Dell Introduces New Ivy Bridge Workstation Laptops

This week Dell introduced its new models of workstation-class laptops, the Mobile Precision M4700 and M6700.

These new machines feature Ivy Bridge processors and the latest Nvidia K-series mobile Quadros based on the Kepler core as well as the first and only to offer the AMD FirePro M6000, which features PCIe X16 Gen 3 connectivity.

The M4700 is a 15” laptop with either an i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge mobile processor and up to 32 GB of memory. GPUs available in this unit are the AMD FirePro M4000 (1GB video memory) and the Nvidia Quadro K1000M and K2000M (both of these are Kepler-based mobile Quadros featuring 2 GB of video memory). The M4700 can use both an internal 2.5” hard drive, a minicard drive and a second internal 2.5” drive in the optional optical bay drive caddy, bringing the total possible internal storage for the unit to 1.8 TB.

The M6700 is a 17” laptop, once again using either an i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge mobile processor, but the M6700 has an option to use the 2.9 Ghz i7-3920XM Extreme Edition processor. With the higher available space and cooling, this unit has faster GPUs available: the AMD FirePro M6000 (2 GB), and the Nvidia K3000M (3GB), K4000M and K5000M (both with 4 GB of video memory). The M6700 has an additional internal drive bay, which expands its total possible internal storage to 2.8 TB- on a laptop. Both units support RAID 0, 1 and 5 in the appropriate two and three-drive configurations. The M6700 is also available in the Covet edition, which features a Phoenix Red case and uses a edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 2 panel instead of the standard bezel.

When equipped with Nvidia graphics, both units have Nvidia Optimus technology, which allows them to fall back on the CPU's on-die GPU for better power efficiency. Both units can also include Nvidia 3D Vision Pro, which uses a RF transmitter to operate the glasses instead of the IR transmitter of the consumer version, allowing more glasses to be operated over a wider range.

Other features shared by both units include an option on the unit for an RGB-led backlit IPS display panel capable of displaying 30-bit color, which gives the unit a better than 100% Adobe RGB gamut; an aluminum-magnesium chassis tested to MIL-STD 810G (ruggedized); dual fans to keep the system both cool and quiet; and 'all-day battery life'- up to ten-hour battery life with the stock battery and twenty hours with the optional expanded battery (battery life tested using MobileMark 2007).

Both systems come stock with DDR3-1600Mhz memory and can optionally take DDR3-1866Mhz memory, a first in the mobile workstation market. I/O ports on the units are two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, and one combo USB/eSATA ports; one 1394a port (4-pin on the 15” and 6-pin on the 17”), and three video ports- one VGA, one HDMI (1.4), and one DisplayPort 1.2. All three video ports can be used simultaneously, and with a docking adapter, you can add one more monitor when equipped with Nvidia graphics or two more monitors when equipped with AMD graphics, using AMD's Eyefinity technology. Sometime after the initial launch, Dell will add an option for a 10-finger pressure-sensitive touch display developed by Wacom, best known for their pressure sensitive tablets used by digital content creators.

Dell enjoys ISV certification for all of its laptops from most major vendors, including Altair, Ansys, Autodesk, Adobe, Avid, Grassvalley, Matrox, Sony, Dassault Systemes, PTC, Siemens PLM Software, Barco, Schlumberger, Landmark, esri, ffA (Foster Findlay Associates), Dynamic Graphics and others. ISV certification means that the system had been tested with a particular piece of software and is known to work.

All three mobile workstations are available for purchase immediately, with the M4700 starting at $1649, the M6700 priced starting at $2,149, and the Covet Edition starting at $3,579.