Dell Precision M6700 Owners Thread

Hello guys, I've been reading this thread and would like to thank you all for the valuable info I got so far,
I am considering upgrading from my Dell M6400 to a new mobile workstation (my budget is 3-4k) and I can't decide between HP 8770w and Dell M6700
I mainly do heavy 3d modeling, large resolution textures and post production, as well as rendering large scenes and video editing basically everything under the Sun in regards to CGI and VFX (I almost never game on it so that's out of the question). So I need some help from you guys (and gals) if you have any info to provide it would be helpful.
1. I definitely want an IPS display and both HP and Dell have thoes, but is there a better one if one were to compare them?
2. Also as I understood 8770w has a single fan for cooling and a couple of reviews online stated that temperatures are far from acceptable on them, is that true?
3. If we're talking about build quality, is there a winner between the 2?
4. I might be completely wrong but looking at the presentation for both these machines I kind of get the idea that the M6700 is designed for more CAD & engineering work were as the 8770w is best fitted for DCC and "all things Adobe", is this just in my head or are they both just as capable when it comes to CG/VFX creation?
That's about it, I really hope you guys can help me make a good decision and thanks in advance for your help.
Have a great one.

 

I don't think this is the case, the two machines share most hardware components and performance would likely be very similar for either of these tasks, between the two machines.

I was considering both of these machines for my workstation and I ended up choosing Dell because it seems that the cooling system is better, the build quality is a little better, and warranty/support is better (though that may depend on who you ask).

The cooling system may impact performance. The modern Intel CPUs will run above their standard clock rate (in a "turbo" mode), but will throttle back down if they get too hot. In the Precision, the cooling is good enough that they're able to run at the max turbo speed indefinitely. Not sure how it works out on the Elitebook.

(I don't have the IPS display so I can't comment on that.)

 

The IPS panel is actually the same for both, the software differs, but the hardware is the same. Afaik, KCETech1 doesn't have any heat problems with her 8770w, she may actually have both workstations, but i'm not certain.

 

as far as I could tell from different opinions on I've gathered I assume that as long as you calibrate it properly you should get the same accurate results on both, I hope that's the case.
KCETech1 may have said that and it would be good news for me but is she using her 8770w under heavy CPU and GPU load alot, or does she do light work that doesn't consume resources that much? That would be nice to know.

 

If there is someone who abuses her laptops, it's KCETech1.

 

Bokeh, author of the fabulous M6700 review, has suggested that the predecessor to the 8770w was not getting true 10-bit color information on the IPS panel but 8-bit. The Dell does true 10-bit throughout. This is worth investigating further. Also, the 8770w's cooling system is on-par with the single-fan Lenovo W520 and W530. They work but, with the Lenovos, I regularly saw thermal throttling of the CPU. The M6700 wins here too. Where the 8770w wins is the aesthetic. I think it is a much prettier laptop than the M6700.

10bit or 8bit HP thread... http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-latitude-vostro-precision/589283-m6600-ips-quadro-5010m.html

 

The questions remains whether the 8770w is 10-bit, i'd venture to say yes, but i don't own one so...

I prefer dual fans and the storage options on the M6700 are awesome, i do agree that the elitebook has a sleeker look, but i do like the look of the M6700 too, it's a very professional looking brick. Hp also doesn't offer the M6000 if i remember correctly so no "budget" GPU option aside from the M4000.

 

I also love the storage options, but I want to throw out there that I think here the 8770w is on equal footing here, with two internal 2.5" bays, an mSATA slot, and the option to install yet another 2.5" drive in the optical drive bay with a caddy.

 

Apparently the mSATA has some quirks in the HP, something along the lines of not being able to boot from it. I could be wrong though, i didn't do a thorough check on that, so feel free to correct me if necessary.

 

Agree with you on the professional look of the M6700. Then again, I like the ThinkPad look so my opinion may not count. As far as the HP mSATA issue, I wonder if they can boot from the mSATA drive when only 1 drive is present. If so, then we experienced something similar with the W520 until Lenovo out out a BIOS update. Sorry to go offtopic.

Anyway, I will say this about the M6700 storage options... Dell will not sell an optical bay hard drive caddy right now as they aren't in stock and I don't think any of us will actually order a 4 drive config from the factory. In the mean time, I have taken delivery today of a caddy from NewModeUS.com. The build quality is good and it works via a USB3 to SATA adapter with a slimline converter attachment (that was a mouthful). I will check the fit and how well it matches the color/texture of the M6700 once my laptop arrives.