Dell Introduces Precision M2300 Mobile Workstation

By DE Editors

Dell (Round Rock, TX) unveiled the Precision, its lightest mobile workstation to date on November 6, and already it is certified for such heavyweight MCAD applications as AutoCAD, Pro/Engineer, and SolidWorks. Weighing in at just 5.37 lbs., the Precision M2300 is said to offer the reliability, security,  performance, and compatibility required by engineers in a primary,  desktop-bound workstation in a mobile workstation form factor. The Precision M2300 is the third engineering-class workstation announced by Dell since June,  joining M4300 and M6300 in the Precision mobile workstation lineup.

Dell says that design and analysis engineers will benefit from the workstation’s 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo processors, which are based on the same Intel Core micro architecture found in the Dell Precision M4300 and M6300 workstations. Intel says that its Core micro architecture provides wider data pipelines, deeper memory buffers, and faster instruction processing than previous Intel mobile micro architectures. While this helps enable the Intel Core2 Duo processors to deliver top performance,  the 2.60GHz speed in the top-of-the-line T7800 processor and up to 4GB of DDR2 dual-channel system memory make their marks as performance contributors as well.

The base model of the M2300 comes with a 2GHz Intel Core2 Duo T7250 processor supporting 2MB of L2 cache and an 800MHz front side bus. The workstation’s nonvolatile flash memory works transparently to cache frequently used code to help speed up boot time and application loading, plus it can also increase battery life by reducing the need to spin up the hard drive to write data.

The M2300 uses a 14.1-inch wide aspect ratio display (anti-glare) screen. (The M4300 has a 15.4-inch screen and the M6300 has a 17-inch display.) Graphics is provided by an NVIDIA Quadro FX 360M graphics card equipped with 256MB TurboCache (128MB dedicated). Graphics performance is said to include NVIDIA’s OpenGL LCD drivers optimized for 32- and 64-bit architectures.

The Dell Precision M2300 mobile workstation and its siblings have Mag-Alloy casings for durability. Connectivity options include your choice of integrated mobile broadband cards, as well as Dell’s Wi-Fi Catcher to help get connected wherever you need to. Networking options include 802.11 WiFi Protected Access (WPA), 802.11i (WPA2), and Virtual Private Network capabilities. Built-in security (locks, software, networks) ensure that your work stays protected.

For operating systems, the M2300 can run 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista (Ultimate and Business) as well 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows XP Professional. Miscellaneous specifications include up to 200GB of Serial ATA hard-drive storage and serial, FireWire 1394, docking connector, four USB 2.0 powered USB (D/Bay), VGA, headphone/speaker out, infrared, RJ-11, and RJ-45 I/O ports. Docking expandability is via D/Port, D/Dock, D/View Notebook Stand,  D/Monitor St and, with other modular options available.

Regarding manageability, Dell’s OpenManage Systems Management helps reduce the total cost of ownership by enabling IT departments to manage and support networked systems. OpenManage enables software deployment and migration, hardware configuration and system health, asset management and remote support.

Pricing for a 1GB Precision M2300 Mobile Workstation with an 80GB hard disk, 24x CD ROM, and Windows XP Professional, starts at $1,915. For details,  go to

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