This particular laptop is powered by i7-8650U processor, enabling sustained performance under heavy load. Intel i7-8650U processor has a turbo clock speed of 4.2Ghz and 8 MB cache, giving it better performance while multitasking, code compilation, large datasets.

For users wanting a premium business series laptop, Latitude 7490 with i7 processor is a great value for money option. It provides quad core performance, premium build, configurable RAM. It is difficult to find a better value for money proposition in the refurbished market.

i7-8650U vs i5-8350U - Is the i7 Worth the Extra Cost?

Both the laptops have exactly same build quality and chassis; the only difference is with the processor. Both have 8th gen processor, having quad core (4 cores), 8 threads. The primary difference is in the higher clock speed (4.2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz) and larger cache (8MB vs 6MB). The price premium for i7 laptop, is for those who have to do work under sustained workloads, such as compiling large projects, running VM while multitasking, and working on heavy data sets in spreadsheet.

Processor: Intel Core i7-8650U — Detailed Breakdown

This processor has a base clock speed of 1.9 GHz and boost clock speed of 4.2 GHz, with 8 MB of cache. This processor can easily handle 25+ browser tabs, simultaneous Zoom calls, Microsoft Office, VS Code with multiple workspaces without breaking a sweat. Where it won’t keep up: sustained 4K video editing in Premiere Pro, 3D modelling, training ML models, or running AAA games. For those, look at our Dell Latitude 7420 (11th Gen) or Dell Precision workstations with dedicated GPUs.

RAM & Storage: Fully Upgradeable - Not Soldered

It has 2 SODIMM RAM slots, supporting DDR 4 RAM, which is expandable upto 32GB. The key advantage of this model is that it does not have a soldered RAM. It support both NVME and M.2 SSD.

Build Quality, Design & Portability

It is a very light weight laptop, weighing just 1.36 KG. It is one of the lightest laptops in business series laptops. The chassis is made of magnesium alloy, giving it good strength. When you hold it from one end, it does not bend unlike many other laptops. Moreover it is MIL-STD 810G certified. The quality of material used in commercial series laptops, ensure that these machines hold up better over the years as compared to consumer grade machines.

Who Should Buy the Dell 7490 i7?

This variant is ideal for users who have requirement of large compute power, at an affordable price point. Power users, working on multiple tasks at once, compiling code, working on large data sets, have a good use of this laptop.

It is not recommended for creative professionals, working extensively on Video editing, 3D rendering, gaming. For these use cases better go with Dell precision laptops. Also, those who may have higher budget, can explore later generation laptops such as Dell 7310, Dell latitude 7320.