New Precision replacement for M6600 to come?

perfect thread, I've been wondering if perhaps the next lineup of intel processors will give IPS units better battery life...

based on what's leaked now, does anyone know if the new line of processors will help increase battery life much?

I sure hope they give the m4600 a graphics switching option for IPS, currently it can't use optimus because the integrated graphics can't handle the 8 or 10 bit (forgot which) IPS screen. Not sure how much optimus helps, but every little bit would be wonderous when 2 hours is the max you would get on the m4600..

 

Figit090, IMHO its a question of design. I have an old home laptop with build-in Intel graphics and it works just fine with external Dell u2412m (IPS). So - can be done. The same as with AMD video and IPS panel on 4600 - this became available just recently.

 

I cant help but wonder why so many people that arent graphic related people buy into ips if its such a limiter on battery consumption. Wled looks and performs great and can use optimus and even gets better battery life. Now I have owned some top screens and seen some as well and I must say they arent worth the hype. For a tiny barely noticeable if at all sometimes (RGB vs WLED) you have to pay ALOT of extra money and have to suffer with certain features not working, lower battery life and higher wattage (possible throttling due to exceeding or coming close to the rated wattage of an adapter). The negatives seem to far out weigh the cost.

The intel gpu matters not in a precision as its only good for driving a non ips precision for light tasks it was not designed for. Might be good for all those non graphics people who bought ips panels and have issues.

As for 16:10 its dead to everyone but apple and there is no saying they will drop or keep the standard.

 

Er, no.

You're outputting 6-bit color to a 10-bit display. That's not "working fine" that's "not using the display properly."

The way Optimus works - and the reason the IPS can't employ Optimus - is because the Intel GPU sits between the display and the graphics card, i.e. everything passes through the Intel GPU. Thus, a limitation of the Intel GPU becomes a limitation of the graphics card, e.g. it only supports 6-bit color.

 

The difference between WLED TN and RGBLED IPS is not "tiny" or "barely noticeable". It is a major and unmistakable difference in contrast, color gamut, and viewing angles. There it is seeing the color red and I mean real RED and not reddish orange. Even tube monitors had trouble with Coca Cola red, but this screen nails it. It is deep and vivid blues. It is bright greens that pop. It is having a laptop screen with better color that the U2410 IPS monitor on your desk.

You could take 2 M6600s and put them side by side and do a randomized survey of which screen has better color and I guarantee 99% of people would pick the IPS screen. You could swap up the IPS panel to be the left or right machine without telling me and after two or three tries you would say this is a waste of time because it is so obvious.

Now moving on to power consumption. Yes, the IPS panel draws around 7 more watts at max brightness than the TN panel at max brightness. Depending on how you measure it, the IPS panel is also producing 290-319 nits of brightness. It is brighter than the TN panel. When you turn the brightness down to around 150-180 which is the level most people would edit color sensitive projects, the power draw is much less.

I use an M6600 with the 2920XM, Quadro 5010, IPS panel, 2 platter drives and 1 mSata drive. This should be the worst case scenario for power draw. The machine does NOT throttle. Can you please direct me to the info you used to say there is possible throttling due to the power supply capacity? I have actually measured the draw of the power supply and even with everything fully maxed out and charging a battery the draw from the wall is 190 watts. Take that draw, multiply by the 90% efficiency of the power supply, and the M6600 is pulling 171 watts from a 240 watt or 210 watt power supply. How is that close to throttling because it is running out of capacity? These power supplies are rated to pull 3.2 amps which at 100 volts is 320 watts and 120 volts is 384 watts. Even with the IPS and trying your best to consume as much power as you can - you are NOT going to stress the power supply. Why do you think Dell included these power supplies?

So what is the big drawback as far as power goes? It is the fact that Optimus can't be used with the IPS panel. This means the video card is always running. Even with Nvidia's 10:1 power ratios (don't know what ATI has) you are still pulling 10 watts with the 4000M or 5010M cards. Add in everything else and you are looking at 28-32 Whr of power draw. With the 97Whr battery you are looking at 3 hours of use. If that video card has to kick up to a higher performance level, you could be looking at 45Whr of use and only 2 hours of battery life. Optimus with TN can run in the 12-17Whr range which means 5.5 to 8 hours. That's the tradeoff. Great color or great battery life. At least you get to make the choice about what is important to you. For me, its color. For you, its battery life. I respect your decision.

 

I had an RGBLED and WLED and noticed ZERO difference. The RGB in a m17x r2 and the WLED in a XPS 16. The RGB was pricey too and I learned my lesson. Sure if your a colorphile or a graphic artist I can understand getting the top screen, but for non graphic people I just see it as a waste after my experiences.

As for power consumption its been proven time and time again that RGB requires more power then WLED and Im pretty sure IPS is more then RGB. Not only does it draw more power lowering battery life, but also the screens dont have the same refresh rate. Honestly I only see the viewing angles as the real benefit for non graphics people and I for one only need myself looking at my screen. If I need another person looking at my screen they wont be doing it at the extremes that warrant an IPS.

So again WASTE of money for non CAD/graphics people along the same lines as buying extreme edition CPUs...bragging rights.

 

The RGB LED screen on the m17x was NOT an IPS screen.

 

Never said it was. Merely using the RGBLED vs WLED to prove IPS vs WLED is only for bragging rights for non graphic people. That is all.

 

I respect your opinions listed above. They come from your own experiences. But, both your opinions and your experiences have nothing to do with using Dell Precisions.

You are talking about an XPS 1645 and an Alienware 17 R2. I have relatives with an XPS 1645 and one with an Alienware 17 R1. Both of them have the dark glossy glass over the screens which may be why you didn't see much of a difference. With the LG 15.6" WLED panels you would see the most difference in Reds and Greens.

I hate that you had to go through the 1645 power supply debacle where they sent underpowered 90 watt AC adapters and as a result the machine throttled like crazy. I hope they eventually sent you a 130 watt to fix some of the issues. You have to remember that with a Precision this would have never happened.

I compared the draw seen on the system with a Touchscreen WLED and IPS. The WLED panel pulls around 12.1 watts at full power. The IPS panel is around 20. So we are looking at significantly more power being pulled at max brightness. But at lower brightness levels, they are much closer. That said, you are correct - even at lower levels the WLED is more power efficient.

All of the 17.3" panels offered in the M6600 have a 60hz refresh rate.

Once again, I do respect your opinions. You should be fine with the regular WLED. I honestly don't know why you are not seeing a difference in the screens.

Please do not take this as an insult, but is there any chance that you may have some red / green color blindness?

 

Oh I know Ill be fine with the WLED and I can see where matte makes a difference in the screen. To make a 100% sure Id have to sit my (in production) m4600 down next to a m4600 with IPS. Currently my m4400 has the CCFL WUXGA screen and is quite stunning for gaming and viewing movies and pictures.

As for my 1645 deal I got the 130w adapter fortunately as they finally saw the err in their ways when the 1645 with ati 5770 shipped. Even with the WLED I was scratching close to the 130w adapters rated draw at full tilt. 115w is I think the most I saw (give or take a few watts) and had I had an RGBLED it would have surely been too close for comfort. No matter they should have shipped 150w adapters for reliability.

Now I fully understand those who want IPS panels as they want the best out there. But buying the best out there youre going to lose out on battery life (and sometimes other things e.g. solid cooling). Its the nature of buying the top gear. The reason I commented is people complain about the battery life when buying the IPS when they should simply do research. First off buying a workstation class notebook battery life shouldnt even be in your list of worries as your buying a "desktop replacement".

I still think the IPS panel is overkill for non graphics people jsut as the RGBLED was/is. But I hope yall didnt think I was bashing your wanting one as that was not my purpose.