Does this config exist for a Precision M6800?

I don't see any real configuration options on the web site, I am starting to wonder whether they will ever show up or is Dell just going to sell specific non-advanced pre-packaged configurations from now on (if so I am off to another vendor!). That said, I am just wondering - can I get a 6800 with the following configuration or something close, or is it a pipe-dream?

Intel i7-4960 extreme edition processor
NVidia Quadro K5100
16GB memory or more
1 TB of SSD disk (can be 2 disks)
hi quality 17" display (very happy with the 6700 display)
plus all the standard stuff (camera, CD/DVD writer, fast wireless, current level of connectors like USB 3 etc., backlit keyboard)

in other words, what one would expect as a step up from a (soon to be) two year old M6700 mobile workstation with appropriate advancements.

Thanks!

 

Have you tried a "premier" store page, not the regular business store page? Not sure if it is working now, but a premier page recently offered options to configure most of what you requested. Top configuration on all options probably runs near $6K. (i7-4930MX seemed to be highest CPU model. Don't know which screen you currently have, but I don' t think there currently are any 10-bit-per-color options. [The touchscreen option was repeated, maybe one is an error that could become something else.] [Speculation: If your M6700 display is an especially good one and better than the M6800 display you receive, maybe there is some way to swap it into an M6800.])

(I suspect Dell might be reserving full configuration for the "premier" customers to save costs, assuming premier organizations order in batches of multiple units of a non-standard configuration.)

 

Thanks Maru, but I don't think I Have access to a Premier Page any more - changed jobs...

 

Now that you know most of your desired high-end custom options are configurable, if you have the budget, you could try asking a sales representative to configure it.

(Dell's cost probably depends on currency exchange rates, and current availability and price of the custom CPU and GPU, and whether Dell or its manufacturer has any of those parts in stock left over from a larger order or has to buy a new batch. So if you knew your previous employer was going to make a large order with the custom configuration you want to match, it might be good to try to order around the same time. I wonder if a rep could take something like a "spot" order, which will be filled only if Dell can meet a price sometime before a deadline, like within the (fiscal) quarter [perhaps by combining it with larger orders from others if such orders occur during that period]. But "spot" orders may be more complex than Dell's order system is set up to deal with, unless they already do something like that, maybe for organizations that decide whether to buy only at certain times of the year.)

 

Guys,

One question that no-one seems to be answering is why the change? On the 6700 and 6600 you could configure it with many cpu, ram, hdd, and gpu options. Why have Dell chosen to stop offering options at all, or restricting it to corporates?

 

Dell is trying to save costs by reducing its options. The trend started really since earlier this decade. Across from laptop and desktop lines. It will only get worse with the firm going private.

 

I think more options will open up as they become available. I haven't heard of anyone actually receiving a K4100m or K5100m here yet (and other vendors like Clevo have them backordered on their models as well). I am guessing that once they are available Dell will put up some kind of Cadillac configuration with 4930mx + k5100m + 32GB for $4000-$5000 as well as something like 4900mq + k4100m for $3500 (hopefully!).

 

Boy I hope you are right! Dell is really shooting themselves in the foot on this otherwise. But your thought makes sense especially seeing there have been some delays in getting parts for the lower model laptops (like the 3800).

 

Speculative guesses

• customer data, to better predict demand and reduce waste
• reduce returns of custom configurations
• price hiding to reduce price matching by competitors

Least important to more important:

A minor benefit is price hiding: Revealing prices of high end configurations only to account holders has the benefit (to Dell) of hiding their latest high-end configuration prices from (boutique) competitors who try to match or undercut them.

Another minor benefit is that it may help reduce custom order returns. Choosing an appropriate tradeoff between CPU, GPU, SSD capacity, screen, etc. has become more difficult. Precision workstations are being purchased by a wider range of professions, not just (computer, electrical, mechanical, architectural, civil, geo, etc.) engineers, but also professionals in video, audio, finance, medicine, biotech, etc. (And maybe a few high-end home entertainment users, who the business-support department is not set up to support.) Maybe Dell is getting too many customized-order returns from customers who ordered an inappropriate configuration for their needs, so they want the customer to discuss them with a sales representative first. Businesses who know what they need, have already discussed it, have set up an account, and just need to order a few more, can skip this discussion.

My primary guess is customer data. In other words, just as Google, Facebook, et al are getting more data on their users (especially account holders) to better present them with ads, Dell wants to have more detailed data on its customers' "business demographics" and buying patterns. Dell could to use the data to try to better predict demand (what and when you are likely to buy in the future), and offer solutions or focus its marketing/sales efforts. The unusual and high-priced custom configurations are risky to stock partly because demand is hard to predict.

To organize the data, Dell want customers to have accounts. Dell is encouraging business customers to register for a "premier" (business) account. The registration page starts by asking for contact info and number of employees, starting from 1-9, so it is encouraging small businesses to apply as well as large corporations. Employees come and go, so associating an account with a business (rather than an individual or a credit card number) may reveal longer term patterns.

(I was going to say customer relationships: the registration form asks how Dell can help, and says a rep will contact you, so they may be offering to start a more personal relationship with a sales representative with whom you can discuss your needs and constraints. That might be another way to learn about aspects of your potential future business with them that are hard to glean from simple web order forms. [e.g., are you buying because you have a new application, or because your business is growing, or because your previous machine broke down, etc.] But recent news says they are cutting down their sales force by 30%.)

Follow-up questions:

Are there requirements to become a "premier" (business account) customer, or can most anyone who asks open an account?

Can non-premier customers order a custom configuration by calling a sales representative rather than using the online form?

(I find it hard to believe Dell won't sell one to someone who really wants one, though I can understand they don't want to sell to someone who will be too expensive to support on warranty, or someone that might cost them more sales than they gain.)

[Speculation: IF rare high-end parts were to be restricted to organizations who tend to buy many units, then I can imagine that the practice of restricting the high-end parts to such customers might have the following benefits for Dell and its OEMs (laptop manufacturers):

• Predictability: Dell has an opportunity to establish a premier relationship with organizations that order similar numbers of units each year. Dell offers services that integrate with an organization's procurement processes that change slowly. Small customer orders might be more volatile (more sensitive to economy and small price differences, more easily switch vendors based on reviews). Premier customers may be more likely to order a high-end configuration that they preview; non-premier customers may be more likely to look at a high-end configuration just for fun/dreaming, or price comparison.
• Part order savings: Saves Dell or the OEM money by increasing the likelihood that any orders for expensive high-end parts will be for large numbers of units, so the parts can be purchased in bulk at a lower price. (e.g., a bulk order of 1000 thousand-dollar parts is a million dollars in inventory; a 20% savings is $200K.)
• JIT inventory savings: Saves Dell or the OEM money by reducing the stock of risky (expensive, unpredictably ordered) high-end parts they need to keep on hand to prepare for small non-premier orders (assuming premier customers take longer to negotiate a large order than individuals do, so they will have more warning). (Small orders are hard to predict; the order rate probably goes up and down rapidly in part based on the sentiment of recent reviews and comments in forums like this.)
• Unsold inventory savings: I assume that unlike the book selling business, so Dell or the OEM cannot send the unsold expensive parts back to the parts-manufacturer (Intel, NVidia) for a refund/credit after they become obsolete.
• Field service inventory savings: With fewer rare high-end parts in the field, it reduces the stock of risky (expensive, rarely replaced, unpredictably failing) high-end parts that Dell's service needs to keep on hand around the world for next-day on-site service warranties. (There may also be costs to reduce the risk of theft of expensive high-end parts from these distributed stocks, such as higher salaries.)
• Warranty service savings: Maybe large premier customers tend to order extra units, so the IT department can simply exchange a failed unit to be repaired in a month, rather than relying on next-day on-site service. Small customers with no extra units not only depend on next-day service, but also are more likely to take time haggling with the service department trying to get the best fix and demanding it this week.

But I haven't heard of such a restriction. Such a restriction would reduce sales to people starting new ventures, or those who want to reward themselves with the best equipment, such as retiring professionals, including those in the "baby-boom generation".]

 

Why would you go from a 6700 to a 6800? The difference is just too close. The only real change between these two is the GPU which at double the capacity of the previous model and is certainly worth an upgrade. But only then if you can utilize the extra amount of RAM.

On the other hand, the laptop lost its premium display which half defeats the purpose. For now, there's really nothing the 6800 can do that the 6700 cannot. Until the Precision adapts a premium QHD display, it won't even get my attention.