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August 22, 2008 11:48 AM PDT

Hey, look: Dell mobile workstations!

by Michelle Thatcher
Dell Precision M2400 workstation (Credit: Dell)

A week ago, I wrote about mobile workstations from Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo that were on display at Siggraph 2008, but I left out one major competitor on the mobile workstation front: Dell. (Thanks, CNET commenter dman1000, for pointing out the oversight.) The manufacturer recently announced two new Precision mobile workstations and a "next-generation 17-inch mobile workstation concept."

The 15.4-inch Dell Precision M4400 will incorporate an Intel Extreme Edition processor and midrange Nvdia Quadro FX 770M graphics with 512MB of VRAM. The 14.1-inch Precision M2400, meanwhile, offers Core 2 Duo processors and an entry-level Nvidia Quadro FX 370M graphics card with 256MB of VRAM. Both systems support up to 8GB of memory and 7,200rpm hard drives in capacities up to 320GB. Both models are currently available on Dell's site; the Precision M4400 starts at $1,569 and the Precision M2400 starts at $1,449.

The company is also talking up a 17-inch mobile workstation concept that (assuming it comes to market) should dish up some hearty competition for the Lenovo and HP models I wrote up last week. The as-yet-unnamed Precision promises support for up to 16GB of memory, RAID capability with up to 1TB of storage, and graphics with a 1GB frame buffer. It will also feature an edge-to-edge glass RGB LED display, with a broad color gamut.

Being a concept, the 17-inch workstation lacks both a release date and pricing, though a video on Dell's workstation site promises fall 2008.

Michelle Thatcher has been reviewing technology products for nearly a decade. Her current focus is laptop reviews, with some kitchen gadgetry and Web 2.0 thrown in for good measure.
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by mobilecomputing September 18, 2008 7:51 AM PDT
I would say that another great mobile workstation that is even higher-end than what Dell, HP and Lenovo have to offer is the NextDimension from NextComputing. Check them out here: www.nextcomputing.com

Dual quad-core Xeon or Opteron, Quadro FX 4600 & 5600 SDI cards, up to 3 TB storage and up to 24 GB RAM! There is no better mobile workstation on the market than what NextComputing has to offer! I have one of these for personal use, and it is the best thing I ever purchased (as everything in the machine can be upgraded, making it obsolete-proof!)
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