Dell lets slip new, sexy Precision M6400, M4400 and M2400 mobile workstations

Dell seems to at last put those eye-sore days behind it with its new round of Precision laptops, the M6400, M4400 and the M2400, featuring all-new designs and colored lids, and following up on the 17-inch M6300, 15.4-inch M4300 and the 14-inch M2300, respectively. In the M6400 17-inch flagship "concept" Dell is offering up to 16GB of RAM, 1TB RAID storage, 100% Adobe RGB color gamut in an LED-backlit display, and high-end NVIDIA Quadro graphics. The M4400 starts at $1,569 and has space for up to 8GB of RAM, while the M2400 weighs a mere 4.77 pounds and starts at $1,449. The launch window for these is Fall 2008, hopefully Dell will share a few more tech specs before it expects us to take the plunge.

[Via Electronista]

[Luke. @ Aug 12th 2008 12:33PM]

I never thought I would say this, but...

That Dell looks nice :D

[Makavelli @ Aug 12th 2008 12:33PM]

16 Jigawatts!?

[monster @ Aug 12th 2008 12:33PM]

Blech, what goober wrote that press release? I WANT you to stop telling me what I WANT in an annoying fashion.

[DigDug @ Aug 12th 2008 12:33PM]

Did I see that right? Supports two external monitors?

[Mam00th @ Aug 12th 2008 8:35PM]

Hell yeah! It's freakingnishly awesome!

[Evan @ Aug 12th 2008 12:36PM]

Jesus, that's one beast of a laptop.

[Mustaine @ Aug 12th 2008 12:39PM]

Hope to see a price drop in the other models as a result. Another few weeks might be a great time to get an XPS

[cesium @ Aug 12th 2008 12:41PM]

Someone needs to fix the read link and the one in the picture

[Knives_Out @ Aug 12th 2008 12:45PM]

mmmm ... I hope that one screen they described is matte.

[John Doe @ Aug 12th 2008 12:45PM]

16 gigs in a laptop...wow

[monkfishbandana @ Aug 12th 2008 12:45PM]

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/precn/topics/en/precision_concept_jumppage?c=us&l=en&s=gen

Just for convenience, I understand the links are broken.

Those look really smart - Dell have really succeeded in shaking off their previous (and in some cases, untrue) image.

[Nomi @ Aug 12th 2008 12:50PM]

Dell is still missing a high quality laptop, something to match the class of the Voodoos and the Macbooks. I mean, if I see class in a Dell laptop, I might buy it...

[x3qt0r @ Aug 12th 2008 1:05PM]

"I mean, if I see class in a Dell laptop"


visit an eye doctor

[Eh @ Aug 12th 2008 3:58PM]

What laptops are you looking at? Dell just destroyed the MBP in every single category with this thing. Ive never seen a better looking laptop, and the features of this thing are crazy. Apple has a lot to prove with their new laptops if they expect to beat this.

[Samboini @ Aug 12th 2008 4:45PM]

The XPS M1330 i'm writing this on is more attractive than your wife.

[Fslade @ Aug 12th 2008 7:31PM]

Awesomw specs, indeed.

Great machine.

But, still, I can't say I like the design... To say "Ive never seen a better looking laptop' is a bit too much... Or maybe someone else needs to visit an eye doctor ...

[Jon Doe. @ Aug 12th 2008 8:03PM]

Nomi,

Have you even used a recent Dell laptop? It kicks the shit out of most of Apple's designs. Voodoo is a tossup. Dell has sexy designs for those who aren't fanbois.

[Skyride @ Aug 12th 2008 1:09PM]

They look great.

Although I have to say rather pointless. ANYONE doing anything that needs those sort of specs is not going to be using a laptop. Whats the point in a laptop capable of powering 2x 30" monitors? That will be via VGA btw as its not got 4x DVI slots.

[Midnightblade @ Aug 12th 2008 1:17PM]

You don't need two DVI ports to power a 30" Monitor. You need a single dual link DVI port.

Dual link != two DVI ports

[Matt @ Aug 12th 2008 1:20PM]

Not so, grasshopper. I work for a product design consultancy, run demanding CAD and CAID applications and travel quite a bit. For me, the combination of power and portability is very attractive - close to to workstation performance at the office, take it all with me and still have all that power on the road.

I've used two monitors for years, and when I switched to a laptop (Precision M2300) had to settle for one plus the small 14.1" display on my laptop. I would much prefer two full size displays on my desk.

[The Dude @ Aug 12th 2008 1:25PM]

"ANYONE doing anything that needs those sort of specs is not going to be using a laptop."

I'm sure there is SOMEONE and in fact, MANY who need these kind of specs and mobility for travel. Hence the mobile workstation.

[Dizzle @ Aug 21st 2008 3:11AM]

Anyone ... that must make me no-one. I do quite a bit of vis work. CAD, 3D, BIM, and other parametrics. Portability is a must in my job, and I'm going to be first in line here. Design is important, but only one part. MBP couldn't pull its weight the PC apps I needed it to run. Lenovo T Series has been decent, but their build quality keeps slipping from generation to generation and the HP's seem to always be over-priced. The new M6300 out-powers most of the mainstream market (yes I know there are other fringe options). I for one really appreciate the simple, sleek, no unnecessary BS curves and decoration approach. It's a computer, how aerodynamic does it need to be? Simple, powerful, durable that's what a mobile workstation should be.

[x3qt0r @ Aug 12th 2008 1:11PM]

when are they gonna announce dell e ?

[Adam @ Aug 12th 2008 1:37PM]

nevAr

[graham_best @ Aug 12th 2008 1:14PM]

The Dell Precision M2400 specifications have already been leaked by Novell:
http://developer.novell.com/yes/102103.htm

[V4VENDETTA @ Aug 12th 2008 4:29PM]

Only need OSX for be perfect.

[Kookies @ Aug 12th 2008 2:03PM]

Sexy looking. Deserves a sexy case:

http://www.sfbags.com/products/sleevecases/sleevecases.htm

[OnlyShawn @ Aug 12th 2008 3:15PM]

spammy von spamovitch

[BIlly G @ Aug 12th 2008 2:05PM]

Suddenly my M6300 makes me feel so woefully inadequate. ;__;

[Skillatchi @ Aug 13th 2008 7:30AM]

Dell >>>>>(x999) Apple

If an Apple laptop looked as good as this and had similar spec, it would cost the GDP of China, plus more.

[Koookies @ Aug 13th 2008 1:29PM]

The GDP of China has already been spent on the opening ceremonies. None left.

[Kookies @ Aug 12th 2008 2:18PM]

Woe oh me oh my....time for a new toy. :-) Ebay with the old and in with the new.

[JofArnold @ Aug 12th 2008 2:48PM]

Nvidia GPU = FAIL. Well, Linux fail anyway.

[joe blow @ Aug 12th 2008 3:02PM]

Dude, I'm gettin' a ....

[OnlyShawn @ Aug 12th 2008 3:14PM]

spammy von spamobitch

[OnlyShawn @ Aug 12th 2008 3:16PM]

rats. was supposed to be too kookies comment above, who has been consistently spam-tastic.

[Scott @ Aug 12th 2008 3:33PM]

"ANYONE doing anything that needs those sort of specs is not going to be using a laptop."

Who needs it? I'm kicking myself for just picking up a fully loaded M6300 - I'm a developer that lives in SQL SVR and Photoshop.... I need the GFX card to run my 3840x1024 Matrox TripleHead Digital box, powering my 3 Dell monitors at the office. On the road, the DVI and VGA ports mean I can plug into any display for presentations. The Quadro card is not the Nvidia GPU that is failing, that's for the consumer BS game cards. With these laptops, not only can I run SQL in the background as fast and reliable as I can on the production server (within reason of course, 4MB ram limit for me), but I can resize 20MP images in the blink of an eye, all while keeping XSI open and rendering 32fps HD in the background.

So before mouthing off about how noone needs these, remember there are people with jobs that actually perform tasks on their laptops other than blogging about Diablo III.

[Kookies @ Aug 12th 2008 5:22PM]

More is *always* a good thing. When you're designing multiple projects you can never have too much.

[Kookies @ Aug 12th 2008 5:19PM]

Sorry you're having a bad day, Shawn...

[nmason @ Aug 12th 2008 5:24PM]

"YOU WANT?"

more like "DO WANT"

[sammich @ Aug 12th 2008 6:34PM]

Why oh why does anyone refer to electronics as "sexy?" A vibrator, okay, maybe. But a PC being sexy? Hope your junk doesn't get caught in any of the, um, ports.

[jay.viz @ Aug 12th 2008 8:57PM]

Sexy is a sexier way of saying attractive.

[Backlin @ Aug 12th 2008 6:50PM]

Well, I believe I know what laptop I'm getting next.

Although, IMO, the outside of these laptops are about as sexy as Rosie O'Donnell.

[AlphaTeam @ Aug 12th 2008 10:10PM]

16GB RAM and 1TB storage? Hello 3-inch thick laptop! Defeats the whole point of making a sleek laptop.

[Fire-Storm @ Aug 13th 2008 4:20PM]

Supports 2x 3008WFP 30" monitors at 2560 x 1600 resolution!!

[An Legend @ Aug 13th 2008 4:17PM]

I'm posting this through a Latitude D810, which has been nothing short of awesome for the past 3 years. I must have the M4400, it looks to have everything I need in a notebook (except for serial, but I guess I can live with that, just as long as they make them with WUXGA screens). I guess I should start saving up now...

[John Doe @ Aug 14th 2008 10:43AM]

The new E-Family Latitudes gives you the option of buying a Legacy Extender, that lets you connect to legacy ports when you need it.

It is a clip-on dock, that fits all Latitude E-Family and also the new Precision machines.

It has the following ports:
1 x COM, 1 x Parallell, 2 x PS/2, 2 x USB.

This is a great feature for field technicians, as you can just have this in your carry case, and plug it on, when needed.

Haven't found it online yet, but call Dell, and you will get this option.

[Hanka @ Aug 15th 2008 6:58AM]

______________________________________________________________

Before you buy any great looking and promoting product please read some forums about troubles.

I have not best experience with Dell service, when my XPS collapsed few times (3 times changed motherboard, 1x graphic card, 2x memory, 1x display, 1x AC adaptor...
Once they changed and it was working again and they were delaying service because I told them that I am before 6 months trip to opposite side on the World - then they told me that I have not international warranty if I was ordering it during buying... I am photographer and during 1,5 year the notebook was not running for over 10 months (waiting for service). I bought it via German Dell which have central in Slovak Republic. May be if they know that I am an German customer they will be more active. But I was only from past East country (Czech Republic) so not to much care.. At last I finished in Czech Dell who told that they can't decide about service etc.

May be 500 e-mails in correspondence with few people during this period looks about customer's record.

I finished at Mike Dell office and wrote to his layman's asking them for help. It last others 2 months before they were accepting money return and other one month when they send me money back.

To this all: printer which I bought with XPS was printing only 1/4 page, special XPS wheal case was to small, bag was also to small too and TV card was not working (they found out later on that it is not correct accessory because it is not compatible and they put it out from over world Dell pages ) . They offered me money return or change it for other accessories. change for multifunctional printer and second battery. But printing was just poor quality and battery they didn't take back when they took back the notebook.

I am not spamming! I am just sharing my experience...

Hanka

PS. Sorry for my not best English...
_______________________________________________________________

[overzeetop @ Aug 20th 2008 9:13PM]

These are the Precision line. After you're in the system, if you call from your "base" or "known" phone number, you bypass all the standard first tier support and go straight to well trained techs who can and will solve your problem. I've got an M70, and though it's had a couple of issues, tech support has been absolutely top notch. I've had to escalate once in about 6 calls over the past 4(!) years with the machine. When there is a problem, there's very little random troubleshooting - they either know how to solve it, or identify the hardware issue and send a replacement and a tech the next day. I'm likely to get a Precision, and pay the premium over the E series, just to get the amazing support. Hell, I'm switching all of my machines in the office (only 4 ppl, no dedicate IT staff) to Precision desktops for the same reason. They can be had fairly reasonably as refurbs, and with the support you get you never worry about getting a lemon.

[Angerdude @ Aug 17th 2008 1:27AM]

Can anyone tell me if there is any possibility of a 8-core Nehalem processor in a notebook?
Also, as far as I have heard software still needs to catch up with quad cores. Is it actually useless having a quad-core? Any software upcoming or presently available supporting quad-cores and do we expect any software supporting multiple cores? Anyone?