Dell Precision M6600 vs. HP EliteBook 8760w: Workstation Battle Discussion

[knight427]

Dell Business Outlet has a 20% coupon for Precisions. Check this out, this demonstrates how Dell just kills HP in the value shopping department.

Processor: Intel Core i5-2540M Dual Core Processor (2.60GHz, 3MB Cache)
Genuine Windows 7 Professional
Precision Mobile Workstation M6600 Laptop
320 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
8X DVD +/- RW Drive
AMD FirePro M8900 Mobility Pro Graphics with 2GB GDDR5
17.3 Inch UltraSharp FHD(1920x1080) Wide View Anti-Glare LED-backlit with Premium Panel

All that for $863 (after coupon price) and it still includes the 3yr NBD on-site warranty.

[deshaad]

Wow that's a great deal. I'm wanting an i7, but thats fantastic.

[knight427]

There are plenty of i7 models. The pricing is always a bit weird. It is worth your while to go through most of the inventory. Sometimes you'll see two configs that differ drastically for the same price. The painful part is the screen since they don't list it in the quick specs (so you have to click through to see it).

Note that the coupon expires on the 28th, but by then the stock will probably be mostly depleted.

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Wow that is an absolutely amazing deal. Thanks for posting. I knew they were cheap in the Outlet but under $1,000 ...

Side note regarding the i7 - I have the dual-core i5 in my EliteBook and wish I sprung for the i7 quad. Not that I'd use the extra power 97% of the time, but that 3% when I'm rendering video and working in Photoshop, it'd be convenient. Just couldn't swing the extra few hundred at the time ...

[knight427]

If it makes you feel any better, there are occasions when my laptop is running hotter than I'd like even when doing basic tasks. At those times I wish I had an Arrandale. I'd be especially jealous if HP had done switchable graphics (that work) with the Arrandale chips.

[Mitlov]

Dell Business Outlet has a 20% coupon for Precisions. Check this out, this demonstrates how Dell just kills HP in the value shopping department.



All that for $863 (after coupon price) and it still includes the 3yr NBD on-site warranty.

Are Dell Outlet models scratch-and-dent returns, refurbs, used, or just overstock? That price seems too good to be true.

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Are Dell Outlet models scratch-and-dent returns, refurbs, used, or just overstock? That price seems too good to be true.

All of the above. It states next to the laptop what it is (return, refurb, etc).

[cypherinfo]

If it makes you feel any better, there are occasions when my laptop is running hotter than I'd like even when doing basic tasks. At those times I wish I had an Arrandale. I'd be especially jealous if HP had done switchable graphics (that work) with the Arrandale chips.

I had same issues with my previous elitebook 8540w; you'll see them disappear with the 8x60w!
It would be a great thing if HP will realize a new upgrade program or "deal": I mean to give the owners of an old elitebook the possibility to upgrade to the next generation of elitebook giving back the old notebook at a reasonable price; considering that the old one is still competitive in terms of configuration if compared with the actual notebooks will be available at the time the elitebook will be upgraded (as always happens for elitebook).
Even if the potential customers of that "upgrade program" (the same users of this forum may be) are not su much; they indeed have the "power" to play the opinion leader role driving more not so advanced users to HP!

[ijozic]

If it makes you feel any better, there are occasions when my laptop is running hotter than I'd like even when doing basic tasks. At those times I wish I had an Arrandale. I'd be especially jealous if HP had done switchable graphics (that work) with the Arrandale chips.

Yeah, the 5000M is a power hog (not sure about the applications you use it for, but the alternative M7820 has a half of its TDP for a similar performance level, though no CUDA). Did you try using the Nvidia Inspector's Multi Disply Power Saver - in case you don't, it forces the GPU to the lowest power states when doing everyday tasks..

I have a similar problem with my M6400 so I'm considering to upgrade to M6700 in near future - the thing is, I really want the switchable graphics for the battery life and lower heat and noise, but I'd like the IPS screen as well. Intel is really lagging with its 10-bit color support, but I'm convinced that Dell could have ordered some custom 8-bit to 10-bit adapter chip for the integrated graphics - it would emulate the 10-bit space, but I don't think it would be noticeable in everyday use. The standard users could thus have IPS and graphics switching and the graphics guys could switch to the dedicated card for their color sensitive work, while getting the benefit of increased battery life. And I'm not mentioning HP because they don't even bother to implement the graphics switching for those with non-DC screens.