Dell Precision M6700 Notebook Review: The Enterprise Split
by Dustin Sklavos on December 12, 2012 7:43 PM ESTConclusion: 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.
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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.
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bramv101 - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
Architects and graphic designers?Google for CFD, FEA, Siemens NX, Catia --> these are the type of software that dell keeps in mind when designing this mobile workstation, and I would say that this type of industry is considerably bigger then the photoshop/maya users out there.
I think most scientist/engineers like myself would not consider apple for any serious work.
Macbook pro is targeted at another market that does not need this type of quadro GPU or high level CPU
ingwe - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
ndornquast: People who are buying this to use for work probably don't care that much about the aesthetics.bramv101: I am an astrophysicist who is currently working as an engineer and most all of my colleagues and previous colleagues use an apple for just about everything (the main exception is if they are putting simulation work on a cluster). Apples definitely have their place in the scientist/engineering world, but it definitely depends on what the workload is going to be. The CPUs in the current line definitely aren't slouches. I can understand how a lot of people can't use them because of the lack of workstation graphics though.
A5 - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
I'm an embedded systems engineer, and none of the software I need to do my job (besides Office I guess) is available natively on OS X. I'd actually have an easier time switching to Linux than OS X at work :-pA5 - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
That said, we have a couple Macbooks for people that travel a lot, but the first thing we do to them is Boot Camp Win7 and set it as the default OS. We don't do our heavy stuff on the road, so a 13-inch MBP running some of our on-site tools is a great option.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
I am certainly all for form following function...or at least form being somewhat aesthetically informed by function (ThinkPads for the win)......but good god. That thing looks exactly like what you'd get if you bought a laptop-shaped Christmas ornament. It's like a parody of laptop design, but they're being serious.
CobaltFire - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
As an owner of an Optimus equipped Quadro 4000M packing M6600, I will say it (Optimus) works fine. What stops it from functioning is the IPS display. The bit width (8 or 10, I cannot remeber) means that the IGP cannot actually run the display.This is a known fact for those of us who put our money down for these, and affects the PremiereColor machines as well.
CobaltFire - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
I meant that the issue affects both PremiereColor (Dell) and DreamColor (HP) alike. This is an issue unique to the IPS panels, and why many buyers purchase the quite good standard 1080p models.ijozic - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
Yeah, exactly. I'm surprised that the reviewer doesn't know this. The IPS panels are 10-bit, while the Intel IGP is again 8-bit.Dell actually went the extra mile here compared to the HP - the HP just circumvented the IGP together and the Optimus is not supported even if you get the non-IPS configuration. Dell M6700 (as the M6600 before it) on the other hand has two display connectors on their mainboards, one which circumvents the IGP, one which takes the IGP output. So, if you configure your Dell with a regular screeen (supposedly, the 3D screen isn't supported by the IGP, neither), you can get the Optimus functioning and double your battery life.
I don't get the rage about the keyboard. For instance, I use arrow keys rather than numpad to get around (I presume the reviewer uses the numpad arrows) so the document keys above the numeric keypad are almost unusable as they are hard to reach. Getting the PgUp/PgDn keys finally next to the arrow keys is a godsend and I only wish they had the secondary Home/End functionality added in combination with the Fn key.
The whole review seems rather subjectively negative like it stems from the fact that the reviewer prefers the HP design and keyboard (which has awful arrow keys, personally). Yes, I prefer the HP boxy aluminum looks, too (apart from that ugly silver panel under the display) and think that M6700 is somewhat a step back from the M6400/M6500 (the two-tone inside colors and the keys remind me of the HP 8740W design), but I would still go for the M6700 as it has better cooling, QC (from what I'm reading in the owners threads) and Optimus support.
kabelmk - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
So, is the MacBook Pro Retina 15" 8-bit or 10-bit?kabelmk - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
Or is it 6-bit panel?