the docking station (power reset) and I did not get the same message on boot. The inconsistency is the problem. Tell me it is always a "fan" and I will call to get it replaced. Tell me it is the bios and I will wait. Personally, I don't think Dell technicians want to be replacing a bunch of WD19DC machines everywhere because of a bios problem, right?
Some clarity on this performance issue would help.
I (and a coworker with the exact same setup) both encountered the same problem using a 7750 with a WD19DC Docking Station. We didn't even realize the Docking Station had a Fan in it because neither of us has ever hear the fan turn on. But after upgrading to BIOS 1.8, both our PCs reported that the fan in the dock had "failed", and then the error went away after power-cycling the dock (at which point we both heard it ramp up to full speed for a couple seconds -- which is the first time either of use have ever heard the dock fans run at all). So, it may be that the problem with BIOS 1.8.0 is exacerbated (or dependent) upon using the dock. I haven't used my 7750 away from the office in a few weeks, it's only been powered by the dual-Thunderbolt connectors since installing the BIOS update. I downgraded back to BIOS 1.6.2 (which was installed previously) and the slowness problems went away. I used UserBenchmark to verify the CPU & SSD slowness that resulted from using BIOS 1.8.0, and saw about a 5x speed difference between the two. My coworker got the exact same results on his benchmark. So there's clearly a problem with the BIOS, but maybe DELL never tested it while connected to a WD19DC. I did call DELL ProSupport last week and was told there were no reports of any problems with BIOS 1.8.0, so who knows if a fix is actually being worked on by DELL.
Hi All, Dell engineering team is currently working on a solution and a BIOS update is slated to be released by the end of August 2021 to address the issue.
I download 1.8.1 & installed first thing this morning (UK). I didn't use the link, just went to drivers & download and searched for Bios and it was listed.
Just an fyi. Running a "Dell Command Update" shows my system completely up to date (Precision 7550). Also ran the Support Assistant from Dell's Support page and it determined the system was up to date. Ran "msinfo32" from the command line of the 7550 and it shows the system at bios level 1.8.0. So it doesn't appear that the normal way of updating has been put in process yet.
There does appear to be a 1.8.1 bios that is available and here is the description that I found (will post the details after the link so you don't have to follow it)
Note that it does not say anything about fixing performance issues only security and stability updates.
******
Fixes & Enhancements
Fixes:
- Firmware updates to address security vulnerabilities.
- Firmware updates to address the Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-00459 (CVE-2020-24507, CVE-2020-8703, CVE-2020-24506, and CVE-2020-24516).
- Firmware updates to address the Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-00464 (CVE-2020-24511 and CVE-2020-24512).
- Firmware updates to address the Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-00463 (CVE-2020-12359).
- Firmware security updates to address CVE-2021-21571 and CVE-2021-21572.
Enhancements:
- Improved the system stability when connected to AC adapter or dock Type-C charger.
**********************
So, if anyone actually does download the 1.8.1 and takes a "leap of faith" to install it, you will get my kudos if you let us know if it actually fixed your "performance" issues. Otherwise, I will just wait for the normal release process to kick in and distribute it.
Gary, thanks for posting this up. Much appreciated. I guess that the text file that comes with the 1.8.1 mentions the A.C. Power fix? It still isn't reflected in the "high level" information on the Dell site that I linked to above.
Glad to know a fix is out there. If I get frustrated enough I will do a one-off bios fix. I ran the Dell Command Update again this morning and it still says I am current at a 1.8.0 level.
Looks like the problem has been recognized and fixed for those who want to do a one-off bios update. That is good news. Thanks again for posting.
As Gary said above, I think we have a fix. I just did not want to run a separate bios update.
Today, I ran the Dell Command Update software and it found the 1.8.1 bios update and installed the latest bios. MSINFO32 confirmed the installation and update to 1.8.1.
I don't have a utility to check processor speeds and feeds, but the fans are powering away as Adobe is back at its normal performance level. Snagit, snapped up and is running without a problem on large images again.
treeski3
2 Posts
1
July 26th, 2021 12:00
Temporary Fix - I have the same problem with my Precision 7750. Tech support suggested rolling back the BIOS however when I did this the system automatically updated to v1.8, even after removing Dell Support software. I unchecked two controls in BIOS setup, "UEFI Capsule Firmware Update" and "BIOS Recovery" and this stopped the autoupdate. See the CrystalDiskMark results below. Now just waiting for BIOS fix so I can turn auto-updates back on.
StlCardsFan04
1 Rookie
•
12 Posts
1
July 26th, 2021 13:00
@treeski3 May I ask when you spoke with Dell and they suggested you perform the rollback? I had a SERVICE REQUEST 1065242234 where they came out and replaced the motherboard on my Precision 7550 and it did not solve the problem. After countless hours of dealing with this on my own (their Pro Support completely dropped the ball with me) I decided to downgrade the BIOS.
Below are benchmark results from CrystalDiskMark (Settings: NVMe SSD, Profile: Default) for the exact same drive when the laptop was running BIOS v.1.8.0 and v.1.7.0
Precision_7X50_1.8.0
Precision_7X50_1.7.0
treeski3
2 Posts
0
July 26th, 2021 14:00
@StlCardsFan04 Within the last two weeks. They mentioned the possibility of a power source issue like others have mentioned but my machine is on AC 24/7. I actually went through Chat and they have been responsive. The agent was not aware of the BIOS setting that I found to keep it from auto-updating. By your results on 1.7, it looks like my system still has some speed to gain. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure how to interpret the results. I just know the response is speedier without BIOS 1.8.
Peter Gr
6 Posts
0
July 27th, 2021 06:00
Is anyone else seeing this problem with the WD19DC Docking Station? I can get my 7550 to perform again by undocking this docking station which would seem to rule out a bios problem unless it is a problem with the bios working correctly with the WD19DC. This is the docking station intended for the Precision 7550 (high power), but when I connect the docking station it slows down the laptop.
Now this morning on boot up it says that the docking station fan is dead, but the fan does fire up at times ... I ran diagnostics and every thing was fin. It would be nice if someone could articulate clearly the problem here. Is it a bios upgrade problem. A bios upgrade problem with integration with the WD19DC.
I really dislike calling support. They usually have enough to do, but I'll give it another day.
By the way, I rebooted the docking station (power reset) and I did not get the same message on boot. The inconsistency is the problem. Tell me it is always a "fan" and I will call to get it replaced. Tell me it is the bios and I will wait. Personally, I don't think Dell technicians want to be replacing a bunch of WD19DC machines everywhere because of a bios problem, right?
Some clarity on this performance issue would help.
Cheers,
- Pete
daehl
4 Posts
1
July 27th, 2021 08:00
I (and a coworker with the exact same setup) both encountered the same problem using a 7750 with a WD19DC Docking Station. We didn't even realize the Docking Station had a Fan in it because neither of us has ever hear the fan turn on. But after upgrading to BIOS 1.8, both our PCs reported that the fan in the dock had "failed", and then the error went away after power-cycling the dock (at which point we both heard it ramp up to full speed for a couple seconds -- which is the first time either of use have ever heard the dock fans run at all). So, it may be that the problem with BIOS 1.8.0 is exacerbated (or dependent) upon using the dock. I haven't used my 7750 away from the office in a few weeks, it's only been powered by the dual-Thunderbolt connectors since installing the BIOS update. I downgraded back to BIOS 1.6.2 (which was installed previously) and the slowness problems went away. I used UserBenchmark to verify the CPU & SSD slowness that resulted from using BIOS 1.8.0, and saw about a 5x speed difference between the two. My coworker got the exact same results on his benchmark. So there's clearly a problem with the BIOS, but maybe DELL never tested it while connected to a WD19DC. I did call DELL ProSupport last week and was told there were no reports of any problems with BIOS 1.8.0, so who knows if a fix is actually being worked on by DELL.
daehl
4 Posts
1
July 27th, 2021 09:00
UPDATE: I just received a PM response from DELL that says they are working on a BIOS fix and that it should be released by the end of August.
DELL-Cares
Moderator
•
27.6K Posts
1
July 27th, 2021 09:00
Hi All, Dell engineering team is currently working on a solution and a BIOS update is slated to be released by the end of August 2021 to address the issue.
silverkorn
3 Posts
0
July 29th, 2021 11:00
BIOS version 1.8.1 was just released to correct this issue
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=gcr9h&oscode=wt64a&productcode=precision-17-7750-laptop
GaryJackson
15 Posts
0
July 30th, 2021 06:00
I download 1.8.1 & installed first thing this morning (UK). I didn't use the link, just went to drivers & download and searched for Bios and it was listed.
I have just done the same and now nothing listed?
OliWatkins
3 Posts
0
July 30th, 2021 06:00
Hi all.
Has anyone else had issues with the link in silverkorn's message? I click the link but just get redirected to a blank driver page. I am in the UK.
Also checked the support/ drivers page - there is no 1.8.1 or even 1.8 available now. Have Dell backed this off to 1.7?
Where are Dell with this? is it 1.8.1 now?
We have new machines everyday with this issue and the amount of work it is taking up rolling back the drivers is becoming an issue.
OliWatkins
3 Posts
0
July 30th, 2021 09:00
EDIT: The page now loads for me. Have downloaded the BIOS upgrade and look forward to implementing it. Thanks everyone.
Peter Gr
6 Posts
0
July 30th, 2021 12:00
Just an fyi. Running a "Dell Command Update" shows my system completely up to date (Precision 7550). Also ran the Support Assistant from Dell's Support page and it determined the system was up to date. Ran "msinfo32" from the command line of the 7550 and it shows the system at bios level 1.8.0. So it doesn't appear that the normal way of updating has been put in process yet.
There does appear to be a 1.8.1 bios that is available and here is the description that I found (will post the details after the link so you don't have to follow it)
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=gcr9h&oscode=wt64a&productcode=precision-15-7550-laptop
Note that it does not say anything about fixing performance issues only security and stability updates.
******
Fixes & Enhancements
- Firmware updates to address security vulnerabilities.
- Firmware updates to address the Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-00459 (CVE-2020-24507, CVE-2020-8703, CVE-2020-24506, and CVE-2020-24516).
- Firmware updates to address the Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-00464 (CVE-2020-24511 and CVE-2020-24512).
- Firmware updates to address the Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-00463 (CVE-2020-12359).
- Firmware security updates to address CVE-2021-21571 and CVE-2021-21572.
Enhancements:
- Improved the system stability when connected to AC adapter or dock Type-C charger.
GaryJackson
15 Posts
1
July 30th, 2021 23:00
Hi All
as previous post, updated to 1.8.1 yesterday. Worked all day with no issues. Update does mention enhancements in relation to AC Power
Peter Gr
6 Posts
0
July 31st, 2021 07:00
Gary, thanks for posting this up. Much appreciated. I guess that the text file that comes with the 1.8.1 mentions the A.C. Power fix? It still isn't reflected in the "high level" information on the Dell site that I linked to above.
Glad to know a fix is out there. If I get frustrated enough I will do a one-off bios fix. I ran the Dell Command Update again this morning and it still says I am current at a 1.8.0 level.
Looks like the problem has been recognized and fixed for those who want to do a one-off bios update. That is good news. Thanks again for posting.
Cheers,
- Pete
Peter Gr
6 Posts
0
August 3rd, 2021 12:00
As Gary said above, I think we have a fix. I just did not want to run a separate bios update.
Today, I ran the Dell Command Update software and it found the 1.8.1 bios update and installed the latest bios. MSINFO32 confirmed the installation and update to 1.8.1.
I don't have a utility to check processor speeds and feeds, but the fans are powering away as Adobe is back at its normal performance level. Snagit, snapped up and is running without a problem on large images again.
Thanks guys and gals.
Cheers,
- Pete