Shane McGlaun10 August 2009, 11:32 PM
Dell has crammed a high-end mobile ATI GPU and quad-core CPU into a massively hefty notebook with lots of features.
One thing that gets overlooked a lot when people are shopping for computers is the GPU the machine uses. Lots of shoppers think that since they don’t play video games they don’t need a discrete GPU in their notebook. The reality is that a discrete GPU can enhance the performance of the entire system -- both because modern operating systems like Vista and Windows 7 use the GPU for system tasks like drawing windows, and on the flip-side, a dedicated GPU doesn't steal RAM from the main system like an integrated GPU does.
Dell has unveiled a new business-class notebook called the
Precision M6400 that is using the ATI FirePro M7740 discrete GPU. The notebook is aimed at creators of digital content and engineers or any other business type who deals with large CAD applications using DirectX or OpenGL. As such, it's gonna set you back "from" $4500.
The notebook features an Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme Edition processor and up to 16GB of RAM. The GPU has up to 1GB of dedicated memory and the screen of the notebook is a 17-inch unit. Other features include dual storage drive bays with multiple storage options from HDDs to SSDs.
The machine also comes with Blu-ray, Bluetooth, a smart card reader, and an integrated AT&T HSDPA modem for broadband on the go. As you can imagine from the specs of the machine, it's no svelte
Dell Adamo, the rig weighs a healthy 3.85KG and sports a 9-cell battery.