Getac X600 and X600 Pro

The workstation field solution for when standard rugged laptops just aren't spacious, configurable and powerful enough.
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

On June 13 22, 2022, Getac announced the new X600 and X600 Pro fully rugged mobile workstations with big 15.6-inch screens, massive connectivity, and superior processing power. Getac did that because sometimes even the performance of today's premium rugged mobile laptops isn't quite enough. While most such rugged laptops use power-efficient mobile-optimized processors, Getac's X600 models are built around Intel "H" level high performance laptop chips. The picture below shows the X600 Pro which is largely identical with the X600 but has a taller, extended-functionality keyboard case.

Why aren't those H-Series high performance chips used in all rugged laptops? Because they draw significantly more power. While Intel's 11th generation mobile processors used in most current rugged laptops use between 12 and 28 watts, H level mobile chips use between 35 and 45 watts. This means higher performance but also higher battery draw, and thus less battery life on a charge. Target applications for these X600 machines therefore are deployments that mandate a big display, maximum performance and maximum connectivity, either on A/C power or on battery (extended battery capacity is available).

Getac actually has extensive experience with this class of machine, experience that goes back well over a decade when the company launched the original X500 as a multi-purpose workhorse computer that combined the expandability and customization potential of one of the machines in their lineup, the screen size and graphics emphasis of another, and the overall performance and flexibility of a third.

So what does it all mean to potential customers, and what do you get with the new Getac X600? In essence a modern, full-size, full-function multi-purpose rugged notebook computer with a large display. The X600 Pro adds substantial room for expansion such as additional ExpressCard or PCMCIA slots, a multimedia bay for extra batteries and even an optical drive, and more. The picture below shows the X600 on the left and the X600 Pro on the right.

Between full ruggedness, the big 15.6-inch screen and all that expansion, the X600 is a substantial piece of equipment. We're talking 16.2 x 12.7 x 2.1 inches and a starting weight just under ten pounds. The taller X600 Pro has the same footprint, but adds another inch of height, and starting weight goes up to over 13 pounds. Weight, of course is relative: the first portable Mac weighed 18 pounds! When the original X500 was launched in 2011, it had no direct competition. Today there are other rugged large screen laptops, but none as powerful, technologically up-to-date and expandable as the X600 and X600 Pro.

Now let's look at some of the tech involved here. There are, of course, the powerful H-Series Intel Core processors, with three options available. The H-Series uses 11th gen Intel UHD Graphics, so no Iris Xe here, but Getac offers an NVIDIA RTX3000 discrete GPU option. The table below shows the major specs of the three available processors.

Getac X600/X600 Pro available CPUs (see full specs)

CPU	Core i9-11950H	Core i7-11850H	Core i5-11500H
Cores/Threads	8/16	8/16	6/12
CPU base frequencies	2.1/2.6GHz	2.1/2.5GHz	2.4/2.9GHz
CPU max turbo	5.0GHz	4.8GHz	4.6GHz
CPU TDP-Up	45 watts	45 watts	45 watts
CPU TDP-Down	35 watts	35 watts	35 watts
Graphics	HD 630	HD 630	HD P630
Graphics speed	350MHz/1.45GHz	350MHz/1.45GHz	350MHz/1.45GHz
Cache	24MB	24MB	12MB

The hard disks that were the default in the predecessor X500 and X500 Server are long gone; the X600 comes with super-fast PCIe solid state disk. And not just one; there are three PCIe slots in the X600, for up to 6TB internal storage.

For battery, the X600 can accommodate one or two 74.5 watt-hour packs. The X600 Pro has that, and can have one or two additional 46.6 watt-hour packs. That adds up to a possible total of 242 watt-hours for the X600 Pro, plenty good enough even for these heavy-duty workstation-class systems.

The X600 and X600 Pro's 15.6-inch LCD displays have 1000 nits maximum luminance and optional capacitive multi-touch. Resolution stays at 1920 x 1080 pixel, making for 141 pixels per inch. With such powerful machines that are perfect for advanced positioning and graphical analysis we would expect a higher resolution display or at least a higher resolution option. As is, users with precision graphics workloads must rely on external high-res displays via HDMI, DisplayPort or Thunderbolt 4.

Connectivity is state-of-the-art. The X600 has four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, DB9 Serial, fast 2.5GBASE-T Ethernet, 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and optional 4G LTE with integrated GPS.

Note that for the extended version, Getac switched from X500 "Server" to X600 "Pro" nomenclature. That follows Getac's approach with the smaller, lighter fully rugged B360 and the extended B360 Pro. Having two versions of this platform addresses both the needs of those who require maximum mobility as well as those who need extensive customizing and additional features.

As far as ruggedness goes, the X600 models carry IP66 sealing, and 4-foot drop resistance, the latter impressive for such a large and heavy machine. The machine also passed a list of other MIL-STD-810H tests. Salt fog resistance is optional, as is C1D2 combustible environment certification.

For X500/X500 Server users, here's what has changed between the old and the new X600/X600 Pro platform:

Getac rugged workstation — new vs old

Model	X600/X600 Pro	X500/X500 Server
Introduced	2022	2011, last updated 2018
OS	Windows 11 Pro	Windows 10 Pro
Processor	Intel 11th generation H-Series Core processors	Intel 7th generation Core and Xeon processors
Cores/Threads	up to 8 cores and 16 threads	up to 4 cores and 8 threads
TDP-up/down	35/45 watts	35/45 watts
Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 630
Opt. Graphics	nVidia RTX3000	nVidia GTX1050 or P2000
RAM	16 to 64GB DDR4	8 to 64GB DDR4
Storage	512GB-1TB PCIe SSD	500GB SATA HD or SSD
Opt. Storage	2nd + 3rd 512GB-1TB PCIe SSD	1TB SATA HD or SSD
Slots	Opt. SD Card, Express Card or PCMCIA	SD Card, Express Card, PCMCIA
SIM slots	Opt. Mini-SIM	NA
Expansion	2 x PCIe	X500 Server: 2 x PCI Express or 2 x full-size PCI
Display type	Lumibond TFT LCD, 1000 nits	Lumibond TFT LCD, 1000 nits
Display	15.6"/1920 x 1080 pixel (157 dpi)	15.6"/1920 x 1080 pixel (157 dpi)
Digitizer	Opt. capacitive	Opt. resistive
Battery	2 x 74.5 watt-hour	1 x 99.8 watt-hour
2nd Battery	Opt. 2 x 46.6 watt-hour (Pro)	Opt. 99.8 watt-hour (Server)
Size (inches)	16.2 x 12.7 x 2.1/3.1	16.1 x 12.6 x 2.5/4.6
Weight (lbs.)	9.7/13.3 (Pro)	11.4/18.9 (Server)
Sealing	IP66	IP65
Temp. range	-20 to 145F	-4 to 131F
Drops	4-feet 810H	3-feet 810G
Webcam	FHD with Windows Hello support	FHD (X500 only)
C1D2	optional	unknown
USB-A	4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2	4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
USB-C	1 x Thunderbolt 4	NA
LAN	2.5GBASE-T	GIGABIT
Bluetooth	5.2	4.2
WiFi	Wi-Fi 6 AX210	802.11ac
WWAN	Optional 4G LTE	NA

To Getac's credit, the company kept the original X500 platform nicely updated for over a decade. But much has happened in that last decade, and so it was time for a new workstation platform that takes advantage of all that progress, both in technology and also with the much smaller size of many components, interface ports, expansion slots and more.

Solid state disks, for example, take much less space than rotating hard disks and they also don't need the caddies and cushioning hard disks needed. The volumetric energy density of Lithium Ion batteries has quintupled since the old X500 launch in 2011 (see here). Combined with other space and weight savings due to newer tech, the X600's volume and weight are down 15% compared to the old X500.

The difference is even greater when comparing volume and weight of the X600 Pro to the old X500 Server. The new model has 32% less volume and weighs 30% less. Yes, these are still big machines, but they are significantly more compact and weigh significantly less than their predecessors.

We'll report on the X600/X600 Pro in full detail once we have review units, but for now we agree with Getac of North America president Mike McMahon's assessment. "Getac has had a long reputation for being the benchmark standard amongst users around the world and now the X600 takes this a step further, delivering even greater performance, connectivity and reliability in a single, complete package." -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, June 2022