M6600 Owners Thread

[Pindini]

Thermal issues regarding the 2960XM CPU that is..

[jackkicker]

Does the M6600 have a real hardware RAID controller? Allowing parallel write and read on the 2x 2.5" HDD ?

[unferth33]

.... Also, does that Kingston RAM actually perform better than what Dell provides? ...

the 1333 mhz ram that came in mine (I needed it in a hurry so got a pre-configured) is made by Hynix... don't remember the specs, not bad necessarily, just good safe ram...

the Hyperx is faster in that case, and to get 16gb from dell just costs too much considering how easy it is to replace anyway

[Pindini]

the 1333 mhz ram that came in mine (I needed it in a hurry so got a pre-configured) is made by Hynix... don't remember the specs, not bad necessarily, just good safe ram...

the Hyperx is faster in that case, and to get 16gb from dell just costs too much considering how easy it is to replace anyway

Are you saying the Hyperx is faster comparing your new 1600mhz to 1333mhz -or- 1600mhz Hyperx is faster than 1600mhz Brand XYZ??

[bobrohrman]

Checking in here, extremely excited to have pulled the trigger on an M6600 from the Dell Outlet. Looks like I'm going to order the Kingston 8gb 1600mhz ram referenced earlier in the thread but otherwise, happy with the specs. I have an Intel 320 160gb SSD to throw in so this thread and other threads will be super helpful. Thanks in advance to all 441 pages which helped my purchase decision.

-- Precision Mobile Workstation M6600 Laptop
-- Internal Swipe Fingerprint Reader and contactless Smartcard Reader
-- Internal Backlit Keyboard - English
-- Label
-- Integrated webcam with single digital microphone
-- Wave Systems Software
-- 9 Cell Primary Battery
-- Certified Refurbished
-- Service Software
-- Full HD+ LCD Cover
-- Label
-- Software
-- Label
-- Genuine Windows 7 Professional
-- Documentation
-- Software
-- Software
-- INTEL VPRO TECHNOLOGY ADV MGMT FEATURES
-- Service Software
-- Heatsink
-- 750 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
-- Operating System DVD
-- Software
-- 210W/240W switchable Slim 3P A/C Adapter
-- 64BIT Operating System
-- 125V Power Cord
-- Slot Load Bezel
-- Software
-- Processor: Intel Core i7-2720M Quad Core Processor (2.20GHz, 6M cache)
-- Intel 6300 Wireless-N (2x2) Half Mini-Card
-- Shipping Material
-- AMD FirePro M8900 Mobility Pro Graphics with 2GB GDDR5
-- Trend Micro WFBS 30 Day
-- 8X Slot Load DVD+/-RW Drive
-- 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
-- Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
-- Shipping Material
-- Label
-- 17.3 Inch UltraSharp FHD(1920x1080) Wide View Anti-Glare LED-backlit with Premium Panel

[unferth33]

Are you saying the Hyperx is faster comparing your new 1600mhz to 1333mhz -or- 1600mhz Hyperx is faster than 1600mhz Brand XYZ??

It's almost the fastest memory on newegg.... there are some that have a lower tRAS spec (I think A-Data is 24 vs 27 for the hyperex)... but it's the fastest memory that I'd trust

[maverickguru]

Photoshop does not currently take advantage of the GPU as much as other software does. Yes, it is used enough to make a difference, but not as much as rendering software. This may have changed in PS 6. Going for the 2960xm and having plenty of RAM will help you more than anything else in Photoshop. The IPS panel is amazing for working with camera RAW files.

The mSata decision will depend on the upgrade cost where you live. It is limited to Sata2 so you are looking at 300mb/s as the top speed. The 2.5" drives will double this. I used to say the mSata drive was an automatic option to buy, but the new Intel 330 series SSD drives offer a ton of performance for the money.

The platter drive continues to be the slow point in the M6600 I use. I mainly use a 750gb 7200rpm drive to store media files that are backed up to a raid0 eSata external drive. Using Canon RAW format files from the 5dmk2, I see some slowness on imports into Lightroom from the platter drive. I see more slowness when I am exporting large batches of files to jpeg. The slowness goes away when I work with the files on an SSD. Keep in mind that "slow" is ambiguous and relative. What is slow for me may be perfectly acceptable for others.

The 2960xm is very close or exactly the same in power use compared to the other quad cores on battery. The IPS panel is capable of pulling more power at full 300+ nit brightness and is normal at 180 nits where you would likely be editing. The 4000m is between 7-10 watts. Overall expect to pull around 30 watts of power. This should get you around 3 hours. Maybe 3.5.

The flip side is that the 2960xm is allowed to pull more power than the other quad cores when needed. I know the specs show the processor speeds being close on the quad cores, but the extra 10 watts on the XM chip means it stays in higher turbo clocks all the time. Much more of a performance bump than you would expect.

Video overclocking is up to you. Some people run mild overclocks for years and others run into issues. The M6600 has the cooling power to keep temps down, but you are pushing the hardware past what it was spec'd to do. I know that there are tolerances for all of the chips, so there is some room there, but we don't know what they are. I never saw the need to overclock the 4000m or 5010m. The 3000m would have made me consider it.

Only available in "Federal Grey" as far as I know.

No remote out of the box.

Compared to Alienware M17x, lighter weight, less bulk, brighter screen (no smoked glass), quieter, the M6600 can use a dock.

this post main aim is to thank Bokeh,

He has been the most helpful, utmost honest, impartial in replies regarding configuration options, technical know- how about precision M6600.


I have had many doubts regarding choice of certain parts and their performance with respect to heat, money etc and toms hardware, anandtech,even reading many pages of this forum did not answer them in some cases at all or answers were incomplete.

I troubled Bokeh with long list of questions in various posts etc and he replied quickly with clear details.

Thanks to him, i am almost on the verge of finalizing config. and have gained some valuable knowledge in the process .


Also i have read almoast 10 pages worth of his replies and that was the reason i contacted him in thw first place. His replies are insightful, honest, backed up with proper generally self tested data.

Not to forget the review , it was simply great. I have read many forums in past two months for finalizing bike, and laptop and generally find most of members blindly supporting their product, thus confusing propective owners even more .

His review is true and so are his replies- i beleive you should try reviewing products professionaly if you are not doing it already!!

[Alls]

this post main aim is to thank Bokeh,

He has been the most helpful, utmost honest, impartial in replies regarding configuration options, technical know- how about precision M6600.
...

I absolutely agree!
Bokeh posts helped me too (sometimes it was invaluable!)...


Best regards, Alex.

[erolarman]

I have a brand new M6600 for sale if anyone interested.

Precision M6600 : Standard Base

Processor : One Intel Core I7-2960XM (2.70GHz, 8MB cache, Quad Core)

Display : 44cm (17.3in) Ultrasharp FHD (1920x1080) Wide View LED-backlit Multi-Touch
LCD Panel with Stylus

Palmrest : Smart Card and Swipe Fingerprint Reader

Camera : Integrated 2.1 Mega Pixel Camera with
Microphone for Multi Touch LCD

Camera : Software for Integrated Camera (Only for standard Base )

Documentation : English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Swedish Shipping
Docs
Ship Accessory : Norwegian Setup And Features Guide

Memory : 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel

Hard Drive : 256GB 2.5inch Serial ATA III Solid State Drive

Addional Drive :256GB 2.5inch Serial ATA III Solid State Drive

Windows Live

Optical Software : Roxio Starter Software

Optical Drive : 2X Blu-Ray Writer

Optical Software : Blu-Ray PowerDVD Software for Vista Home Premium and Ultimate,

WIN7 Home Premium, Pro or Ultimate

Power Supply+Power Cord : European 240W Slim AC Adapter with European Power Cord

European 240W Slim AC Adapter with European Power Cord

Battery : Primary 9-cell 97W/HR

Labels : Intel Core Label i7 Extreme

Graphics : NVIDIA Quadro 4000M with 2GB GDDR5

Wireless : EMEA Intel Pro Wireless 6300 (802.11 a/b/g/n 3X3) Mini Card

Bluetooth : Dell 375 Bluetooth Card

Keyboard : Internal Norwegian QWERTY Backlit Keyboard

Software Driver : Mobile Precision M6600

Operating System : Norwegian Genuine Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64Bit OS)

OS Media : MUI Windows 7 SP1 Professional (64Bit OS) Resource DVD

Software : Microsoft Office Starter 2010 ( Excel Starter 2010, Word Starter 2010)

System Management : No Out-of-Band Systems Management

Operating System Recovery Dell Backup and Recovery Manager for Windows 7 SP1

AntiVirus : Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security 3.5 (15 Month) Software MUI
(AR,CZ,DK,NL,UK,HE,FR,DE,GR,IT,NO,PL,SE,RU,ES,TR)

Base Warranty
3Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day - Minimum Warranty

3Yr ProSupport and Next Business Day On-Site Service

3Yr Data Protection - Keep Your Hard Drive


Contact me if you are serious buyer. djerol ( at ) hotmail dot com

[Bokeh]

this post main aim is to thank Bokeh,

He has been the most helpful, utmost honest, impartial in replies regarding configuration options, technical know- how about precision M6600.


I have had many doubts regarding choice of certain parts and their performance with respect to heat, money etc and toms hardware, anandtech,even reading many pages of this forum did not answer them in some cases at all or answers were incomplete.

I troubled Bokeh with long list of questions in various posts etc and he replied quickly with clear details.

Thanks to him, i am almost on the verge of finalizing config. and have gained some valuable knowledge in the process .


Also i have read almoast 10 pages worth of his replies and that was the reason i contacted him in thw first place. His replies are insightful, honest, backed up with proper generally self tested data.

Not to forget the review , it was simply great. I have read many forums in past two months for finalizing bike, and laptop and generally find most of members blindly supporting their product, thus confusing propective owners even more .

His review is true and so are his replies- i beleive you should try reviewing products professionaly if you are not doing it already!!

Jeez - way to make a guy blush. Happy to help you.

I have finished measurements on a second M6600 with with an IPS panel and will be posting a review of the panel today or tomorrow if all goes well. Just have to finish up some photography that will make the difference between the panels very clear.