Dell Precision M6700 Owner's Review

I'm just wondering if one battery is "better" than the other. Dell salesman said I'm getting the better battery with the 3-year warranty -- best of both worlds. But I only trust you guys on things like this. No offense to the Dell guy.

 

I went for the 9-cell Long Lifecycle (87 Wh) battery myself, because it's the better one in terms of lifespan. That's also why it's more expensive than the 9-cell Standard (97 Wh) battery and has 3 years warranty by default. Obviously, a 87 Wh battery has less capacity than a 97 Wh battery, which results in less run-time when operated on battery power. If you need the longest run-time on battery power available, the 97 Wh battery would be the 'better one' for you.

I'm no expert on laptop batteries, so I can't tell you what the difference in construction is between the two or what cells are actually used internally. Maybe Dell-Mano_G can tell you (and me).

From personal experience, I can tell you that most laptop batteries don't last longer than about a year or so, even if you use them sensibly. This is because Li-Ion batteries have a limited number of charge cycles. If you recharge a Li-Ion battery frequently, this reduces the lifespan of the battery. Except when you charge it to about 40% and store it in a cold place like a refrigerator...

 

I guess I had some exceptional batteries then?

My battery had only 14% wear on a 9-cell battery I've used for nearly 3 years, and was still working very well.
I also got 4.9% wear on a spare 6-cell I've never used, but always carried along (I still got it in it's original plastic battery packaging with it's manual)
Those were batteries for the M4400.
So that's pretty good considering a new battery is delivered with 4-5% wear.

My 9-cell 97Wh battery arrived with 4% wear, and still is at that same level (1-2 months old now).

 

I have to add that my experience is mostly with HP and Acer laptops/batteries in a corporate environment. The laptops were used on mains power most of the time and were also a couple generations older than the current generation of laptops/batteries. So no smart charging schemes to preserve battery lifespan.

Is this a Long Lifecycle battery or a Standard battery? And how did you use the laptop? Did you use it on mains power only or regularly on battery power?

That's to be expected if you never used the battery. New Li-Ion batteries are charged to about 40% for long storage. A battery doesn't wear much if you don't charge it.

BTW, how did you measure the wear?

 

I've only had standard batteries, no long lifecycle batteries here, I recall Dell only provides only 6 months warranty for the batteries (at the time), I'm not sure what the warranty period on the batteries are now.

I used it mostly on AC, but even then the battery slowly discharges and recharges between the 95-100% charge levels, I suppose those also count as a charge?
At times I also used to regularly use the laptop on battery, though I still try to avoid that as much as possible, as I try to keep the battery's lifetime at it's maximum.

I used to recondition that battery about every 3-6 months: discharging the battery, and recharging it back to 100%, and then put it back in it's packaging, ready for if it's ever needed, never really needed to use it though, it's even got it's protective plastic film still on it, never removed. I also reconditioned the battery just before I had to send my M4400 back to Dell, I could probably just sell the battery now.

You can use HWiNFO64 to check the battery "wear level".

 

Again, I'm no battery expert. This is my personal experience with laptop batteries over the last 15 years or so. I don't have much experience with Dell laptops/batteries yet.

Yes, every charge counts, not just a charge from fully discharged to 100%. However, there's more to it. Unlike a common Li-Ion rechargeable battery (e.g. R06/AA), which only has one cell, Li-Ion laptop batteries have multiple cells and a built-in controller. The controller prevents a full discharge (to 0%) and implements cell balancing to equalize the charging/discharging of each cell, so that every cell wears evenly.

A 'full' discharge (until the cut-off point) and full recharge every now and then helps to keep a Li-Ion battery 'in shape'. Even though Li-Ion batteries don't have a memory effect, they do have a built-in power gauge which needs to recalibrate every now and then. Partial discharge and recharge cycles are actually better for Li-Ion batteries, but without a recalibration cycle, the built-in power gauge loses its accuracy.

It's actually better to store a Li-Ion battery at a 40% charge, but if you use it as a backup in case you need a pre-charged battery right away, then it makes sense to charge it to 100%.

Thanks for the tip.

 

I am completely newB to this kind of communication, I spend most of my time working on models and rendering, Rhino, Photoshop etc, more and more. I really appreciate the information here. I have been saving for a long time to by a suitable machine. There are basically two that I have to choose from in the next couple of days. I have a large budget and can pretty much max out either of the systems. The Dell Covet M6700, (Red being my school color), and the Eurocom Panther 4.0. I don't use 3D in screen, but would like to possible use it in the future for presentations. I would really like some un biased input on this decision from the likes of this knowledge base. Any constructive replies would be appreciated, Thanks

 

Do you mean a 3D LCD screen or displaying 3D content on a normal LCD screen? As far as I know, the M6700 can't be configured with a 3D LCD screen yet. For presentation purposes, I personally think a 3D LCD screen has little added value. The 3D screen on the M6700, when it will be available, requires the use of active shutter glasses. Since you mention PhotoShop, I think the RGB IPS screen is a good choice because of its wide gamut.

It would help if you could tell us a bit more about what you're looking for in a laptop (like how much storage space you need, whether color reproduction is important to you, do you plan on using the laptop for gaming too, etc.).

 

In my opinion the Eurocom Panther 4.0 is too esoteric to be compared with a production laptop. For quality, value, and support I'd prefer top of the line mainstream. For absolute mass and horsepower I'd pick Eurocom Panther 4.0, but only if money was not an issue.

As for the battery debate, I think of them like shoes: one person can wear out a pair in 4 months, while the other makes his last for years. That being use more than anything else. There's also too many different types of environments (terrains for shoes) to give any better estimates than that. Now then, are there some batteries made better than others? Absolutely they are. The problems is, it's mostly internal, so you never know which it is until it fails. OEMs naturally cover what they sell, but they all come from China...for the most part.

 

I should be more clear on the question regarding 3D applicaiton. I don't use 3D, but would like to have the option of a 3D output, both Panther 4.0 and Precision m6700 are 3d capable. I will go with the highest RGB quality on either one. I have gotten quotes for both models maxed out. The Dell is $7250.00(plus tax and shipping not included in that price), and the Eurocom is $12,0017.00 includes shipping and the price diff between the two in mostly because the Euro comes with 2x4gb k5000m's and one 910 intel enterprise 800gb ssd(not maxed out in the ssd department but plenty of room and is for long term use). I have read almost every post about either one that is available in a 50 page search radius. The concerns are with the future proof of the systems, the warranties, customer service, and quality of product. Either way I go I will be wanting to use this system for 4-5 years plus and power through the cad, renders, solidworks, rhino, CS6 etc. The xeon 2687w and the 3940x are not comparible in function, however they both provide extreme stability, especially if you don't overclock the i7 and can not OC the Xeon. I would appreciate the solid input and unbiased opinion of the community here. What do you mean its esoteric? The system is designed for engineering and design professionals