Dell Precision M6700 Owners Thread

1. I have the 6700. I can only compare to a 6600, the fan is much quieter IMHO. If you have never had a Dell Precision laptop, the Power Plans also give you great flexibility on how much the fans run - optimize for temperature, max fan, min fan, etc.

2. Less hot for sure than any laptop I have had before. Pretty solid, I don't notice any flex.

3. None so far! I love it, major upgrade over the 6600 even though it's a lot of subtle stuff.

4. answered above

5. ???

6. Seems like all agree best price is to call a rep.

 

Well the fact that two of you don't know what i meant by whitelisting, that pretty much answers my question and it's the answer i wanted to hear: no bios whitelist for things like wireless adapters. I was asking because i have an Intel 6300 that is currently in a notebook with 2 antennas (my N50) so i might was well swap it in the M6700 and save the price of the 6300.

 

"...the Power Plans also give you great flexibility on how much the fans run - optimize for temperature, max fan, min fan..."

Could you please elaborate on how to optimize for max fan? I see an ultra performance option that limits throttling, keeps the CPUs roughly at their max, and also maximizes fan use. I also see options that do not minimize the fans, but runs them enough to keep the bottom of the laptop cool (though of course they call these mobile workstations notebooks and not laptops for good reasons - so I do not know why we should have an option lightly to minimize the fans so as not to discomfort our laps and why we should not have an option heavily to maxmize the fans so as to prolong life of the GPU, CPU, memory, and more.

I have run M90s and M6300s literally nonstop for many, many years on max fan speeds using I8kfangui(v3.1) back in the days when the systems ran Windows XP and older OS's. These fans have never failed (not even once), they show no sign of slowing down, and they keep my GPU temps usually below 40 or 50 C and my CPU temps usually below 30 or 40 C.

Does anyone know how I can just force my fans to high speed without changing anything else (such as limiting throttling)? (I8fangui does not work on OS's newer than XP.) I do not mind the sound of the fans and I like it that I have never had to replace a single item on any M90 or M6300 system running nonstop for years and years with fans always forced to high speeds' while literally never having had to make one single prosupport call on these systems that still run nonstop to this day. Even though I have never had to replace these fans and they show no signs of slowing down/burning out, I would rather need to replace a fan or two than to replace a motherboard or GPU.

So, for better or worse, anyone know how I can always force my M6700 fans to max speed without having to do anything else?

 

I finally found a roller bag that fits the M6700: the McKlein Lasalle.

Actually, it has two compartments that can hold laptops. It's big enough to fit the M6700, a MBP 17, and some accessories, which is what I was really looking for. It took a week's worth of driving all over the Dallas area, which acquainted me with a number of bags that didn't quite work. Most "17-inch" roller bags just weren't quite big enough. Others had design issues, like wheel wells that protrude into the laptop compartment and strike the laptop with hard edges. (I avoided buying online so that I could discover these issues pre-sale.)

Second place goes to the TravelPro Executive First Deluxe Expandable Rolling Computer Brief. It's big enough, but it's discontinued and unavailable online. The store I visited apparently had the last remaining stock on the planet.

McKlein Lasalle (left), McKlein Damen (right)


McKlein Lasalle (bottom), McKlein Damen (top)


McKlein Lasalle with M6700 in the front compartment:


McKlein Lasalle with MBP 17 (in Incase bag) in the middle compartment:

 

Hey everyone, so I've noticed that a few people mentioned that calling a sales rep directly to negotiate price is the best way to get a decent deal on the m6700. That said, are there any people that can share what type or percentage discount off the web prices that they received by going that route? I just want to get an idea of what to expect and the best possible % discounts being offered over the phone.

Any and all information is truly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

That might be because it can mean different things depending on how it's used. If I read you correctly are you referring to the restrictions placed on components/programs that limit your choice/flexibility?

These are typically done to prevent contamination or corruption for outside forces but can also have the advantage of allowing only the manufacturer is able to provide specific products.

Apple is fond of using this system. This makes their products very stable, but also, very expensive. The Blacklist labels it as bad. While the whitelist labels it as good.

 

I was referring to the Dell-introduced power plan, "Ultra Performance". It's title is "Ultra Performance (max fan levels)". It's description says "Limits CPU throttling and allows the fan to run at higher RPM and noise levels". I have tried it briefly but not extensively.

 

A couple of questions...

1. What is the part number for the optical bay hard drive caddy from Dell? Has anyone successfully ordered one without ordering an accompanying hard drive?
2. Coming from a Lenovo background, RAID has to be configured from the factory and customers are forced to buy hard drives which means non-factory equipped systems can never enable RAID at a later date. On the M6700, can a non-factory equipped system activate RAID in the BIOS once the hard drives are added at a later date by the end-user?
3. Since there is only one mainboard for IPS and non-IPS system, is there any chance of a BIOS option (officially or unofficially) to enable the integrated HD 4000 graphics unit (and disable the discrete GPU) on IPS paneled systems for extra battery life when 8-bit color will suffice?
4. What are the part numbers (and manufacturer) for the blu-ray and DVD drives shipping on the M6700? Can the bezels be ordered separately from Dell?
5. Is there any guess on when Dell will offer the 3940XM?
6. Finally, the M6700 has 2 half-length mini PCI-E slots. One, understandably, goes to the wireless card but (out of curiosity) what are people doing with the second half-length slot?

 

I am refering to restrictions on hardware components. I don't mind that they don't let you put component B in the laptop and let you put component A, but that fact that you sometimes have to buy a version of component A specifically made for your laptop is a bit ridiculous imo. For example if you want to put an Intel 6300 in a T420, you can't just buy any Intel 6300 and put it in there even though it is a configurable option when you buy the notebook, you have to buy a version specifically made for the T420. I'm not talking about a GPU here, but a simple NIC that is pretty much identical between version A and version A (Lenovo) aside from the hardware ID.

Now to choose the configuration i want and call (and decide whether i call the service in French or English ). Since i pretty much suck at negotiating, any tips on how i should proceed with the rep on the phone.

 

I am still not clear on how the covet version is built as far as the screen. I have a Dell XPS 13 which I think uses the same principal.
On the M6700 covet is the LCD with AG coating underneath the edge to edge glass? Or is the LCD glossy with no AG coating underneath the glass?