Two months ago, I received a very special package in the mail. No, my Chia Pet collection didn’t have a new member – rather, I received a new Dell M6600 Mobile Workstation from thee SolidBox. SolidBox is the custom auto shop of computers, taking stock builds, then modifying and optimizing them to your liking. How does their latest Production series laptop worked under the harshest of use? We take a look at that and give you the unboxing experience of the Dell M6600.
Dell M6600 ‘Broadcast’ Series Mobile Workstation
I do a lot of heavy (video) rendering and make full use of the Adobe Creative Suite. This prompted the need for a fast, reliable rig, a need my standard rig (a Macbook Pro) just couldn’t handle. While SolidBox started out specializing in workstations for designers and engineers with their CAD-specific mods, they have recently moved into ‘Broadcast‘ and ‘Hollywood‘ mods with Adobe CS-specific workstations. (Note: these still kick butt in the CAD department too.)
Product Experience Overview:
Rendering movies out of Premiere Pro used to take what felt like ages on my (otherwise quick) Macbook Pro. The M6600 not only cut 30-40 minutes off of my previous render times, but also allowed me to work simultaneously in 3-4 other Adobe programs, flawlessly, while the render was taking place. Additionally, I have traveled multiple times with the 17″ laptop workstation since receiving it. Although it isn’t a Macbook Air, it’s still very easy to transport and gives me the confidence I need to work on projects when abroad. Needless to say, the modified M6600 has greatly improved my work experience and I can’t recommend it enough to others needing to get the most out of Adobe CS with a portable workstation.
The Specs:
‘Broadcast’ Mobile Standard – Precision M6600 Laptop
*Quad-Core 2.50Ghz Core-i7-2860Q
*8GB DDR3-1600Mhz RAM
*Quadro 4000M 2GB Graphics Card
*17.3″ UltraSharp Full HD 1920×1080 LCD
*128GB SSD Minicard Drive (OS/Programs)
*320GB HDD 7200rpm (Cache/Render/Files-General)
*750GB HDD 7200rpm (Media/Assets/Files-Projects)
*9-cell (97Wh) Lithium Ion Battery
*Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
*Microsoft Office Starter
*3-Year Pro-Support 24/7 Next Business Day Onsite
*3-Year Complete-Care Accidental Damage Warranty
Pros:
-Blazingly fast for intended use
-Extremely portable for such a powerful workstation
-Great warranty and support
-Friendly buying experience
Cons:
-Occasionally I will get a crash, although it is rare
-Size (comes with the power though)
-Extremely bulky power supply (again, comes with the power though)
Overall:
9/10 (Highly recommended)
Overall, the M6600 meet and exceeding the need for a mobile, high-capacity production workstation. It handles all the Adobe products with ease, even working within each at the same time. One of the great joys of ordering this mobile workstation through SolidBox is that it comes pre-tuned, software installed and optimized to get the highest performance possible.
The Unboxing:
Disclosure: SolidBox has teamed up with SolidSmack in the past for event coverage and they occasionally post Gut Check, a series of post that looks at the design and internal assembly of hardware and equipment.
