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310

17" Precision with an integrated number pad

310 points posted to New Product Ideas, Precision Workstations by wnahorn 11/20/07

Seeing as how all other manufacturers of 17" workstation class laptops have integrated numberpads, it strikes me as odd that Dell has not produced such a system. I was excited to hear about the M6300, and then disappointed to see that it was essentailly just a newer M90.

Those of us who spend large amounts of time dealing with numbers could really use a number pad that does not require the use of the [Fn] key.

erikmurr
11/21/07		 I agree. I am waiting for a desktop replacement laptop, 17" with a number pad that can use an advanced port replicator. While in the office I use a full size keyboard/mouse/monitor and now that the Inspirons and XPS systems do not use an APR I am limited to Latitudes and Precisions. I also require GB network card and the USB port replicators do not perform well enough at those speeds.
zanlok
Feb 29		 I'd rather see this with the extra space! (bigger letter keys)
maxmercury
Jun 15		 This also hurts the engineering side. As an engineering consultant, I am never able to purchase nor fully recommend the Precision line to road warrior engineers who travel. I know many IT consultants who are in the same boat. The ideal high-end Precision Mobile:
- Use the same case as (or slightly bigger than) the M6300. The current case is well built and ideal for corporate road warriors.
- Offer dual internal hard drives for RAID (as the M1730).
- Offer the numeric keyboard (as the M1730).
- Nvidia FX3600M is a great card, though an option for a single 8800M GTX might be nice. Dell is big enough to make those rock solid drivers for the professional applications on the 8800M GTX. Anything more than this and the required cooling would prevent the placement of the plug-in for the Advanced Port Replicator. Dell, the 8800M GTX would be a nice option to satisfy those corporate road warriors who must get a professional laptop (missing the exterior of the M1730) but also play games during off hours. Then get aggressive on the pricing: the FX3600M at $400 and the 8800M GTX at $500 (half the 8800M GTX SLI). Go after the market share that involves the corporate road warriors who cannot have a chassis looking like the M1730, require the Advanced Port Replicator, and want a respectable gaming/video-editing rig.
- Memory: offer the 8GB option that can be purchased from Kingston at an affordable price. Everyone has to make money, but I know people who load up their Vista x64 machines with 8GB from Kingston.
- Don't ever move away from the Advanced Port Replicator. Improve it, but do NOT remove it: dual-DVI with converters for VGA; perhaps an integrated APR and cooling unit like the Zalman NC2000 series, or even a stand that permits the APR to be used when using the Zalman;

I prefer Dell as a manufacturer to all other sources. Due to some of the above mentioned functional items, I am forced to purchase and recommend for purchase units from other manufacturers at least once a week. I hope the rumors about another Precision Mobile unit are true and that some of the above features are included. Based on the input I get, many people would prefer such a laptop from Dell to purchasing something similar from another vendor.
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