Dell Precision M4600 Review: Mobile Workstation Muscle Discussion

A "mobile workstation" isn't the same as a typical business notebook and the 15-inch Dell Precision M4600 isn't the same as a typical mobile workstation. This impressively durable powerhouse is available with just about every high-end component you can imagine ... but is it worth spending more than $4,000 on a mobile workstation? Keep reading to find out.

Read the full content of this Article: Dell Precision M4600 Review: Mobile Workstation Muscle

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$4,442.00? Well, the CPU alone supposedly costs $1096, according to Intel, but all the same, this is a shocking price. Is it any wonder that so many posters on these forums buy from the Dell Outlet? In hindsight, I don't think that I personally benefited from buying new-new units from Dell Business. By all accounts, Outlet customers receive the same level of customer service.

There are lots of ways to cut costs when it comes to ordering a Dell Latitude or Precision, if you aren't dealing with the Dell Outlet, and the best is to buy with the least expensive memory and storage options and do the RAM and SSD/HDD upgrades yourself. Why pay $240 for 8GB of RAM when you can do the upgrade yourself for as little as $25 to $40?

 

Eh. I have minor quibbles:

I was expecting the reviewer to point out that the IPS panel prevented users from using NVidia Optimus graphics-switching technology, which would increase the battery life rather a lot (6-7 hours, if not more). The tradeoff is between display quality and battery life.

I'd also expect the reviewer to point out that the starting price is around $1,000 (not $1,500, which is the M6600) and the price premium of the i7-2960QM is $700 over the i7-2860Q - making the comparison between it and the Thinkpad W520 a little less compelling.

Still, a good review and nice to see it

 

Now that's a real shocker? A $449 display upgrade impacts the switchable graphics? Why? Thanks the for heads up. By all accounts Ultrasharp FHD 1080P display is already quite respectable in terms of color gamut and viewing angles, and at only $50, represents good value for most users.

 

The Intel gpu didn't support the 10 bit ips panel. It supports up to 8 bit.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

It's a fully-loaded machine sent to a reviewer. Of course it's expensive. You can get a respectably-equipped M4600 for under $2000, including:

i7-2860Q
Quadro 2000M
8 GB RAM
750 GB 7200 rpm HDD
1080p non-IPS screen

Hell, if I were to need another computer tomorrow, there's a good chance I'd get a $1,320 M4600, which includes:

i5 CPU
AMD Firepro 5950M
1080p non-IPS screen
4 GB ram
750 gb 7200 rpm HDD
Webcam
Backlit keyboard

In short: the M4600 can be as expensive or as cheap as you like. Yeah, if you load it up with an IPS screen, top-end CPUs and GPUs, and huge SSDs, it'll get expensive. But it doesn't have to be if you're reasonable with the spec sheet, same with any other machine.

 

And, to add to that, if one were to call in and talk to an actual Dell Sales representative, it's likely that they'll offer you an even greater discount. Believing the MSRP price in review configurations is like paying sticker price for a car.

 

HP has the same pricing scheme with its EliteBooks; they are crazy expensive @ MSRP. Talk to a rep and you can get 20-28% off; better yet, try your luck in the refurb/outlet stores.

The M6400 is an awesome notebook, especially with that IPS panel. It's rare to find notebooks with better-than-average screens these days, I can count most of them on two hands. I like the look of the design better than the standard Dell Latitudes.

 

What blows my mind about EliteBook pricing is the vaaaaaast difference between preconfigured models and build-your-own models. I can find a prebuilt model on HP's page that I like with an M5950 and 1080p screen for about $1500; building my own is easily a thousand more.

 

That's where the discounts come in. The CTO models carry a ridiculous premium, I agree. Sometimes they post codes right on the configuration page. Best way to order an EliteBook is to call HP. Mine is CTO; I got 24% off. I have seen people get up to 28% off.

 

This family of notebooks are fantastic performers but I'm very sad to see they've gone to 1080p. I have a 17" 6400 with 1920x1200 and it is a far superior screen format for doing any kind of work. I realise that 1080p is cheaper but surely Dell could retain the option for their flagship range?

 

That's where the display manufacturers are headed, not just Dell. For the moment, only Apple laptops (and perhaps the rare tablet or ToughBook, not sure) still retain 16:10 displays, and even the MBA 11 is now also 16:9. And that probably won't last much longer as well.

 

The 16:10 format has been dead for years, since early 2009. It's not showing signs of coming back.

Apple MBP as MidnightSun noted is the only notebook that comes with it anymore.

I wholeheartedly agree that 1920x1200 is considerably better than 1080p for actual work.

 

I just hope the manufacturers do not do the crazy 21:9 on computer screens. 16:9 saves them only a few dollars at most, but causing loss of productivity when not everyone uses computers for movies.

 

The comments (Cons) on battery life are not fair. NotebookReview should have checked with Dell. I have had 2 of these M4600s (FHD IPS and FHD) and so I can speak to the issue from experience. The issue is that the M4600 they had in their configuration was the IPS screen, which is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. The problem with the IPS however, is that to get the color gamut it supports requires a 10-bit video connection. The NVidia Quadro does support just such a 10-bit connection, however the onboard Intel integrated graphics supports only 8-bit connections. What this all adds up to is that the system can't use the Optimus switching technology that gives most notebooks in this class such better battery life. With the still very nice UltraSharp FHD screen (1920x1080), I get 6-7 hours from the very same battery. When I had an M4600 with the IPS screen, I was lucky to get 2:30.

 

I disagree that it causes a loss in productivity for most people. Sure it does for programmers and people doing coding, but these are a tiny subset of users. For most users, a 15-17" screen is going to be displaying two pages side-by-side, regardless of whether it's two windows side-by-side or two pages of a multi-page Word or PDF document side-by-side. I use my laptop for work a lot more than I use it for watching movies, and I have to say, having a 1920x1200 screen wouldn't add an ounce of utility for me over a 1920x1080 screen. I'd still be doing the same thing--looking at two whole pages side-by-side.

 

Well, given the choice, I wouldn't mind more pixels

On the other hand, though, I do agree that the loss of pixels isn't as drastic of a change as some people do claim. I'm more than willing to make the trade if it means a greater availability of FHD screens in 14 and 15" laptops than WUXGA in similar laptops of the past.

 

Given a choice between a 1920x1080p screen and $75-100 in my pocket and a 1920x1200p screen and nothing in my pocket, I'll take the former. I bet most people would, including people who use the laptops for average white-collar-business use in addition to recreational and family use, which is why the market has moved the way it has.

Yes, there are always some people who do coding, etc, who just want to maximize vertical pixels no matter what and will pay extra to do so...but how many of these people are routinely using laptop screens instead of external monitors for their work?