Dell Precision M3800 Owner's Review

Thanks for all the fabulous feedback Bokeh... I'm a long-time Thinkpadder now very interested in the M3800 because Lenovo doesn't look like it's gonna offer a "lite" version of the W540 (I had hoped the T440p would offer a better GPU, but the W540 would be overkill for me and I hate its integrated numpad keyboard layout).

I'm curious how you find the keyboard in terms of feel and overall travel? Also curious if you know what the dock options will be for this model? Presumably the standard Dell USB 3.0 dock is the only wired option, or are there others you know of that offer decent two-monitor support?

 

To me the bottom casing looks like a woven carbon fiber fabric hardened by some resin which if done right is ridiculously sturdy.

 

Similar to Apple and Lenovo chiclet keyboards. Better than ASUS chiclet keyboards. The M3800 types very well once you get used to it.

The USB dock only works well with 1920x1080 displays. I am chaining 2 monitors from the miniDP connector. My setup: Connection 1 - USB/Keyboard/Mouse/Networking = USB 3 dock. Connection 2 - 2 monitors over 1 MiniDP.connection. Connection 3 - power.

 

Hey,
How would you compare the trackpad with a macbook? Yet to find a decent windows trackpad, yet this one looks quite good, and it's specs seem to be pretty impressive(not sure how DPI works on a trackpad, but it sure has a high one!)

 

Thanks. So if I choose a 1600x900 equivalent workspace in W8.1, does that just scale the graphical elements of the OS - menu text, toolbars, boxes, etc - or is everything scaled? How does the scaling affect 3rd party applications? If I have W8.1 set at 200%, and I am working with an 800px wide image in Photoshop, does it take up 1/2 of the screen width, or 1/4? Would a 3200x1800 image fit on screen while Windows is scaled at 200%?

 

That guy's full of crap. If you look at Bokeh's pics of the the inside of the bottom cover, you can see the pattern of the carbon fiber weave even though it's been painted over. It's easy to see that it's not just a "sticker" or a thin layer on the outside.

I wonder if this kid realizes that the MacBook Pro's base is also made of two pieces that are screwed together?

Aluminum cracked when dropped? I call bull. I'm not even sure if it's possible to make 6061 that brittle; if it is, nobody does that extreme of a heat treat. I mean really, when was the last time you saw anything metal crack from being dropped?

Sintered/powdered metals are not inferior. A lot of the newer "super steels" used in premium knives/cutlery, ball bearings, etc. are powdered, and they perform exceptionally well.

 

@Bokeh: Can pls post a pic of the power adapter? and how much does it weigh?

 

More curious than anything but do the integrated graphics of the 4702HQ get used at all? Is it always using the k1100m or only when more performance is needed?

 

Also, could you please post a right side view? I only see a left side view currently posted in the first post in this thread.

 

Oops, never mind. I see it now in the pic sitting on top of the Covet. Thank you very much for these excellent pics and for the time you take with all of the other info as well!