Dell Precision M3800 - 2013!

^

The thinkpad and macbook have a uniform finish. That is what i mean. I know there is more than one materials in the chassis. The macbook came out looking that way due to the engineering behind the casing. It is engineering at it's finest. Everything about it scream honesty and engineering.


What im trying to say is that DELL is obviously trying to look cool with the M3800 and failed badly. They tried to tick all the boxes of coolness: Carbon fibre, aluminium lid, chrome trim, tapered ultrabook styles chasis, chicklet KB.

I would like the company as large as DELL to come up with a better solution than this.

 

Everything about this computer released so far suggests that it will be a better professional workstation computer than the rMBP. I don't know if it will do as well in the luxury multimedia PC market as the rMBP. The previous Dell Precision laptops are not exactly built for that market, so Apple will have a huge brand advantage if nothing else. The rumors seem to be suggesting that the new rMBP will only use higher end integrated graphics cards. This might be fine for the multimedia market, but won't do for many professionals.

The review on mobiletechreview of the XPS 13, which the chassis of the m3800 is obviously based on, praises it for a very solid build quality and a better keyboard than the Macbook Air. I haven't tried the XPS 13 keyboard, but I can see how sculpted keys would result in a better typing experience. The touchpad is not that great, but those issues are already being addressed by Microsoft's Precision Touchpad initiative. We'll have to wait and see. The body itself is carbon fiber bottom, aluminum lid, and magnesium alloy keyboard deck. That sound pretty solid to me. The biggest fears I have are the thermals and user serviceability. There are throttling issues even with the current Precision laptops, but hopefully it won't be too bad. The m3800 seems to have better vents for airflow than the rMBP at least. Apple have really locked down the rMBP as far as user repairs and replacement is concerned. I hope that Dell will be more reasonable. I don't want to rely on ebay or sending the laptop back to Dell just to replace the battery.
Dell XPS 13 FHD Ultrabook Review - YouTube
Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air 13 Comparison - YouTube

I actually like the look of this machine. I haven't seen it in person, so I can't fairly say if I prefer the look to the rMBP, but it actually avoids several of the problems that I have with the chassis of the Macbook Pros. Just to go through them quickly: The use of the backlighting to light up the logo creates artifacts on the screen. To me it would be unacceptable to have these kinds of problems on a screen of this quality only so that the company can have a glowing logo. Hardly what I would call "honestly and engineering." There are very few openings for ventilation. This makes them very hot during heavy use. The aluminum bottom plate can then spread that heat on to your lap. The carbon fiber bottom avoids this to a certain extent. It also appears to be more solid than the fairly flimsy bottom plate on Macbooks.

 

Apple is obsessed with style an looks. And that's a good thing for a mass-produced computer. I also applaud Apple for pushing the limit on some of the features. However, sometimes they put the style above practicality and even above ergonomics. Just one simple example: I hate the sharp edges on my MacBook Pro! My palms hurt! I wish the edges were more rounded or made of a softer material, but that would go against the Apple's style!

If anything, the carbon fiber surface at the bottom of the m3800 should make it easier to hold the laptop with one hand, and make it less likely to slip than if it had a smooth aluminum bottom. I don't think the choice of the material was to make it look cool. I think Dell had more practical considerations in mind.

And that brings it back to my main point. The look and style is very subjective: some will like it, some won't. But that is irrelevant, since the look is not the most important factor in the purchasing decision when choosing a mobile workstation.

 

Carbon fiber on the bottom of the M3800 so that it looks cool. Where you can't see it. On the bottom. How does that make sense?

Carbon fiber has better heat characteristics than aluminum or magnesium when a notebook will be sitting on your lap. Do a search for carbon fiber exhausts for motorcycles. You can actually touch the carbon fiber after a ride. Ever touched a metal exhaust pipe?

Ever use a Macbook Pro under any kind of cpu load on your lap? The aluminum panel drops the heat straight into your legs and lap.

The Mac is nicely engineered visually. Has a nice look to it. Simple and consistent in materials. Just because the M3800 does not sacrifice your legs and unborn children to a ton of heat for the sake of "all parts looking the same" does not mean it is badly engineered. I would say that carbon fiber on the bottom is a great choice of materials.

 

While I don't like the silver accents on the sides and top in terms of look, I do have to agree with you that carbon fiber isn't a bad choice of materials. The part around the docking port on the M6700 does indeed get toasty (metal and its right between both heatsinks). While I like a good looking notebook, the thermal engineering and how solid it is take precedence imo. Carbon fiber makes a poor heat conductor, but with an adequately designed cooling, the heat will get dumped out of the vents instead of out of your lap, here's hoping Dell's engineers did their job (for a Precision, they probably did).

 

Looks good considering where we've come in the past. To help differentiate it from Apple, Dell could go with a carbon fiber top and a gunmetal grey dell logo; no chrome or silver of any kind.

All black is more subtle and office appropriate IMHO.

That said, I want it. K1100 is probably fine for 2mil polys in 3dsmax, right?

 

I wonder why nobody uses 'unibody' Magnesium alloy bottoms anymore.The old DELL XPS and my vostro 1500 had it. It was kind of like an unibody bottom. Kind of reverse of Apple's unibody. A matte finished magnesium alloy panel doesnt look that bad either. Why instead do manifactures use an internal magnesium chassis and put a plastic/Carbon fibre face plat over it?

Carbon fibre is a nice matrerial. Just don't want my laptop to look like a 'modded street car'.

 

Macbookpro is hard to repair. I dont want M3800 to be in the same boat. I want something i can open and change things. And I dont like silver looks. Matte black would be my ideal choice coz it doesnt reflect light. Shiny is bad for professional work. and yes the edges of mbp are quite sharp and it hurts. I am happy with anything other than aluminum.

meanwhile asus launched a mini usb-ethernet adapter. ASUS WL-330NUL Pocket Router Walk-through - YouTube

goes abt 75$ on amazon. Hopefully M3800 ships with its own accessory or a decent enough dock so we dont have to buy one like this.

 

I have been flipping through this thread, and I am having a really hard time understanding the hate for this upcoming M3800 laptop. Its super thin (especially so for the workstation-class that its in). Its got an extremely high-rez screen, and has high-end CPU and GPU, all wrapped up in a tiny, portable package. People are complaining about the materials being used. You kidding me with that? As long as its solidly built, who the hell cares? It looks perfectly fine in terms of aesthetics, but aesthetics are rather far down on my list of wants in a computer.

I recently bought a laptop because I just couldn't wait any longer for the M3800 to be released, but even as I was ordering my Asus laptop, I was kind of regretting it because the M3800 seems to have everything I would want in a laptop, and presumably for a very decent price (even though the rumors of it starting at well under $2k seem bogus).

Again, I just don't get why some folks seem to not like this machine - they are acting like this is the only workstation-class laptop that Dell is going to offer, so if this machine is missing something, then these people couldn't possibly buy something else.

 

I think its the disgruntled M4700 users who wanted to have M4800 on an M3800 size with macbookpro looks. Its meant to be a lightweight workstation replacement. as long as it can give me performance, I simply dont care if it looks cute or ugly.

I would ideally love to have Ethernet jack and thunderbolt but then as long as they can pack it under 2Kg with quadro, I guess its quite alrite. Would be quite a thing if the parts are hackintosh ready.