Got a new M65

First post so go easy
I got a new M65 delivered on Wednesday and have been slowly checking it out. Specs are in the sig. I got it for work and really like it so far. Perfect complement to the work I do wich is CADD/GIS/PLC&HMI programming (usually more or less at the same time). Major step up fom the I4000 (over 4 years old) I was using. Seen several posts with questions so I thought that I would just start with my (2 day) experience and go from there.

To satisify the geneal curiousity, I downloaded super pi and 3dmark 05 (free version). Scores are 1min19secs and 1929 respectively with the 3D running around 8-9 FPS. Both were run with stock everything and no tweaking of any kind.

On the subjective side, this thing is nice. The screen is not glossy and neither is the machine. Most of you (that have looked) know that it is the same, basically, as the new D820. Black/gray on the inside and gray on the outside with the Mag alloy cover over the back of the screen. Everything (port wise) is very logically placed around the machine. Got the wireless and bluetooth but have not had a change to check them out yet. When I first got my unit, the speakers did not work. I ended up taking the keyboard out and found the connector unplugged. Annoying, but a very easy fix.

I will try to answer any questions you have and give updates if anything arises.

Later,

 

Nice! When did you order your M65? I ordered my M90 on 4th but it's not even in production yet.

 

Ordered around noon on 3-31. My estimated ship was thte 10th of May! and it shipped on the 10th of April. Good for me I guess. I almost ordered the M90 but the combo of no serial and no PC card slot nixed that.

Once mine hit production, it was done in kitting about 2 days and when I checked back it had gone ot boxing (also for 2 days).

Hope yous comes soon. I lookforward to seeing what the M90 can do.
Later,

 

are you sure your ram is 2GHz?

 

So, what is the battery life like?

 

I have a 9 cell. Ran it today on battery. Wireless and BT on and watched a DVD for about 1:10. Meter still showed 56% remaining. On first booting, windows estimated 4 1/2 hours and when I stopped watching the DVD it still estimated 1:36 left.

 

Hi,

can you confirm whether there is an S video port or not? It is listed as an included port on a Dell site (UK), but then not listed under the specs. And how's the chassis heat and fan/HDD noise vs activity? I am considering to order M65 myself, though still not sure- D820 looks also nice. Most obvious difference between these two is video card. Quadro FX Go350M vs Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache - any thoughts which one is better? Any information would be appreciated, thanks in advance.
P.S. Plz people write a review….

 

Sorry, no S-vidio port on the laptop. (Funny as they will sell you a S-video to TV composite cord.) S-video is on the port replicator.

As far as the noise, I never hear anything from this but the HVAC in the building where I work is so loud that you can hardly hear anything else. Nice office environment. The few times I have booted at home, I find this to be amazingly quiet. No fan ramping up or down or anything.

The left palm rest does get warmer than the right. Under the left palm is the PC card slot then the HDD. When I was first loading software, I noticed that this area was warm (not hot but warmer than any other spot). Since then I have used the laptop with the Dport & stand so I have not typed on it much but instead use a regular keyboard. The Dport also props up the back of the system a little and provides better airflow I think. The palm rest now is not as warm as it was when the laptop was flat on the table.

As far as the video is concerned, I think that the 2 cards are near identical. I believe they are based on the same gpu as seen from posts just pervious to the release of these laptops especially ones dealing with drivers. I think that the general performance will be about equal. Nice decision card at http://www.nvidia.com/object/LO_20020322_4966.html Obviously the 350M is more CADD DCC oriented and is certified for those applications whereas the 120M has "guarenteed compatibility" with business apps.

 

The Quadro 350M is a more hardcore workstation/CAD based video card than the Quadro NVS 110.

Both are limited by a 64bit memory bus. However the 350M has the higher fill rate etc.

 

Hey here's another newb who just pulled the trigger on an m65!! Specs: 2.0 mhz, 80G 7200 rpm , cd-rw/ dvd , 512 MB (gonna upgrade to 2GB from newegg) wuxga, etc... How do you like the wuxga screen ? I hope it was the right choice. I bought mine mainly to use with solidworks / autocad, and photoshop. I work in manufacturing and do a lot of design work on solidworks. Could you post some pics? I can't wait till mine gets here, I would love to see a preview.

 

I am still getting used to the WUXGA. It came with the default 120dpi but that was messing with too many web pages so I reset to 96. Wow, those fonts are tiny. But I love it in autocad because I get so much space to work. I am a command line guy anyway so most of my buttons are gone.

For you as a fellow newb with an M65 on order, a few picts are attached

 

And 2 more. Hope yours comes soon.

 

Thanks for the pics! Mine should be here may 1.

 

Hi guys! I've just bought an M65... I'm italian design student... I hope that Quadro FX 350M will work well with Alias Studio & SolidWorks...!

 

1929 for 3DMark05? I woulda thought the 350M would be way faster than the NVS 120M which I saw rated as 1924. Anyone have insight on this? Both seem comparable to X1400 (typically around 2000, and yes, I know business, CAD, gaming blah blah). I'm asking because I'm cross shopping (M65, D620, D820) with a Thinkpad T60 w/ X1400. Also, anyone have 110M 3DMark05 scores?

 

I don't have a 110M score but because it is based off of the 7300 Go I would suspect around 1400-1500 in 3dmark05. Good luck in your search. You should also consider the Asus W3j. It has a very powerful X1600 card that gets over 4000 in 3dmark05. I have seen up to 4800 overclocked.

 

Any comments on the Dell's M65 display vs that of Thinkpad T60p? Is it sharper when running at 96dpi? I am deciding between M65 and T60p. I think both of them are almost of the same weight.

Hope someone can help me sort it out.

Thanks.

 

I can't speak to Alias Studio or SolidWorks but I have been using it for 3D in AutoCAD and it has been fine. The 350M is a budget workstation card especially when compared to the 1500 or 2500.

Yes I was expecting the 350M to outpace the 120M but upon further research, I am no longer surprised. They are based on the same GPU and have the same memory configuration. It is not faster but is probably more optimized for certain tasks.

In general, I would say this is very much a niche product. I was opting for the M90 but the lack of serial port and PC Card did that one in. Why this over a D820? Well, first is that the product was squarely aimed at the products I use to the level I use them and second, when I ordered the M65 (first day) the D820 did not yet have the 120M available which is good for me as then I would have had to decide.

I too was trying to compare the M65 and T60 (and T60P). I do not know about the screens of the T60 and T60p. I, like others, will report that although the horizontal viewing angles of the M65 are good, the vertical angles are not so good. I have used this screen both at 96 and 120dpi settings. I switched to the 96 because of the IE issue that others have mentioned with web graphics at 120dpi. When Dell issued the fix for the quickset I switched back to 120. I don't think that the screen is any more sharp at 96 vs 120. For GIS or AutoCAD, the high resolution is great but if I end up doing IE tasks all day, 96dpi @1920x1200 is small and my eyes would get tired. Again I chose the Dell because the T60 did not have the serial and I like having the notebook stand with the port replicator in a combo instead of trying to fabricate something to stand up the machine to balance the external monitor.