Dell Precision M3800 Owner's Review

No, that's what I was referring to in my post: Those USB3 things are not docks. You still need to plug in power (yeah, that one is minor), you need to flip open the laptop to turn it on (which means it will take up additional desk real estate), and you cannot use high-resolution monitors. Moreover, bandwidth limitations of USB3 can easily get you on a number of fronts with those things. Bottom line: Those things are o.k. when used as some sort of primitive hubs, but they're not even remotely close to what a real dock can accomplish.

The English word for that is "coil whine" : "Spule" is "coil", "fiepen" can be translated as "whine".

 

Hehe, thanks for clearing that up !

That's something configurable. You have the option to configure your laptop like this:
- On battery -> Lid closed -> Hibernation
- Power connected -> Lid closed -> nothing happens

This will enable you to work with your M3800, while the lid is closed. I agree, that having a native dock would be much better, but I think this is a good alternative (real Dock vs USB cord + Power cord). If you still want to go for the X1 / W540, do it. They're definitely good machines, but they also have their own drawbacks. Afaik, many Nvidia models don't have a Dock (or if available for your specific model, it has some limitations in comparison to the Intel-only models). I don't think that driving two 4K displays with the integrated HD4400 is a good idea - it will probably work, but you will lack the power to run any graphic intense programs. I don't know, what you mean by "high-resolution" monitors, but I consider 1920x1080 as high resolution. Afaik, it's possible to drive 2x 1920x1080 via the Dell D3000, so, that should be enough. If you think, that the Carbon X1 / W540 will fit your needs, go for it, there is nothing wrong with them (eventhough I think, that the M3800 is a steal at 1450€ incl. taxes).

 

No, that's standard resolution to me. Remember, we are talking desktop monitor, so 24", 27", or even 30". High resolution is WQXGA, or 4k (I might be able to live with 16x9 on a 4k 30" monitor). I only need one monitor, but it would be nice to have the same (roughly) resolution as the laptop screen, at least.

Well, that's exactly the issue: The X1 doesn't have the performance I'd like. No reason to get a W540; it doesn't have the same portability. In that case I might as well get an M4800, which accepts a real dock.

 

I know this isn't exactly the same class of machine, but Pirx have you checked out the Latitude E7440? The configurations that Dell offers in its regular online store are pretty atrocious, but if you have access to Premier you can get them with up to 16GB of RAM, a 1080p IPS panel (even a matte, non-touch version), and a 256GB SSD. It also has both a 2.5" drive bay (up to 7mm drives) and a combo mSATA/WWAN slot, so if you wanted a larger SSD you could always buy it separately and/or have two.

Of course compared to the M3800, the display is 14" rather than 15", you can only get a dual core CPU even if you get the i7, you can't get QHD+ (but I know you hate that anyway), and you don't get the Quadro card, but I'm not sure whether your line of work would require it. But it seems to be similar to the M3800 in terms of build quality and materials, looks, size, and weight -- plus the battery is externally swappable, there's a wired LAN port, and it of course has a real docking connector and a business-style keyboard. Fyi the lid is aluminum when equipped with a non-touch display and carbon fiber when equipped with a touch display.

Other minor differences would be having one less USB port (and I think only one of the Latitude's ports is PowerShare-capable) and I'm not sure that the HDMI output is 1.4 if that matters to you.

I've been underwhelmed by the feel and design of the recent Latitude Exx20s and Exx30s, but Dell finally seems to be righting the ship there if this new 7000 series is the first in a new design wave. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

I believe Pirx's point was that there isn't a way to power the system on from hibernation/shutdown without opening the lid. I too have a desk setup that requires me to shift things around when I need to open the lid, so I can sympathize here.

 

The HP Zbook14 does have a dock (side attached). It also has space for both a conventional and SSD drive and a dedicated GPU. Might be a good option
HP UltraSlim Docking Station - YouTube
The system is certainly in the same ball park as the Dell and has a joy button to boot!
I don't think I would be as happy with the 1080 screen as I am with that of the M3800.

 

Hmm, that's some interesting options that I had not considered. Thanks guys!

P.S.: What's a "joy button"?

 

The base model M3800 is on sale right now at Dell for ~$1800 - seems like a pretty good deal.

But the problems reported bother me - what exactly is "coil whine"?

 

It's a very high pitched tone that some systems exhibit under certain conditions. If you've ever heard the noise a CRT TV makes, it's like that; if you don't know what I'm talking about, search for YouTube videos of the mosquito ringtone to get a less accurate but approximate idea. On this system it's quiet enough to be drowned out by ambient noise in most rooms, but it's definitely audible in a quiet room. Dell has apparently acknowledged the issue and is investigating, but there haven't been any reports that any production changes have been made yet. Every system I've ever used that works with a 130W+ power supply has had this to some extent because the noise is generated by components involved in handling electrical current, so I didn't even consider it an issue with this system until I saw so many people in these threads complaining about it. Bottom line is that your system might not even have it (and depending on your age and condition of your hearing, its frequency might be above your audible range anyway), and if your system does exhibit coil whine and it bothers you enough, wait a few months and use that warranty to get a replacement motherboard because by then Dell should have a fix ready to go.

 

Just a note: my m4800 has no coil whine (as far as I can tell) with either a 180 or 240 W adapter connected.


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Just to close that loop: The Latitude really doesn't make much sense over the Lenovo X1, which is much prettier, more compact, and same performance.

The HP, well, I did take a look, but boy, that thing gets expensive quickly. Plus, I was reminded that I once swore to never, ever buy an HP product again. Started with a Photosmart C7280 printer I have: Excellent hardware, but the software and drivers for that thing are absolutely, positively among the very worst pieces of garbage I have ever seen in my entire career, and I have seen a lot. Then two years ago my daughter finally twisted my arm to get her that Pavilion laptop. So, yes, that's consumer hardware so maybe I shouldn't have expected much, but that thing is a piece of crap. After a couple of months the wireless card stopped working, and there was no way, after swapping three different replacements in and out again, to get it working anymore. In addition, HP pulls this BIOS whitelisting crap on you, so you can't even go out and buy a card yourself. So, long story short, no, I'll never buy an HP product again...