Dell Precision 5540 vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2019): Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Dell Precision 5540 and MacBook Pro 15” (2019) specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Dell Precision 5540 Pros

Reasons that Dell Precision 5540 is better than MacBook Pro 15” (2019).

Supports larger memory

Dell Precision 5540 supports a larger memory capacity than the MacBook Pro 15” (2019). It supports up to 64GB versus 32GB of system memory on the MacBook Pro 15” (2019).

Max system memory size
Dell Precision 5540
64 GB
MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
32 GB
Supports faster memory

Dell Precision 5540 supports a faster memory speed than the MacBook Pro 15” (2019). It supports up to 3200MHz versus 2400MHz of system memory on the MacBook Pro 15” (2019).

Memory type and speed
Dell Precision 5540 - DDR4
3,200 MHz
MacBook Pro 15” (2019) - DDR4
2,400 MHz
Upgradable memory

Dell Precision 5540 comes with two SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the MacBook Pro 15” (2019) since it has onboard memory.

MemoryDell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Slots
x2
Onboard
TypeDDR4DDR4
Upgradable storage

Dell Precision 5540 comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that you can replace and upgrade in the future. On top of that, it also has a single SATA slot that users can use to install a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive to add even more storage.

SlotsDell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
M.2
Yes x1
Onboard
Has three more ports and slots

Dell Precision 5540 has more ports and slots count than the MacBook Pro 15” (2019). It has eight versus five amount of ports and slots on the MacBook Pro 15” (2019).

PortsDell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotYesNo
power portYesNo
Thunderbolt 3YesYes x4
USB-AYes x2No
Total85
More versatile connectivity

Dell Precision 5540 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the MacBook Pro 15” (2019). It has six versus two commonly used ports and slots on the MacBook Pro 15” (2019).

PortsDell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
headphone jackYesYes
Thunderbolt 3YesYes
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
power portYesNo
USB-AYesNo

MacBook Pro 15” (2019) Pros

We couldn't find any advantages of MacBook Pro 15” (2019) over Dell Precision 5540.

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Dell Precision 5540 Price
DELL Precision 5540 Workstation Intel Core i7-9850H 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display 32GB RAM 512GB SSD NVIDIA Quadro 4GB Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
DELL Precision 5540 Workstation Intel Core i7-9850H 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display 32GB RAM 512GB SSD NVIDIA Quadro 4GB Win 11 Pro (Renewed)
By DELL
$502.29
Dell Precision 5540 Workstation Laptop PC 15.6" FHD Intel Core i7-9850H Processor, 32GB Ram, 1TB NVMe SSD Drive, Web Camera HDMI NVIDIA Quadro T1000 4GB GDDR5 Windows 10 (Renewed)
Dell Precision 5540 Workstation Laptop PC 15.6" FHD Intel Core i7-9850H Processor, 32GB Ram, 1TB NVMe SSD Drive, Web Camera HDMI NVIDIA Quadro T1000 4GB GDDR5 Windows 10 (Renewed)
By Dell
$700.00
Dell Precision M5540 15.6 UHD Touchscreen Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60Ghz 32GB 1TB SSDR Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
Dell Precision M5540 15.6 UHD Touchscreen Intel Core i7-9750H 2.60Ghz 32GB 1TB SSDR Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)
By Dell
$639.00
MacBook Pro 15” (2019) Price
Mid 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.3 GHz Intel Core i9 (15 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
Mid 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.3 GHz Intel Core i9 (15 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$626.00
Mid 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inches, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
Mid 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 (15-inches, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) (QWERTY English) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$613.39
Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB) Space Gray (Renewed)
Late 2019 Apple MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 (16 inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB) Space Gray (Renewed)
By Apple
$615.00
$669.95 8% OFF

Availability

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Released20192019
Release Date
  • Announced at Computex 2019.
  • Available from early July 2019.
Announced on May 16th, 2019
PricingStarting at $1,339
  • $2,399 - Intel Core i7 | 16GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $2,799 - Intel Core i7 | 16GB RAM | 512GB SSD
Generations

Exterior

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Dimensions14.06 x 9.26 x 0.44 in (357 x 235 x 11.2 mm)
Width: 14.06” (357 mm)
Depth: 9.26” (235 mm)
Height: 0.44” (11.2 mm)
13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61” (349.3 mm x 240.7 mm x 155 mm)
Weight3.93 lbs (1.78 kg)Starting at 4.02 pounds (1.83 kg)
Colors
  • Aluminum Platinum Silver LCD Cover
  • Aluminum Titan Gray LCD Cover
Space Gray Silver
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Full-size backlit keyboard.
  • 4.03 x 2.45 in (102.40 mm x 62.40 mm) touchpad with 5 multi-touch gesture support.
Backlit Magic Keyboard with:
  • 64 (U.S.) or 65 (ISO) keys including 4 arrow keys
  • Touch Bar with integrated Touch ID sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Display

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Size15.6 Inches15.4 Inches
Info
  • 15.6" UltraSharp FHD IGZO4
    • 1920x1080, AG, NT, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% sRGB.
  • 15.6" Ultrasharp UHD IGZO4
    • 3840x2160, Touch, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% Adobe,
  • 15.6" Ultrasharp OLED UHD
    • 3840x2160, Non-Touch,w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% DCI-P3
Retina display
  • Retina display
  • 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2880-by-1800 native resolution at 220 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1920 by 1200
    • 1680 by 1050
    • 1280 by 800
    • 1024 by 640
  • 500 nits brightness
  • Wide color (P3)
  • True Tone technology

Ports

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Dell Precision 5540 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (5)
  • 1 x power port
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 1 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x lock slot
Left (2)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Charging, Displayport
Right (3)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Charging, Displayport

Internal Specs

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Processor
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H
    4 cores, 8 threads, 2.50 → 4.30 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.60 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  4. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  6. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.60 → 4.50 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
Integrated Graphics
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1100 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  4. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    Intel® UHD Graphics P630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  6. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
  1. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1150 MHz
  2. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  3. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Memory
  • Memory Slots
    • 2 x DDR4 SoDIMM
  • Memory Configurations
    • Minimum Memory: 8GB
    • Maximum Memory: 64GB
16GB
configurable to 32GB of 2400MHz DDR4 onboard memory
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA Quadro T1000 (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1395 → 1455 MHz, 768 CUDA Cores.
  • NVIDIA Quadro T2000 (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1575 → 1785 MHz, 1,024 CUDA Cores.
  • AMD Radeon Pro 555X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
  • AMD Radeon Pro 560XM with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
  • AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 with 4GB of HBM2 memory
  • AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB of HBM2 memory
Storage
  • Hard Drive Slots
    • 1 x M.2 PCIe SSD slot
    • 1 x 2.5 inches hard drive slot
      Available only on a 3-cell 56Wh battery model.
  • Hard Drive Configurations
    • Up to 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
    • Up to 2TB SATA Hard Drive
256GB 512GB
configurable to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB SSD

Connectivity

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Wi-Fi
  • Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz
  • Intel Wireless-AC 9260 2x2 802.11ac
  • Qualcomm QCA6174A 2x2 802.11ac
  • 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology

Battery

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Size
  • 56 Wh (3-cell lithium-ion)
  • 97 Wh (6-cell lithium-ion)
83.6 Wh lithium‑polymer battery
Battery Life-
  • Up to 10 hours wireless web
  • Up to 10 hours Apple TV app movie playback
  • Up to 30 days of standby time
Power Supply130 W power adapter
Power rated at 19.5VDC/6.67A.
87W USB‑C Power Adapter

Software

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Ubuntu 18.04 LTS RedHat 7.5
Upgradable to Windows 11
Shipped with macOS Catalina
Built-in Apps
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee® Small Business Security 30 Day Free Trial
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player

Camera & Audio

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
720p FaceTime HD camera
Audio
  • Waves MaxxAudio Pro
  • Two speakers
  •  dual-array microphones
  • Stereo speakers with high dynamic range
  • Three microphones
  • 3.5mm headphone jack

Misc

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Windows Hello compliant fingerprint reader in the power button (optional)
  • Touch ID sensor
Security
  • Intel® vPro™ Technology (iAMT 12) (optional, requires Intel WiFi® Link WLAN and a vPro compatible processor), Dell Client Command Suite available (dell.com/command), Factory Installed Dell Client Command | Update, Dell Command | Power Manager
  • Intel® Platform Trust Technology
  • Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
  • Chassis wedge-shaped security lock
  • Support for Computrace and SmartCard Reader
  • Touch Fingerprint Reader with Control Vault 3.0 (Advanced Authentication with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification)
  • Touch ID sensor
In the box-
  • 15‑inch MacBook Pro
  • 87W USB‑C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)
Warranty1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote DiagnosisYour MacBook Pro comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one‑year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.
More-
Video Support
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:
  • Up to two displays with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Up to four displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
  • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  • VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)

Key Features

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)
At Glance
Released in
2019
16:9 4K UHD
15.6”
2160p OLED
Weight
3.93 lb
1.78 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,114
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,504
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
64GB
3200 MHz DDR4
Dell Precision 5540 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
T2000
4GB GDDR5
Released in Mid
2019
16:10 Retina
15.4”
1800p 60Hz
Weight
4.02 lb
1.82 kg
Up to
Intel Core i9-9980HK
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,114
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,504
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics 630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Configurable up to
32GB
2400 MHz DDR4
AMD
Radeon Pro Vega 20
4GB HBM2

Comparison Summary

Dell Precision 5540 vs. MacBook Pro 15” (2019)

Dell has released the Precision 5540, a 15.6-inch machine, in 2019. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-9980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro T2000 with 4GB GDDR5.

On the other hand, we have the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 15” was introduced by Apple around the same year in mid-2019. It comes with up to an octa-core Intel Core i9-9980HK with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. It has a dedicated GPU option up to AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB HBM2.

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Dell Precision 55401
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H98487.86%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H1,04493.21%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H1,08096.43%
4
Intel Xeon E-2276M1,120100.00%
5
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H1,06695.18%
6
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK1,11499.46%
MacBook Pro 15” (2019)1
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H1,04493.21%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H1,06695.18%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK1,11499.46%
01,120

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Dell Precision 55401
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H3,69056.73%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H4,88075.03%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H4,91475.55%
4
Intel Xeon E-2276M5,16579.41%
5
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H6,10093.79%
6
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK6,504100.00%
MacBook Pro 15” (2019)1
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H4,88075.03%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H6,10093.79%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK6,504100.00%
06,504

The Dell Precision 5540 has a 15.6-inch display which is quite similar size to the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro 15” (2019). In addition, The Dell Precision 5540 weighs 3.93 lbs. about 2% lighter than the 4.02 lbs. MacBook Pro 15” (2019). Moreover, measured at 14.06” x 9.26” x 0.44”, the Dell Precision 5540 is much more portable than the MacBook Pro 15” (2019) at 13.75” x 9.48” x 0.61”.

Dell Precision 5540MacBook Pro 15” (2019)

There are a toal number of 8 ports and slots available on Dell Precision 5540. That includes a power port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Thunderbolt 3 port, a headphone jack, a full-size SD card slot, and a lock slot. With that said, it has three ports and slots more than the MacBook Pro 15” (2019) that has only four Thunderbolt 3 ports, a headphone jack.

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Dell Precision 5540 supports up to 64GB 3200 MHz DDR4 memory that you can upgrade with two memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future. On top of that, it also has a single SATA slot that users can use to install a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, SSHD, or a hard disk drive to add even more storage.

For MacBook Pro 15” (2019), it supports up to 32GB 2400 MHz DDR4 memory. Unlike Dell Precision 5540, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Furthermore, it also has an integrated storage module and has no M.2 slots for replacement.

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