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Dell Precision Optimizer - information, download, and FAQ

Summary: This page provides information about the Dell Precision Optimizer.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Dell Precision Optimizer (DPO) contains a powerful engine that allows you to dynamically configure your system settings to optimize the performance. It also keeps you informed of any available software updates and applies them when configured to do so. Furthermore, it contains a tracking subsystem that can gather extensive data about your system and help identify potential problems.

Table of Contents:

  1. What is the Dell Precision Optimizer and where to download
  2. Dell Precision Optimizer Quick Introduction
  3. Dell Precision Optimizer Home Screen
  4. Getting the most out of your System
  5. Frequently asked questions

 

1. What is the Dell Precision Optimizer and where to download

 

The Dell Precision Optimizer improves system reliability with automated system updates from one convenient location, provides certified graphics drivers and value-add plug-ins for storage and GPU, and provides system utilization reports to be certain you have the necessary resources. The Dell Precision Optimizer is an automated tool included on every Precision Workstation at no additional cost. It is a rebranding of Dell Precision Performance Optimizer (DPPO).

Dell Precision Optimizer consists of the following components:

  • Profiles and Policies
  • System Maintenance
  • Track and Analyze


The Dell Precision Optimizer comes preinstalled or can be downloaded from the Dell Drivers Site under Application Category. The Optimizer is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean.

To start the Dell Precision Optimizer, follow the instructions below:

Windows Start Menu

  1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start.

  2. Select All Programs > Dell > Dell Precision Optimizer.

Desktop Area

  1. Double-click the Dell Precision Optimizer icon to launch.


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2. Dell Precision Optimizer Quick Introduction

Dell Precision Optimizer automatically tunes your Workstation, enhancing productivity.


Language = English: Duration = 01:55 min.


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3. Dell Precision Optimizer Home Screen

Note: The images below are in English only.

Dell_Presicion_Optimizer
Figure 01: Dell Precision Optimizer Home Screen

 

1 Brings up this Help Document 2 Minimizes the application
3 Closes the application 4 Brings up a drop-down menu with two options: About, and a Feedback Form
5 Links to Resource Utilization 6 Links to System Updates
7 Links to Profiles    

 

The Dell Precision Optimizer home screen shows how the following resources (highlighted in red) are being used:

  • Memory
  • CPU
  • Storage
  • Graphics

Dell Precision Optimizer Resource Utilization
Figure 02: Dell Precision Optimizer Resource Utilization

 

The needle of the speedometer shows the current utilization of memory, CPU, and storage. This data is refreshed every 2 seconds. If Dell System Tracking had ever been enabled on this system, you may also see a green portion in the speedometer arc. The green portion (if present) represents the previous utilization average read from the last Dell Smart Tracking report.

Current Graphics utilization is displayed by the needle on the horizontal bar.

The left side of the home page (highlighted in red) displays the current active and inactive profiles for select applications. A Profile is a collection of system settings that are grouped together to optimize the Dell Precision workstation’s performance for your application. You can activate or deactivate a profile. Multiple profiles may be active simultaneously. Even after you exit the Dell Precision Optimizer user interface, the selected profiles remain active.

Dell Precision Optimizer Profiles
Figure 03: Dell Precision Optimizer Profiles

 

Dell Precision Optimizer has several application-specific profiles to help improve the user experience. These profiles are disabled by default. You may have to enable the profile for your given application (if available in Dell Precision Optimizer) to see its benefits.

New application profiles are made available through the Optimizer system updates, which are available in the System Maintenance module or "Check For Profiles."

Dell Precision Optimizer System Updates
Figure 04: Dell Precision Optimizer System Updates

 

The bottom left side of the home page (highlighted in red) displays the number of software updates available for your system. Dell System Updates are specific to Dell Precision Optimizer and your system's hardware and software configuration. Windows Updates are available within your operating system. The updates are grouped into three categories.

  • Critical
  • Recommended
  • Optional


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4. Getting the most out of your System

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Dell Precision Optimizer offers application performance profiles that automatically adjust system settings to maximize application performance. You do not require admin rights to use profiles. Select the application profile and the Optimizer "listens" for you to begin using the application. It makes the appropriate settings adjustments for you.

Improve system reliability with the Optimizer’s simplified system maintenance capabilities. Download updates for BIOS, firmware, drivers, application profiles, and Dell applications to ensure that your system has the latest updates. Each update is classified by criticality, allowing you to select only the updates you want.

Deploy Dell Precision Optimizer on multiple machines with headless client, enable application profiles on behalf of end users, deliver new profiles, and gather analytics from a single user or a group of users in to SCCM and create performance, reliability, and usage reports to assess, plan, and address resource needs.

The Optimizer contains a rich user home screen with utilization data on your CPU, memory, storage, and graphics in real-time and over a defined tracking period.

Get enhanced intelligence on CPU and Graphics displaying real-time analytics, graphs, with an overapplication performance widget. Track utilization across all logical processors and all GPUs found on your system.

The Analysis feature allows you to monitor utilization of your Dell Precision. Understand where bottlenecks occur and what system resources are overutilized with a Workload Analysis report.

Print and send these graphs to the IT department or support organization for knowledge of your system performance.

Proactively address resource bottlenecks by getting smart notifications when CPU, memory, and storage utilization reach predefined threshold levels.

Download and install an ISV certified graphics driver from the Optimizer to run the ISV application in the environment it was certified for.

Download and install the Intel® CAS-W plug-in to accelerate storage performance and Radeon Pro-Render graphics plug-ins from the Optimizer to render images with a high degree of visual realism.

Get Performance insights and configuration recommendations from Dell Performance Engineering based on your application usage.

Dell Technologies also offers the Dell Optimizer application, which is a software application that intelligently and dynamically optimizes the performance of your computer by using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
For more information see Dell Knowledge Base articles:

 


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5. Frequently asked questions

 

Installation Issues

 

No. Dell Precision Optimizer software has been especially designed to optimize the performance of your Dell machine. Dell Precision Optimizer does not run on any non-Dell system.

Dell Precision Optimizer will not install on operating systems other than Windows 7 or Windows 8. Windows Vista or earlier versions are not supported.

Dell Precision Optimizer includes a copy of Dell Data Vault in the installation package. If another copy of Dell Data Vault is found to be preinstalled, the Dell Precision Optimizer installer cancels. Uninstall Dell Data Vault before attempting to install Dell Precision Optimizer again.

 

Home Page

 

This is not a cause for concern. Graphics utilization is not available on some Dell systems. Based on the configuration of your system, this data may not be available.

 

Profiles and Policies

 

Some of the Dell Precision Optimizer policies change system attributes that require a reboot before the changes can take effect. When this happens, the user is informed and permitted to reboot the system. You can decide to reboot later but the changes applied to your system will become effective only after you reboot. Some examples of policies that require reboot are those that change Processor Hyper-Threading, Processor Cores so forth.

Some of the Dell Precision Optimizer policies change system attributes that require the ISV application to be restarted before the changes can take effect. When this happens, the user is informed and permitted to restart the ISV application. You can decide to continue using the application but the changes applied to your system will become effective only the next time the application is started. Some examples of policies that require application restart are those that change NVIDIA settings.

You may have two different active profiles that contain policies that change the same system attributes to different values. When such a situation is detected by Dell Precision Optimizer, the policies are aborted and the user is notified. Dell Precision Optimizer determines a policy conflict at application runtime, not policy selection.

To avoid such a situation, you must not activate conflicting policies simultaneously. Such policies are meant to be enabled one at a time to optimize the system for ISV applications running in different modes. If you get a policy conflict message, disable one of the profiles.

 

System Maintenance

 

"Check for Updates" or "Apply Updates" may fail if you do not have an Internet connection or if the Dell server is not reachable. Check your network connection and try again after some time.

You may also see this failure because of a conflict with some other application that updates your system, like the Dell Client System Update software. If this happens, retry the operation after closing other applications and associated update scheduler.

Not all software updates require the system to be rebooted. If you get this message, it means that the software update that was applied can only become effective once your system is rebooted. Save all your data and close all running applications before rebooting your system.

 

Track and Analyze

 

Dell Smart Tracking is a powerful tool and has been extensively tested to ensure that it does not adversely impact your system’s performance or battery life. However, remember that it is a tracking tool meant to be used as needed. You should not need to keep it enabled always.

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Affected Products

Fixed Workstations, Dell Precision Optimizer
Article Properties
Article Number: 000130761
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 13 Dec 2024
Version:  8
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