Dell Precision M3800 Owner's Review

Correct, I have the larger battery. Don't put too much stock into those estimates because they change wildly depending on what you're doing. In the XPS 15 thread people with the larger battery are reporting closer to 6-7 hours of actual usage with typical Web browsing and low-intensity activities. Also keep in mind that this battery has adaptive charging strategy. It's generally not good to keep a battery charged at maximum capacity all the time or to only drain it a tiny bit and then start charging it again, so the machine will watch your usage and if you don't regularly get near the end of your battery life before plugging back in, it may not keep itself fully charged all the time or even start charging every time it's plugged in as a way to maximize the battery's long-term useful life. The Tesla Model S does the same sort of thing for the same reason, incidentally. I'd say use it for a while to let Windows sort out all the background stuff it probably does when it's new (indexing content, background downloading updates, etc) and to let your battery get a feel for your usage. You might see an improvement. And of course play with the Power Options.

 

Which configuration? I ordered the 256ssd + 500hybrid version on launch day and now I'm looking at another 4 week delay.

 

Same configuration. 256 msata + 500 hybrid + 3year NBD Onsite (I noticed this option was no longer available under custom configurations).

 

Yeah, if only it was possible to get the thing without that touchscreen, that I have absolutely no interest in, sucking up battery power. The idiots who came up with the idea that every UltraBook needs a touchscreen should be taken out and shot. Of course, we know exactly who they are, and why this requirement was put in place...

P.S.: I do wonder, however, if one might be able to save power if touch support is turned off in software. Is that possible? Anyone care to check?

 

It shows up as two HID devices in Device Manager, one called touch screen and the other just USB Input Device. Disabling them disabled touch functionality, but I have no way to tell whether that actually turns off the circuitry. I suppose enterprising power users could open up their machines and disconnect the actual touch cable, which is separate from the display cable if it's anything like other laptops I've seen. I somehow doubt that the touchscreen drains that much battery life though, and to be honest even though I thought I'd never use it, it is actually kind of cool to use with the Photos app in Metro and a few other places even in the regular desktop.

 

Get the newest drivers from the Intel site. Fixes the issues with some routers being slower than others.

 

Good Stuff... BUt i have a question. So I pulled the trigger and ordered my 3800... and on my order it shows this:
451-BBFI Dell 91 WHr 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
So... is there a 6-cell AND a 9-Cell? I ordered JUST the 500gb SSD... so assuming that would come with the biggest battery? Am i incorrect???? I thought the smaller batter was a 61 WHr or somthing...

 

There's some confusion about how many cells it has. I believe it is a 9-cell battery but for some reason it is reported as 6-cell in some places. If you got the 91 WHr battery then you have the big one.

 

I really don't understand why people is worried about number of cells, the only important info is the capacity of battery so 61Whr or 91Whr.

 

Awesome thanks Aaron. So another dumb question. So the wifi card is: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 + Bluetooth 4.0
and on my order it shows also: Intel Wireless 7260 Driver. But i have read whre peeps are saying to download the latest intel driver. So... Basically the one on my order may just not be the most current? Also... So as I understand it... there is a DELL driver for the wifi, AND an Intell one? What is the difference, and why are there both? Lastly... It also shows: Intel WIDI Driver. Wondering what that is exactly? THanks