Dell Precision M6700 Owner's Review

thanks. The slim one I have is a PA-9E Family model ADP-240AB B. So I guess that is a 240 watt.

The port replicator / dock I have are: Model Pro2X and came with the brick PA-7E Family, model is DA210PE1-00.

Is it safe to say using these will not hurt the machine, just may make it not run as fast?

thanks again.

Mike

 

(Reposted to the thread, still don't know how to use this forum! =)

 

Can I take out my M6500 SSD (it is a new SATA3 SSD) running windows 7 ultimate and just put it in the m6700? Will it figure the new hardware and work? Maybe I will just have to install some new drivers like Nvidia going from an FX3800 to the K5000. Or is it better to spend a day and get the new system to where I want it to be with all apps, settings, etc...

thanks,

Mike

 

I've found that moving a Windows install from one machine to another does not work (BSOD on startup). You can prepare the OS for the move by starting an in-place upgrade. See: Move a Windows install from one machine to another using in-place upgrade – aaron-kelley.net

Essentially:
- Start an in-place upgrade on the M6500.
- When it gets to the first reboot, let the machine shut down but don't let it boot back up.
- Move the drive to the M6700.
- Boot up and finish the upgrade.

I used this technique to move from my previous machine to the M6700, before upgrading to Windows 8. Windows 7's in-place upgrade is slow but how long it takes depends on how much stuff you have on your system. Mine ran about 6 hours.

 

I believe the M6700 comes with the same PA-9E. PA-7E is 210W so it will probably work just fine (maybe a fully-specced M6700 can max it out on full load).

The dock should work, too, though maybe the newer DP/HDMI standard features on M6700 won't be supported..

 

Hello, I'm the proud owner of an M6500 and I'm looking to change it for an M6700.

I want to know if anyone has had any experience with refurbished Precision machines? The differences in price I'm seeing are staggering, sometimes in the order of 1.5K dollars cheaper...is it reasonable that such a difference in price exists?

The biggest difference I've found in the configs (other than being refurb.) is the processor being of the 3x20QM instead of the 3x40QM kind, and the warranty, which is 'In-Home' instead of NBD...

I'm really tempted by some of the offers I've seen...any horror stories?

Thank you,
Pablo

 

I ordered an M6600 back in November / December and received a bad machine. It would freeze without any way to consistently replicate the issue. I probably tried to fix the issue for a good 8 hrs (I really liked the computer) but couldn't. Didn't want to warranty repair it since I assumed it probably went through a similar process already while in the outlet.

But, Dell was VERY good about me returning it. Hassle free. They paid both ways in shipping. It is really no-risk.

EDIT:

Concerning the M6700 in the outlet ... when I was looking they were ALL 1600x900 panels. That alone is a huge turn off.

 

If you are lucky, you will get a machine that never had any issues. These come from cancelled or changed orders. You may also see a machine that has a literal scratch or dent, but has not yet seen a customer.

Other machines will have been returned by users. If you are lucky, the first customer just did not like the machine and sent it back after a few days.

Other machines will have been returned because they had issues that were never sorted out. In a perfect world, these machines are refurbished and any defective parts are replaced. The machine is fully tested and ready for another customer. In the real world, intermittent problems may get past the refurbishers and the problems that some else used to have are now your problems.

I have bought home systems from the Dell outlet several times. They worked well and the only issues that I had were due to Nvidia's couple of batches of bad video cards a few years ago.

I do not buy critical work systems from the outlet. I just don't want to add any other variables to a situation where the machine failing means my workgroup fails.

 

I see it is a bit risky...but that's part of the fun! =)

Maybe I'll try it.

Many thanks!

 

Does anyone know what speed/bus the PCIe Expresscard is?

PCIe Bus 1,2 or 3
Speed 1x or 2x or 4x

Thinking about eGPU solutions..