Precision M4300 Owner's Cafe

"Mobile" Precision is undoubtedly Dell's Business range, and most of us who may go for it would mean serious work on it and might talk lots Businessy stuffy. But hey, lighten up (sorry if you already are), this is a cafe to feel free.

Discuss the nuances of your newly acquired or soon to come prized possession, the Dell Precision M4300. Let us know how it felt when you opened the top for the first time and powered up, or hell, even when you configured yours and haggled with Dell exec for a price cut or for faster DDay.

For each to feel for himself, and differently it would be when you have it. You may detest it, or it could be love at first sight. But that's only when you hold one and run the rigour of the tiresome tests and rough up its circuits for performance. Whatever you think then, a mistake??, please enlighten us so we end up wise men who learn from others err (too late for us though) and if you cherish what you bought, share your joy and multiply it.

Here is my story till date:
Ordered mine on 27th June - thats right, within a few hours of worldwide launch (live 10+ hours ahead of the US zone).

Have groped for a long time for a perfect option, and the standards have been high - particularly for the display. Using Sony A series (VGN-A170P) with 17" display for nearly 3 years. Driven by 1.7 GHz Centrino Dothan, it has been quite a workhorse and a stunner with its amazing 1920 x 1200 res with dedicated ATI9700 GPU.

Lugging the weight is a pain now (~9+), but it's been worth every lbs with the number of heads it turned in its service. With a glory that is past, I made a concious effort to search for a smaller notebook. Actually had Dell D630 and Lenovo T61 as serious cotenders for a while - untill the 14.1 guised to be a drastic cut in real estate with current addiction. Even at 1440x900, the screen feels rather constrained if one is used to the luxury of WUXGA.

So Dell D830 and T61 (15.4") were the finalists, and just then swooped in the M4300 precision. A perfect build with the dedicated GPU. Having been using the glossy display all this while, opted for a WSXGA+ with Truelife - which probably was presented as an option for the first time in the Business Class notebook. From the word that goes around, I doubt that it will be a match for the Sony Xbrite. Keeping fingers crossed and have queried the Dell staff like forever to ensure that at the least, it is not dead disappointing. They promise better results than the Matt, so it sounds like an acceptable compromise to live with.

But that's that for now. Ever since the order was placed, its been a long wait. Just checked with Dell and its expected in the next couple of days. The wait is killing aaaaarrrghgh.

Hope to share the experience first hand. Here is what is coming soon -

Dell Precision M4300 V (for Vista)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2Ghz/800/4MB
2GB DDR2 Dual-Channel 667Mhz
nVidia Quadro FX 360 M 512MB Turbocache
Bluetooth
DVD +/- RW DVD Burner
9-Cell 85 wHr Battery
15.4" WSXGA+ with TrueLife
120GB 7200RPM SATA
Norton 2007 15 months
Intel 3945ABG 54Mbps Wireless
Dell Nylon Carrying Case
Windows Vista Ultimate 32
Complete Cover 3years

Enjoy the official specsheet - first release.

Another update just now - the delivery date extended to July 23... more Arrghghghhhh

 

Is there a reason why you downgraded from WUXGA (1920x1200) to WSXGA+ (1680x1050)?

i actually remember that laptop - I loved the design - and the 15.4" counterpart was even more of a rarity.

Hope you enjoy yours though - I definitely would have spring for the WUXGA M4300 if I hadn't gotten my T60 - which i am still happy and loving though

EDIT: You should spring for the 200 GB 7200 RPM - it probably will be one of the newer Hitachi or Seagate offerings - I am eyeing on buying one to put in my T60

 

1920x1200 is been pretty on a 17", but it borders the confines of its tinyness. A smaller screen on 15.4 with same res needs adjustments now and then - for text especially and at times with unpredictable effects - something avoidable. See here - found few usful comments on the WUXGA experience http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=140088&page=11

So going down to 1680x1050 at 15.4 sounded just right. And with Truelife, it should look better. Will let you know when it comes through.

 

I had a wuxga on my M60 and hated it for everything except for modeling,way to small for general use and bumping up the DPI and icons seemed to destroy the sharpness that I originally ordered wuxga for.
My M70 and M65 I ordered with wsxga which I've found more of a happy medium.
Looking forward to what you think of the truelife Prabhash,I was a bit disappointed to find the M4300 still has only 200 nits as I have found occasion where a bit more brightness would be nice and maybe the truelife will make things seem a bit brighter.

 

Thanks for the update, Prabhash. Anxious to hear your review af ter you receive it. Maybe you will have an opportunity to answer the questions I ask on the thread I started before.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=142291&page=2

Many thanks!

 

Mmm, from the Dell site i see that the true life wsxga+ of the m4300 has got 200nit too, and the wuxga too. The wxga is the one with more nit (220). The wuxga has got 500:1 contrast vs the 300:1 of other two.
I am not sure that True Life (and glossy in general) makes a screen brighter. It is the ultrasharp to do this, evenctually...

This is for the 7200rpm or for the 200giga? I mean, the 160 giga 7200 should be of same brand?

The D830 can come with Quadro 135M or 140M. Both dedicated. I am in doubt between the D830 and the M4300 because of this. I am likely going for the M4300 because of true life, even if many many people tells that matte is better. I am a bit confused.

Can anybody look here for a little help? Here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2770714#post2770714
Thanks!

 

The WUXGA on the 15.4" D830, while very nice and pretty, isn't without its problems. Basically, you have to crank all the font sizes up for it to be usable, and lots of stuff, especially web pages, just don't scale properly.

And basically the WUXGA is unusable in a lit room unless you have the brightness turned to 100%. Which really ends up hurting the battery life.

The WSXGA+ sounds like a good compromise; I wish I had ordered it with mine.

 

Agreed. I was using a WUXGA with my previous two Dells, the Precision M60 and M65. When I got the M4300 I opted for SXGA+ truelife because I was just sick of WUXGA. I like the super xga option, it is a good balance in my opinion, but still slightly small. I almost wish they'd give a 1440 x 900 option like they do with the D630, as I think going from 1280 x 800 to 1650 x 1050 of the super xga is a big jump.

 

Not many reviews on the m4300 out there.

 

Yeah, if you're looking for M4300 reviews I'd try searching for reviews on the D830 as it is essentially identical.

 

So, I have to ask - who else here with an M4300 (or M2300 or D830/D630 etc for that matter) are disappointed with their graphics card? I am.

 

I am writing a review of the D830... I am late, as I was expecting from Dell a solution to the owful SEC3350 I have got as display. I wanted to see the behaviour of Dell before posting a review. But Dell Europe REALLY SUCKS. They have seen the pictures I also posted in this forum at page 35 on the thread about grainy samsung replaced with LG = Perfect. They say "your screen is perfect" and do not want to change.
I asked them a written declaration, signed by a Dell representative, which declares that the SEC3350 and particularly mine does represent the quality of display that any Dell's customer must expect by buying Dell. Let's see...

 

Ah, the 140M on my D830 has got 1522 points on 3D Mark 06...
I can't tell more.
But Dell really sucks. At least in Europe.

 

Hi to everybody! It seems like I am monopolizing the thread... Where is Prabash?
I would really like to know the experiences of you all about M4300 screens, as Escalation Italy finally contacted me, and gave me the chance to choose between XPS 1530 and Precision M4300. The choise is determined by which one has got the best CCFL display.
So, could someone tell me about his/her M4300 display?
If you were not a gamer (XPS) nor a prof of CAD or 3D (Precision), which one would you choose?

 

Here is the link that shows my multimonitor M4300 setup:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=214316

About displays though I have the SEC3350 and yes it is subpar - but honestly it's good enough for me and really only noticeably bad when sitting right next to a very good display. Apparently my 19" LCDs don't make the SEC3350 look bad at all, but then again my 19s are a fairly cheap no-name brand (Hanns-G).

If I had to choose btwn the XPS and M4300 as you asked, I'd choose the M4300 - and reason is because I need the expansion that the D series offers (dedicated docking expansion station with dock port, compatibility with all D series modules etc). If the M1530 had a dedicated docking station with expansion slot for video cards so I could do my current setup, then I'd go with that over the Precision as it can be configured just as powerful and actually with a more powerful GPU (8600M GT) which can be driver tweaked to support Quadro drivers.

 

hey guys....
i am going to buy a laptop and I'm hesitated between the latittude D830 and the precision M4300, I'm looking for the best reliable, durable and high performance as well...
also what display is better WUXGA or the wsxga+..
so you advice will be appreciated...
thanks in advice...

 

Hi blindsniper, since no one has replied I will give you my take. I used to use a 15.4" WUXGA Precision M60, and now use a WSXGA+. In retrospect I think the WUXGA is way too small, even if you make the DPI for text larger. I make the DPI for my WSXGA+ text about 5% larger. It really depends on your vision and comfort levels and priorities though. If you can try and look at someone's display and resolution, or try a Dell kiosk or other computer store. If display area is your highest priority then the WUXGA mite be a good choice, but in my opinion the SXGA+ is the best balance. In fact though, if there was a WXGA+ option (1440x900), I would just do that.

Also I'd recommend the D830 - it is EXACTLY the same as the M4300, even the video card is exactly the same chip ID, only the video and computer BIOS is different to reflect the Precision line. Also the Precision lid is a bit nicer - but it is definitely not worth the huge price increase. In my sig you see that I have a M4300 but it was supplied by my work. If I were purchasing myself, I'd get the D830, there is absolutely no reason to throw away money on the M4300. I know this is a late reply but I hope it helps. If you need more info don't hesitate to PM me, that is the best way to get ahold of me since I get email alerts that way. Good luck!

 

This may be the thread I'm looking for. Can anyone explain the socket just above the USB socket at the back of the M4300?

 

It is a proprietary connector for Dell D/bay accessories, it is a power rail/connector to supply extra power to those devices where power via the USB port is not enough, e.g. an external optical drive or external hard drive etc. But really, 99% of people don't have use for this connector in the real world. I wish it were just another regular USB port. See the reply I posted in your original thread for more details.