An update to the mobile work station that was the Precision M6500, the Dell Precision M6600 offers improvements in a few areas and, overall, is a very impressive, if bulky, desktop replacement option.

What we like best

The Dell Precision M6600 has an LED-lit 17.3 inch HD display (the M6500’s display was 17 inch), so it is a fairly big device – but thanks to the great graphics options (Nvidia Quadro 4000M or AMD FirePro M8900) this means that watching videos or photo slide shows on this laptop has a grander feel to it, compared with the crammed and sometimes garishly lit images on other laptops.

The Intel Core i7/i5 processors give you 2.5GHz of processing power and let you surf, work with data, edit different kinds of media and stream online content with ease. Your tasks run that bit more smoothly thanks to the fact that there is also up to 16 Gb of RAM to work with.

Probably the most interesting feature of the Dell Precision M6600 is the multi-touch screen with stylus – it’s a great function for on-the-go businesspeople who have to work with numerical data, but why you would need it when there’s a perfectly fine keyboard to type on is a bit of a mystery. Nevertheless, it’s a nice touch that will no doubt be welcomed by many.

The keyboard spreads out across the whole breadth of the laptop, with its keys distinct and firmly embedded. The trackpad sits slightly to the left of centre, which might be a bit odd for people who tend to use the mouse with their right hand.

All important connections are supported by the Dell Precision M6600: Bluetooth 3.0, Ethernet and Wireless. There is a 10-in-1 card reader, and, to top it off, a Blu-ray disc writer drive. Film buffs: get excited.

What we like least

Similar to its predecessor, the cost of this machine can go through the roof if you go for all the best available extras – the temptation is always great to add that little extra storage space or the stylus display option, so you’ll have to act with restraint when putting together your Dell Precision M6600.

The verdict

The Dell Precision M6600 definitely lives up to its tagline “mobile workstation”. Having said that, it’s certainly more “workstation” than “mobile” – only the strong-armed will want to take this bad boy on the road. But its processing power, its comfortable keyboard and very strong visuals make this a great, if slightly pricey, desktop replacement option.

Product specifications

Processor Speed
2.5GHz
2.3GHz
2.2GHz
Processor
Intel Core i7 (2920XM)
Intel Core i7 (2820QM, 2720QM, 2620M)
Intel Core i5 (2520M)
RAM
Up to 12Gb
up to 16 Gb
Screen Size
17.3 inch
Graphics
AMD FirePro
Nvidia Quadro 3000M
Hard Drive Storage
up to 750Gb
Multimedia
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
10-in-1 media card reader
SmartCard reader
Ports
2 x USB 2.0
2 x USB 3.0
1 x VGA
1 x HDMI
Weight & Size
416.7mm (W) x 37.4mm (H) x 270.5mm (D)
3.5Kg
Connectivity
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
802.11 b/g/n Wireless
Bluetooth 3.0
Operating System
Up to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit