Dell Precision M6300 Laptop

Published: Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 12:20 pm | Pavel Descoteaux

This was an interesting project… we were looking for a good and reliable business laptop model that has a lot of scalability, horse power, video power and high screen resolution… and amongst what is being offered by Sony, HP and Dell, there were a lot to choose from.

Our biggest disappointment comes with the SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) laptop models that have Microsoft Vista preinstalled, and the associated challenge of reformatting the laptop with either a clean version or different Operating System. Like so many companies and colleagues that will agree, Microsoft Vista is just not a good fit at this pointe. Additionally, we wanted a laptop that could run Linux or Windows Server 2003, and this narrowed down the selection of models quickly.

We chose the Dell Precision M6300 model laptop because first of all, you had a choice between Vista or XP, and in addition, there may be future plans where Linux may be available as a third option for an Operating System. Another reason we elected to go with Dell is their excellent customer service, which separates them from the other laptop manufactures.

• Request for Product (RFP)
• Specifications
• Impressions
• Benchmarks
• Fotos
• Reference Information
• Summation

Request for Product .

For procurement of this Dell model M6300 laptop, we choose to simply place the order on Dell’s website. The order process was very simplistic and the ability to check the order status provides comfort and planning.

Our biggest concern was the expected delivery date that was 3 weeks out, as this would impact a huge project that we were working on. We contacted Dell Customer Services and told them of our situation, and they were very sympathetic and helpful. They explained that although the delivery date was 3 weeks out, that this could change and that it would be very likely to ship much sooner.

Starting List Price $1,899

Specifications

• Dell Precision M6300, Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 2.20GHz 800Mhz, 4MB L2 Cache, Dual Core
• 17 inch Wide Screen WUXGA TrueLife LCD
• 2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM
• NVIDIA QUADRO FX1600M 512MB TurboCache (256 dedicated)
• 120GB Hard Drive 9.5MM 7200RPM
• Touchpad AND UPEK fingerprint reader
• WINDOWS XP PRO SP2, with MediaDell, English Factory Install
• Dell Wireless 360 Bluetooth Module for XP
• 8X DVD+/-RW with Roxio CreatorDell Edition Digital Media andCyberlink Power DVD
• Intel 4965 WLAN (802.11a/g/n) mini Card, Factory Install
• 9-Cell/80 WHr Primary Battery

In the Box Accessories

• 130W AC Adapter, Dell Precision M6300
• Resource DVD with Diagnostics and Drivers, Dell Precision M6300
• WINDOWS XP PRO SP2, with MediaDell, English
• Basic Manual
• Cyberlink PowerDVD 7.0 Software
• Roxio Creator 9.0 DE

Impressions

We received the laptop in a week’s time, and the laptop was very well packed in the shipping container. However, the 3 pronged power cord was not shipped with the laptop. We contacted Dell Customer Services and they were able to ship out a cord over night.

Just by looking at this laptop, you can definitely tell that Dell was serious about the power that they put into this machine. The laptop has a rather bulky and heavy look about it, but in reality, it is definitely worth getting to know and acquiring a feel for.

Benchmarks

No benchmarks were taken.

Fotos

Front View	Bottom View	Side View
	Angle View

Reference Information

• Dell Precision M6300 Product
• Dell Precision M6300 Drivers
• Dell CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service
• UPEK Support & Drivers
• Notebook Review of the M6300

Summation

We conclude that this laptop was definitely a good choice for us, and are definitely recommending this model to all of our clients. We also elected to get the 3 year ‘CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service‘ as a business decision because we it would be difficult to survive long periods of downtime waiting for repairs.

Examples of some of the un-intentional damage that are covered are:
Cause of Failure	Resolution Description
Liquid spilled on or in unit	Repaired or unit replaced
Drops, falls, and other collisions	Repaired or unit replaced
Electrical surge	Repaired or unit replaced
Damaged or broken LCD due to a drop or fall	Repaired
Accidental breakage (multiple pieces)	Repaired or unit replaced
Damage caused by intentional acts, fire, theft or loss, is not covered under CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service2. Some examples of damage that would NOT be covered are:
Cause of Failure	Resolution Description
Damaged in a fire	Not covered — insurance coverage
Intentional damage (hammer marks)	Not covered — user responsible
Stolen unit	Not covered — insurance coverage
Normal wear (does not affect system performance)	Not covered
Consumables (batteries, bulbs)	Not covered

Pros:

• Definitely well made and appears like it can take normal travel abuse.

• We were able to install Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition, however, two of the non-critical hardware devices required drivers that could not be located. All of the critical drivers were installed without issue.

• We really were amazed at the speed of this model. The Windows 2003 and other software installed very quickly, and the speed continued to remain so once we configured this laptop as a Primary Domain Controller.

• We are big advocates of higher screen resolution that gives more vision real estate. The 17" WUXGA (Wide Ultra Extended Graphics) screen provides excellent 1920×1200 resolution which was a great match for us.

• The network speed is also unbelievable for both wireless and LAN.

• Excellent Dell Customer Service

Cons:

• We were very disappointed with Dell’s version of their enhanced XP, and we typically strip off this customization as it consumes CPU cycles.

• For the drivers that we used on the Windows 2003 installation, we had to do something a bit different. The driver media that Dell shipped with the laptop requires that you install their user friendly interface for installing drivers. These drivers have a built-in validation for the Operating System, and many will fail, even though they will work for Server 2003. To work around this, we simply extracted all the drivers to a separate folder, then made a CD of these same busted out drivers. This allowed us to have Windows determine if the driver was suitable instead.

• The CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service is not transferable, and are valid only for new purchases from Dell Medium and Large Business for delivery in the 50 United States.

• Currently, we were able to find the driver for the UPEK fingerprint reader, but not the software for programming the scanner. This was not critical for us, and perhaps in time, we will find a solution.

• Extremely large power supply, making the storage in the laptop bag very problematic.