M6600 Owners Thread

This makes it even easier for me to dispense with a Quadro 4000M.

 

yah, that's what I thought. I thought for sure something must be fishy, but I can't find anything wrong.. still has the warranty, says unopened and is a reputable seller. The only thing I can imagine is that someone ordered a few too many for their office a long time ago and someone just found these laying in a closet somewhere.. why else would they be asking so little?

 

Thanks for the info and tips!

I also decided to get some Dell Thermal Pad (Dell Part# UP755 - info by Scott) so I have both my AS5 paste and that. I can then decide which route to go when I open it up...

 

I am pretty sure the back panel of 3000M and 4000M is identical from the picture I saw online, not a direct comparison shot. So, based on Scott's info... I came to the conclusion that since M8900 BP = 4000M BP, so will the 3000M BP = M8900. Finger crossed, we will find out this Friday, the day I planned to swap the M8900 for a 3000M...

 

Why would you swap those parts? What is wrong with the m8900 that you want the 3000M? Is it for the CUDA?

For what applications do you need the 3000M over the M8900? I will be taking courses at Penn State that utilize ArcGIS, MATLAB, R, ERDAS Imagine and some other Geospatial Courses. Do I need to get the 3000M over the M8900?

 

I dont think that is a good deal.
I would only change the ATI M8900 for a NV Quadro 4000M or higher but not for a 3000M.

 

Anyone with the i7-2720QM and FirePro M8900 done any benchmark testing, such as Sandra, Cinebench, or any newer games? If so, please post as many as you have. I am still torn between this and an Alienware m17x R3 and want to see some benchmarks.

 

Sorry I can't help with benchmarks I have a 2820 and 6990m but coming from a M18X I can't see myself going back to glossy edge to edge screens unless they are 400nits bright and 100% RGB color gamut the glass take away so much of the details because all the time you looking at your reflection.

 

I don't think so... Keep the M8900, it is cheaper (when order from Dell) and more powerful from GPU standpoint compared to a 3000M. Nothing is wrong with my M8900, just different needs from my perspective. In fact, the M8900 is supposed to be a lot more powerful than a 3000M and a little ahead 4000M (just online/forum info). So, again, based on GPU performance, it is not a smart move (M8900 --> 3000M)

For me, I need "the mobile, w/o power source" more in this mobile workstation than others who need GPU power/CUDA/etc. The 240/210W power brick that comes with M6600 is not the most mobile friendly power brick. It is slim (nice) but larger and heavier (vs slim 130w/150w). I know that when I get into this... So, this is not a complaint. I am using a spare 150w to power it on the move. Yes, with reduced performance, etc... In reality, I don't feel it with what I am doing on the move. If and when I do need the full performance, I am usually at home with all the external monitors connected anyway.

With the M8900, I get close-to/under 3 hours normal laptop usage. I am looking/hoping to improve that battery life area with the nVidia Quadro 3000M w/ Optimus. The fact that the 3000M uses lower wattage compared to 4000M might help my cause too. We will see.

 

robotti80, I am hoping that you make that statement based solely on GPU performance standpoint and not from other concerns like firmware issues, quality control, etc. If that's the case, I think I answered why (M8900 --> 3000M) in my previous post.

Thank you for alerting me on the potential downside of that move.