Dell Precision M6700 Owner's Review

Guess I'm just to mad at Apple at the moment. Was expecting way more from the retina MBP release like matte RGBLED screen, components upgradeability, better cooling, etc. I was actually thinking of getting one but after a brief hands-on - no way.

As for the processing power, the M6700 is not the top dog. The M18xR1/R2 can maintain 4.5ghz+ on all cores 24/7, that would finish your 7 files in under an hour without breaking a sweat. I wish Dell would consider unlocking the CPU in the x700m

 

Bokeh, I hope I can ask you a question - in your first post, for the 17.3" FHD RGB Antiglare, you report 100% NTSC and AdobeRGB. If I did it correctly in Spyder4 Pro, I get 72% and 78% (see attached). My older 6600 got 75% and 77%. What am I doing wrong?

 

But only 4.1 stock from Dell. The rest means running an unlocked BIOS and sometimes having to modify cooling if the M18x did not come with the 3 pipe heatsink.

Also remember that GPU accelerated tasks may be faster on the Quadro.

Still, the Alienware is an option if you can live with the tradeoffs. I just could not give up the docking and quadro. I also prefer the way the M6700 looks.

 

irrelevant, unless you can run the same routine on Optimus enabled M6700 and compare. i have a Kill-a-Watt as well ( actually i have two, but can't find one ) and i'm supposed to get my M4700 on monday ... maybe i will measure it on idle / boot. not going to run benchmarks.

 

On stock BIOS you can get up to 4.5 by changing a few settings. Higher than that you need the unlocked BIOS, that's true. The 3-piped HS comes from Dell and only costs about 20-30$ but if you order your machine with the XM cpu, it's should come with it.

Yes, there are trade off's and personally I like the M6700 more due to a more professional look, better ergonomics, screen and extra connectivity. The AW in turn has 1 extra hdd bay (5 in total with a caddy instead of the optical drive), extra headphone jack, far better speakers, 2x GPU power (you can install a quadro in it as well), far better CPU performance...

But my point is, Dell could at least partially unlock the CPU and if needed improve the cooling by 20-30W. That's the only thing I'm missing.

 

Make sure you are running the PremierColor software in "Full" mode.

Also, do a clean install of the video drivers.

It looks like you are in sRGB mode.

 

about Apple: yes they don't care about pros. Jobs said that IT guys buy on specs and competing on specs is dumb because it's a race to the bottom in terms of margins. margins is what Apple is all about. Jobs realized that the only way to make big margins is to compete on design and s3x appeal. Competing on price/performance is for the Chinese - whoever is willing to work for less wins. Of course Apple uses Chinese slave labor AND competes on s3x appeal - which is why it wins. to summarize: it is not news to me that Apple abandoned the pros.

i'll reply to the rest some other time maybe. fingers tired from typing at the moment.

about power: the point of notebooks is not power, but portability and ergonomics. the Dell precision is for my pops - i estimated that it will be enough for him as his ONLY computer. for myself - i use three desktops - all quad core - one of them pulls 250 watts at idle - it sits in an open case otherwise it might overheat. i have a macbook for use only when traveling etc - i can pull it out anywhere and it makes me look good - which is what is the point of a notebook. however since i got an iPad i question whether i have any use for notebooks at all.

complaining that a macbook pro doesn't process video fast enough to me makes no sense at all ! if you want to edit video use a 12 core mac pro. i personally prefer Sony Vegas 10 to Final Cut Pro X though so i would just use a dual xeon supermicro board in a mountainmods or caselabs case.

i did try editing video on my 13" macbook pro and it didn't work well at all but i didn't start complaining that a portable device doesn't have the power of a desktop. that would be as silly as complaining that you can't put a desktop into your backpack.

 

You should keep in mind what Bokeh uses his for.

 

Received my M4700. That was fast ...

I ordered on the 1st and received on the 9th.

First impression positive. Very impressive build quality and cooling system. During windows experience testing it was blowing air out the back like it was a hair dryer or something - this is nothing like a macbook where even when the fan is running at 100% you can barely feel any air coming out. At idle the M4700 is silent. Major thumbs up on the cooling system.

It is a little disturbing that activity, power and volume +/- LEDs remain on even when you turn off keyboard backlight. i don't want to see no blinking lights when i am watching a movie at night.

speakers are good enough for a business laptop. the ones in Asus G75VW were beyond horrible. i don't need bass in laptop speakers - the ones in M4700 are just fine with me. on Asus it was like somebody scratching nails on chalkboard in your left ear and nothing much in your right ear at all. i don't care how cheap G75VW is for its specs - its junk. i wish i could have taken my sledgehammer to the Asus but i had to return it to best buy.

 

Well each of us use our machines differently an thus have different needs. I for one am happy to have so many options available to choose from.

* add a few thunderbolt ports
Not important to me

* 4 x USB ports *on each side*
Not important to me

* 2 x Sata3 msata bays for SSD raid 0 boot drive, plus another msata for 4G wireless card
Would be nice

* 2 x 2.5" bays for redundant storage
Isn't that already the case?

* no optical drive, no expresscard, no smartcard, no fingerprint reader
Optical drive & express card I couldn't live without. I have alot of legacy audio hardware that is very particular about the firewire chipset. The express card allows me to keep using this legacy hardware without having to drop thousands of $$.

* dual batteries, each 90 watt hour, with ability to swap either battery without AC and without shutting down, and with ability to remove batteries without making the laptop unstable on the desk
Not important to me

* cold air intake in the back, between the hot air exhausts to enable operation on a soft surface like a bed
Wouldn't this end up drawing the exhaust back into the intake?

* 1080p webcam
Would be nice

* dual subwoofers one next to each speaker ( like in a retina macbook pro )
Not sure that the MBP has two subs. I've never found the audio on any laptop to be suitable for much more than speach so it really isn't a point of importance to me. I am probably pickier than most when it comes to audio however.

* no number pad, keyboard centered ( like in macbooks )
I for one won't buy a laptop without a number pad. But I'm guessing my usage is different than yours.

* 200 milliwatt headphone output into any impedance from 24 to 300 ohms with 110db SNR
Improved driving of headphones would be nice

* woven carbon fiber lid that you could sit on without damaging the screen
Even with this I don't know that sitting on a laptop is a good idea

* magnetic power cord ( like on macbook )
That would be nice but I believe that Apple has that idea locked up with patents.

* 16x10 aspect ratio screen
I would like this but do realize those days are probably gone.

* IPS screen that works with Optimus ( like on Retina macbook )
I would like that as well but doesn't the MBPr just drop the bit depth all the time to accomplish this?

* rounded corners and thinner chassis ( like macbook pro )
I wouldn't mind a thinner chassis, but wouldn't trade the capabilities of my m6600 for a thinner machine.

* in fact i would match the size and shape EXACTLY to the 17" MBP because every case is designed to fit it, but no cases are designed to fit Precision
I've never had a problem finding a case but perhaps you have more stylish tastes than I.

* ability to choose from 20 graphics cards ( 5 x radeon, 5 x geforce, 5 x firepro, 5 x quadro )
Would be nice.

* 1500 nits brightness screen for use in direct sunlight
Would be nice.

* screen backlighting that automatically adjusts color temperature to match the environment
This would be nice too.

While it sounds like a MBP would be a great fit for you, it would be a horrible fit for me, but that's why choices are nice. I don't know what I would do if every other manufacture simply decided to make MBP clones.