Precision M6600 guide for new owners - Re-install OS, remove/replace HDD, etc. [will be updated]

[zut]

Hi Guys,

so i got my m6600 a few days ago, started setting everything up nicely, started importing all my stuff from hd. Since yesterday i'm testing my standard usage (photoshop cs5, premiere pro cs5 etc., etc.)....

I have:
I7-2720QM
16GB 1.600MHz ram
Quadro 3000M

Photoshop keeps continuosly disabeling gpu acceleration at launch, after a clean boot. Premiere wasn't working correclty with continuous stalls while rendering low res video....
So i downloaded last nvidia driver from dell site (nVidia_multi-device_A02_R310801), installed it and my Premiere issues were solved...
But Photoshop keeps disabling gpu acceleration at startup.
I think this happens mostly when i'm on battery... meanwhile if i plugin power, things seem to go a little smoother.

If i reboot machine, disable optimus from BIOS A7, wait for windows and everything to load, then reboot and re-enable optimus from BIOS, once again in windows, i launch Photoshop and gpu acceleration is not disabled. (?????)

Not yet satisfied, i downloaded latest driver from nvidia site, (285.62-notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql). And will test some more..

I need full performance as soon as possible, what video drivers do you suggest me to install ?

[dvanburen]

If I remember properly there is a way to force specific applications to use/not use optimus. I don't have an Nvidia card, so unfortunately I don't recall exaclty where this is. It should be within one of the intel or Nvidia applications, probably within the Nvidia control panel.

[zut]

Update:

Hi Guys,
Not yet satisfied, i downloaded latest driver from nvidia site, (285.62-notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql). And will test some more..

Things seem alot more stable now, both in Photoshop and Premiere, with or without power plugged in... crossing fingers

[dr.pratik]

If I remember properly there is a way to force specific applications to use/not use optimus. I don't have an Nvidia card, so unfortunately I don't recall exaclty where this is. It should be within one of the intel or Nvidia applications, probably within the Nvidia control panel.

Its their in right click menu.
It gives you option to choose gpu to run programs.

Sent from my Motorola ATRIX™ 4G on Aircel

[zut]

I think i spoke too soon...

In Premiere cs5, standard rendering and editing is ok, but applying a few simple effects at the same time drives the gpu mad, flickering and final result saves flickering...

Incredible, i can't believe that i'm having these driver issues.

Someone have any suggestions?

I have the nvidia 285.62-notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql installed....

[andregarcia_1]

I think i spoke too soon...

In Premiere cs5, standard rendering and editing is ok, but applying a few simple effects at the same time drives the gpu mad, flickering and final result saves flickering...

Incredible, i can't believe that i'm having these driver issues.

Someone have any suggestions?

I have the nvidia 285.62-notebook-win7-winvista-64bit-international-whql installed....

I am using the latest beta, work like a charm in every program

[zut]

I am using the latest beta, work like a charm in every program

are you using the Verde 290.53 - BETA ?

[kstatepj]

Before I do a new install, do I need to delete anything first?

[andregarcia_1]

are you using the Verde 290.53 - BETA ?

Yes, that is the version that I am using. No issues here

[84Lion]

I know it's a little late, but to others wondering: The M6600 has a standard 9.5mm "ultra-slim" SATA optical drive, and it can be removed pretty easily; you should be able to replace it with whatever you like. Note that regular 12.5mm "slim" drives will NOT fit.

That said, I've been looking around and the only BD-RE drives I've found that meet the bill are the Panasonic Matshi-ta UJ-232 and UJ-242. ("Matshi-ta" doesn't really have a hyphen but if I take it out the language filter kicks in...) There's a Lenovo drive out there as well but it's really just one of these models rebranded. It's actually hard to beat Dell's price of $400 for the upgrade; however, if you don't care about the Blu-ray burning capability you can probably find a drive for under $200.

Just received my M6600 last week and spent the weekend "setting it up." The computer is great, but one issue is that the DVD drive is DVD-ROM only. I bought the laptop at Dell Outlet, so I didn't have as much choice in the config as I'd have liked. I have some outboard Blu-Ray drives but not being able to burn at least DVDs without hooking these up is a bit of a drag.

Would the DPD5P work? I think this is the same unit as the UJ-232A, and there are some DPD5Ps out there for about $110. The unit is advertised for the Latitude E6400 and E6500, but does appear to be the 9.5mm "ultra slim" type.

One oddity that I ran into while setting up the computer was an issue with the USB ports not recognizing external drives. I found that the solution was to remove the Trend Micro anti-virus software before installing my own (Norton). Apparently having both enabled at the same time caused issues when detecting drives. Otherwise I am very happy with the laptop, it is built like a tank (heavier than my old Vostro) and the widescreen full HD display is brighter than the Vostro and very clear. The Quad Core processor and 16GB RAM provide more than enough computing power. Just a beautiful machine.

And this is a great forum. Kudos to all of you for great tips and information!