Dell Precision M6300 boasts 2.8GHz CPU, new Quadro

(Updated with base price) Dell on Tuesday quietly introduced the Precision M6300, its first high-end workstation portable based on Intel's Santa Rosa platform. The new 17-inch desktop replacement is one of the first notebooks to sport the new 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme mobile processor previously found only in the iMac. It also comes with a 256MB Quadro FX 1600M graphics chip to provide advanced 3D modeling and Windows Vista support even in stock trim, Dell says. Storage is suitably enhanced with the choice of solid-state drives as well as up to a 200GB conventional hard disk spinning at 7200RPM.

Largely holding true to earlier leaks, the basic system starts with a 1.8GHZ Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, and an 80GB hard disk. Dell only claims support for up to 4GB of memory versus the initially suggested 8GB but notes that all 4GB is available in a 64-bit version of Windows. Prices begin at $2,070 for the above model and also include a $2,567 upgraded version that improves on the base model with a 2.2GHz processor and a docking station for regular desktop use. Full availability is expected later today with shipments arriving within roughly two weeks.