Well, hiddy ho Dell Precision
M6400, nice to finally meet you all retail-like. The 17-inch (LED back-lit 1,920 x 1,200 pixels covering 100% of the RGB color gamut) Mobile Workstation capable of playing host to 16GB of memory, a Core 2 Duo Quad Core Extreme processor, and up to 1TB of data (2x 500GB disks in RAID 0 or RAID 1 configs) is now up on Dell's website. Other specs include up to 1GB of
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M Graphics, Bluetooth 2.1, Ultra-wideband, WWAN, GPS, 802.11a/g/n WiFi, stereo speakers and dual-array mic, 8-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard 54 and PCMCIA slots, Firewire, 4x USB 2.0, DisplayPort, eSATA, and more. All that in a 15.4 x 11.0 x 1.35-inch chassis weighing 8.5-pounds with a biggie 9-cell battery. The only thing missing is Blu-ray and that
shuttle controller spotted in the teaser video. Starts at $2,599 with an October 22nd ship date.
Update: Ah, we get it: the track pad "works like a jog shuttle" -- it's not a physically distinct device. See it pictured after the break.
[Thanks, M.Luczak]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kevin Leah @ Sep 24th 2008 7:01AM
According to the Dell Web Site, there is a jog shuttle feature on the trackpad.
Andrew @ Sep 24th 2008 7:02AM
Loan anyone?
Bobby @ Sep 24th 2008 7:05AM
screen should be 19-20 for this resolution
I hope HP HDX will do it right
jay.viz @ Sep 24th 2008 3:29PM
I'm posting this on a 17" laptop with a 1920 x 1200 res screen and it works well. Everyone that sees this screen thinks is great. I just use larger DPI text and NoSquint in Firefox to compensate. Now I wish regular desktop monitors had this kind of pixel density.
RocketTech @ Sep 24th 2008 6:05PM
I'm replacing an Inspiron 8600 15.4" 1920x1200 with the M4400 1920x1200. The previous poster is right- the pixel density is out of this world. Even 4 years ago it was a stellar display, it can't be any less today. You are just shy of being able to display four 1024x768 windows tiled at this resolution. The display is a godsend for multi-tasking freaks with excellent eyesight. The resolution isn't as bad as you would think because the pixel density is so high- even when text is small, it's not pixelated at all and thus very readable. If that doesn't float your boat, you can just up your fonts and icons. You can even run it at lower resolution with little/no issues because dithering is visually non-existent.
I debated between the 6400 and 4400; the cost tore it for me. The 6400 starts at $1000 more than the 4400. The 6400 has some pretty compelling features, but it will definitely lighten your wallet. I'd say this thing sets the standard and extinguishes the debate between Dell/MacBookPro.
dave @ Sep 25th 2008 12:33PM
i really love the idea of this but its a bit out of my price range. i got a macbook not that long ago that is black and 2.4ghz and i can use it for note taking purposes cos its light and portable and whatnot and ive got windows on there. im really pleased with this but if i could get this dell but with a Q6600 and 4 gigs of ram and a 500gig array or something for the price of my macbook then that would be even better. the entry price of quad core on this laptop is just silly. i know its for professionals but i think it would have a great deal of appeal to the me's out there who need it for higher education and would also like some anti-obsolescence power. shame.
Ruben @ Sep 24th 2008 7:07AM
Wow, what a turnaround Dell!
This looks unique, sleek, and powerful. The metal wrapped around a plastic center look makes it look awesome. This is probably the best looking 17" laptop ever created, with capability to back it up.
zerb @ Sep 24th 2008 7:12AM
weighing 850pounds....Guns 'n'...Dell
Sidharth @ Sep 24th 2008 7:12AM
Nice specs but costly
Arran @ Sep 24th 2008 7:31AM
that screen is wasted without a blu-ray drive! I don't think many people download hd movies, at least not in the UK, internet sucks here.
dave @ Sep 25th 2008 12:48PM
on average its bound to be a lot worse for people in the us. we are meant to have decent internet. london has like the most throughput of the western world or something. but thats probably just cos its really overpopulated and every man and his dog has broadband here now
canoo @ Sep 24th 2008 7:34AM
Ahhhh... VGA? Whats with that?
mojohat @ Sep 24th 2008 9:38AM
It has a Display Port on it.
Look it up if you don't know what that is....
canoo @ Sep 24th 2008 11:46AM
Ok, I didn't see that. But i still don't understand why its got a VGA port.
Golferal @ Sep 24th 2008 1:26PM
Just in case you have to connect to a projector. Most corporate projectors are 800 x 600 or 1028 x 764.
Ross @ Sep 24th 2008 7:37AM
hmm... That trackpad looks slightly awkward :S
Joseph @ Sep 24th 2008 6:57PM
not if you shop at the Leftorium!
kuade @ Sep 24th 2008 7:38AM
This would look Awesome mounted in my silver H1! Recession my ass!
/take%a#deep*breath
Modesty and greed will fuel class warfare... "I just foreclosed on my home, I am going to open a credit line with Dell.com"
Not me really but I will stop now...
Ian @ Sep 24th 2008 7:59AM
The squareness makes it look really thick, but it's still a really nice design.
strider_mt2k @ Sep 24th 2008 8:00AM
Whooooa.
(presses face to the glass)
Billy G @ Sep 24th 2008 8:11AM
So... anyone want to buy a used M6300??
Chris @ Sep 24th 2008 8:32AM
Or an M90 for that matter. Slightly scratched...
Dualboot @ Sep 24th 2008 2:05PM
Whatever the guy above sells it for, I'll sell you mine for $1 less :-)
Joseph @ Sep 24th 2008 6:59PM
Dualboot - he was selling his for a dollar.
You can ship mine to:
742 Evergreen Terrace
Springfield, USA
Californian @ Sep 24th 2008 8:12AM
Wait why can't I get it up to 16gb on their website? I have the price up to $9,000, seeing how high it can go (although I shouldn't put on accessories, there were a few I had to, like the dual monitors).
Josh @ Sep 24th 2008 9:15AM
I'm sure it has something to do with the OS. XP 32bit and Vista 32 bit can only recognize 4gb of ram...however, 64 bit versions can recognize up to 32gb of ram. Maybe they don't have the 64 bit versions ready - but I'm sure that the OS has something to do with your choices.
Randal_Coc @ Sep 24th 2008 10:08AM
Breaking the rules man !!!
You shouldn't be able to add anything that doesn't sit inside the laptop...
Otherwise I'll just hook up a pair of those B&W – Porcelain/Kevlar - Nautilus bad boys...
and shoot the whole frigging price tag through your basement roof !!!
Did you add the 64 SSD just for price augmentation??? :)
Chris in CA @ Sep 24th 2008 11:09AM
I don't think it's the OS- I think it's memory availability and a limitation of the ordering system. Max density available for this right now is 2GB- the 4GB chips aren't available unless you go with a lower speed. Why you can't fill all 4 slots with 2GB I don't know, but it'd be cheaper to order the minimum and get the rest from Crucial. I just ordered a 4400 last week and researched all this. I was also surprised there is no explicit 32- or 64-bit OS option- XP or Vista.
9bit @ Sep 24th 2008 5:45PM
Configure through the large business site. It allows you to add up to 16 GB of RAM, because it lets you have Vista x64.
crispy @ Sep 24th 2008 8:17AM
I still have to convince my buddies that just because it has a gig of video ram doesn't mean it will be any good at playing games.
roach @ Sep 24th 2008 10:08AM
Quadro GPU (one of the reason this thing is expensive) isn't made for games, actually it will run like crap...more for 3D apps like Maya.
Kimleng @ Sep 24th 2008 11:23AM
Quadro cards are meant to churn out OpenGL performance, which is the technology 3D apps use. GeForce is what does DirectX, which is what most games use. Both cards have the capability of running either or...but the media pros are willing to pay the 1k-5k for a super nice OpenGL card where as the gamers can't really afford those prices. Back a few years ago, you could mod a GeForce into a Quadro by doing some soldering, not sure if that's something possible anymore. Therefore, Quadro != Crysis and Geforce != Maya/3D StudioMax/SoftImage
Jason Litka @ Sep 24th 2008 2:09PM
Uh, actually, the 3700M is pretty quick. It won't be able to play Crysis at 1920x1200 (not at any reasonable frame rate anyway), but it shouldn't have any problems at 1280x1024.
Forrest @ Sep 24th 2008 3:44PM
I have an M6300 with the Quadro FX3600M, and I can tell you it is most definitely good at playing games.
As for this thing... /droooooooool. Although that base price probably won't get you much of a machine. Mine was about $3800 before all the 'instant savings' they gave me, and that's with a 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 gigs of RAM, the 3600M, and a 120 gig HD. Oh, and the gorgeous display and the 3 year accident plan. You know, in case it decides to walk itself off of the roof and into traffic.
teetdogs @ Sep 24th 2008 8:31AM
Well Hello Lover, That is one of the sexiest things I have ever seen!
Chris @ Sep 24th 2008 8:48AM
Can I get a duo. And swap out a quad later?
Jason Litka @ Sep 24th 2008 2:02PM
Don't see why not. Only the ULV processors tend to show up soldered to the board. Assuming you can tear the machine apart you should be able to upgrade to a quad later.
xValentine @ Sep 24th 2008 9:41AM
17'' with 1,920 x 1,200 resolution but no option for a blu-ray drive ?
Come on, it's HD era already.
The Dark Knight is coming in december ffs.
Kimleng @ Sep 24th 2008 11:07AM
Until it gives a Blu-ray option, no buy! Also, spec it out with the most minimum of components except for screen, GPU, and CPU. Get those at the max that you want. The rest is a rip-off! Go to something like NewEgg to get your 16GB of RAM and 500GB 7200RPM HDD for waaaaaay cheaper.
Doug @ Sep 24th 2008 11:41AM
Core 2 Duo Quad Core huh... so what is that... eight cores then?
linuxamp @ Sep 25th 2008 12:19AM
4 sockets of core2 duo chips???
zindrome @ Sep 24th 2008 12:24PM
we had a tech demo from Softimage
and the guy was using an orange one of these
was just asking him and he said its a prototype
said it'd be out soon
haha didnt expect it out the next day
it was also beastly fast
running huuuge simulations with millions of particles on XSI Ice
definitely the laptop for VFX people on the go
zindrome @ Sep 24th 2008 12:30PM
the model i saw yesterday was also specced out with a blu ray burner
so maybe that option is coming soon?
although from what i heard.. 70% of quardro equipped laptops are used by the oil and gas industry
hence the dull designs of yesteryears
this new design looks pretty awesome for a solid mobile workstation
it was also running a lot cooler than a macbook pro or a consumer hp laptop we had lying around
the only drawback was the GIGANTIC charger .. same as the one from the massive xps model
i was told that would be changed for the production model
Stef @ Sep 24th 2008 3:24PM
I think you mean 'covering 100% of the sRGB [not RGB] color gamut'.
wonkydonkydotnet @ Sep 24th 2008 4:30PM
On Dell's page under 'Overview', they intimate it's 100% of Adobe 98, though they neglect to use that exact term.
But yeah you're right; I don't think there's an actual Gamut named just RGB. That'd be like naming your product, "Product".
Joseph @ Sep 24th 2008 7:02PM
100% of sRGB? so is that like 50% of AdobeRGB?
JC @ Sep 24th 2008 4:52PM
Clevo D901c is
cheaper
more powerful
more customizable
has proven thermals
however, it could use a chassis update...
*This reads like a great machine but, the M6400 is too expensive for an enthusiast, only corporations will buy at those prices.
Gygaxis @ Sep 24th 2008 8:56PM
The current spec seems to not be for the LED backlit models, as the tech sheet shows them with 4 screen options, the latter two explicitly stating they were RGB LED backlit and the wording in the configuration screen only lets you spec out with the two former that don't specify any LED component too them
Jonny @ Sep 24th 2008 10:47PM
210w PSU hm?
So what, is it the size of the 360 power block?
linusk01 @ Sep 25th 2008 2:14AM
looks pretty. even if i could afford it, i can't think of why/how this could replace my desktop. its a remarkably spec'd laptop, and yet i guess i'm of the 15" or less crowd when it comes to laptops. backlit keyboard is a nice touch... i wish more laptops came with that feature. what? macbook pro? yuck.
am i the only one who gets entranced by "official" photos only to see the final product clash with my own decor? lol.