I received my M70 almost two weeks ago and would like to share my first look at this nice machine. First, this is the configuration as received from Dell:
Dell M70 Precision
ProcessorPentium M 770, 2.13GHz
GPUnVidia Quadro FX Go 1400, 256M
Memory1G x 1
Display15.4" WUXGA 1920x1200
Hard DiskHitachi 100G, 7200rpm
OpticalSony DVD+/-R, RW Dual Layer
PC Card1 type I or II
Smart Card
PortsVGA, Serial, 4 x USB 2.0, docking port
Audiomic in and line out
NetworkRJ45 Ethernet
Intel 2915 Pro Wireless 802.11 a/b/g
Dell 350 Bluetooth
InputAlps touchpad and pointing stick
Size14.2"x10.2"x1.6"
Weight7.1 pounds (my configuration)
OS Windows XP Pro with SP2
Priceapprox $2000 with 3 year warrantee and complete care
Background
I have owned and/or used many different laptops and notebook computers, starting with a NEC Ultraspeed (EL screen) to the Dell. I have bought and supported a large number of brands, configurations, and types, including DOS. windows, mac os, OS2, Linux, and others. My use for a notebook is primarily for business applications, including graphics, and digital photography. Casual gaming, personal finance, and programming are also important aspects. I have a large, 17" HP laptop for my desktop machine, and a small 13" widescreen Sony for email and travel. What I really needed is a machine that could do both in a pinch, with enough horsepower to run the mainstream applications easily and quickly. A high resolution, bright, and wide viewing angle screen is also a must, as is the ability to have USB 2.0 connectivity for digital cameras. What I do not need is the ultimate gaming machine or lan party machine, nor do I need a business travel computer (no longer in business development and marketing). Oh, reliability, service, and price are also important.
After some research, the Dell M70, Apple Powerbook (15"), and the Acer Ferrari 4000 were pretty much at the top of my short list. The Apple would replace my aging powerbook, but since I have some mission critical applications that only run under Windows, this was soon removed (yes, I know about VPC, it is just not an option for me - way too slow). The Acer looks nice, is very light, has an efficient Turion processor, and the x700 is an OK graphics solution. What I did not like was the heat (not on the bottom, my notebooks are used on a desk) felt on the palms and fingers. Also, the noise level was too high for some enviroments (like research in a library). That left the Dell. Way too expensive, even with my EPP discount, so I waited for a coupon (none found after a two month wait - either limited to Inspiron, or too late). Then, I saw this machine on the Dell Outlet site. Missed my chance on a Wedneday due to being called away whle it was in my cart, and thought it was gone for the next couple of days. I glanced at the list on Saturday night, and there it was. This time I snagged it and proceeded with checkout. The box arrived Tuesday via Fedex and the rest of the story follows...
First Impression:
After unpacking the unit, I found the battery fully charged, all materials were present (shrink wrapped OS, driver and utility CD, user guide, quick reference, power supply, and cord. The M70 was wrapped in plastic, and a complete list of the configuration (more on this later). Initial power up had a glitch, the unit took a couple of trys to start up (had a blank screen). Once started, the boot time was fast, and the initial setup went without issue. I downloaded the various Microsoft updates, installed various applications, including Office, several Adobe programs, Visual Suite, Borlund Delphi, and several digital processing packages. Loaded the wep settings, connected to the network (wireless home 802.11 b/g), got a very good, 54M connection, and was up and running. To try out the graphics capability, I installed Far Cry, FEAR demo, and Trespasser. That pretty much took care of the first night, and I quite for a couple of days. I attempted to start up on Friday, and met with a blank screen. After several tens of minutes, I got a good boot up. I took my update CD (I had downloaded all the updates off the Dell site prior to this time, burned a CD, but did not install the updates yet). First, I updated the bios from A01 to A03, then started with all the packages. I finished the updates on Saturday, and gave it a rest for a day. Sunday night, the machine booted right up, first time, no fuss. Data transfer from my back up (DVD-R and CD-R), and final installs were done. Since the updates, all has been well.
I did some snooping, and found that the configuration sheet was not correct. My optical drive was listed as the NEC, but the installed one is the Sony. The hard disk was listed as a 100G, 5400rpm drive, but the installed one is the Hitachi 7200rpm Travelstar, 100G model. The rest of the system matched up perfectly. No complaints with the 'substitutions'. Also, no dead or stuck pixels, no scratches or blemishes, and confirmed the sincle 1G ram module too.
Performance:
The computer is quick. The graphics are great, and the viewing angle is like the older Apple Ti books. Clarity is almost at the top of the line Toshiba level (Toshiba seems to have a higher contrast) and certainly equal to the HP ultrabright and Sony screens. The palm rest and key board do not get hot, but the bottom of the computer does get very warm (mostly where the second memory bank and mini PCI cards go. Wireless range is up there with the power book (meaning much better than Sony or HP), and the Bluetooth does work (don't currently have a need for this, but tested with a Zodiac). Much has been published on benchmarks, but I usually use applications, so I did not bother. As for the games, all run very well, much better than the ATi 9700 pro in the Sony and significantly better than the x600 in the HP (the 9700 pro just seems faster than the x600), Processor wise, the 770 cannot compete with the 650 P4 in the HP, but is not that much behind in normal use (unless you are running multiple applications or doing serious rendering). Trespasser (an older game that really demands a fast GPU) is super at the highest video quality level, Far Cry runs at the highest settings with good results, and FEAR, despite the muddy graphics - scenes in the demo seem dark and gloomy, also runs at the full resolution.
Sound qualtiy is good for a notebook, and the volume is very good. Controls are a little funky, with the delete, insert, home, end, and the page up/down keys located in a cluster in the upper right. I would have liked the delete key to be on the end, but I am getting used to it. I don't use the windows keys, so having one between the Fn and ALT key and other above the function keys is not an issue. The arrow keys are where they should be, and they are isolated in that there are no keys next to the up arrow key. The combination touch pad and pointing stick are great. Although I normally use a mouse (Razer Diamondback), I do like the fast response on the pointing stick and the precision of the touch pad. My only complaint here is that Dell did not use the same size pad for the pointing stick as IBM (and Toshiba), making it impossible to use the IBM cup type pad or the smooth top Toshiba pads.
The location of the ports is fine, with two USB ports on the right and two on the rear. The power supply is realively compact (about a pound with ac cord) and the built in wire wrap is great. The optical drive is on the right, and can be removed for a second battery, floppy drive, second hard drive, or even a blank weight saver. Regardless of what you have, I would put the media screw in to prevent having the release pop out when trying to eject a disk. The lack of a microphone does not matter to me, and the lack of firewire, although useful, is ok too (I have an Adaptec firewire pc card, but the USB 2.0 is enough for me). The smart card slot is useless. Not only is the software not included, the slot does not allow full insertion like the Acer TM8100 (and older 800). Also, the slot does not have an eject button, so you have to pull the card out. The lack of digital camera media slots is an issue, but there are pc cards that can be used, or even the USB port adapters or direct cable approach as well.
The relatively massive lid keeps the LCD panel from flexing (better than any other computer I have tried, including the various Dell models), and the top cover is very rigid, preventing any distortion on the panel even when pushing against it. The overall height is excessive compared to other brands, but the lower temperature (my CPU temperature runs between 40-45 degrees with the fan coming on at 50, and the HD is in the 30-35 range). Battery life is just ok, about 2 to 3 hours under normal use. Certainly not at the 7 hours of the Sony, but not bad either considering the size and weight of the computer vs the performance.
Conclusion:
This is one fine machine. It can serve as a true mobile workstation, have the CPU and GPU performance for development and mutlimedia, yet still have the power to run casual games (no, it is not even close to the XPS Gen 2, but is better than the 9300 - at least out of the box without tweaks). It offers portability, performance, and reliability in a single package, and is the first computer I consider to be a replacement for both travel and workstation appliications. At $2000 with a 3 year on-site and complete care package, you would be hard pressed to find a better value from anyone).
Dell M70 Precision
ProcessorPentium M 770, 2.13GHz
GPUnVidia Quadro FX Go 1400, 256M
Memory1G x 1
Display15.4" WUXGA 1920x1200
Hard DiskHitachi 100G, 7200rpm
OpticalSony DVD+/-R, RW Dual Layer
PC Card1 type I or II
Smart Card
PortsVGA, Serial, 4 x USB 2.0, docking port
Audiomic in and line out
NetworkRJ45 Ethernet
Intel 2915 Pro Wireless 802.11 a/b/g
Dell 350 Bluetooth
InputAlps touchpad and pointing stick
Size14.2"x10.2"x1.6"
Weight7.1 pounds (my configuration)
OS Windows XP Pro with SP2
Priceapprox $2000 with 3 year warrantee and complete care
Background
I have owned and/or used many different laptops and notebook computers, starting with a NEC Ultraspeed (EL screen) to the Dell. I have bought and supported a large number of brands, configurations, and types, including DOS. windows, mac os, OS2, Linux, and others. My use for a notebook is primarily for business applications, including graphics, and digital photography. Casual gaming, personal finance, and programming are also important aspects. I have a large, 17" HP laptop for my desktop machine, and a small 13" widescreen Sony for email and travel. What I really needed is a machine that could do both in a pinch, with enough horsepower to run the mainstream applications easily and quickly. A high resolution, bright, and wide viewing angle screen is also a must, as is the ability to have USB 2.0 connectivity for digital cameras. What I do not need is the ultimate gaming machine or lan party machine, nor do I need a business travel computer (no longer in business development and marketing). Oh, reliability, service, and price are also important.
After some research, the Dell M70, Apple Powerbook (15"), and the Acer Ferrari 4000 were pretty much at the top of my short list. The Apple would replace my aging powerbook, but since I have some mission critical applications that only run under Windows, this was soon removed (yes, I know about VPC, it is just not an option for me - way too slow). The Acer looks nice, is very light, has an efficient Turion processor, and the x700 is an OK graphics solution. What I did not like was the heat (not on the bottom, my notebooks are used on a desk) felt on the palms and fingers. Also, the noise level was too high for some enviroments (like research in a library). That left the Dell. Way too expensive, even with my EPP discount, so I waited for a coupon (none found after a two month wait - either limited to Inspiron, or too late). Then, I saw this machine on the Dell Outlet site. Missed my chance on a Wedneday due to being called away whle it was in my cart, and thought it was gone for the next couple of days. I glanced at the list on Saturday night, and there it was. This time I snagged it and proceeded with checkout. The box arrived Tuesday via Fedex and the rest of the story follows...
First Impression:
After unpacking the unit, I found the battery fully charged, all materials were present (shrink wrapped OS, driver and utility CD, user guide, quick reference, power supply, and cord. The M70 was wrapped in plastic, and a complete list of the configuration (more on this later). Initial power up had a glitch, the unit took a couple of trys to start up (had a blank screen). Once started, the boot time was fast, and the initial setup went without issue. I downloaded the various Microsoft updates, installed various applications, including Office, several Adobe programs, Visual Suite, Borlund Delphi, and several digital processing packages. Loaded the wep settings, connected to the network (wireless home 802.11 b/g), got a very good, 54M connection, and was up and running. To try out the graphics capability, I installed Far Cry, FEAR demo, and Trespasser. That pretty much took care of the first night, and I quite for a couple of days. I attempted to start up on Friday, and met with a blank screen. After several tens of minutes, I got a good boot up. I took my update CD (I had downloaded all the updates off the Dell site prior to this time, burned a CD, but did not install the updates yet). First, I updated the bios from A01 to A03, then started with all the packages. I finished the updates on Saturday, and gave it a rest for a day. Sunday night, the machine booted right up, first time, no fuss. Data transfer from my back up (DVD-R and CD-R), and final installs were done. Since the updates, all has been well.
I did some snooping, and found that the configuration sheet was not correct. My optical drive was listed as the NEC, but the installed one is the Sony. The hard disk was listed as a 100G, 5400rpm drive, but the installed one is the Hitachi 7200rpm Travelstar, 100G model. The rest of the system matched up perfectly. No complaints with the 'substitutions'. Also, no dead or stuck pixels, no scratches or blemishes, and confirmed the sincle 1G ram module too.
Performance:
The computer is quick. The graphics are great, and the viewing angle is like the older Apple Ti books. Clarity is almost at the top of the line Toshiba level (Toshiba seems to have a higher contrast) and certainly equal to the HP ultrabright and Sony screens. The palm rest and key board do not get hot, but the bottom of the computer does get very warm (mostly where the second memory bank and mini PCI cards go. Wireless range is up there with the power book (meaning much better than Sony or HP), and the Bluetooth does work (don't currently have a need for this, but tested with a Zodiac). Much has been published on benchmarks, but I usually use applications, so I did not bother. As for the games, all run very well, much better than the ATi 9700 pro in the Sony and significantly better than the x600 in the HP (the 9700 pro just seems faster than the x600), Processor wise, the 770 cannot compete with the 650 P4 in the HP, but is not that much behind in normal use (unless you are running multiple applications or doing serious rendering). Trespasser (an older game that really demands a fast GPU) is super at the highest video quality level, Far Cry runs at the highest settings with good results, and FEAR, despite the muddy graphics - scenes in the demo seem dark and gloomy, also runs at the full resolution.
Sound qualtiy is good for a notebook, and the volume is very good. Controls are a little funky, with the delete, insert, home, end, and the page up/down keys located in a cluster in the upper right. I would have liked the delete key to be on the end, but I am getting used to it. I don't use the windows keys, so having one between the Fn and ALT key and other above the function keys is not an issue. The arrow keys are where they should be, and they are isolated in that there are no keys next to the up arrow key. The combination touch pad and pointing stick are great. Although I normally use a mouse (Razer Diamondback), I do like the fast response on the pointing stick and the precision of the touch pad. My only complaint here is that Dell did not use the same size pad for the pointing stick as IBM (and Toshiba), making it impossible to use the IBM cup type pad or the smooth top Toshiba pads.
The location of the ports is fine, with two USB ports on the right and two on the rear. The power supply is realively compact (about a pound with ac cord) and the built in wire wrap is great. The optical drive is on the right, and can be removed for a second battery, floppy drive, second hard drive, or even a blank weight saver. Regardless of what you have, I would put the media screw in to prevent having the release pop out when trying to eject a disk. The lack of a microphone does not matter to me, and the lack of firewire, although useful, is ok too (I have an Adaptec firewire pc card, but the USB 2.0 is enough for me). The smart card slot is useless. Not only is the software not included, the slot does not allow full insertion like the Acer TM8100 (and older 800). Also, the slot does not have an eject button, so you have to pull the card out. The lack of digital camera media slots is an issue, but there are pc cards that can be used, or even the USB port adapters or direct cable approach as well.
The relatively massive lid keeps the LCD panel from flexing (better than any other computer I have tried, including the various Dell models), and the top cover is very rigid, preventing any distortion on the panel even when pushing against it. The overall height is excessive compared to other brands, but the lower temperature (my CPU temperature runs between 40-45 degrees with the fan coming on at 50, and the HD is in the 30-35 range). Battery life is just ok, about 2 to 3 hours under normal use. Certainly not at the 7 hours of the Sony, but not bad either considering the size and weight of the computer vs the performance.
Conclusion:
This is one fine machine. It can serve as a true mobile workstation, have the CPU and GPU performance for development and mutlimedia, yet still have the power to run casual games (no, it is not even close to the XPS Gen 2, but is better than the 9300 - at least out of the box without tweaks). It offers portability, performance, and reliability in a single package, and is the first computer I consider to be a replacement for both travel and workstation appliications. At $2000 with a 3 year on-site and complete care package, you would be hard pressed to find a better value from anyone).
