Dell Precision M6700 Notebook Review: The Enterprise Split

Conclusion: Lacking in Progress

As of this writing, the Dell Precision M6700 is the fastest mobile workstation I've yet tested; impressive considering its comparatively modest weight. Dell was actually able to get the M6700 to be slightly lighter than HP's EliteBook 8760w, its chief competitor, but 7.76 lbs. is totally reasonable given the robust performance of the hardware included. The PremierColor display is also among the most beautiful panels I've yet tested in a notebook, and the included software is a rarity among OEM solutions: useful and welcome. So if Dell is able to get all of the function right, why am I reluctant to recommend it?

If you're looking strictly for a more affordable mobile workstation, Dell once again has HP beat, offering the Precision M6700 for roughly a grand less than a comparable system from HP. So much like the desktop workstation space, Dell has the edge on price. The M6700, despite having a stranger internal layout, can be ordered with a full-fledged mSATA drive in the mSATA slot instead of just a cache drive, ultimately allowing you to order it with more storage from the factory than HP's offering.

The problems here are shared by Dell and HP, but Dell remains more on the back foot than HP is. Both are guilty of letting their designs sit idly by and coast on their successes, but Dell's is more notably archaic than HP's. The EliteBook 8770w is a better-looking and better-feeling notebook, with a smarter keyboard layout, a better touchpad, and it's easier to service. Dell has been quicker to update their internals, but they're both guilty of throwing last year's hardware into the ring, and if Dell wants to beat HP at the workstation game they're going to need to be hungrier than this.

And what of the old stalwart, the ThinkPad? Unfortunately a victim of Lenovo's continued mismanagement of the ThinkPad line. What used to be the gold standard unfortunately now doesn't even have a model to compete with the likes of the 8770w and M6700; their top end is a 15.6" unit with the CPU support in place but mediocre, DDR3-based Quadro graphics hardware. This lumps Lenovo in the same pile as Apple; they just didn't show up to this party.

I may be too critical of Dell's Precision M6700. It has the performance, it has the price, it has the expandability, and looks aren't everything. Yet I can't help but be baffled by the substandard aesthetic, the less user-friendly access panel, and bizarre keyboard layout. The chassis HP was using prior to the 8760w and 8770w was a mismatched, miscolored eyesore, definitely a step below what Dell was and is using. But they went back, redesigned it from scratch, and came up with something a lot more pleasing and functional. So why can't Dell get it together?

If you prioritize build quality above all else, HP's EliteBook 8770w is going to be the one you want. If you want the performance and display quality at a lower price, the Dell Precision M6700 is the right call. I just wish Dell would produce enterprise notebooks as smartly designed as their current generation desktops.