Precision M4400 Owner's Lounge

A few random non-lockup related questions:

1) Is the QX9300 truly a configurable option on the M4400? I see the option under CPUs, but it's phrased very strangely: "Precision M6400, Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme Edition QX9300". (This is on the M4400 page!) I chatted with a sales rep online this afternoon, and he claimed he didn't see the QX9300 as an option in his system. Strange...

2) Does anyone know of a person/reviewer who has got their hands on a system with the Quadro 1700m? As far as one can tell, the only difference between the 770m and the 1700m is some unknown overclock...and five hundred dollars! It would be nice to know what that five hundred dollars is really buying. Substantially better performance (that can't be achieved by simply overclocking the 770m)? A more robust cooling system?

3) Is there any reason to believe an RGB LED backlit screen will ever actually be available for the M4400? It's certainly advertised in the brochure, but I haven't found a single 15.4" system anywhere else claiming to offer one. The M6400 Covet is offering one, but that seems more reasonable, since spec sheets for 17" RGB LED backlit displays have been floating around the net. But for a 15.4"? Nothing that I've ever seen. I asked the Dell sales rep about this as well, but all he could say was that the future availability was unknown, and that it might be released before the end of the year.

With this recent news about hard lockups, together with a possibly vanishing QX9300, a ne'er-to-be seen RGB LED, and a zillion dollar 1700m mystery upgrade, I can't help but feel incredibly disappointed at such a missed opportunity for 15.4"-greatness.

 

Well, some good news. It seems they've fixed the configuration glitch for the QX9300, since now it just says "Intel QX9300 Quad Core". Perhaps it really is an option! Huzzah!

Now bring on that dang RGB LED! (And someone buy an M4400 with a Quadro 1700m to tell us what the scoop is )

 

I ordered the configuration with the X1700 on Oct 2nd...I've been waiting ever since, IF it [ever] comes I'll surely give you every detail. Buying/ordering is the easy part...the waiting is torture.

 

You're my hero. Seriously. I excitedly await your report (although I'm sure you're even more excitedly awaiting its arrival!). What other options did you choose (processor, etc.)?

 

As ordered:
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, 2.80GHz, 1066MHz 6M L2 Cache
2.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 2 DIMM (upgrading to 3gb, newegg has 2gb sticks for $27)
Internal Backlit English Keyboard
512MB NVIDIA Quadro FX 1700M
250GB Hard Drive 9.5MM 7200RPM
Black Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD (LED 1440x900)
Windows XP PRO SP3 with Windows Vista Business License
8X DVD+/-RW for Mobile Precision
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (802.11 a/g/n 3X3)
6-Cell/54-WHr Battery
no fingerprint reader, no web cam, and no modem

I can only describe my feelings as bitter-sweet.

 

I wonder what the major hold-up is for your order. Maybe it's actually a blessing in disguise, and they're getting this hard-lock thing figured out before they send out yours.

 

I hope your right...

Maybe they're trying out massive heatsinks, or those air ionizing fanless fans, or electromagnetic shielding in case of nuclear fallout

 

Bummer your order keeps getting delayed,I guess maybe its the FX 1700M that is the hold up,as your the only one on the forum so far thats ordered one.

Nice specs btw.

 

nice one !

i planned to purchase a config like that last month (but with X9100 CPU, 4GB RAM and XP64). But as i read here some heat issue with high performance, i'm waiting...
Hope your one will change my mind.

Important question for you m477hew :
what are you plan to do the more with this high performance notebook ?
Play (and what games), work (and what 3D soft) , or just adversitising surfing, officing...?
I will be very interetested in 3D performances.

i keep an eye on you guy !

 

Thanks Weegie and danao.

I plan to do a lot with it...

Of course I'll play games on it. I'll be playing all of the Orange Box, Call of Duty 4, and of course Unreal 3. (Fallout 3, which is coming out before I'll get my laptop, and then COD: World at War).

I love to make maps for all the games I play. 3dsMax is what I am using now, but I want to use Unreal Tournament Editor (which I have now but when I start making moderately complex maps my ASUS starts to get really really slow).

I've also heard a lot about CUDA, nvidia's visual C environment. I know C++ and I've used C but I really want to try out CUDA. From what I've read running programs on the GPU tremendously increases the speed. I can't wait to do ray tracing on my own computer!

I'm increasingly interested in nVidia's Gelato (about). It's an animation and rendering program completely free that'll run on Quadro enabled cards.

EDIT: Ok it shipped, and is estimated to be here on Wednesday the 29th. I can't wait, but hopefully no problems. *fingers crossed