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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hrrmph - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
WiFi-ac?More crickets.
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p05esto - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
And in a couple years where there WIFI-ac routers and services on the market I'm sure the M6900 will support it. Right now, totally not needed. Are you an Apple sheep or soemthing?critical_ - Friday, December 14, 2012 - link
Does anyone make half-length mini-PCIe 3x3 (or greater) 802.11ac cards these days? Last I checked there isn't one BUT once there is replacing the wireless card in the M6700 shouldn't be tough.hrrmph - Friday, December 14, 2012 - link
Good point.For what its worth, WiFi-ac is the only one of these subjects that I have any sympathy for the manufacturers on.
It is THIS year's nascent technology. Its hard, but not impossible to get this year's new tech onto a machine.
I use the laptop at home primarily, and infrequently in the field.
In the field I need autonomy for up to 2 months at a time, sometimes in very far flung places with little else available infrastructure-wise besides mains power and maybe 3G or 2G GSM. Hence the obsession with local storage, but I digress.
At home, I have ADSL.
The NetGear WiFi-ac router R6300 is available now at Amazon. I think it is 3 x 3 so you might get close to Gigabit WiFi speeds, or in actual practice, maybe 75% of Gigabit WiFi speeds. That's a very impressive boost over WiFi-n.
The equivalent NetGear ADSL Gateway Modem with built in WiFi-ac Router is the D6300. It is currently available at Amazon UK and should be available stateside any day now.
WiFi-ac is today's reality. Why buy an uber-expensive laptop this year when next year's model will have wireless that is 5 times faster...
Unless you want to gamble on the upgrade working.
I hope that you are correct that these machines can be upgraded from WiFi-n to WiFi-ac with a simple mini-card replacement.
But, when I tried to upgrade my existing ancient HP 17" from WiFi-g to WiFi-n, it didn't work. So I emailed HP and asked why. They said that for the newer WiFi-n mini-cards to be compatible, the BIOS needed to be changed and that HP wasn't willing to issue the necessary BIOS revision.
Granted my machine isn't a mobile workstation (it is one grade below that). I would hope that in the future if I pony up the cash for a mobile workstation class machine, that the manufacturers would be more accommodating with BIOS revisions than what I've experienced with the "desktop replacement" class laptop that I have now.
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ShieTar - Friday, December 14, 2012 - link
So? You connect to your own company network by cable anyways, and if you are traveling, what are the chances that even if you find a WiFi-ac connection that there is an Internet-Connection behind it that is actually fast enough to utilise -ac speeds?hrrmph - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
UEFI capable BIOS?What happens when drives exceed 2TB capacity. Is the Dell machine stuck? Or does it have UEFI so that it can keep on keepin' on?
Th HP has it. I presume the Dell does too and the reviewer just didn't mention it. Still, it would be nice to know.
Dell's website on the subject of UEFI: Silent.
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critical_ - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
Yes it is UEFI, has Secure Boot, etc.hrrmph - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
Sounds like the IPS panels are troublesome.Also, both Dell and HP make you drop extra equipment like the telephony SIM slots and GPS capabilities if you choose the IPS displays.
So how much Adobe RGB gamut do we give up if we downgrade to the non-IPS panels?
For graphics non-pros would it be noticeable? Annoyingly so?
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critical_ - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
I am a M6700 owner. The IPS display causes the loss of Optimus. This is due to the display chain being pure 10-bit throughout which the Intel HD 4000 can't do.As far as SIM slots and GPS goes... Dell's online configuration tool won't allow you to add these but they all come with a SIM slot and antenna leads for a WWAN (and GPS) module regardless of the screen you pick can be added separately. I'm running the Dell 5630 (Gobi 3000) without any issues that I added myself.
hrrmph - Thursday, December 13, 2012 - link
Bummer on battery life...Anyone want to guess if Haswell fixes this?
I'm guessing not, unless Intel redesigns the EUs.
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Sweet! on SIM and GPS.
Just to be clear:
Is the SIM slot full-sized? (I hate to even ask, knowing it must be, but you just never know what you aren't being told when you buy something)
Are the antennas themselves already installed?
If not, did they come with the Dell 5630 card?
Thx
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