Questions about the Precision M6800 before purchasing

Time for a system upgrade. I've decided on the M6800, i7-4910MQ (Quad Core 2.90GHz, 3.90GHz , 32gb Ram and 512gb solid state disk drive.

I've discovered I am out of date on some current tech. Hope you all would be willing to offer some input? I am going to call Dell but it always goes better if I know more first.

1) I want/need a docking station. Looks like E-Port Plus, is my main choice from Dell. Do I understand correctly that while it says dual monitors I can actually daisy chain for more? Goal is 3 external plus the laptop. Am I correct that daisy chaining does mean I can have different things on each monitor? I have Dell U2412M monitor now and plan to pick up a couple more. Monitor description does state it can be daisy chained.

2) I don't quite understand the difference between 512GB (SATA3) Solid State Drive Mini-card and 512GB 2.5inch Serial ATA Solid State Drive. Read the explanation and still don't know if I would benefit. I don't want to have to do things to it, I just want it to work fast and efficient. Would someone provide a quick explanation?

3) Second hard drive. Due to the expense of SDD I decided against mirroring. I would like a second HD though for redundancy during the day. If I want that second drive for that reason, am I correct in thinking it doesn't need to be the same as the first? For example I could get the inexpensive 1TB 2.5inch SATA (5,400 Rpm) Hard Drive? Full bu's, stored externally, are run every evening. I don't need RAID in this situation right?

4) Considering touch screen. Anyone know what does "no back cover for touch" means?

 

First of all, have you also considered a HP ZBook 17 G2? HP have recently refreshed their ZBook line. You might be able to get a better deal.

1. See: Can a Precision M6800 with an E-Port plus dock run 3 monitors? - Spiceworks

Seems like it would work, this guy has had problems with an older type of dock. I have also read that there can be some problems when daisy chaining as Windows would mirror on the 2nd daisy chained display, so YMMV.

2. The mini card is mSATA whereas the other one is a conventional 2.5" form factor. Going for the mSATA option would free up a 2.5" bay allowing you to have 3 disks in the machine (x2 2.5" and x1 mSATA).

From what I remember Dell SSDs are expensive, you could pick up a 1TB SSD and install it yourself for the same or lower price. The ZBook has capability for a faster M.2 PCI-E SSD though.

3. Doesn't matter, if you run nightly backups then RAID isn't needed, and if you decide on a SSD+HDD for RAID there could be a performance impact as the writes on the HDD would bottleneck.

4. I think this indicates that you can't get the covet edition (i.e. anodised red). The touchscreen is glossy which can be a real pain in the rear when working.

As a M4800 owner I will admit my machine hasn't been flaw free - lots of complaints about UEFI bugs etc in the owners threads. The trackpoint is basically useless as well.

Personally I've had my motherboard and battery replaced already, and I've only had the machine since April.

 

Thank you for the information. HP is not a consideration for me. I have 2 laptops plus other items. Their support hasn't met my standards in the past.

I'm still debating about the touch screen. The extreme shine is one thing I dislike on my tablets, so I hesitate. I actively dislike the track pad(mouse pad/whatever they call it) on my M4300. I keep thinking touch might be nice to have as an alternative when not docked.

 

Personally, I don't think a touch screen is worth it due to the lack of touch optimised applications, plus the annoyance of having to clean the screen more regularly.

Out of interest was the bad HP support with the enterprise/business side of things?

 

Hp was for the business side. They were not necessarily bad, just not fast. I was left without support for too long, when I needed it, for hardware failure. Twice. I can't afford to be down like that. Too wary to try again. I also can't justify 2 higher end systems at the same time for 'just in case'. I'm the only one who knows how to use it so one would sit unused 99% of the time. I maintain several smaller systems but they can't handle things without a huge slow down in the office.

Dell on the other hand has always dealt with me almost instantly, making sure I have a technician and parts onsite in less than 24 hours.

Screen cleaning. I swear I clean 6 times a day now. I have someone that comes in several times daily and persists in touching the regular screens rather than just pointing at them. No matter how many times I say "look, don't touch!" I have to clean all of them as soon as she walks away.

 

In that case, the glass layer on top of the display will at least protect the panel, but at the expense of gloss. Whether it's worth it or not depends entirely on your priorities.

 

I've ordered a system. I decided against touch. I felt the high gloss would be irritating at the spot I work 90% of the time. Too reflective as I sit in front of 8' of floor to ceiling windows. Taking better note of my morning habits, I noticed I move the tablet away from the current main laptop to the other side of the desk in the mornings. Due to it's mirror-like reflections. Even with some of the anti-glare screens that seem to be out there, I was concerned I just wouldn't be happy with the gloss.

 

Hope you like your system, SaraGG - I am very impressed with my M6600 and it is still going strong!

Does anyone know if the mSATA Port on the M6800 is SATA III or II? I ask because from memory the mSATA port on M6600 is SATA II which is why I never bothered with it.

Thanks.

 

It's SATA 6 Gbps (III)

 

Thanks, tijo.