M6600 and M4600 are coming in Feb.

They were. But it's over with that Optimus stuff (and I don't want to go in the bios to disable the NVIDIA card when booting on Linux).

Then, the matte screen has a higher priority than the docking support (I could live without it) but from what I've seen, the Vostro doesn't offer it either.

I'll contact a sales rep to see what the real options are exactly... welcome to hell

 

Actually, the Vostro line has only matte screens, and I can confirm it personally, being that I bought and configured a Vostro 3700 for a friend.

 

This is a typo, I'll have someone correct going forward. All the 2920XM's are 2.5GHz.

 

I was wrong then, thanks for correcting me.

 

And while you are on it, could you please have someone check the US price configurator for the m4600? I think it has some glitches too: for example, the option with the webcam is $10 less expensive than the option without it. Doesn't make sense! The E-Port Replicator Plus is not even listed as an option - why?! "Help Me Choose" texts are not always up-to-date, etc.

Now, since the m4600 is officially released, it would be great if you or someone else could clarify some of the specs, or provide a link to where the detailed specs can be found:

1. Does the hard drive bay support drives that are 12.5mm tall?

2. The specs state that 750GB is the maximum hard drive size, while 500GB is the maximum HD currently offered. Is there any reason why 1TB drives wouldn't work in this laptop? Is it simply because Dell hasn't tested them yet, or are there any BIOS limitations?

3. How much shorter will the battery life be with the AMD GPU, compared to the NVIDIA (with Optimus)? Sounds like this might become a very important consideration.

4. Are there any specs on the 128GB SSD minicards? Who makes them? How fast are they compared to the full-size SSD drives?

5. Is SATA-3 interface only available for the main drive on the m4600? How about the mSATA? The eSATA? The modular bay? Are those all SATA-2?

6. Does the 9 cell battery protrude from the laptop on the m4600?

7. What are the specs of the Blu-Ray disc drive? The "Help Me Choose" doesn't even mention the Blu-ray drive at all!

8. Does the 10-in-1 media card reader support SDXC?

Some of these questions have been asked earlier in this thread, but I can't find clear answers. Any details would be greatly appreciated. The answers to these questions may significantly affect our purchasing decisions. Thanks!

 

I will confirm once my M6600 arrives, but this is the info I have received from a reliable source at Dell.

1. 12.5mm tall HDD drives
M4600 - No
M6600 - No

2. Current stock availability dictates drive options. The current system/BIOS is limited by the physical drive dimensions, not the amount of data they can hold.

3. Approximately 25%

4. Some of the compatible mini-[PCIe]SSD card specs can be found below (attached).

5. SATA-II or III
M4600: Port 00 is SATA-III. The remaining ports are SATA-II.
M6600: Ports 00 and 01 are SATA-III. Ports 02-06 are SATA-II.
Note: The M4600 supports only (1) standard size 2.5" HDD (SATA-II/III). The second HDD would need to be the mini-SSD, optical drive caddy, or external drive (SATA-II only). The M6600 will support (2) standard size 2.5" HDD's. The third HDD would need to be the mini-SSD, optical drive caddy, or external drive (SATA-II only).

6. The 6 cell does not, but the 9 cell currently does (at least in the test units). I hope my M6600 9 cell is as flush as possible.

7. Current Blu-ray drives from Dell are 4x BD read combo drives (8x DVDRW). The Blu-ray triple writers are 4x BDRW/ 8x DVDRW. It is advise to get your Blu-ray from an aftermarket source. The Panasonic UJ-240 or Sony BD-5730S are very good 6x BDRW/DVDRW drives and will fit in the systems. They are also less money than the Dell options.

8. Yes

Additional chipset features can be found in the attachment below.

Scott-

 

Thanks Scott_RC-TEK! Very helpful!!!

 

Anyone getting a fingerprint reader? Does the FIPS version have any practical advantages (other than the FIPS-compliance)?
Do both versions come with the same software (for web passwords, etc.)?

 

Yes, and the non-FIPS is just as good. The non-FIPS sensor never got certified so it "could" be less secure... even though that is unlikely. Unless you work for the government, I would not spend the extra money.

Scott

 

But both fingerprint readers look and function exactly the same?