Dell Precision M3800 Owner's Review

I have poor eyesight and use the full 200% scaling.

Yes, there's a bracket that goes around the edges and has a couple of flanges to attach it to the chassis. I posted picture up-thread somewhere. There's also a cable that goes from the motherboard to the 2.5" drive, rather than a direct motherboard-attached SATA socket. I don't think a model that didn't come with a 2.5" drive would come with either of those, but it's possible that all 61whr models do (although to get the 61whr model without a 2.5" drive I think you have to special order through sales or premier.)

If you have premier access or can get sales to do a special order, I'd recommend ordering it with JUST a 2.5" drive and adding your own mSATA card; the performance of both reported models is OK but neither is super, and their charge for "not super" will typically pay for a twice-as-large OK-but-not-super Samsung or Crucial.

That's exactly what I did, down to the SSD model (although I have since replaced their 256gb SSD with a larger Samsung). Very easy upgrade, although I recommend being careful when removing the cable from the SSD end -- the connection from the cable to the motherboard on the other end is quite fiddly, and doesn't give much tactile feedback on if it's fully attached and if you remove it carefully from the SSD you can avoid having to re-attach it at the motherboard end,

 

I noticed the fans ramp up more aggressively and stay on until the laptop is restarted as far as I could tell. I have downgraded to A05 in the meantime as it is a definite nuisance....

 

Has anyone had any problems with discoloration of the surface below the keyboard? Especially in the area where ones palms rest. I get discoloration that appears especially visibly after the computer has been off and closed for a few hours.

 

I bought the M3800 with the hybrid drive only and added a 500GB Crucial mSATA because the Crucial had great reviews and what seemed like the best price/performance point for my budget. So anyway, I turned a base unit with the 1920 x 1080, 8GB Memory and the Hybrid into a improved system by adding a second 8GB memory stick and the 500GB Crucial mSATA.

It really rocked well in that configuration, but I couldn't leave well enough alone. I got a coupon for a Samsung EVO 840 500 GB for a really reasonable price, so I swapped the hybrid drive out with the Samsung EVO.

I love this machine! I got the laptop "Open Box", and with all the other "deals" I am not really out that much for a machine of this caliber. 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD and K1100 in a super light super thin notepad style computer. I run SolidWorks 2014 and Draftsight (like AutoCAD) without any issues, it never crashes.

In summary, I think you would be best buying the hybrid drive only, because for the prices they charge for upgrades at the factory for a decent capacity mSATA you could replace the hybrid with both an mSATA and SATA drive. It worked that way for me.

 

Can I ask how you rate the 1920 x 1080 panel (which model is it)? How are the viewing angles etc? I've read the first 1100 posts in this thread and didn't find the answer.

I've just got the Latitude E7440 FHD and, if my eyes object to the size (I'm using 125% scaling) then I'll have to consider the 15.6" alternatives (of which the M3800 is one). One thing I've already concluded is that high display scaling is not the way forward for me because I've various older programs that aren't display scaling aware.

John

 

John,

I am very happy with the 1920 x 1280. I edit photos as a hobby and I would prefer to have the super high res screen for that, but I primarily use the computer for CAD work. I was not sure about how well the icons would scale etc., so I got the lower res screen, if you want to call it that. It is actually quite good on a 15" display. I use a 2560 x 1440 27" display both at work and at home on my desktop computers, and the resolution of the Dell on a 15" actually is a finer pixel pitch than the 27" monitor(s).

Viewing angle is much better than my work laptop, an HP Zbook. It also has the 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Rick

 

Heh, you missed my post then.

I find that panel excellent, with near-perfect viewing angles, bright and consistent coloring/lighting. I have the FHD panel for the same reasons you have quoted, and since I see no benefit at all, for me, from the QHD+ panel. I feel I made the right decision. The panel is everything I had hoped for. It's not an IPS or an RGBLED, but it comes very, very close.

Since I know you also have the Samsung Series 9, the Dell display is heads and shoulders above that one. Not even remotely in the same class.

 

Thank you.

I had only got as far as where you were still asking about the display. You have now demonstrated that you have first hand knowledge of it.

What is the panel model number (Moninfo can often reveal more than Device Manager)?

The panel on my 15" Samsung Series 9 is good as TN panels go but my benchmark is the 13.3" PLS panel on my Samsung NP900X3B.

Would I be correct to assume that the FHD versions of the XPS 15 - 9530 is the same as the M3800 or is that another Dell gotcha?

I guess the next question for you M3800 owners is what is the actual weight of your configuration. Dell's "starting from" weights rarely reflect the reality.

John

 

You may have found it already, but my original post is here.

We have a Dell representative in this thread who can give you a more definite answer, but my impression was that there's only one FHD panel Dell uses for both the XPS15 and the M3800.

My high-end comparison is with the RGBLED display of my M6400. This one does have even more vibrant, accurate colors, and practically 180 degrees viewing angles (somewhat academic, since it's a glossy screen, so it's not usable at these very flat angles anyway due to reflections). Like I said, the M3800 comes very close to it. You can see a very small amount of bleeding near the bottom corners on a completely black screen, but as soon as there's anything at all on the screen the display appears perfectly even. If you do professional photo editing, then you may not be entirely satisfied, but then you wouldn't be working on a laptop anyway, or at least you shouldn't.

Sorry, I don't have a scale here, so I can't comment on the weight. It is substantially heavier than a Samsung Series 9, of course, but then I am man enough to not find this an issue...

 

I tell you this, if one who have good eyesight then the QHD+ model is a must have. If you are going to spend that much money and not getting the one with the QHD+ display is like shooting yourself in the foot, as the panel and the thin beautiful design are the two standout features of this precision M3800.

I'm running Ubuntu 14.04 with Unity 7 and have never in my life before enjoyed so much screen estate as I do now, not constantly minimizing windows is the new king. =)

I just got mine back from service with a new motherboard, and guess who is the new victim of the famous coil whine.
But the good news is that it is (almost) gone, and you guys will not believe me when I tell you what I did to get rid of that annoying buzzing/whirling whine....