Dell Precision M4700 and M6700 - Preliminary Info

Absolutely agree.

And even if you watch a 16:9 video on a 16:10 display it is still handy to have space for a permanent control bar underneath the video to get back and forth in the video or control the volume. So the border space can be used quite easily. Might add some event notification icons like "new mail count" as well.

Come on, charging $2000+ for a machine should give you some options to integrate parts which are less mass consumer oriented.

 

Hell yeah it was. When mine broke they replaced it w/ a silver one. WEAK

 

Oh yeah? That'd be something. The proto Precision boxes looked different enough, if the laptop were this kind of red I'd be happy with that, anything is better than this silver M6500 after owning the Covet

 

Let's just forget about 3 weeks time for the launch, as quoted by Bill Dell.......I think it's just a strategy to delay our decision to buy the competing product. Just saying.....

Sent from my GT-N7000

 

Hopefully we'll at least have an announcement with specs in that timeframe. (I imagine there would be at least a week or two between an announcement and systems actually shipping. M6600 was announced two weeks ahead of availability.) There are plenty of other things pointing to the M4700/M6700 launch coming soon. If you're in the market for a new workstation, a little patience and at least waiting for the announcement would not be a bad idea, that way you can make an informed decision with all of the options available.

On a side note, I noticed that the HP 8770w is now configurable. I was hoping to get some price estimates on the new mobile Quadros (you'd think Dell and HP would charge similar amounts), but they still don't allow you to get anything other than the FirePro. They do offer a 20% off coupon code at the top of the configuration page.....

 

This argument doesn't make sense or is incomplete.
- Screens come in many sizes, 10in, 11in, 12.5in, 13.3in, 15.4in, 16in, 17.3in, 18in, etc. These various sizes don't all divide a sheet evenly.
- Glass is relatively cheap. Maybe you mean the liquid crystal layer?
- (Glass causes glare. Matte LCDs are much preferred to glass LCD covers by some people who work day shift, especially in sun-lit rooms.)

New MacBookPro screens are still 16:10.
Apple - MacBook Pro - Technical Specifications
Apple even has new 16:10 screens such as the "retina" display. It is not a matter of old stock. Suppliers will still produce them for the right price.

So I suspect a difference in price is due to engineering costs, not production costs. The decision is likely because Dell fears its Precision line won't sell as well as MacBookPros. Therefore Dell has to spread the higher 16:10 screen engineering cost charged by the display manufacturer among fewer laptops sold. Dell fears that (corporate) Precision customers won't pay the difference, and will defect to its competitor (HP Elitebook 8xxxW, or Lenovo W5xx, or even Apple MacBookPro).

One large faction of people repeatedly asking (sometimes in frustration) for screens more vertical pixels are software developers.
- Many software developers need to see many lines of text (code files, full page documents, and/or websites) in multiple windows to be productive. Constantly scrolling is a waste of time, and means your hands move back and forth between the keyboard and the touchpad or mouse to select and scroll different windows, then go back to coding, wasting more time. A quick glance of the eyes is much quicker if it is already visible.
- Many developers need a laptop to develop their work in meetings, with clients or with consultants, so external screens aren't always the answer. (External screens can also be clumsy with the laptop screen in the way, or clutter the desk with another otherwise unnecessary keyboard.)
- And I suspect a large proportion of the developers are not in large corporations that produce the big orders, but in smaller engineering or development teams.

Dell knows this. More vertical pixels, 16:10 screens, matte screens, etc. are a common request on its IdeaStorm.com site. Here are some recent requests for 16:10 screens:

"Have a look at the new MacBook Pro" (commenter stopped buying when Dell stopped WUXGA [1920x1200] displays. Dell Cy_J acknowledges request for higher resolution, retina level not needed.)
Idea Storm

"Screen real estate is a big deal. 1920x1200 at ~15".
Idea Storm

"Ideal Laptop" ("16:10 resolution.")
Idea Storm

"My Hardware" ("I am a C/C++ developer. I need to read lines of code. I need overview. ... " does 3d programming. loved 1920x1200 inspiron, requests more 16:10 screens.)
Idea Storm

"java software developer" ("15" screen with a res of 1680x1050 (matte)")
Idea Storm

Maybe Dell and the display manufacturers thought the requests would die down after people got used to 16:9 DVD displays, but many of us still prefer taller screen aspect ratios with more useful vertical pixels. I suspect we can only keep making noise and votes on sites like IdeaStorm so Dell can get the message, and share the message with its manufacturers. And/or defecting to Apple.

 

Yeap, such a shame. The K5000 will probably be *very* expensive
(also, were I live Alienware aren't available)

The 7870M in the M4700 and 7970M in the M6700 would've been perfect.

 

7870 in m4700 would have made me think. Easier to carry.

And 7970 would have been clearly best of class for M6700. 7870 is still better then the entry firepro in hp 8770w. But definetely not an upgrade over 6970.

 

Yeah, but still.. It might cost more, but it would give Dell an advantage over the other competition (e.g. HP, ..). Like, I bet the Apple custom order 16:10 Retina screen for the MBP 15" was not cheap, but they did it. Though, it's an overkill resolution wise and is left unused IMHO, it's interesting to see that their custom order screen is still 16:10. So are many desktop 24" and 30" screens. So, I don't buy this "we're powerless, it's the supplier" stuff. Pay a bit more money and get some 16:10 1920*1200 IPS screens again. They used to make them for HP 8740W a few years back. I'm pretty sure they can still make them or even better.

Or they appreciate their buyers more and are ready to go that extra mile for them. None of the Apple laptops have switched to 16:9. So, it's not a must. Unfortunately, I don't like their configuration limitations, their OS nor their laptop designs so I can't reap the benefits of that customer care.

The whole motherboard? I thought it might be just the jack problem so I'd just need the left side panel with the connectors. I'm certainly not exchanging the mainboard just for this - it would be easier to get some USB headphones and go around this problem. Not sure about the warranty, but I'm not in USA anyway, so it would take some time. It would be faster/more convenient to replace it myself (e.g. I already replaced the CPU fan and the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU).

 

I completely agree. Workstation should have 16:10 screen. It's not a TV set. It's used for working with large document, compiling projects, using source code, other reading activities, requiring vertical space...

I don't believe to those rumors, that replacing 16:10 screens with inferior 16:9 is due to saving cost on cutting glass from some giant sheet or because entertainment industry wants to... It's all ridiculous. They simply replace it because they can foist an inferior product, as they have found a way to convince dummy customers, that it's somehow better (to watch TV...). The same way, as they did with glossy screens... And now, those who do know, how bad those glossy screens are (on top of the actual image you have to see everything behind you - lamps on sealing, bright windows, your pupils, etc) have to pay premium just for a "privilege" to get rid of that mirror on the screen and use good old matte screen... This time again, they do the very similar trick - replacing 16:10 with much worse 16:9 screens. BTW, Apple, which listens to its customers, still offer 16:10. Do you listen to us, Dell?

I don't like those black borders either. But even in case, if workstation should be used as a replacement for entertainment center, you will get those borders anyway. I've seen a lot of movies coming with something like that 2.5:1 aspect ratio. If's making half of the screen black! What a stupid tendency... Should we start making screens with that aspect ratio too now?

I have more then 10 yeas old notebook, that has 1200 pixels of vertical space. And at this time I have to update it with the latest workstation, that has inferior 1080 pixels... That's damn pity.

Bottom line, workstation is not a replacement for an entertainment center. It should be used as a station for doing work. It's time to get back to the old and better screens. Please offer new Precisions with the 16:10 screens.