Dell shows off ATI FirePro M7740-packing laptop

Dell has unveiled a Precision mobile workstation packing AMD's new FirePro M7740 graphics chip. The PC maker showed off its AMD-powered Precision M6400 today at the Siggraph 2009 conference in New Orleans, hoping the system will appeal to digital content creators, engineers, and anyone who deals with large models in Direct X or OpenGL-based computer-aided design.

The M6400 is available with an Intel Core 2 Duo Quad-Core Extreme Edition, up to 16GB of DDR3 10666MHz RAM, and as much as 1GB of dedicated video memory. It features a 17" display, two storage drive bays with a slew of HDD and SDD configurations, 802.11b/g/n, a Blu-ray drive, Bluetooth, a smart card reader and an AT&T HSDPA module.

Naturally, Dell has intended for this to be used as a desktop replacement, and as such it weighs a hefty 8.5lbs when equipped with a 9-cell battery. The system is currently available with Nvidia's Quadro line and has pretty solid reviews. The ATI FirePro M7740 is expected as an option this month.