Dell Precision M3800 Mobile Workstation Packs Thunderbolt 2, Quadro, IGZO2 Panel 133
MojoKid writes: Dell recently revamped their M3800 model to better entice graphic designers, engineers, and other high-end users who often work in the field, with a true mobile workstation that's both sufficiently equipped to handle professional grade workloads and is thin and light to boot. Dell claims the M3800 is the "world's thinnest and lightest 15-inch mobile workstation" and at 4.15 pounds, it could very well be. In addition, ISV tools certifications matter for workstation types, so the M3800 gets its pixel pushing muscle from an NVIDIA Quadro K1100M GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. Other notable specs include an Intel Core i7-4712HQ quad-core processor, 16GB of DDR3L memory, and a 256GB mSATA SSD. One of the new additions to the M3800 is a Thunderbolt 2 port with transfer speeds of up to 20Gbps that allows for the simultaneous viewing/editing and backing up of raw 4K video. Finally, the M3800 is equipped with a 3840x2160 native resolution IGZO2 display, which equates to a 60 percent increase in pixel density over a current gen MacBook Pro with Retina display. Performance-wise, the M3800 holds up pretty strong with standard productivity workloads, though as you can image it excels more-so in graphics rendering throughput.
Woaaaaaah (Score:5, Insightful)
What a nice, pointless, ad!
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the only interesting thing about this machine is the Thunderbolt 2 port
Which is not directly connected to the CPU's PCIe-lanes:
Intel has never allowed motherboard vendors [save Apple] to hang the Thunderbolt silicon / add-in card off the CPU's PCIe lanes.
(http://www.anandtech.com/show/8529/idf-2014-where-is-thunderbolt-headed)
So we're still all waiting for Skylake and TB3.
Hey! "Ads Disabled" does not work. (Score:5, Informative)
Should I file a bug report?
Who approved this "article"?
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To be fair, Adblock Plus didn't pick it up either.
Newsworthy because it comes with Linux Preinstall (Score:2)
This is great news for many of us who run Linux desktops. As this is one of the 2 laptops Dell delivers preinstalled with Linux in the dell.com/ubuntu [dell.com] program.
About 4 months ago I got an XPS 15, with almost identical specs ( 256 SSD, 16GB Ram, 4-Core i7 CPU, etc. ). But I had to void my warranty minutes after I opened the box to replace Windows with Ubuntu, so I'm basically on my own support-wise after spending north of $2K.
This laptop would have been perfect for someone like
How Much? (Score:2)
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It upgrades for free to Windows 10 and you can install most Linux dists for free and in some countries you can get money back for the Windows version. Which likely cost close to nothing too.
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Cool. I can't wait until this fall when it's time to update my company laptop. My current Dell Precision M6600 was about twice that when I got it two and a half years ago. I think the upgrade to the Nvidia Quadro 3000M w 2GB of RAM was about $800 of it.
The CPU is only a tenth of a GHz faster on this model than the one I currently have, and I have 20 GB of faster RAM along with a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro and a 750 GB spinning disk. 1080X1920 was the highest resolution I could get at the time, but I think th
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Comes with WIndows 7 when you go configure, $101 off when you choose Ubuntu
Re: How Much? (Score:1)
It's a decent refresh of the M3800 model, but I think I will hold out for a Skylake model with a PCIe SSD. Fall timeframe sounds about right.
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Re: How Much? (Score:1)
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The interface is half the story; the controller must be able to take advantage of its bandwidth. Dell is vague about the performance of the SSDs it sells with the M3800. I'm assuming they're the older ones that top out at ~500 MBps read/write. Newer SSDs can easily double that.
You can replace Windows... But not the battery. (Score:3, Insightful)
From TFA:
Battery 61Whr (6-cell) non-replaceable
So, it is good that that "M3800 is the world's thinnest" mobile workstation, cause they can shove it up their asses with that policy of chasing the "looks" factor over functionality.
Which can be seen in the design of the keyboard as well.
It sits there centered, with HUGE empty spaces on both sides, and no dedicated numeric keys while navigation keys are down to very crammed arrow keys.
Workstation?
This is a glorified e-mail machine that you discard after 3 years.
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The article does mention that a 91Wh alternative battery is available when you configure the device, which presumably makes battery life (somewhat) more competitive.
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Still not user serviceable for a simple task of replacing a battery on something that should be a workSTATION.
A stationary object used for work.
Where those extra 3-4 mm of thickness and 50-100 grams saved mean somewhere between bupkis and diddlysquat.
So one can chuck that $2000+ "workstation" into the bin in 3 years as the size of the battery does not matter when it comes to the heat-degradation.
It's how many times and how often its cells hit the "overheating" limit, causing them to shrink in capacity to un
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One can buy a far better desktop machine and a UPS for that money. And it would be user-serviceable and upgradeable.
A bit harder to transport to a client's office, though.
These machines are obviously aimed at a particular niche that full desktop workstations can't cater for.
You're missing the point. Reread the post. (Score:2)
A bit harder to transport to a client's office, though.
Do you want to dance the extension cord dance at your client's office?
I'm talking about a situation few years down the road where supposedly thinnest and lightest workstation turns into a stationary object which has to be constantly powered from the mains.
And all over a few millimeters and grams of style over functionality.
Making a $2000+ machine useless as far as its main feature (portability) is concerned - when a $50 dollar replaceable part could give one decades of work and hand-me-down use.
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Sorry, but unless you think my clients are no longer going to have power outlets in their office those few years down the road, I just don't see this as a big deal.
The first thing I do when I arrive at any remote office today is plug the laptop in, and then plug in a real mouse. I expect I'll do the same if I visit a remote office tomorrow, just like literally every other person in the room.
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The first thing I do when I arrive at any remote office today is plug the laptop in
Then obviously, the selling point of "thinnest and lightest" is not aimed at you.
You are carrying ADDITIONAL hardware. Probably even in a bag of some kind.
"Thinnest and lightest" (which is the cause of the whole non-replaceable battery thing) is aimed at people trying to dazzle their clients with toys - and crawling under the desk to plug in the cord does not count.
They WILL have to throw it out.
You on the other hand might even try to connect it to an additional external battery of some sorts.
And it might w
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If you killed yourself painfully, you would feel better, we'd feel better, and we'd get some entertainment out of it to boot. Win/Win!
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And had your mom stuck to being fucked in the ass and giving blowjobs to sailors she would have had enough strength to choke you in the toilet where you were plunked out instead of just choking you enough to produce a thoroughly mentally retarded bastard like you.
Re: You can replace Windows... But not the battery (Score:3)
I have a Dell XPS from 2012 with similar problems:
- no number pad, despite plenty of room for one.
- sealed battery
- slot-load optical drive, which died and took a disc with it.
I only bought it because it had an HD screen which was hard to find at the time. Who cares about an extra 2mm of thickness if EVERY other part of the computer is a compromise?
The Toshiba Satellite p50 looks promising though - a UHD (4K) screen and none of the trendy eye-candy that other manufacturers seem to force on you. Drawer-load
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- no number pad, despite plenty of room for one.-
I'm torn around the issue of laptops and numeric pads.
In some respects, it would be good for me because, spreadsheets and numbers and stuff.
However I can't get over the feeling that having my body not in the centre of the screen is just wrong. Every time I try a laptop with a numeric pad, it seems strange to not be oriented in the middle of the machine for normal typing.
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We buy a fair # of these (just ordered 3 last week). You can get them with Linux instead of Windows. I will be installing Ubuntu 14.04 on mine as soon as it arrives.
Also - I don' think we paid $2,234 for these (I don't have the exact # but its under 2k). That said - we typically get the drives from NewEgg (instead of Dell).
I have a neighbor who wanted me to install Linux on his Lenovo laptop, i5 or i7 I think. I did, and to my relief all went well, all the hardware was detected and setup properly, and all the Multimedia stuff worked as well. I installed Linux Mint 17.1. I think many OEM's still sell computers with Win7, you just have to do the research, and ask the right questions, but the OEM's still sell Win7 pre-installed, I think Sears, yes I know Sears had a lot of computers with Win7 installed as well, they had a lot of
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The article says you have have Win 7 Pro with this one instead of Win 8.1 if you want.
Re:How fast? (Score:1)
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WD40 is a solvent, it lubricating effects are shortlived.
Sounds like Astroglide.:)
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"Actually it can have three Internets at once. One wireless, one through the included USB Ethernet adapter and one tethered to your phone over Bluetooth!"
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No, but you do get porn with women with six breasts.
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OK, but can I team them up, to get better scores in my online games?.
This isn't really true: Yeah it give twice as much money back in online poker!
If serious then I have no idea. Guess normally it doesn't work since the routing would be weird (if all had the same IP but different mac and routing then I don't know how that would work.) For games performance is most likely latency related and not bandwidth related and there wouldn't be anything to gain from adding other connectivity options than the best one anyway.
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OK, but can I team them up, to get better scores in my online games?.
This isn't really true: Yeah it give twice as much money back in online poker!
If serious then I have no idea. Guess normally it doesn't work since the routing would be weird (if all had the same IP but different mac and routing then I don't know how that would work.) For games performance is most likely latency related and not bandwidth related and there wouldn't be anything to gain from adding other connectivity options than the best one anyway.
I was talking in jest, but you are right, latency for games is the be all and end all of online gaming. Twice as much money in poker WOW I can buy that house I wanted now.:)
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Twice as much money in poker WOW I can buy that house I wanted now.:)
It sounds like a good deal.
Until you lose.
Re: How Much? (Score:2)
How well does it play SWTOR? (Score:2)
Might be a pretty good gamer.
All this for ONLY $2,234! (Score:2)
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$2499 for most expensive Macbook Pro.
"2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB GDDR5 memory
Built-in battery (9 hours)2"
I have little knowledge for how it compares without bothering with it and I won't bother.
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The radeon alone would make me go with the dell..
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The no-change battery is a BIG FAIL.. Its Dell trying to imitate Apple, SHAME on Dell for this crap on an otherwise great spec'ed machine....
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Agreed. There are plenty of reasons to avoid both machines, but the radeon chip in the list jumped out at me.
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When manufacturers feel obliged to design to a thinness target, sacrifices might be made. Replaceable batteries take up more space than non-replacable batteries. Besides, it's hardly in their best interest to make a machine that lasts forever.
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Having worked on the previous version of this model I can tell you that you can indeed replace the battery. You need a T5 bit to get the screws out of the bottom of the unit, but it is not an impossible feet. The battery is not soldered or glued to the chassis and the replacement would only take the average person about 10-15 minutes. The only tricky part is not stripping out the T5 screw heads.
Re: All this for ONLY $2,234! (Score:2)
Windows 8.1 on the Business Workstation? (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, who puts Windows 8.1 on a business workstation?!? I don't know of any businesses in my area who've "upgraded" from Windows 7 to 8 or 8.1, because they don't want to retrain their employees on how to use Windows. We're all waiting for Windows 10, where Microsoft finally came to their senses and made using that horrible Start screen and Charms Bar optional.
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Buying Windows 7 (Score:2)
Try and find a new computer with Windows 7 installed. There aren't many. I'm not even sure if the big names still offer the "downgrade".
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Try and find a new computer with Windows 7 installed. There aren't many. I'm not even sure if the big names still offer the "downgrade".
You can still get a legit copy of Win7 at Frys, maybe at the MS Store as well?.
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Dell still sells a bunch of them. Even the ones who put 8.1 on there by default offer downgrade rights to 7. That's fine with IT folks, since they usually reimage the systems before then hand them out to users.
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Try and find a new computer with Windows 7 installed. There aren't many. I'm not even sure if the big names still offer the "downgrade".
Microsoft allows you to downgrade all copies of Windows 8.1 Pro to either Windows Vista Business or Windows 7 Professional. That is provided by Microsoft, it's not up to the OEM.
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Win8.1 + ClassicShell is better than Win7. Obviously the Win8.1 UI is a joke, but ClassicShell fixes that, and for free. I never see the tile screen and "gestures" never happen.
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Can it be enabled on a per-user basis? My wife's laptop runs 8.1 which drives me mental, but she goes mad if [she notices that] I change anything.
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Seriously. It's going to cost a fortune to replace my 1680x1050 display when it dies.
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Is it a 20"? I need another one of those so that I'll have three matching monitors. I have a 25.5" IPS at 1920x1200 that I'm willing to let go of. It's very very old so it has ghosting f'reals, but otherwise it's awesome. My two 20" 1680x1050 displays are at different color temps, but I have an i1 Display LT so I can mitigate that problem.
non-replaceable battery? (Score:2)
non-replaceable battery?
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Yep, that is a show stopper. There is no technical value to such a thing. It's worse than removing the reset button.
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Imagine a beowulf cluster of these (Score:1)
Only 2 DIMM? (Score:2)
And only supports 16 GB. Yes, thats too little, I usually run multiple VMs and 16 GB is the bare minimum.
That's why I have to put up with the Lenovo W540/W541, with his horrible touchpad, but hey, it got 32 GB and supports two HDDs plus an M2 SSD.
Even Lenovo W550 go back to only 2 DIMMs, but at least it supports 16 GB DIMMS, even if they are like 500 u$s each right now.
Re: Only 2 DIMM? (Score:1)
I believe the Dell M4800 compares more with the W540, including support for 32GB.
Specs seem a little weaker (Score:2)
Apart from the display, the specs seems bit weaker on the Dell - the Macbook Pro has more storage capacity, and a faster processor even in the base configuration.
Also the Macbook Pro 15" now has the ForceTouch track pad, which will be more useful over time (and Apple makes excellent trackpads anyway, Force Touch or not).
I have a Macbook Pro 15" Retina currently, that I use in non-scaled mode (so I get 1:1 use of the pixels). I'm not really sure how much better the higher resolution would look on that smal
Original M3800 Model Linux User Here (Score:4, Interesting)
My work laptop for the last year or so is the original model of this new unit - it has the 3200x1880 screen instead of the new 4k model. Mine has 16Gb RAM, a 256Gb msata drive and a 500Gb spinning disk. It arrived with Win8.1 installed which I immediately wiped and replaced with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
It's a seriously nice laptop - after a year or so of constant use I still really like it but it's not without certain issues, especially for Linux users. The original version was only sort of Linux friendly (see: https://sputnik.github.io/) in an unofficially supported kind of way and it shows at times. First and foremost, under Linux you can sometimes hear a faint coil whine from inside it. Getting bumblebee to reliably switch between the Intel and Nvidia graphics on demand is an exercise in pure pain and I have actually given up at this point - battery consumption is also dramatically worse than on Windows so I just ignore the K1100 and run the open source Intel drivers instead, which works absolutely fine. With a *lot* of fiddling, you can get CUDA working on the Quadro but I ended up having to build my own kernels and do a lot of tweaking before this machine would really behave itself. A clean reinstall of 15.04 may well solve a lot of the glitches to be fair. It also doesn't have the usual Dell docking port and requires a USB3 based docking station and therefore displaylink drivers - as of kernel 4.0 that sort of works, but not in a genuinely usable fashion. It also gets quite hot when running at full tilt (make -j8). The touchscreen - which I have absolutely no use for - works perfectly but the fancy multitouch trackpad doesn't, which also suits me fine. The screen itself, even though it's not the full-on 4k version in the new model, is quite frankly the best screen I have ever used - it's beautifully sharp, bright and crisp. And annoyingly reflective - it's unusable in bright sunlight outdoors.
My verdict is that my version is definitely good enough to function as a complete desktop replacement for a sysadmin like me - it's super-fast, really easy to pick up and carry around the premises on battery for a couple of hours, has good wifi, a really nice backlit keyboard (warning: no dedicated number pad and also slightly non-standard arrow keys which is bound to annoy some people) and the screen is just jaw-dropping. Better than a Macbook Retina? Yes, yes it is. Would I spend £2500 or so for a top end configuration model out of my own pocket? Honestly, I don't think I could. The new 4k version with better Linux certification, at a top end spec with a 512Gb msata and the spinning rust replaced with a 1Tb SSD could quite possibly be the best Linux laptop ever but the cost is just too eye-watering for me. Basically, if you can swing your boss buying you one for work then go for it, but the price is just too prohibitive otherwise.
Anyway, this article naturally interested me as a M3800 user but it does feel like a bit of a blatant advert - hopefully a boring dose of reality from a person who actually uses one of these laptops daily might be interesting. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll try and answer. Someone in a thread above asked about the power brick so if anyone really cares I could weigh/measure mine up (it's actually quite small and has an annoyingly non-standard Latitude Dell type jack).
15 years of reading Slashdot, I think this is my second ever post!
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after a year or so of constant use I still really like it but it's not without certain issues, especially for Linux users.
You could get a Clevo laptop by probably half the price and everything you listed, plus 3-4 DIMMs, 4-7 disk slots plus removable CPU and GPU. They have unlocked BIOS by 3rd-party and the fact that all top overclocking records on HWbot are achieved on Clevo guarantees the quality - better than a piece of paper or brand logo.
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Clevo is Taiwan based but it doesn't sell in Taiwan. They don't directly sell it, instead their laptops serve as bases for high-end gaming laptops such as Dell Alienware. In US it's also sold by Sager, most of them are bought by enthusiasts because they allow you to customize every components from CPU to wireless module and heat sinks.
Their laptops are typically taller - 1.5x to double height, with higher power consumption and also no decoration at all (unlike real gaming latops).
It's like the choice betwee
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It's a seriously nice laptop - after a year or so of constant use I still really like it but it's not without certain issues, especially for Linux users.
The sort of reasons you list are why I no longer bother running a Linux laptop. In the three or four times I've done it, there have always been issues of this sort and I don't want to spend time trying to fix them. I now use Linux on desktop but my laptop is a Mac. I'm no Apple fanboy (e.g. I prefer Android), but I do appreciate have a *nix latop with features that "just work." My main gripe with OS X is that installing the more unusual Python packages (sometimes compiling those from source) is really annoy
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The XPS 15 9530 (which is the same base hardware as the M3800) is probably the closest you can get to a perfect Linux laptop at the moment. Everything is working in Fedora and no 'tweaks' are needed to make things work (like APCI for the keys).
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Bumblebee is straightforward to set-up when using the packages for Fedora. I have been using bumblebee on different laptops for the past 3 years now, the latest one being the XPS 15 9530 which is the same as the original M3800 (with a GeForce instead of a Quadro).
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Better than a Macbook Retina? Yes, yes it is.
Let me preface this by saying I'm typing this on a custom-built Win7 (& Win8.1/Win10/Ubuntu/ARCH/Debian if you include the dual boot and VMs) PC, I have a Win8.1 tablet on my nightstand and run Windows 7 and Debian on my laptop... but I kinda doubt that.
The MBPs have far far far (~100Wh vs. ~50Wh) Battery life, PCIe-based SSDs vs. (m)SATA, MagSafe... oh and they work OOTB in regards to a POSIX system. The only thing I'd consider genuinely *better* on the M3800 is the screen, and maye the non-backspace d
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The coil whine is a problem for Windows users as well, it's by no means just an issue with Linux.
Why are we having an ad for not new hardware? (Score:2)
Developer edition (Score:5, Informative)
Notably, this is one of the two "developer edition" laptops produced under Project Sputnik. It's available with Ubuntu, and no Microsoft tax.
http://www.dell.com/ubuntu [dell.com]
https://sputnik.github.io/ [github.io]
Does it run MacOS/X? (Score:1)
No? Then it is useless for me.
The point about an advanced workstation is an advanced OS.
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Sure, if you like poor vm performance, poor graphics performance, terrible memory handling and a piece of crap filesystem, OS X might be right up your alley. Luckily this laptop is also built for GNU/Linux, which is a proper operating system.
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Are you trolling, or just stuck in 1995?
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No workstation has ever used OS X, because Apple has never produced a workstation grade computer and Apple does not allow their operating system to be used on workstations made by those who do.
Thunderbolt2 ? If the traditional judgement of Ap (Score:2)
m6x00 upgrade wanted.... (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd like to see a real upgrade to the m6x00 line (their 17" mobile workstations). I am still running an M6400 Precision Mobile Workstation. Why? Because I like a full keyboard, dual pointer options, and the 17" screen. I check the Precision lineup every few weeks hoping an upgrade comes out. The problem with the current models is that they are downgrades; the laptop I have has a WUXGA (1920x1200) RGB-LED backlit display while the current models top out at 1080p, with white LED edgelights. I want to see them go back to the RGB-LED backlight, and more importantly, offer a 1440p or higher resolution display.
They manage to offer WQXGA+ (3200x1800) and UHD (4K) displays in the 15" models - why are those of us who want the flagship 17" worksation left out in the cold when it comes to decent screens now? I also checked the Alienware line (since they're pretty much Precisions/Latitudes with a gamer case and gaming video card rather than the Quadro line) but even they top out at 1080p in the 17" model.. :-(
Until Dell gets their act together with screen offerings on the m6x00 I'll keep my M6400 going. It paid for itself hundreds of times over and it is still going strong. I did have to replace the motherboard after a lightning strike but other than that it has been absolutely flawless. It's dropped from a 4' high ledge onto a tiled concrete floor while running and never skipped a beat; you cannot tell it was ever dropped and the hard drives scanned clean and STILL scan clean (SMART long test and surface scans with CHKDSK and fsck respectively) to this day. It's been an absolute tank for me, and aside from video resolution and video performance (I can't really use it for current games, plus it'd be nice to drive an external 3D display when at home) I am still very happy with it. I am still even on the original battery and still get decent life (almost two hours - when new it would get almost three hours) with the thing. :-)
Dell please throw m6x00 customers a bone - offer a 1440p or higher resolution display, then shut up and take my money.
15" laptops? Not interested. I like larger screen models (since it allows for close to full-size keyboards) with as high of a resolution as possible.
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Oh other things I have done to the notebook:
* Upgraded to a Core 2 Quad Extreme (did that a week after buying the notebook - as usual it was many hundreds cheaper to buy the upgraded processor separately so I ordered it with a mid-range Core 2 Duo)
* Replaced both heat sink thermal transfer pads with copper shims when I replaced the motherboard after the lightning strike (and of course cleaned ALL of the dust out of every nook and cranny of the notebook while I had it torn down to the bare chassis)
* About si
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I
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I did all of my phd work on an m6500 years ago, and thanks to having bought an extended fix-everything-on-site-no-matter-what warranty, it's still going strong.
I occasionally have the budget to buy a modern version of that laptop, but Dell continues to disappoint by offering only a 16:9 screen. Not sure why they keep on doing that; for coding I'd much rather have a taller screen, especially for that much money.
My only other beef is with the video cards. I really don't care about 3D. I don't want to spend
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> Worst thing ever. White-LED backlight. Why? Shit color gamut with RGB. White LEDs are near-blackbody in emission spectrum, have been for ages.
That would be true if white LEDs didn't have a very notchy color spectrum. The whole point of RGB-LEDs is that they cover the full Adobe color gamut. White LED backlights do not. Read up on backlight tech - RGB-LED is acknowledged as the best backlight. To get better you need a plasma screen (unworkable in a laptop unless you want crap battery life)
M3800 Works well with Ubuntu (Score:3)
I have a recent 3800. I got it with Ubuntu, no Windows.Mine does not have the 4K screen. All the hardware I have tested works well with it, which is unusual for laptops in my experience.
The media keys work. Sleep/resume works. The camera works. It will boot in UEFI mode, secure boot ON of OFF (i.e it comes preloaded with a shim that allows secure boot). The trackpad works. Two finger scrolling works. Wireless works with no hassle. The RJ11/USB dongle works. Have not tested Thunderbolt.
I think Dell could have done a much better job with the documentation (there is none that is not Windows releated) and the startup screen where you install Ubuntu, has an 'EULA' that is obviously a Windows artifact (and probably illegal under the GPL). Further given that mine came with an SSD Dell could have fixed the fstab to make some of the filesystems as type "tmpfs".
But overall I am quite impressed and happy.
pgmer6809
K1100M, Not Enough (Score:2)
K2100, Not quite enough.
Rather see an XPS 18 with M6800 guts (Score:2)
M3800 Track Record (Score:1)
I've bought 7 of these in the past year (at my boss's insistence) for our CAD-using engineers. Two have had to get replacement motherboards (one of them twice!) and a third just dropped dead and had to go back to the factory.
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and I suppose the M3800 is glued together like the newer Macbooks, making it near impossible even for seasoned techs to replace without warping or breaking parts during disassembly or at least baking the crap out of it with a heat gun?