Dell Precision 3540 Review

Advantages and disadvantages of Dell Precision 3540 based on its technical characteristics, features, user experience, expert reviews and price level.

robust security features

affordable professional laptop

decent battery life

comfortable keyboard

solid build quality

mediocre display quality

limited graphics performance

heavier design

average processor speed

Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF) Review

Advantages and disadvantages of Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF) based on its technical characteristics, features, user experience, expert reviews and price level.

robust build quality

excellent keyboard feel

impressive CPU performance

good battery life

useful security features

heavier than competitors

limited graphics power

dim display brightness

expensive base model

Laptop Comparison and Tests

Difference between Dell Precision 3540 and Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
71 % - Design
72 % - Display
75 % - Performance
75 % - Connectivity
85 % - Battery
81 % - Design
75 % - Display
85 % - Performance
85 % - Connectivity
85 % - Battery

Laptop Specifications Comparison

Dell Precision 3540 vs. Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF) Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Product Type Mobile workstation Mobile workstation
Dimensions (WxDxH) 35.91 cm x 23.625 cm x 2.2 cm 31.77 cm x 22.69 cm x 1.795 cm
Weight 1.83 kg 1.34 kg
Case Material - Carbon fibre (top), glass-fibre (top), polycarbonate (top), polyphenylene sulfide (bottom)
Colour Black Villi black
DISPLAY Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Screen Size (Type) 15.6" 14" - IPS
LCD Backlight Technology WLED backlight -
Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA)
Pixel Density (ppi) 141 -
V-Sync Rate at Max Res. 60 Hz -
Widescreen Yes Yes
Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 16:10
Image Brightness 300 cd/m² 300 cd/m²
Colour Gamut - 45% NTSC
Features Anti-glare, Wide Viewing Angle, ±80° horizontal viewing angle, ±80° vertical viewing angle Anti-glare, 84% screen-to-body ratio, DC dimming
PROCESSOR Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
CPU Intel Core i7 (8th Gen) 8565U / 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7 (13th Gen) 1360P / 2.2 GHz
Max Turbo Speed 4.6 GHz 5 GHz
Number of Cores Quad-Core 12-core
Cache 8 MB 18 MB
64-bit Computing Yes -
Features Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Integrated memory controller
MEMORY Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
RAM 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) 16 GB (provided memory is soldered)
Max RAM Supported 32 GB -
RAM Type DDR4 SDRAM LPDDR5X SDRAM - non-ECC
Speed 2400 MHz 7500 MHz
Rated Speed 2400 MHz 7500 MHz
Form Factor SO-DIMM 260-pin -
Slots Qty 2 -
Empty Slots 1 -
STORAGE Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Main Storage Size (HDD/SSD) 256 GB SSD M.2 PCIe 512 GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 - TCG Opal Encryption 2, NVM Express (NVMe), Performance
AUDIO & VIDEO Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Multi-GPU Configuration - 1 single GPU card / integrated GPU
Graphics Processor (GPU) AMD Radeon Pro WX 2100 NVIDIA RTX A500 / Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Max Monitors Supported - 3 external monitor(s)
Video Memory 2 GB GDDR5 SDRAM 4 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
Video System Features - NVIDIA TXAA, Direct X 12 Ultimate, Vulkan Support, NVIDIA FXAA
Camera Yes - HD Yes
Resolution - 5 Megapixel
Camera Features Fixed focus, 78.6 degrees, RGB camera Privacy shutter, Windows Hello, fixed focus, Discrete IR, Ultrasonic Human Presence Detection
Image Sensor Type CMOS -
Video Resolutions 1280 x 720 -
Frame Rate 30 frames per second -
Sound Stereo speakers, dual array microphone Stereo speakers, dual array microphone
Codec Realtek ALC3254 Realtek ALC3287
Compliant Standards - High Definition Audio, Dolby Audio
Audio Features Output: MaxxAudio Pro Input: Dolby Voice, far-field
COMMUNICATIONS Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wave 2, Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.1, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Wi-Fi 6E)
Wireless Controller Intel Wireless-AC 9560 - M.2 2230 Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX 211
Network Interface Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet
Ethernet Controller - Intel I219-V
Features - Wake-on-LAN (WOL), dual stream (2x2)
WWAN
Generation - 4G upgradable
BATTERY Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Technology 4-cell Lithium Ion Lithium polymer
Battery Capacity (Size) 68 Wh 52.5 Wh
AC ADAPTER Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Input AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz) AC 100-240 V (50/60 Hz)
Output 90 Watt, 19.5 V, 4.62 A 100 Watt
INPUT Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Type Keyboard, touchpad Keyboard, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Keyboard Backlight Yes Yes
Features Multi-finger touchpad Spill-resistant, multi-touch touchpad, Fn keys with Unified Communications controls
CONNECTIONS & EXPANSIONS Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Interfaces 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1
LAN
USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (supports Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort Alt Mode)
Headphone/microphone combo jack
HDMI
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Always On)
USB 3.2 Gen 1
2 x USB4 (supports Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort 2.0 Alt Mode) (Power Delivery 3.0)
HDMI (4K support)
LAN
Headphone/microphone combo jack
Memory Card Reader Yes (microSD) -
SOFTWARE Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Operating System (OS) Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Edition - Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Windows 11 Pro - English
Software Included Microsoft Office (Trial) NVIDIA RTX Desktop Manager
MISCELLANEOUS Dell Precision 3540 Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (21HF)
Included Accessories Power adapter USB-C slim power adapter
Security Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) Security Chip, smart card reader Discrete Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) Security Chip, fingerprint reader, smart card reader
Security Slot Type Noble Wedge security slot Kensington nano security slot
Theft/Intrusion Protection Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately) Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Features - Administrator password, power-on password, RapidCharge, MIL-STD-810H tested, self-healing BIOS, NVMe password
Compliant Standards - RoHS, TCG Certified, TCO Certified 9.0
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C 5 °C
Humidity Range Operating 10 - 80% (non-condensing) 8 - 95%
Manufacturer Warranty Limited warranty - 3 years - on-site Base warranty - 3 years - pick-up and return
Base warranty - battery - 1 year
Extended warranty - 1 year - on-site - response time: next business day
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