Dell Precision M3800 Owner's Review

4702HQ. The thin 37 watt quad core. Speeds are about the same as a 2920XM and 3740QM.

Will run the blend test and post for you. Have been focusing on in-place testing since that gives the most heat.

Running Prime95 alone is a boring test. The system has twin fans and heat sinks that both connect across the CPU and GPU. WAY more cooling that is needed. To make things interesting you have to put a heavy load on the CPU and GPU. You can run a 10 hour marathon session of Civilization V running at 3200x1800 with the system on your lap wearing shorts. It just does not run very hot unless you are trying to make it run hot. Even then, the carbon fiber bottom panel insulates the heat. Every notebook should have a carbon fiber bottom panel.

Q1) What configuration do you have? What can you tell us about prices?

4702HQ processor. K1100M GPU. 16gb RAM. 256GB SSD and 256GB mSata. Intel 7260 wireless. QHD+ display.

System is pre-release model, so things may change.

No idea on pricing. Just testing this one until I have to give it back.

Q2) Have you found anything you do not like?

Adobe jumped all over updating their software when Apple rolled out the Retina display. I have to deal with small menus when using Lightroom, Premier Pro, and Photoshop on the QHD+ display. The software is all still very usable, but needs to be updated. Running Windows 8.1, web browsers, office 2013, and most other software looks and runs very well on the panel. As I type this, the letters are very crisp - like paper. Hopefully Adobe will update things soon.

Other things are just different ways of using the system. There is a dongle for Ethernet. The dongle is not much bigger than the Ethernet cable, but it is there. If I lose the dongle, I have no ethernet until I buy another $20 dongle. Wireless is very fast with the Intel 7260, but there are some situations where I have to have a wired connection. At the end of the day, it is still one thing plugging into the machine.

Docking means plugging in a USB cable instead of locking the machine onto an E-Dock. Since I use DP monitors, I also have to plug in a miniDP cable. I went from the chunky feel of locking a notebook onto a dock to having to plug in 3 things - Dock, DP, power. I am not going to complain about that. If I did, please, start making fun of me and call me lazy. It is just a different routine.

Unexpected Surprises?

The 4 charging ports. I can charge 4 anythings on the M3800. 3 devices while the system is not plugged in, yep. There is nothing more satisfying than being in the most cramped seats in coach (where you can't even open up a 13" notebook) with the M3800 powered off and 3 wires running from it to charge 2 phones and tablet. I really need to borrow a 4th device to try on the M3800.

 

Could you post a GPU-Z screenshot? Thanks in advance

 

1080p looks really good. Almost like there is some magic in the upsampling. Netflix on a fast connection is awesome.

Scaling in Windows 8.1 is hit or miss right now. Things look less sharp at 1600x900, but then again, 1600x900 on a 15" panel is not so sharp to me. 1920x1080 is nice if you need for everything to be larger on the screen or are dealing with Abobe's unupdated software menus. I just leave it set to 3200x1800 all the time.

Scaling in games is like going back to CRT screens. Want to run at 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768? On a CRT, they all looked the same and did not have the fuzzy outline of early LCD panels. You can run games at 1600x900, 1920x1080, or 2048x1152 and not have any major issues.

 

Interesting. What's the room temperature like where you are?

 

I will have to get some detailed measurements posted. There are two fans on the system and the heat sinks are connected. Running a CPU or GPU load is not going to heat anything up. You have to really push both at the same time.

Still, the M4800 has much more cooling. It can run a 57 watt extreme CPU that will be faster than the 37 watt 4702HQ in the M3800. It all depends on how much portability you need.

I hope so. The software certifications and warranty are a big reason to go with Precision. Maybe someone from Dell can chime in on this one?

The M6X00 will always be the flagship to me. Huge CPU, huge GPU, 4 drives, 4 RAM slots, tons of options. Don't get me wrong, I am not dropping my other Precisions for the M3800. The M6700 that I use every day is a wonderful system. I depend on it and it helps me get done with work quickly. I also depend on M4700's every day. The M3800 just happens to be a great companion to the M6700.

The M3800 is going to appeal to some people more than the larger Precisions. There is nothing wrong with offering new choices. Think about all of the people that have complained about the M64/65/66/67/6800 being too large. I think they are crazy, the 17" M is small for how much performance it has. Still, people will need light and portable over heft and brawn. The M3800 is a viable option if you want quadro, quad core, killer QHD panel, and portability.

I have an M6800 heading my way, just not sure of the timing.

68-72F. Around 20-21C.

 

Does the CPU fan spin when the machine is idling?

If so is it silent or near silent at low rpm?

 

That's nice. A few degrees cooler than some of our room temps.

What's the idle or low-use internal CPU/GPU temperature?

Could you maybe also measure the weight? Dell's contradicting itself with some reports of 1.88kg and some of 2.01kg.

 

Completely. You have to put your ears right up to the fans to hear them most of the time. You can hear them when you put a heavy load on the CPU and/or GPU.

Typing on NBR for an hour, CPU at 41C with no fans.

Will do. Probably the 6 cell battery + 2.5" HDD config vs the 9 cell battery config. This one has the 6 cell battery.

 

Can you please post what ports it has? Can't see that there's been any good pictures or any specs posted about I/O.

 

Left Side - (L to R) Power, HDMI, MiniDP, USB 3.0 charging port, USB 3.0 charging port, Headphone/Mic jack, Battery charge button, battery charge level leds
Right Side - SD Card slot, USB 3.0 charging port, USB 2.0 charging port, Kensington lock.