First Look at the Dell Precision^™ M50 Mobile Workstation 

Tony Zilles

May 2002 -- Dell has just released a brand new Precision mobile workstation designated the M50. Equipped with the latest proven technology, it is superbly configured for the technical professional who finds that he or she is often required to take their design office on the road.

The computer problems that dog an engineer or architect out on the road usually relate to an under-resourced notebook. If only there was a notebook that could run demanding CAD and engineering applications out-of-the box and cater for most of the eventualities that are required when touring between offices, into consultants and on site.

Most systems lack enough grunt, have inadequate graphics insuficient hard disk space and are unable to adequately connect when and where required.

Dell has once again taken the bull by the horns and addresses all this an more with its latest Precision M50 Mobile Workstation. CADinfo.NET recently met with Dell’s Senior Product Marketing Consultant for Precision Workstations Juan Vega to show off the new model. As usual Dell does not disappoint with this purpose-built computer. Just released in May 2002, the Precision M50 will become the perfect workhorse of many tech professionals.

The M50 takes advantage of Intel’s just-released mobile Pentium 4 processor running at 1.8GHz and supported by an equally new Intel 845MP chipset. This chipset is optimized for use with Mobile Pentium 4 processors and runs the Processor Support Bus (PSB) speed at 400 MHz. The motherboard supports up to 1.024 GB of PC2100 Double Data Rate (DDR) system memory running at 266 MHz. The M50 base configuration includes 256 MB DDR SDRAM. Memory expansion is accomplished through two DIMM slots with the following options: two 128 MB, one 256 MB, two 256 MB, one 512 MB, or two 512MB DDR SoDIMMs

At the heart of the M50’s graphics system is the NVidia®Quadro4 500 GoGLTM video chipset. This chipset has recently have earned the top spot as the 3D workstation graphics market leader in reports by Gartner, IDC and Jon Peddie Research (JPR), three respected research and consulting firms.

The advantages that the Quadro 4 brings to the M50 includes:

• functionality to accelerate OpenGL and DirectX professional applications
• 128 bit 64 MB DDR memory
• AGP 4X
• Fast hardware-antialiased lines
• 2-sided lighting
• full-scene antialiasing
• occlusion culling
• OpenGL quad-buffered stereo
• Unified back buffer
• 3D window clipping
• shading rasterizer for advanced per pixel shading capabilities
• nView – allowing the use of separate images on the system display and external monitor or projector).

NVidia's workstation applets such as PowerDraft and MAXtreme also offer performance enhancement on many of the leading CAD and 3D applications and QuadroView applet allows the user to view AutoCAD and 3D Studio Max drawings without having to load the native applications.

This powerful graphics proecessing capability is matched with Dell’s new UltraSharpTM 15" UXGA TFT display. This LCD panel supports faster response time for improved viewing of motion pictures, a brighter and improved contrast ratio for rich, sharp colors. It laso has a wider viewing angle than previously deployed LCD panels, allowing more people to view the screen comfortably when out in the field without any compromise in image quality. This panel also implements Burst Mode TFT Inverters allowing users to reduce TFT panel brightness when required for privacy or to conserve battery life.

Consistent with the Dell Precision workstation line the M50 is ISV certified for key workstation applications:

When you’re on the road, nothing is more frustrating than not being able to connect with other systems. To this end the M50 provides networking and modem as standard components. 10/100 Ethernet networking is integrated on the motherboard (LAN on Motherboard -LOM) which supports Wake on LAN and is wireless ready with an integrated antenna. You can stay connected in any location equipped with Dell TrueMobile 1170 or other 802.11b compliant Access Points via the optional TrueMobile 1170 Mini-PCI 802.11 wireless LAN card. Dial-up connectivity is provided through a 56K capable3 v.92 Modem Daughter Card (MDC).

Two very attractive facilities standard on the M50 include an S-Video Out Port and an IEEE 1394 Port (also known as "FireWire" or I.LINK).

The S-Video out port enables you to display presentations through most high-end monitors, televisions, projectors and VCRs. A nice bonus here is a composite adapter cable, providing a composite video out port, is included with the system when the equipment to hand lacks an S-Video port. Just one of the gotchas so familiar to mobile professionals.

The integrated IEEE 1394 port supports hot-pluggable digital data transfer from other 1394-enabled devices. With its 400 Mb/second digital transfer rate, 1394 is significantly faster than USB, which has a transfer rate of only 12Mb/second (high-speed I/O and video devices). 1394 is your higher performance interconnect to video, pictures & graphics.

The base level hard disk is a 40Gb. A 60Gb 5400rpm hard disk is the top-of-range offering.

The Precision M50 ships with a factory configurable fixed optical drive, either CD-RW or combo DVD/CD-RW. This allows you to potentially have two optical drives in use simultaneously. With a CD-RW or Combo DVD/CD-RW in the fixed optical bay and CD ROM or DVD in the media module bay, you are able to exploit the full value of CD away from the office.

Key to storage options is the media module bay which is provided as a felxible options bay additional to the fixed optical bay (referred to above), and the front right battery bay (nominally fitted with a 66 Watt Hour Smart Lithium-Ion battery). The M50 module bay, on the front left of the system, is Latitude C-series compliant. This means you can use any existing C-series media modules you may already have. Optional C-Family media modules include the 8X max variable DVD-ROM drive, CD ROM, second 20Gb hard disk drive, and a second 66 Watt Hour primary Smart Lithium-Ion battery.

PC Card Expansion :The M50 offers two stacked PC Card slots, providing industry standard connectivity for portable communications, system expansion and increased storage. The slot will accommodate a single Type III PC Card or two Type I or II PC Cards and is hot-swappable.

CardBus support offers you the ability to install 32 bit PC Cards, such as 10/100 Ethernet Network Interface Cards. Both slots support CardBus

Docking: The PrecisionTM M50 is compatible with the C/Dock II and C/Port II LatitudeTM C-series Family Docking products. Both C/Port II and C/Dock II Expansion Station feature the following ports: serial, parallel, CRT, PS/2, Infrared, docking connector, two USB connections, audio line-out, and RJ45 Ethernet. The C/Dock II Expansion Station also features an Ultra-SCSI port, a media bay which supports LatitudeTM C-series peripherals, and 2 industry standard PCI slots. Due to the increased power requirements associated with the M50’s Pentium 4 processor, C/Dock II and C/Port II products shipped with the M50 will use 90 Watt AC Adapters.

Integrated Audio: The M50 has two stereo speakers in each side of the base, near the front of the system and ported outward to provide the best possible spatial separation with integrated drivers. The system provides software-based audio with SoundBlaster emulation using the Crystal CS4205 audio controller interfaced to the Intel 845MP chipset via the AC97 bus. The Crystal CS4205 audio chipset also supports MIDI file playback through software wavetable technology. Audio jacks include line out and external microphone-in. A built in microphone is also provided on the upper left portion of the system base near the power switch. The external microphone jack is located on the right side of the system near the headphone and line out jacks. An internal audio amplifier drives non-amplified external speakers.

Multi-level Security : The M50 has several means of physically protecting itself, the hard disk drive and docking solutions against theft.

Kensington Lock: Secures the mobile workstation and hard drive itself, locks the mobile workstation to docking solutions and secures the docks to a stationary object such as a desk or table.

Precision^TM Dock Security lock slot: The Precision^TM M50 includes a slot opening on the bottom of the unit, which helps secure the mobile workstation when docked to the docking station/port replicator. Once docked and in the locked position, a hook on the dock base extends into the slot opening, securing the mobile workstation to the docking solution.

U-Bolt: Locks the C/Dock II or C/Port II to a stationary object.

Authentication helps ensure that only authorized users gain access to the mobile workstation or hard disk drive data. The multi-level approach is designed to assist in ensuring authentication.

System Primary Password: password-protected boot.

Administrator Password: For system administrators or service technicians requiring access to computers for service or repair. This password is beneficial if the user forgets the system primary password.

Hard Disk Drive Password: Protects the data on the hard disk drive. A stolen hard disk drive cannot be accessed without the original hard disk drive user’s password even in another system. Dell also adds the optional feature of mandatory hard disk drive password, to ensure that this security option is being used.

HyperCool™ Hybrid Thermal Management System: Dell’s HyperCool™ thermal management system for the Precision™ M50 uses Intel’s Remote Heat Exchanger technology with passive thermal management and a variable speed fan. This hybrid cooling system uses a heat pipe and heat "plates" or "spreaders" to dissipate a portion of the heat created by the high-power CPU. The heat pipe also transfers heat to the Remote Heat Exchanger which acts as a "radiator". At a predetermined temperature, the variable speed fan pulls cool air into a duct over the Remote Heat Exchanger and out of the system through the fan exhaust port.