Content area
Full Text
Dell Precision M6300 proves that a laptop can greatly exceed the capabilities of most desktop systems without costing an arm and a leg, or at least a leg
The world of laptops is riven by pulls in two opposite directions. At one pole is the group of users that greatly favors portability. They see in the Apple MacBook Air a thing of beauty, because it's so light and thin; the limitations of an 80GB hard drive, a single USB port, and unchangeable batteries do not disturb them. At the opposite pole are users who favor functionality and don't mind lugging additional weight if it gives them the equivalent of a true desktop environment. Users in the latter group will find much to like in the Dell Precision M6300, which bills itself as a workstation in the form factor of a laptop.
I reviewed the M6300 over the course of several weeks and found it to be a superb portable for the demanding user. The ideal user would be a scientist or engineer who needs the full 3-D graphics capabilities of the system, the wide screen, the fast processor, and the numerous ports, and who is willing to haul the extra pounds that provide this firepower. The one thing that user won't have to do is lighten his wallet -- the M6300 is surprisingly affordable.
Big on the inside The system I examined had an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (model T7700: dual core, 2.4GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 800MHz front side bus), 4GB DDR2 667 RAM, an Nvidia FX 1600M graphics...