Few Questions on the M4400 (including the RGB WUXGA Screen)

Hi guys, I have done a search and read through all of the posts about the M4400. I see that you can get Dell to do a price match to a T500 / W500 if the Lenovo it cheaper, that is good to know. I can configure the W500 to be about $300 cheaper than the W500!

I also saw some discussion on the RGB WUXGA screen but nothing definitive. This display is the main reason I am interested in the M4400 over the W500. Can anyone comment on the quality of this display? Is it bright, good contrast, ect? Also, the Dell online site says it is a "TRUELIFE" which I believe means it is a glossy screen. Do they offer a non glossy screen over the phone?

My other questions are a bit more minor:

Does this laptop use the Centrino 2 G45 chipset? I ask because the Dell's don't have DDR3 memory which I thought was a requirement for Centrino 2 chipsets?

What is the size of the HDD slot? The Dell configurator allows for 2 HDD's. Does this mean there are 2 HDD slots or is it using the DVD slot for the 2nd HDD?

Does this laptop do well with SDD's? Specifically Intel's speedy SSD's? I know the Lenovo's cannot use the full speed of the SSD because Lenovo slowed down the SATA port for battery life.

Is the keyboard and trackpoint good quality? I know Dell consumer laptops have horrible keyboards. Does this compare well to Lenovo keyboards?

How is the overall build quality? I know it is a magnesium structure. I am mostly concerned with how stiff the screen is? I hate screens that wobble around.

Is there anything else I should know about this laptop?

This is what I am looking at:

Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4Ghz / 1066Mhz FSB / 3MB L2)
Windows Vista Basic
1GB DDR2-800 (2x1GB)
Internal Backlit Keyboard
Nvidia QuadroFX 770M 512MB
80GB 5400RPM HDD
15.4" UltraSharp WUXGA (1920x1200) RGB-LED TRUELIFE Display
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
6 Cell Battery
3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service

$1811

I will add my own memory and hard drive and upgrade the OS to Vista Ultimate using my schools free upgrade.

 

I'm planning on purchasing this notebook in the near future too.. Personally I would get a 7200rpm drive- I've always been amazed at how just faster access to files seems to speedup overall system interactivity. I also want a 1920x1200 screen. I tried to use the Truelife screen on a Studio and it was *way* to glossy for me. The reflections were unbearable- even in indoor (room with lights on) conditions. I'm planning on ordering the CCFL WUXGA screen, unless I find out the 'Truelife' WUXGA on the M4400 is any different than what I experienced on the Studio.

 

I am going with the cheapest HDD because I am replacing it with one of the Intel SSD's.

 

An even *better* idea!

 

Hello Paul386 and hello cruiserandmax, hello to all the other readers

I also read most of the posts prior to deciding wether to buy the M4400 or not. Today my M4400, ordered on december the 4th, arrived. Luckily, so far everything works flawlessly, no downclocking, no bad screen quality, no other problems. As I got the RGBLED screen I may be able to answer some of your questions regarding it.

It's great! Really, it makes the Macbooks' screens look boring. One of the best screens I have seen so far, and the best notebook screen. The high pixel density and the vivid colors are really worth all the money. Good contrast, very bright. It is indeed a glossy screen, but I think you should buy it. The gloss is minimal. Even if I try to, I can only hardly see myself, and only when the screen is completely black. I have to note that I have not been using it outdoors yet. I think you would not regret getting it. I have not heard of any matte RGBLED screen for the m4400 yet, I haven't asked for one when I ordered via phone.
Unfortunately I am not able to make some photos at the moment.

The M4400 is definitely Centrino 2. I can remember that Dell said that they've chosen to not sell the M4400 with DDR3 because of the extraordinary prices for this type of RAM, and Centrino 2 works with DDR2 too.

I am not sure about this, but I guess that you can put in a 1.8" harddisk instead of an optical drive.

I don't own an SSD, so I won't comment on this.

Personally, I really like the keyboard, the surface of the keys feels great. There is no keyboard flex on my unit, it is very solid. I am also using the trackpoint instead of the touchpad all the time. On all Thinkpads I've been using so far I haven't really been using the trackpoint (I never owned one myself). Unfortunately, the screen DOES wobble around a bit if you pull it on one side. The hinges are good, though. Overall, it does not feel as solid as a Thinkpad.

You chose to order it with backlit keyboard, don't change that!

Biggest disadvantage: the speakers are horrible. Really.

 

centrino2 requirements are the processor, chipset, and wireless card. All must be specific intel models.

the chipset supports DDR3 but the slots dont. At the moment DDR3 is very expensive for a minimal performance increase.

 

I asked Dell some questions via the chat options, this is what they said. Despite being available on other Latitude E-series, the P9500 (2.53Ghz 25W) is not available on the M4400 at this time. The RGB WUXGA LED screen is glossy. They will price quote but you have to call.

 

Few comments to add,

The M4400's keyboard is the best I've ever used, there is minimal flex in the keyboard as a whole and each time i press the keys I feel great feedback. They seem to have a ruber-esque coating that feels fantastic. The baclkighting is great too, more helpful than I thought. The track-ball in the middle is my new best friend, it's accurate enough to play games with. The trackpad, on the other hand, I find annoying, it just isn't sensitive enough; but this could be because I've downgraded the drivers a few times (I seem to remember it being more sensitive).

And about SSDs, my friend put 2 Patriot Warps (MLC, 170MB read, 100MB write) in RAID and was extremely disappointed in the performance. Before he sent them back we tried one in my M4400 and I was also pretty depressed. Windows XP installation took hours and although it booted in about 10 seconds, there seemed to be no actual speed increase, infarct playing fallout, every time the game saved it would actually get stuck! There's something missing from SSDs that make them slower then hard drives. Maybe the SLC drives are faster, but I recommend good old fashion hard drive disks.

The build quality is fantastic, and yet, you can take the entire thing apart in a mater of minutes with a screwdriver. The speakers are actually pretty good quality for a laptop, (you need downgrade the bios) but don't expect anything spectacular.

 

if you find the touchpad not too sensitive, go into the mouse settings and either reduce or disable touchcheck

 

In regards to your SSD comment, that is an issue with those SSDs and not the M4400. You have to be very careful not to get a cheap SSD. Most of them have serious random write issues because of their JMicron controller. You have to make sure the ones you buy have an Intel controller with cache to handle the write cycles!

Thanks for the "review" I think I am going to pull the trigger on one.