Dell Precision 7740 vs. Surface Pro 7: Which is better?

Here is a side by side comparison between Dell Precision 7740 and Surface Pro 7 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

Dell Precision 7740 Pros

Reasons that Dell Precision 7740 is better than Surface Pro 7.

Much faster CPU performance

Intel Xeon E-2286M inside Dell Precision 7740 has a 85% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1065G7 inside Surface Pro 7.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Xeon E-2286M
6,910
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Core i9-9980HK
6,504
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Core i9-9880H
6,100
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Xeon E-2276M
5,165
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Core i7-9850H
4,914
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Core i7-9750H
4,880
Surface Pro 7 - Intel Core i7-1065G7
3,722
Dell Precision 7740 - Intel Core i5-9400H
3,690
Surface Pro 7 - Intel Core i5-1035G4
3,347
Surface Pro 7 - Intel Core i3-1005G1
2,027
Supports larger memory

Dell Precision 7740 supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Pro 7. It supports up to 128GB versus 16GB of system memory on the Surface Pro 7.

Max system memory size
Dell Precision 7740
128 GB
Surface Pro 7
16 GB
Upgradable memory

Dell Precision 7740 comes with four SODIMM slots that allow you to replace or upgrade when needed. On the flip side, you can't upgrade RAM on the Surface Pro 7 since it has onboard memory.

MemoryDell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Slots
x4
Onboard
TypeDDR4 ECCLPDDR4X
Supports discrete graphics

Configurable up to Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 16GB GDDR6 vs. integrated

Upgradable storage

Dell Precision 7740 comes with four M.2 slots that you can easily upgrade and install additional SSDs to expand the storage on the device. 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 7740Surface Pro 7
M.2
Yes x4
Onboard
40% larger display

Dell Precision 7740 has a 17.3-inch screen size 40% larger than the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 7.

Display size
Dell Precision 7740
17.3-inch
Surface Pro 7
12.3-inch
Has seven more ports and slots

Dell Precision 7740 has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 7. It has thirteen versus six amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 7.

PortsDell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesYes
lock slotYesNo
microSD card slotNoYes
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
Smart Card ReaderYesNo
Surface ConnectNoYes
Surface Type Cover portNoYes
Thunderbolt 3Yes x2No
USB-AYes x3Yes
USB-CNoYes
Total136
More versatile connectivity

Dell Precision 7740 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 7. It has eight versus four commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Pro 7.

PortsDell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
headphone jackYesYes
USB-AYesYes
full-size SD card slotYesNo
HDMIYesNo
microSD card slotNoYes
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
power portYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
Thunderbolt 3YesNo
USB-CNoYes

Surface Pro 7 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 7 is better than Dell Precision 7740.

Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 7 supports a faster memory speed than the Dell Precision 7740. It supports up to 3733MHz versus 3200MHz of system memory on the Dell Precision 7740.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 7 - LPDDR4X
3,733 MHz
Dell Precision 7740 - DDR4 ECC
3,200 MHz
About 75% lighter

Surface Pro 7 weighed 1.70 pounds, 75% lighter than the 6.79 pounds Dell Precision 7740.

WeightDell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Pound
6.79 lbs.
1.70 lbs.
Kilogram
3.08 kg
0.77 kg

Prices

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

Dell Precision 7740 Price
2019 Dell Precision 7740 Laptop 17.3 - Intel Core i7 9th Gen - i7-9850H - Six Core 4.6Ghz - 512GB SSD - 32GB RAM - Nvidia Quadro RTX 3000 - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Pro Carbon (Renewed)
2019 Dell Precision 7740 Laptop 17.3 - Intel Core i7 9th Gen - i7-9850H - Six Core 4.6Ghz - 512GB SSD - 32GB RAM - Nvidia Quadro RTX 3000 - 1920x1080 FHD - Windows 10 Pro Carbon (Renewed)
By Dell
$649.00
$729.99 11% OFF
Dell Precision 7740 17.3" Mobile Workstation - Intel Core i7-9850H - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD (Renewed)
Dell Precision 7740 17.3" Mobile Workstation - Intel Core i7-9850H - 16GB RAM - 512GB SSD (Renewed)
By Dell
$989.99
Dell Precision 7740 17.3" FHD Intel Core i7-9850H 2.6GHz, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro 64bit, CAM, NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 6GB (Renewed)
Dell Precision 7740 17.3" FHD Intel Core i7-9850H 2.6GHz, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro 64bit, CAM, NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 6GB (Renewed)
By Dell
$1,149.99
Surface Pro 7 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3in Intel Core i5 10th Gen 8GB RAM 128GB SSD Platinum (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3in Intel Core i5 10th Gen 8GB RAM 128GB SSD Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$309.99
$369.00 16% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) – Platinum (PUW-00001) (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) – Platinum (PUW-00001) (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$534.97
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD – Platinum
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD – Platinum
By Microsoft
$889.41

Availability

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Released20192019
Release Date
  • Announced at Computex 2019.
  • Available from early July 2019.
  • Introduced: October 2, 2019 (Microsoft October Event)
  • Pre-ordered: October 2, 2019
  • Released: October 22, 2019
PricingStarting at $1,409Starting at 749$
Generations

Exterior

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Dimensions16.3 x 10.7 x 1.03 - 1.19 in (414.2 x 273.7 x 26.15 - 30.3 mm)11.50” x 7.9” x 0.33” (292 mm x 201 mm x 8.5 mm)
Width: 11.50” (292 mm)
Height: 7.9” (201 mm)
Thickness: 0.33” (8.5 mm)
Weight
  • 6.79 lbs (3.08 Kg)
  • Intel Core i3: 1.70 lbs (775 g)
  • Intel Core i5: 1.70 lbs (776 g)
  • Intel Core i7: 1.73 lbs (790 g)
Colors
  • Carbon Fiber LCD Cover
  • Aluminum Titan Gray LCD Cover
Matte Black Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Full-size with optional backlit keyboard.
  • 3.92 x 2.09 in (99.50 mm x 53 mm) touchpad with multi-touch gesture support.
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
    • Weight: 0.68 lb (310 g)
    • Dimension: 11.61 x 8.54 x 0.19 inches (295 mm x 216 mm x 5mm)
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.

Display

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Size17.3 Inches12.3 Inches
Info
  • 17.3”, HD
    1600 x 900, Anti-Glare, LED Backlight, Non-touch 60% color gamut
  • 17.3”, FHD
    1920 x 1080, Anti-Glare IPS, Non-touch 100% color gamut sRGB
  • 17.3”, UHD
    3840 x 2160, Anti-Glare IGZO, Non-touch 100% AdobeRGB
  • Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (5M Pixels)
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
  • 10nm Oleophobic Coating
  • 100% sRGB color, individually calibrated

Ports

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Dell Precision 7740 Ports
Image Source: Dell
Left (4)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort
  • 1 x full-size SD card slot
  • 1 x Smart Card Reader
Right (4)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x lock slot
Back (5)
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
    v1.4
  • 1 x RJ-45
    1 Gbps
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), PowerShare
  • 1 x power port
Surface Pro 7 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Right (3)
  • 1 x USB-C
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery, DisplayPort
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking Station
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Type Cover port
Under Kickstand (1)
  • 1 x microSD card slot

Internal Specs

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
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. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.30 → 4.80 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  6. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    6 cores, 12 threads, 2.80 → 4.70 GHz, 12MB SmartCache, 45W
  7. Intel Xeon E-2286M
    8 cores, 16 threads, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz, 16MB SmartCache, 45W
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.20 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G4
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.10 → 3.70 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
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. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  5. 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK
    Intel® UHD Graphics 630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
  6. Intel Xeon E-2276M
    Intel® UHD Graphics P630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1200 MHz
  7. Intel Xeon E-2286M
    Intel® UHD Graphics P630
    24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
  1. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1005G1
    Intel® UHD Graphics
    32 Execution Units, 300 → 900 MHz
  2. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G4
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    48 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  3. 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G7
    Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
    64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Memory
  • Memory Slots
    • 4 x DDR4 SODIMM
  • Memory Configurations
    • Minimum Memory: 8GB
    • Maximum Memory: 128B
    • Memory Type: DDR4 ECC or Non-ECC memory
    • Memory Speed: 2666 MHz or 3200 MHz
4GB 8GB 16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Discrete Graphics
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 3200 (Optional)
    GCN 4.0 Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1295 MHz, 640 Shading Units.
  • Radeon Pro WX 7130 w/8GB GDDR5 (Optional)
    GCN 4.0 Architecture, 4GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1188 → 1243 MHz, 2304 Shading Units.
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 Mobile (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 6GB GDDR6 256-bit, 945→ 1380 MHz, 2,304 Shading Units.
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 Mobile (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 8GB GDDR6 256-bit, 1110→ 1560 MHz, 2,560 Shading Units.
  • NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Mobile (Optional)
    Turning Architecture, 16GB GDDR6 256-bit, 1035→ 1545 MHz, 3,072 Shading Units.
-
Storage
  • Hard Drive Slots
    • 4 x M.2 2280 PCIe SSD slot
    • 1 x 2.5 inches hard drive slot
      Available only on a 4-cell 64Wh battery model.
  • Hard Drive Configurations
    • Up to 8TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD
    • Up to 2TB SATA Hard Drive
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
BGA PCIe SSD

Connectivity

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Wi-Fi
  • Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2x2 .11ax 160MHz
  • Qualcomm QCA61x4A 802.11ac Dual Band, 2x2, Wireless Adapter
  • Wi-Fi 6: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Bluetooth 5.1
  • Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology
Ethernet
  • Integrated Intel i219LM 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet (RJ-45 ) with Intel Remote Wake UP and PXE
-

Battery

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Size
  • 64 Wh (4 Cells, Lithium-Ion Polymer, ExpressCharge™ Capable Battery)
  • 97 Wh (6 Cells, Lithium-Ion Polymer, ExpressCharge™ Capable Battery)
43.2 Wh
Battery Life-Up to 10.5 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply240 W power adapter
Power rated at 19.5 VDC/12.31 A.
  • 60W power supply with USB-A (5W) (65W total)
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-80% in about one hour)

Software

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
OS
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Ubuntu 18.04 LTS RedHat 7.5
Upgradable to Windows 11
  • For Consumer: Windows 10 Home
  • For Commercial: Windows 10 Pro
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in Apps
  • Microsoft Office 30-days trial
  • McAfee® Small Business Security 30 Day Free Trial
Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial

Camera & Audio

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Camera
  • Front-facing camera
    Top-mount front camera with fixed focus lens, 0.92 Megapixels (1280 x 720 HD) at 30 fps.
  • Optional Windows Hello Infrared Camera
    0.30 Megapixels (340 x 340) at 60 fps.
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD video
Audio
  • Realtek ALC3281 MaxxAudio® Pro by Waves
  • Two speakers (2W x 2)
  • Noise-reducing array microphones
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium

Misc

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
Inking-Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
magnetic storage
Sensors
  • An optional fingerprint reader on the power button
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
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
  • Fingerprint reader or FIPS Fingerprint reader
  • Touch Fingerprint Reader with Control Vault 3.0 (Advanced Authentication with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification)
  • Contacted Smart Card (FIPS 201 with Control Vault 3.0 Advanced Authentication with FIPS 140-2 level 3 Certification)
  • Contactless Smart Card
  • NFC/CSC (Check regional availability)
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box-
  • Surface Pro 7
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Warranty3 Years Hardware Service with Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
  • Commercial: Advanced Exchange warranty service with expedited device replacement

Key Features

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7
At Glance
Released in
2019
16:9 4K UHD
17.3”
2160p 60Hz
Weight
6.79 lb
3.08 kg
Up to
Intel Xeon E-2286M
8C/16T, 2.40 → 5.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,192
Single Core
Geekbench 5
6,910
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® UHD Graphics P630
24 Execution Units, 350 → 1250 MHz
Upgradable up to
128GB
3200 MHz DDR4 ECC
Dell Precision 7740 Ports
Nvidia Quadro
RTX 5000
16GB GDDR6
Released in Late
2019
3:2 2.7K
12.3”
1824p 60Hz
Weight
1.70 lb
0.77 kg
Up to
Intel Core i7-1065G7
4C/8T, 1.30 → 3.90 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,088
Single Core
Geekbench 5
3,722
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics
64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
3733 MHz LPDDR4X
Surface Pro 7 Ports

Comparison Summary

Dell Precision 7740 vs. Surface Pro 7

Dell has released the Precision 7740, a 17.3-inch machine, in 2019. It is powered by up to an octa-core Intel Xeon E-2286M with a boost clock speed up to 5.00 GHz. The laptop has a dedicated GPU option up to Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 with 16GB GDDR6.

On the other hand, we have the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 7 was introduced by Microsoft around the same year in late-2019. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1065G7 with a boost clock speed up to 3.90 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Plus Graphics (64 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Dell Precision 77401
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H98482.55%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H1,04487.58%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H1,08090.60%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H1,06689.43%
5
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK1,11493.46%
6
Intel Xeon E-2276M1,12093.96%
7
Intel Xeon E-2286M1,192100.00%
Surface Pro 71
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1005G199383.31%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G41,03787.00%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G71,08891.28%
01,192

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Dell Precision 77401
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-9400H3,69053.40%
2
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9750H4,88070.62%
3
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9850H4,91471.11%
4
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9880H6,10088.28%
5
9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9980HK6,50494.12%
6
Intel Xeon E-2276M5,16574.75%
7
Intel Xeon E-2286M6,910100.00%
Surface Pro 71
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1005G12,02729.33%
2
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1035G43,34748.44%
3
10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1065G73,72253.86%
06,910

The Dell Precision 7740 has a 17.3-inch display which is way larger than the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 7. In addition, the Dell Precision 7740 weighs 6.79 lbs. about 299% heavier than the 1.70 lbs. Surface Pro 7. Moreover, measured at 16.3” x 10.7” x 1.19”, the Dell Precision 7740 is much bulkier than the Surface Pro 7 at 11.5” x 7.9” x 0.33”.

Dell Precision 7740Surface Pro 7

There are a toal number of 13 ports and slots available on Dell Precision 7740. That includes a Thunderbolt 3 port, a full-size SD card slot, a Smart Card Reader, a headphone jack, two USB-A ports, a lock slot, an HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort, an RJ-45 port, and a power port. With that said, it has seven ports and slots more than the Surface Pro 7 that has a headphone jack, a USB-C port, a USB-A port, a Surface Connect, a Surface Type Cover port, and a microSD card slot.

Moving over to upgradability, Dell claims that the Dell Precision 7740 supports up to 128GB 3200 MHz DDR4 ECC memory that you can upgrade with four memory module slots on the motherboard. It also comes with four M.2 slots that users can easily upgrade and install additional SSDs to expand the storage on the device. 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 Surface Pro 7, it supports up to 16GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Unlike Dell Precision 7740, 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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