Dell Precision M4800 – Review
The Dell Precision M4800 is a workstation graphic aimed specifically at graphics professionals and video editors, which ensures high performance and stability with professional programs. It is distinguished by the presence of an excellent QHD display, and for an allocation for the safety height of more stringent requirements, as well as for the wide connectivity.
Dell Precision M4800 – Main Features
- 15.6-inch screen at 3200 x 1800 points.
- Intel Core i7-4900MQ to 2.8 GHz Graphics Nvidia Quadro K2100M.
- Storage drive 256 GB SSD.
- Optical drive.
Autonomy is not the strong point of this product as well as the design, which resembles the square of professional systems a few years ago, but the build quality compensates for choice, and the budget has nothing to envy to the higher-end models.
The direct competitors are the HP ZBook 15 which you can read our review, the ThinkPad W540 Lenovo and Fujitsu Celsius H730 that we are waiting to try. The latter has a 17.3-inch screen, so it is not directly comparable in size to the product under test has the same processor, and a graphics chip in some configurations identical. The model 4800MQ with Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of DDR3 1600 MHz memory, Nvidia Quadro K1100 with 2GB of dedicated memory and 256 GB SSD.
Very similar to the product being tested is the proposal instead of Lenovo, which in the mid-range offers its own version of an Intel Core i7-4700MQ, the storage drive 256 GB SSD, 15.6-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixels, Gigabit Ethernet, Intel Dual-Band Wireless AC 7260 2×2 BT 4.0, 9-cell battery, memory card reader 4 in 1 (SD / SDHC / SDXC / MMC), 720p webcam and Bluetooth.
As you know, the graphics workstations are products that are not cheap because they offer quality material, security systems and data protection and professional-level certifications for the most popular design applications. All of these elements for a professional are very important for a consumer to have no meaning, so let’s talk about laptop vertical directed to a very specific niche market.
| Fujitsu Celsius H730, Fujitsu | Lenovo ThinkPad W540 | HP ZBook 15 | Dell Precision M4800 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Characteristics | ||||
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 380 x 36 x 257 mm | 35 x 376 x 247 mm | 38.15 x 25.7 x 3.05 cm | 36.25 to 39.9 x 376 x 256 mm |
| Weight | 2.75 kilograms | 2.48 kilograms | 2.82 kilograms | 2.88 kilograms |
| Hardware | ||||
| CPU | 4800MQ Intel Core i7 2.7 GHz in Turbo mode up to 3.7 GHz | Intel Core i7-4700MQ at 2.4 GHz, 3.4 GHz in Turbo mode | Intel Core i7-4700MQ at 2.4 GHz, 3.4 GHz in Turbo mode | Intel Core i7-4900MQ to 2.8 GHz |
| RAM | 8 GB, 32 GB maximum | 4 GB, 32 GB maximum | 8 GB | 16 GB expandable to 32 GB |
| Graphic Processor | Nvidia Quadro K1100 with 2GB of dedicated memory | NVIDIA Quadro K1100M with 2 GB of dedicated memory | Nvidia Quadro K2100M with 2 GB of dedicated memory | Nvidia Quadro K2100M with 2 GB of dedicated memory |
| Hard Disk | 256 GB SSD | 256 GB SSD | 750 GB 7200 RPM + 32 GB mSATA SSD | 256 GB SSD |
| Optical Drive | Yes | N/A | DVD burner | DVD burner |
| Battery | ||||
| Capacity | 6-cell | 56.16 Wh | 68774 mWh, 4298 mAh | 8325 mAh, 99900 mWh |
| Power pack | ||||
| Power | 150 Watt | N/A | 200 Watt | 180 Watt |
| Weight | 915 grams | 680 grams | 905 grams | 765 grams |
| Dimensions | 15.8 x 4.3 x 7.8 cm | N/A | 17.1 x 9.5 x 2.5 cm | 15.3 x 3.3 x 7.4 cm |
| Screen | ||||
| Size | 17.3 inches | 15.6 inches | 15.6 inches | 15.6 inches |
| Technology | TFT LCD | IPS LED Matte | EDP TFT LCD anti-glare + PSR | TFT LCD |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 3200 x 1800 pixels |
| Touchscreen | No | No | No | No |
| Video Connectors | ||||
| VGA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DVI | No | N/A | No | No |
| HDMI | No | N/A | No | Yes |
| Display Port | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other | Smart Card, SIM Card | N/A | No | Optional Smart Card Reader |
| Data Connectivity | ||||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | b / g / n | a / b / g / n | 802.11 gn |
| Ethernet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Data Connectors | ||||
| USB 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 combined with eSATA |
| USB 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| eSATA | No | N/A | No | 1 combo with USB 2.0 |
| Thunderbolt | No | Yes | No | No |
| Memory Card Reader | (SD / SDHC) SD / microSD = 2GB, SDHC / micro SDHC = 32GB, SDXC = 64GB | SD, SDHC, SDXC | SD | SD, SD-XC, SDIO, MMC, XD, MS, Mini-MMC, MMC+ |
| Express Card | No | Yes | from 54 to 32 mm | It is from 54 mm |
| Webcam | ||||
| Resolution | HD | 720p | HD 720p | HD |
| Audio | ||||
| Microphone connector | Jack 3.5mm headphone combined | Jack 3.5mm headphone combined | Jack 3.5mm headphone combined | Jack 3.5 mm |
| Headset connector | Jack 3.5 mm combined with microphone | Jack 3.5 mm combined with microphone | Jack 3.5 mm combined with microphone | Jack 3.5 mm |
| Speaker Connectors | N/A | No | No | No |
| Safety | ||||
| Fingerprint Reader | Player of the palm or fingerprints | Yes | Yes | No |
| TPM | Yes | Yes | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Operating system | ||||
| Windows | Windows 7 Professional 64-bit / Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit | Windows 8 64 Bit | @ 7 64-bit | 7 Professional 64-bit |
| Warranty | ||||
| Life Span | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Type of assistance | Collect & Return Service / Bring-in Service | N/A | Pick Up & Return | On site within the next business day to the call for remote diagnosis |
| Additional Services | A payment extension to 5 years | Paying | Paying | Dell ProSupport: 3 years with enhanced support from technical experts and global availability 24 hours on 24, 7 days a week 7 |
Dell Precision M4800 – Build Quality
The lid, the sides and the bottom of the base are finished in anodized aluminum with matte painting that does not retain fingerprints and resists well to small signs of use. The internal structure is made of magnesium alloy. The palm rest is treated with a slightly rubberized material that is pleasant to the touch and does not become shiny with the passage of time: a small annoyance that we see often on laptops dated.
The materials are common to all products in this category, which are linked by an unquestionably high-quality construction just to meet the high expectations of customers restricted. The Dell Precision M4800 is the only one to stand for certification MIL-STD-810G for resistance to extreme temperatures, dust, vibration, shock and high altitudes.
The keyboard also resistant to water splashes not mean it is waterproof, but if you accidentally spill liquid have the time to close applications and shut down the system.
The only comment that you can go to this laptop, just wanting to find fault, it’s the design that emerges from the conservative line of the square base, and from the coupling of the cover mechanic, which opens by pressing the Big Keys on the front panel: a solution that is not seen for some time, but that remains functional in its simplicity.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is not the mirror of modernity, but it is definitely noticeable. The lower keys but with cone, shapes are close together, they have a short and well cushioned ride that allows you to type texts in comfort. The wide base has left space for the keypad aside, sin only because of the lack of space around the directional arrows, which did not facilitate the identification blindly. To appreciate the presence of the backlight, which enables you to work smoothly in terms of the ambient light present.
The reference market is the former IBM keyboard, which is mounted on the existing ThinkPad heir who is superior in quality and comfort. The Precision offers a solution rather mixed results: on the one hand, the presence of both the touchpad trackpoint is comfortable leaving the user to choose what they prefer, and the trackpoint for precision work is very good.
The sensitive area of the touchpad is restricted in order to leave room for the double-team selection buttons. The manufacturer could have been remedied by enlarging the least sensitive area taking advantage of the available space horizontally, but has not done.
The size, found that the characteristics shown in the table, indicate that the Precision M4800 is slightly thinner than the HP ZBook 15 that we tested recently, and that is a candidate as the direct competitor to beat.
Connectivity and Screen
As on many high-end, laptops are four USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort and HDMI video output, in addition to the classic VGA.
The differences in this case are the manual switch to turn on and turn off Wi-Fi, a memory card reader 9-in-1, a SmartCard for cards and one for ExpressCard 34/54 mm, which now have an endowment provided only on professional products.
Finally, there are a combined eSATA / USB 2.0 port, and the Ethernet connector. Do not miss the optical drive then, that in the case of Precision is a slot-in model. The budget does not differ from workstations competitors and aligns with a well-established standard.
The Dell Precision M4800 is one of the first mobile workstation graphics with Retina display similar to. The 15.6-inch screen it displays the native resolution of 3,200 x 1,800 pixels. The surface treatment is opaque so there is no mirror effect that penalizes the use of content in ambient light conditions ambient light.
The brightness of 390 candelas per square meter is higher than average. The Zbook 15, who already had a screen great, had a brightness that would stop to 299 candles.
Although many are fascinated by such high resolutions, we note once again that the readability of menus and icons is too difficult about a zoom setting of 150%, and although the very large images or CAD projects benefit from the resolution, navigate through the menu is often difficult. The problem is that most applications are not optimized for such high resolutions, and eventually you find yourself climbing the resolution for not having to use binoculars.
It is no coincidence competitors install screens resolutions contained, leaving the choice to the user to connect an external monitor to the highest resolution, but it offers much wider viewing area. As regards the quality, the one offered by Precision is one of the best panels in issue: as you can see from the graphs, the minimum requirement of the sRGB standard is exceeded in all areas, and it is to be noted that the range, and the DeltaE are almost perfectly aligned with the values standard without the need for calibration.
Performance
The Dell Precision comes with a Core i7-4900MQ at 2.8 GHz, a notebook processors at the time the most powerful on the square, even higher than Core i7-4800MQ supplied to Zbook 15 HP we tested recently. The equipment is suitable for more than one workstation, given that it is a product to 4 cores and 8 threads that in turbo mode can get to 3.8 GHz, compared with a maximum TDP of 47 Watt.
The 16 GB of memory included, together with the SSD 256 GB is more than enough to ensure a fast access to data and applications snappy. No coincidence that the performance is excellent in all areas of testing, and even slightly exceed those of the ZBook 15.
The graphics chip is assigned to the Nvidia Quadro K2100M with 2 GB of dedicated memory. It is a product specifically designed for workstations, with 576 CUDA cores at 667 MHz is the same chip that was mounted on ZBook 15 that we tested recently, and unlike the GeForce product, range is certified to ensure high performance and stability with professional graphic programs such as CAD and DCC, and in general with OpenGL applications.
The results of the test reward this solution as superior to those of the K610M framework, but it should be emphasized that those seeking the ultimate in performance should take in each notebook or with K4100M K5100M, provided only on platforms with 17.3-inch screens.
The Quadro K2100M project provides 128-bit memory interface and a maximum of 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the products at the top of the range Nvidia contemplates a 256-bit memory, for a total of up to 8 GB. The problem is that the TDP is doubled, rising from 55 Watts to 110 Watts of K2100M K5100M, so the 5100 are indicated by the 17.3-inch notebook with more space to dissipate heat.
For the rest remains the same support OpenGL 4.3, DirectX 11, PCI-E of the third generation, and compatibility with Nvidia 3D Vision Pro technology, NVIDIA Mosaic and nView Optimus. Overall performance is of a high standard in all areas, and you have to design in CAD applications, or perform high-level professional will have no problems.
Conclusions
The Dell Precision M4800 is a proven configuration in the high-end product that has a price justified only for the study of design and graphics professionals who will be able to amortize the purchase. Note that using the online configurations you can choose configurations less pretentious.
In particular, the model provides a lower-end equipment with Core i7-4800MQ to 2.7 GHz, Nvidia Quadro K1100M, 8 GB memory, 500 GB hard drive traditional and Full HD display.
If you need to choose a workstation, this option is more interesting than the ZBook 15 different points of view. In detail, it is worth pointing out this product for the display of high quality and at a resolution unmatched by competitors. The dual pointing system is always welcome, and the backlight allows you to work even under low ambient light.
The build quality is impeccable, and the fact that design is a bit retro does not affect the usability and ease of use. The lack of a fingerprint reader can make up their noses at someone for you if safety is a priority, perhaps you would do better to evaluate other products. In any case, Dell has not overlooked this necessity, if one takes into account the accompanying software and smart card reader.
Review
- Design
- Performance
- Connectivity
- Screen
