Dell Precision M6400: Review

Dell Precision M6400
Dell’s latest laptop is powerful enough to use as a desktop replacement as well as for on-the-go image creation

Dell says that the Precision M6400 is not just designed to meet your needs – it’s designed to exceed your expectations. You certainly won’t expect it to be quite so heavy at a weight of 3.8kg before opting for the huge range of upgrades available, though, making it a laptop that won’t spend very long on your lap. In terms of appearance, the M6400 comfortably falls within expectations.

Sleek and silver with a straightforward layout, its design follows function rather than form, and you will certainly benefit from it. If you’re feeling flash you can opt for the sexy orange-skinned Covet version, but attention-grabbing looks are not what the Dell is about. In fact, one perceived advantage of the M6400’s conventional appearance is perhaps that it contradicts its price. The machine we tested, with full specs, racked up to more than an eye-popping five grand. Take a breather, as purchase validation is coming.

Heavy, conventional looking and the price of a small car may not sound ideal, but there is good reason why this machine can cost this much. The M6400 offers state-of-the-art technology. Designed absolutely with the professional in mind, the M6400 aims to finally allow 3D artists, video editors, architects and scientists to abandon their desktops and head for the park, safe in the knowledge that their laptop can render in the sunshine without imploding. This Dell laptop is engineered to provide the user with the vast amounts of processing power, massive scalable memory options, high-tech security and proven reliability needed for managing complex tasks.

In terms of elbow grease, the M6400 features Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Quad-Core processors combined with significant memory scalability, up to 1TB with optional RAID and dual internal hard drive bays. There’s also up to 16GB dual channel memory and a next-generation NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M or FX 3700M graphics processor, with up to 1GB dedicated graphics memory on board.

For those of us that aren’t too technically minded, that equates to oodles of oomph. This makes running Photoshop CS4’s interactive options, rendering times and a host of other compatible plug-ins and software a dream. In independent bench tests the M6400 has outclassed countless competitors. It’s worth noting – especially when considering the price – that this Dell laptop is ISV certified. This means it has been rigorously tested to ensure that it can reliably operate CAD and design software like 3ds Max, Maya and CATIA.

The straightforward but carefully considered layout of the Dell is a joy to use. The keys are soft but satisfyingly positive and backlit, a feature strangely absent on a lot of laptops. The touchpad, again backlit, is accurate, sensitive and boasts a clever jog/shuttle feature to allow easy video editing. By engaging this feature the touchpad mouse function is disabled, but the M6400 offers a track point stick in the centre of the keyboard as an alternative. The 17-inch, 1,920 x 1,200px screen resolution is very crisp and gentle on the eye, while Photoshop users will surely revel in its ability to render 100 per cent of the Adobe sRGB colour space. However, it has to be said that the screen was prone to some reflection in harsh office lighting. Other features include an eight-in-one memory card reader, slot-load DVD writer, two USB sockets and a full-size six-pin FireWire port.

In terms of security, the Dell M6400 offers an integrated smart card reader and optional fingerprint and no-contact smart card readers. Or if you’re really in trouble, with the combination of its super-tough magnesium alloy casing and considerable heft, this laptop could double as quite an effective weapon. Seriously, though, in addition to being well engineered on the inside, the M6400 does feel very solidly built. It’s always hard to tell how things will last when they’re just out of the box, but Dell assures us that these laptops have been tested to destruction to ensure the final product will last, a claim that’s backed up with a three-year hardware warranty.

We found that we were unable to provide a test that really pushed this laptop. It breezes over everyday tasks. Dell says that the M6400 works at the speed of thought, and at times it really does feel like you can’t keep up with it. Independent tests show that, like the marketing rhetoric says, it exceeds expectations when running complicated memory-munching tasks.

For many of us the M6400 could be a little too pricey, and we can console ourselves with the knowledge that we won’t have to make regular trips to the chiropractor. But this is a remarkable laptop, it’s a joy to use and is capable of running pretty much anything. There isn’t a mobile workstation that rivals it for sheer power, which for some will definitely validate the cost.