M4600 vs 8560W

[Vip_blast]

I don't think it will be entirely necessary to get the i7-2860QM processor. Extra cache aside, the raw performance is only a 6% increase over the 2760QM. Downgrade to the i7-2670QM.

For the M4600, make sure you upgrade the display to 1920x1080. The 15.6" 1366x768 display results in a cramped onscreen workspace because it makes things onscreen large, and it has very poor image quality because of the abysmal contrast ratio. Don't get the stock 1366x768 display or the multi-touch 1366x768 display, only consider the higher-resolution options. I don't think this is an issue for the 8560w though, because I don't think the 8560w is available with this low of a resolution.

You can also save a considerable amount of cost by upgrading the memory after-market. An 8GB kit of DDR3 1333Mhz laptop memory is around $40 on Newegg.com.

Did you mean to say the 2760QM or the 2670QM? .

[frodoz737]

@knight427. Good observation. I am willing to commit if he does. You get a lot more computer for twice the price. Truth is, if he was 3rd year and still on track with his undergrad as an Engineer, I would not hesitate. Reality is, a lot can change between now and then. This laptop is to encourage, and I decided this was a fair price to pay, actually closer to $2200. Better hardware is more important than the latest and greatest screen "for his needs". Lets face it, he could get by with a lot less. Like most fathers, I know how to use a carrot. For the record, the highlighted screen option above is my choice if I buy Dell.

Thanks.

[frodoz737]

So this is where it's at. Unable to locate a W520 or M4600 for a little hands on. 8560W at Microcenter was low end, but at least I could touch it. Maybe I'm just getting old, but if I have to pay over $2000 for something, I need to at least see and play with it first. Reconsidered the W520, but still not quite right for this application. The Hp 8560W is just flat out too expensive for comparable hardware. So looks like the M4600 is going to be the choice. Made plenty of calls and prices still fluctuate. Link is for the likely build, though FIPS and vPro is optional.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

Will call again, but just noticed no mention of TurboBoost for the Dell CPU and it's identified as an i7-2860Q, not the i7-2860QM. Does anyone know if the Turbo is disabled in bios with the M4600 like with the 8560W? Sorry, I'm not lazy, but there is a lot of information on this forum and I just have not had the time to read it all. Continued comments and advice welcome.

Thanks.

[msjgriffiths]

TurboBoost is enabled. You can't overclock it, but it boosts fine.

Incidentally, I'd second the motion of buying the memory aftermarket. You can throw 32GB of memory into the laptop for $250.

I'd strongly suggest getting the 128GB MSATA card and installing your base OS on that, and then having a large secondary hard drive. A SSD make a significant difference.

I have the FIPS on the M6600, and unless you know you need it you can safely do without.

[frodoz737]

Thanks for clarifying TurboBoost is enabled. I leave OC to the desktops. Memory upgrade will be care of Newegg. Dell's fingerprint reader that comes standard on this modified build appears to have issues from my reading. Only considering FIPS if it works better.

The hard drive decision is still open. Two considerations hear. First, if I understand correctly with the Dell M4600, the SSD would be placed within the "Gobi" bay, with the HD and optical in thier normal respective bays. This has to be clarified. I believe your M6600 has 2 HD bays. Second is keeping updates and info on the correct HD easily and automatically. Never worked this configuration before, or with Raid for that matter. Any info will help. Have to check with my IT buddy when he has time but would like to nail this purchase no later than Monday.

This build must be clean, simple to operate and powerful enough for Son's needs, plus a little.

[msjgriffiths]

The hard drive decision is still open. Two considerations hear. First, if I understand correctly with the Dell M4600, the SSD would be placed within the "Gobi" bay, with the HD and optical in thier normal respective bays. This has to be clarified. I believe your M6600 has 2 HD bays. Second is keeping updates and info on the correct HD easily and automatically. Never worked this configuration before, or with Raid for that matter. Any info will help. Have to check with my IT buddy when he has time but would like to nail this purchase no later than Monday.

This build must be clean, simple to operate and powerful enough for Son's needs, plus a little.

The SSD is placed in the MSATA slot, which is where you'd also put a WWAN card, if that's what you mean by "Gobi bay." You can't have both a WWAN card and a MSATA card.

It's pretty easy in Windows 7 to install the base OS on SSD and then redirect all Libraries to the secondary drive. It's what I do with two hard drive bays (unused MSATA). I still have enough space to hibernate on the drive with 16GB of memory; though when I eventually up to 32GB, it'll be pushing it (I have 16.2GB left now, taking hibernate and page files into account).

It's a little more work than having one hard drive, and you need to install very large applications on the second hard drive (e.g. MATLAB, at a 4GB install, should probably not be on the SSD).

The benefit is significantly improved startup speed and general OS performance. Frequently used or mission-critical applications should be on the SSD as well.

I cannot imagine something your son would use this for that would seriously tax performance, unless he's a big gamer. The bottleneck there is usually the graphics card, not the CPU or memory.

If you were really worried about performance, for e.g. AutoCAD, you'd need to get the M6600 and get (probably) the NVidia 4000M. The 5010M is sort-of faster, but it uses ECC memory which means, in real terms, it's actually not faster. And frankly, a college student doesn't need the improvement in accuracy ECC memory can afford.

[frodoz737]

Thanks msjgriffiths. As configured from Dell with this "hybrid" HD set-up, "128GB Solid State Minicard Drive" only/must be used in the WWAN bay. Had to go 2 levels up with the Dell people to verify your info that TurboBoost has not been deactivated like HP's 8560W (due to heat issues). Updated build quote below to reflect changes. 2000M will suffice for now. Please note this is a DOS only machine so all software, partitions, ect can be done correctly without needing to reformat to desired. Decided this after my experience with Wife's consumer grade dv6. Still waiting to here from my IT buddy, so input is still welcome. Pulling the trigger tomorrow or Monday.


Quote Details




Quote Number: XXXXXXXXX

Item Number Quantity Item Description Unit Price Extended Price


225-1558
1 Dell Mobile Precision M4600n $2,063.00 $2,063.00
317-9246
1 Intel Core i7-2860M Quad Core 2.50GHz 8MB, Dell Mobile Precision M4600/M6600
317-3636
1 8.0GB, DDR3-1333 SDRAM, 2 DIMM for Mobile Precision
331-2809
1 Tech Setup Guide, English, Dell Mobile Precision
331-2169
1 Documentation (English/French), Dell Latitude E-Family/Mobile Precision
331-1249
1 Internal Backlit English Keyboard, Dell Mobile Precision
320-1914
1 NVIDIA Quadro 2000M with 2GB GDDR3, Dell Mobile Precision M4600
342-3142
1 128GB Dell Solid State Minicard, Dell Mobile Precision M4600
331-1391
1 No Fingerprint Reader and No Contactless Smartcard Reader, Dell Precision M4600
320-1972
1 15.6 Full HD (1920x1080)Wide View AG LED w/Prem Panel Guarantee,Dell Mobile Precision M4600
318-0349
1 Full HD LCD Cover, Dell Mobile Precision M4600
420-6223
1 FreeDOS Operating System installation CD, English, DellPrecision Mobile
430-3979
1 Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module, ROW, Dell Latitude E/Mobile Precision
331-1459
1 180W 3-Pin, AC Adapter, Dell Mobile Precision
331-3864
1 US - 3-FT/Flat Power Cord 3-Pin, Dell Mobile Precision
318-0351
1 Optical Bezel, Dell Mobile Precision
318-0355
1 8X DVD Drive, Dell Mobile Precision
421-1338
1 Dell Webcam Central Software (info) for Dell Latitude
318-0345
1 Integrated webcam with single digital microphone, HD/Full HD, Dell Mobile Precision M4600
430-4017
1 Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300, Dell Mobile Precision
331-1879
1 No Intel vPro Technology Advanced Management Features, Dell Mobile Precision M4600
342-1975
1 750GB 7200rpm Additional Hard Drive, Dell Mobile Precision
342-2435
1 All Hard Drives Non-RAID, Dell Mobile Precision
312-1174
1 9-cell (97Wh) Primary Battery, Dell Mobile Precision
939-3762
1 Basic Hardware Service: Next Business Day Limited Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis 2 Year Extended
953-5240
1 Basic Hardware Service: Next Business Day Limited Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis Initial Year
935-4828
1 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus Service Extended Year(s)
929-9687
1 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus Service Initial Year
983-8362
1 Accidental Damage Service, 3 Year
988-7689
1 Info, Complete Care
331-1640 1 Intel Core i7 Processor




Subtotal: $2,063.00
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $170.19
Environmental Disposal Fee: $0.00

Total Price w/Discounts: $2,233.19

[frodoz737]

Follow up question. Has anyone determined which aftermarket RAM does and does not play well with the M4600 i7-quad when bumping to 32GB?

Thanks.

[frodoz737]

I suppose this thread has lost interest. Will continue posting to log my own progress either way. Had a good sit down discussion with my IT friend over this proposed purchase to critique, give insight and recommendations. He favored the 6250 WiMAX over the 6300 WiFi, but admitted it's because he uses Clear on demand. A quick search seems to reveal that WiMAX Technology may be bypassed by the industry, as a whole, before full implimentation. Comments and references to the contrary are welcome. He confirmed numbered keys to the right of the board are prefered, but a USB external was an option. He agreed with the use of mSATA SSD for boot and standard HD as additional drive (no RAID) compared to the cost/value of going 750GB full SSD. Student Win7-64 Pro and Office 2010 University only will likely populate the SSD, though more is possible. Battery life Crown still goes to the W520, but an additional battery will cover the M4600. As it stands now, the listed build, aftermarket RAM and extra battery should just about do it. Software, bag and aircard is already handled.

So...unless anyone can think of something I missed or recommend otherwise, wish me luck. Sales person already authorized next day free shipping and I may still try and get some more freebees before I hit the buy button. As mentioned on this site, this IS like buying a car. Below is my original web discounted price, and what I will pay now. This process has taken me over two weeks and I want to thank you all for the advice, and this site, for helping me with this decision.

Dell Precision M4600 Mobile Workstation

Starting Price $3,965.99

Instant Savings $1,065.00

Subtotal $2,900.99

Plus Tax $3140.32

My price $2233.19 Shipped.

[msjgriffiths]

He favored the 6250 WiMAX over the 6300 WiFi, but admitted it's because he uses Clear on demand. A quick search seems to reveal that WiMAX Technology may be bypassed by the industry, as a whole, before full implimentation.

I've got the 6250 WiMAX card, and regret getting it over the 6300 WiFi card - because the WiMAX card has two WiFi antennas and one WiMAX antenna, while the 6300 has 3 WiFi antennas.

I mean, in practice you're never going to notice.

So...unless anyone can think of something I missed or recommend otherwise, wish me luck. Sales person already authorized next day free shipping and I may still try and get some more freebees before I hit the buy button. As mentioned on this site, this IS like buying a car. Below is my original web discounted price, and what I will pay now. This process has taken me over two weeks and I want to thank you all for the advice, and this site, for helping me with this decision.

Good luck! And nice deal.