Dell Precision 5520
Notes for Installing Linux
You will need to disable Secure Boot in the BIOS. Repeatedly press F2 when turning on the laptop to get to the BIOS screen.
During installfest events, we'll use PxE booting (network booting) as an alternative to using so many flash drives/LiveUSB sticks. This will require some special configuration in the BIOS, see Installfest_PXE_Server for details. You will have to allow legacy boot & decrease thunderbolt security (to unauthenticated access) to get PxE booting over ethernet to work properly. Installation of Linux via UEFI/PxE booting on legacy boot works well for these laptops. You will need Dell's specific ethernet dongle to do PxE booting on them.
The GPU is based on the Maxwell architecture, which is not fully compatible with the FLOSS nouveau driver. You may need to install the nvidia proprietary driver or the bumblebee driver with nvidia for graphics to work. nouveau may not work well as a daily driver, but it is okay to have running during installation on a Live USB with a Linux distribution on it (it is the default of most distros to include nouveau instead of nvidia).
Notes for using NVMe drives
First, follow these instructions while switching (some detail is given below, but this has more detailed instructions, except for where to find the BIOS setting on the Dell laptop): https://support.thinkcritical.com/kb/articles/switch-windows-10-from-raid-ide-to-ahci
Boot into Windows normally, then enter an Admin Command Prompt, then type bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal.
Now, restart your computer and then enter the BIOS. To enter the BIOS, when turning on your computer, press the F2 key.
Then, click the + next to "System Configuration", then click on "SATA Operations", and change from RAID On to AHCI.
NOTE: I have tested booting Linux and Windows (201909 version with June 2020 patches) after changing the setting from RAID On to AHCI, so you can _most likely_ ignore the warning. However, the worst case scenario is you may need to reinstall Windows - make a backup if you're concerned. Please tell us on Telegram if this has happened to you so we can help.
At the bottom-right corner of the screen, click "Apply Changes" and then "OK" (it doesn't matter if the settings are "Custom User Settings" - this only stores your BIOS settings so that you can restore them later if something goes wrong, you can either check it or uncheck it, up to you. You can ALWAYS restore to the default BIOS settings - this checkbox will not change that).
Then click "Exit".
Boot into Windows again, then enter an Admin Command Prompt, then type bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot.
Reboot your computer. Test and see if Windows boots up normally (i.e. you can boot into it and Safe Mode should not appear after logging in). If so, congratulations! Move on to the next step. If not, retry the above steps. You can always revert back to "RAID On" at any time and Windows will likely still work. (Linux has no issues with switching.)
Next, add nvme_load=YES to the end of your kernel parameters. This is covered here: HP_ZBook_Studio_G4#Installing_Ubuntu_18.04_LTS_via_Flash_Drive (except instead of acpi_osi=! acpi_osi="Windows 2009" you will add nvme_load=YES)
Sources:
https://support.thinkcritical.com/kb/articles/switch-windows-10-from-raid-ide-to-ahci
https://superuser.com/questions/1022849/m-2-samsung-sm951-nvme-ssd-not-recognized-on-linux
Bumblebee for battery/power mgmt.
Bumblebee increases battery life on Linux by a lot. The ArchWiki page tells you how to install it.
If you accidentally install the nvidia or just vesa (NOT mesa, which is needed) driver (and maybe nouveau too) WITH bumblebee (happened to me on Manjaro Linux in the "Hardware Configuration" part of KDE settings when I got some weird dialog asking me to install vesa to uninstall an nvidia package, I forget what, or I might have just been experimenting), you'll need to uninstall them. In these cases, Linux may not boot to a login screen and you'll need to press Ctrl+Alt+F2 to get a shell (it says tty, that just means a virtual Linux terminal). Login as the root user/enter the root password you have set. You specifically need to install the bumblebee and possibly intel-mesa (?) drivers and uninstall the others using your package manager. See the page at the ArchWiki page for more detailed/better instructions/details on how to install/uninstall bumblebee/get the nvidia/intel drivers themselves back.
Touchpad scroll gestures, etc
(Historical information from March 2018):
I uninstalled libinput and installed libsynaptics or something to get reverse scrolling/less touchpad force needed (FingerXLow/FingerXHigh, similar to that) options using a config file. libinput is working on the issue right now.
You can also see if those options are in your distro's mouse settings. KDE is fixing this issue by making the descriptions more detailed/understandable.
UPDATE 4/22/2020:
Manjaro Linux still has issues with installing libsynaptics. It tries to remove libsynaptics and install libinput every time I update. I am using libinput even though there is currently no way to fix the trackpad sensitivity.
Disassembly
https://youtube.com/watch?v=D4eCtHLRvVo or https://invidio.us/watch?v=D4eCtHLRvVo
You will need Torx T4 (it might be T3) screws to open most of the base (thanks Dell /s). Here is a link to a kit I use: https://www.amazon.com/Wiha-75965-Precision-Ratchet-65-Piece/dp/B00JQ753W8
The other 2 screws are Phillips head, and most screws inside the computer are also Phillips head.
Remember to keep your screws. Dell screws are special and you likely cannot replace them with other screws because they have a certain depth/pitch to them that most other screws don't. Another annoying thing.
Updating the BIOS
AlphaCubed recommends updating to v1.18.0 as of 6/13/2020. The reason why is because the latest update includes these changes (according to Dell):
- Modified battery algorithm to prolong lifespan and minimize risk of swelling.
- Added charger parameter update for battery protection mode.
You can either use fwupd through your distro's package manager (firmware version information here):
https://fwupd.org/lvfs/devices/com.dell.uefi34578c72.firmware
or by downloading the Windows utility here:
Tech Specs
The 2017 laptop given to Rose students has the following specs:
| Processor | Intel Core i7 7820HQ (2.9GHz stock, 3.9GHz boost, not overclockable) |
| RAM | SK Hynix 16 GB @ 2400MHz DDR4 (2x8GB SODIMM sticks) |
| Solid State Drive | 1 bay with SATA3 form factor, 1 bay with M.2 form factor (accepts M.2 SATA3 or M.2 NVMe) SK Hynix SC311 SATA3 256 GB (approx. 238.42 GiB) Solid State Drive (theoretical max 600MB/s) |
| Optical Drive | None |
| Display | 15.6" FHD 1920x1080 |
| Video Card | Nvidia Quadro M1200M w/ 4GB RAM (supports Vulkan and OpenGL) |
| Network Cards | Intel Dual-Band 8265 802.11ac wireless, Gigabit (1Gb/s) Ethernet and PxE (network) boot via USB Type-C port using a compatible USB-C to Ethernet adapter |
| Battery | 3 cell Lithium-Ion 56 WHr |
| USB | (2) USB 3.0 and (1) Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C form factor) |
| Pointing Devices | Synaptics Trackpad |
| External Video Port | Dedicated HDMI port (and HDMI passthrough via Thunderbolt) |
| Integrated Webcam | 720p integrated webcam |
| Network Accessories | USB Type C to Ethernet adapter |
| Warranty | 4 year with Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) (Note: Dell only allows one ADP claim in a 12 month period) |
| Other Ports and Sensors | Microphone |
lshw dump
This gives VERY detailed system information. It can come in handy. For Arch based distros, to install do sudo pacman -S lshw then sudo lshw and copy the output (or redirect it to a file like this: sudo lshw > hwinfo.txt then since it can only be read as root with sudo do chown YOUR_USERNAME:users hwinfo.txt).
LAPTOP_HOSTNAME_HERE
description: Notebook
product: Precision 5520 (07BF)
vendor: Dell Inc.
serial: [redacted]
width: 64 bits
capabilities: smbios-3.0.0 dmi-3.0.0 smp vsyscall32
configuration: boot=normal chassis=notebook family=Precision sku=07BF uuid=[redacted]
*-core
description: Motherboard
product: 0R6JFH
vendor: Dell Inc.
physical id: 0
version: A00
serial: [redacted]
*-firmware
description: BIOS
vendor: Dell Inc.
physical id: 0
version: 1.16.0
date: 07/26/2019
size: 64KiB
capacity: 16MiB
capabilities: pci pnp upgrade shadowing cdboot bootselect edd int13floppynec int13floppy1200 int13floppy720 int13floppy2880 int5printscreen int9keyboard int14serial int17printer acpi usb smartbattery biosbootspecification netboot uefi
*-memory
description: System Memory
physical id: 45
slot: System board or motherboard
size: 16GiB
*-bank:0
description: SODIMM DDR4 Synchronous Unbuffered (Unregistered) 2400 MHz (0.4 ns)
product: HMA81GS6AFR8N-UH
vendor: SK Hynix
physical id: 0
serial: [redacted]
slot: DIMM A
size: 8GiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 2400MHz (0.4ns)
*-bank:1
description: SODIMM DDR4 Synchronous Unbuffered (Unregistered) 2400 MHz (0.4 ns)
product: HMA81GS6AFR8N-UH
vendor: SK Hynix
physical id: 1
serial: [redacted]
slot: DIMM B
size: 8GiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 2400MHz (0.4ns)
*-cache:0
description: L1 cache
physical id: 49
slot: L1 Cache
size: 256KiB
capacity: 256KiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back unified
configuration: level=1
*-cache:1
description: L2 cache
physical id: 4a
slot: L2 Cache
size: 1MiB
capacity: 1MiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back unified
configuration: level=2
*-cache:2
description: L3 cache
physical id: 4b
slot: L3 Cache
size: 8MiB
capacity: 8MiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back unified
configuration: level=3
*-cpu
description: CPU
product: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7820HQ CPU @ 2.90GHz
vendor: Intel Corp.
physical id: 4c
bus info: cpu@0
version: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7820HQ CPU @ 2.90GHz
serial: [redacted]
slot: U3E1
size: 3566MHz
capacity: 3900MHz
width: 64 bits
clock: 100MHz
capabilities: lm fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx pdpe1gb rdtscp x86-64 constant_tsc art arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid aperfmperf tsc_known_freq pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 ssse3 sdbg fma cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch cpuid_fault epb invpcid_single pti ssbd ibrs ibpb stibp tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid ept_ad fsgsbase tsc_adjust bmi1 hle avx2 smep bmi2 erms invpcid rtm mpx rdseed adx smap clflushopt intel_pt xsaveopt xsavec xgetbv1 xsaves dtherm ida arat pln pts hwp hwp_notify hwp_act_window hwp_epp md_clear flush_l1d cpufreq
configuration: cores=4 enabledcores=4 threads=8
*-pci
description: Host bridge
product: Xeon E3-1200 v6/7th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 100
bus info: pci@0000:00:00.0
version: 05
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
*-pci:0
description: PCI bridge
product: Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16)
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1
bus info: pci@0000:00:01.0
version: 05
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pm msi pciexpress normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:16 ioport:[redacted] memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted]
*-generic UNCLAIMED
description: Unassigned class
product: GM107GLM [Quadro M1200 Mobile]
vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
version: ff
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: bus_master vga_palette cap_list
configuration: latency=255 maxlatency=255 mingnt=255
resources: memory:[redacted] memory:[redacted] memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted] memory:[redacted]
*-display
description: VGA compatible controller
product: HD Graphics 630
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 2
bus info: pci@0000:00:02.0
version: 04
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pciexpress msi pm vga_controller bus_master cap_list rom
configuration: driver=i915 latency=0
resources: irq:140 memory:[redacted] memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted] memory:[redacted]
*-generic:0
description: Signal processing controller
product: Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Thermal Subsystem
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 4
bus info: pci@0000:00:04.0
version: 05
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: msi pm cap_list
configuration: driver=proc_thermal latency=0
resources: irq:16 memory:[redacted]
*-usb
description: USB controller
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 14
bus info: pci@0000:00:14.0
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi xhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=xhci_hcd latency=0
resources: irq:136 memory:[redacted]
*-usbhost:0
product: xHCI Host Controller
vendor: [redacted] xhci-hcd
physical id: 0
bus info: usb@1
logical name: usb1
version: [redacted]
capabilities: usb-2.00
configuration: driver=hub slots=16 speed=480Mbit/s
*-usb:0
[redacted]
*-usb:1
[redacted]
*-usb:2
description: Bluetooth wireless interface
vendor: Intel Corp.
physical id: 4
bus info: usb@1:4
version: 0.10
capabilities: bluetooth usb-2.00
configuration: driver=btusb maxpower=100mA speed=12Mbit/s
*-usb:3
description: Video
product: Integrated_Webcam_HD
vendor: CN045G287248775NB23BA01
physical id: c
bus info: usb@1:c
version: 56.05
capabilities: usb-2.00
configuration: driver=uvcvideo maxpower=500mA speed=480Mbit/s
*-usbhost:1
product: xHCI Host Controller
vendor: Linux [redacted] xhci-hcd
physical id: 1
bus info: usb@2
logical name: usb2
version: [redacted]
capabilities: usb-3.00
configuration: driver=hub slots=10 speed=5000Mbit/s
*-generic:1
description: Signal processing controller
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Thermal Subsystem
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 14.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:14.2
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi cap_list
configuration: driver=intel_pch_thermal latency=0
resources: irq:18 memory:[redacted]
*-generic:2
description: Signal processing controller
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Serial IO I2C Controller #0
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 15
bus info: pci@0000:00:15.0
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=intel-lpss latency=0
resources: irq:16 memory:[redacted]
*-generic:3
description: Signal processing controller
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Serial IO I2C Controller #1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 15.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:15.1
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=intel-lpss latency=0
resources: irq:17 memory:[redacted]
*-communication
description: Communication controller
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 16
bus info: pci@0000:00:16.0
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=mei_me latency=0
resources: irq:138 memory:[redacted]
*-sata
description: SATA controller
product: Q170/Q150/B150/H170/H110/Z170/CM236 Chipset SATA Controller [AHCI Mode]
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 17
bus info: pci@0000:00:17.0
logical name: scsi1
version: 31
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: sata msi pm ahci_1.0 bus_master cap_list emulated
configuration: driver=ahci latency=0
resources: irq:137 memory:[redacted] memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted] ioport:[redacted] ioport:[redacted] memory:[redacted]
*-disk
description: ATA Disk
product: SK hynix SC311 S
physical id: 0.0.0
bus info: scsi@1:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/sda
version: 0P10
serial: [redacted]
size: 238GiB (256GB)
capabilities: gpt-1.00 partitioned partitioned:gpt
configuration: ansiversion=5 guid=[redacted] logicalsectorsize=512 sectorsize=4096
*-volume:
[redacted]
*-pci:1
description: PCI bridge
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.0
version: f1
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:122 memory:[redacted]
*-network
description: Wireless interface
product: Wireless 8265 / 8275
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:02:00.0
logical name: wlp2s0
version: 78
serial: [redacted]
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list ethernet physical wireless
configuration: broadcast=yes driver=iwlwifi driverversion=[redacted] firmware=36.79ff3ccf.0 ip=[redacted] latency=0 link=yes multicast=yes wireless=IEEE 802.11
resources: irq:139 memory:[redacted]
*-pci:2
description: PCI bridge
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #2
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.1
version: f1
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:123 ioport:[redacted] memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted]
*-generic
description: MMC Host
product: RTS525A PCI Express Card Reader
vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:03:00.0
logical name: mmc0
version: 01
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=rtsx_pci latency=0
resources: irq:135 memory:[redacted]
*-pci:3
description: PCI bridge
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #9
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.0
version: f1
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:124 memory:[redacted]
*-nvme
description: NVMe device
product: [redacted]
vendor: [redacted]
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:04:00.0
logical name: /dev/nvme0
version: [redacted]
serial: [redacted]
width: 64 bits
clock: [redacted]
capabilities: nvme pciexpress msix msi pm nvm_express bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=nvme latency=0 nqn=[redacted] state=live
resources: irq:16 memory:[redacted]
*-namespace
description: NVMe disk
physical id: 1
bus info: nvme@0:1
logical name: /dev/nvme0n1
size: [redacted]
capabilities: gpt-1.00 partitioned partitioned:gpt
configuration: guid=[redacted] [redacted]
*-volume:
[redacted]
*-pci:4
description: PCI bridge
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #13
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d.4
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.4
version: f1
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:16
*-pci:5
description: PCI bridge
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #15
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d.6
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.6
version: f1
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport
resources: irq:125 ioport:[redacted] memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted]
*-isa
description: ISA bridge
product: CM238 Chipset LPC/eSPI Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.0
version: 31
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: isa bus_master
configuration: latency=0
*-memory UNCLAIMED
description: Memory controller
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family Power Management Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.2
version: 31
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz (30.3ns)
configuration: latency=0
resources: memory:[redacted]
*-multimedia
description: Audio device
product: CM238 HD Audio Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f.3
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.3
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=snd_hda_intel latency=32
resources: irq:141 memory:[redacted] memory:[redacted]
*-serial
description: SMBus
product: 100 Series/C230 Series Chipset Family SMBus
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f.4
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.4
version: 31
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
configuration: driver=i801_smbus latency=0
resources: irq:16 memory:[redacted] ioport:[redacted]
*-pnp00:00
product: Motherboard registers
physical id: 1
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-pnp00:01
product: Motherboard registers
physical id: 2
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-pnp00:02
product: AT Real-Time Clock
physical id: 3
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=rtc_cmos
*-pnp00:03
product: PnP device INT3f0d
physical id: 4
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-pnp00:04
product: IBM Enhanced keyboard controller (101/2-key)
physical id: 5
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=i8042 kbd
*-pnp00:05
product: PnP device DLL07bf
physical id: 6
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=i8042 aux
*-pnp00:06
product: Motherboard registers
physical id: 7
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-pnp00:07
product: Motherboard registers
physical id: 8
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-pnp00:08
product: Motherboard registers
physical id: 9
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-pnp00:09
product: Motherboard registers
physical id: a
capabilities: pnp
configuration: driver=system
*-battery
product: DELL 5D91C75
vendor: LG
physical id: 1
version: 04/06/2017
serial: [redacted]
slot: Sys. Battery Bay
capacity: 55990mWh
configuration: voltage=11.4V