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Dell Precision M3800 Mobile Workstation Packs Thunderbolt 2, Quadro, IGZO2 Panel
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.
What a nice, pointless, ad!
Should I file a bug report?
Who approved this "article"?
Mielipiteet omiani - Opinions personal, facts suspect.
OK I'll bite, how much does this BEAST cost?...Not that I can afford it anyway.LOL:)
Might be a pretty good gamer.
How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
But will it make my Internet Faster?.....Ohh I thought this was a Best Buy forum!.
What a deal. Actually, it may be a real deal compared to a comparably powerful Mac Book if it's available.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
Yeah, agree with this one. What's the point of having the checkbox if it does not work as it claims. Fix this, Slashdot.
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.
Don't have any wax, but how's about WD40?.
My modem wasn't hairy to begin with.
"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!"
Perhaps I could use a pair of tweezers!.
OK, but can I team them up, to get better scores in my online games?.
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".
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
Seriously. It's going to cost a fortune to replace my 1680x1050 display when it dies.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
non-replaceable battery?
n/t
To be fair, Adblock Plus didn't pick it up either.
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.
No, but you do get porn with women with six breasts.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
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.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
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 small a display.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
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!
If we are going to post an ad for this piece of hardware, could we at least go with the Ars Technica review as it at least reviews the Linux version of this laptop. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets... Although unfortunately at least as of when the article was written, Thunderbolt 2.0 isn't quite fully functional as of yet.
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
https://sputnik.github.io/
any indication, Dell is doomed. You know, proprietary ports and everything...
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
WD40 is a solvent, it lubricating effects are shortlived.
Sounds like Astroglide.:)
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.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
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.
-- Linux user #369862
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 optical drive AND a number pad.
I am not employed by Toshiba, but having looked long and hard at various UHD laptops recently this looks like the most useful model if you actually plan to do work with it.
sustainable living
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
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 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 myself and hope its Linux configuration makes enough sales so that it's still around when I need a new computer 2-3 years from now.
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
- 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.
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.
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.:)
Are you trolling, or just stuck in 1995?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Twice as much money in poker WOW I can buy that house I wanted now.:)
It sounds like a good deal.
Until you lose.
K2100, Not quite enough.
https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
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.
-Lod
If I'm paying for computing power, I don't want it under the keyboard where stuff can spill on it more easily. I doubt they'll actually ever make an XPS 18 with a graphics card, so I'll probably wait for one having a Skylake w/ GT4e Iris and hope it won't be too horribly slow at CAD.
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?
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
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.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
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.