What is the highest Optimus enabled spec I can go with the M6700 Covet?

It seems to be a simple question to me, but I'm seeing conflicting answers, from Dell as well ("Yes" but probably because the rep desperately wants the sale)

Does anyone have a simple answer?

 

As long as you do not get the IPS display, you can slap anything else you want in a regular M6700 and still have optimus, does the Covet have the non IPS display option? The IPS is 10-bit and the IGP can only do 8-bit so no optimus.

EDIT: After checking the configurator for the US site, looks like the Covet only comes with the RGB LED 10-bit IPS display.

 

So basically no Optimus with any variety of the Covet?

And if the answer is yes, what is the best runtime / power balance in terms of the available GPUs?

 

Bokeh, could confirm that, but I think the answer is no. I get between 5-6 hours of Internet with my regular M6700 that has no optimus (firepro GPU), I'd expect the covet to get similar battery life with the 9 cell, so let's say 5 hours to be conservative. That is with three SSDs in the laptop too. I seem to get slightly better battery life in Windows 8, but that could just be me perceiving something that isn't there. (I never did a solid comparison between win 7 and win 8 battery life).

From Bokeh's own review of the M6700:

 

He forgot to mention the hernia that comes with the slice

Hmmm. I'm gonna have to think about this. Dell's 'We do Optimus' is what got me interested in the M6700 again.And it's also considerably cheaper than an equivalent Elitebook after my discount. But since I'm buying fewer numbers of these (ultimately maybe as few as just two, still thinking about it) I'm then not seeing a gigantic argument in favour of the M6700 vs the 8770W.

(Apart from maybe how that red looks. Not sure about that at this point - wish they'd bring back the orange, that was nice)

 

I actually like the red color. Yes, Dell's we do optimus is rather conditional, but given that the Intel IGP cannot properly drive a 10-bit IPS display, it's rather limited in terms of hardware configurations. Hopefully, Haswell's IGP and up will be able to do 10-bit and then we'll be able to get the IPS and optimus.

 

Do you have a link for a non-press image? It's hard to find IRL photos of the red. It just looks a bit too magentayy for me in the 'hero' photos.

 

Here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ision-m6700-owners-review-83.html#post9023288, the last photos of that post.

 

Thanks. Yeah... awfully magentayy...

 

I still like it, but I do see your point, a much darker red would have been more to my own tasted. An almost black blue is something I'd like as well.