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Dell Precision M4300
Introduction
This is a guide to running Linux with the Dell Precision M4300 laptop.
This guide is intended to provide you details on how well this laptop works with Linux and which modules you need to configure. For details on how to actually install and configure the required modules have a look at our guides section for distribution specific instructions.
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Specifications
| Name | Dell Precision M4300 |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo |
| Screen | 15.4” WSXGA+ or WUXGA Widescreen |
| RAM | 1GB to 8GB |
| HDD | Up to 200GB or 32GB SSD |
| Optical Drive | DVD+-RW |
| Graphics | NVIDIA Quadro FX 360M |
| Network | Ethernet, Dell 1390 802.11bg or Dell 1490 802.11abg or Dell 1505 802.11abgn or Intel 3945ABG 802.11abg or Intel 4965AGN 802.11abgn, Bluetooth |
Linux Compatibility
| Device | Compatibility | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Yes | |
| Screen | Yes | |
| HDD | Yes | |
| Optical Drive | Yes | |
| Graphics | Yes | |
| Sound | Yes | Use 'snd-hda-intel index=0 model=dell-m43' in /etc/modprobe.conf |
| Ethernet | Yes | |
| Wireless | Yes | |
| Bluetooth | Yes | |
| 56K Modem | Not Tested | |
| USB | Yes | |
| IEEE 1394 | Yes | |
| TouchPad | Yes | Use native 'Synaptics' driver from xorg |
| Card Reader | Not Tested | |
| ExpressCard Slot | Not Tested | |
| PCMCIA | Yes | |
| Fingerprint Reader | Not Tested | |
| Dell Docking Station | Yes |
Notes
Dell firmware & driver updates available at:
http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Repository/firmware.
You should use BIOS version A12 or higher for Intel Speedstep to work properly.
Summary
Linux on the Dell Precision M4300 works very well.
Discussion
I've been running linux on this laptop for a couple of years now. I appreciate the application isolation level linux provides that gives better overall performance on most of the machines where I've installed linux.
I am having a bit of a problem with virtualization in this environment however.