Debating purchase of e6400

I am trying to find a laptop for starting college this fall. I am majoring in Accounting. I was looking around for laptops and am considering an E6400. I definitly would like a dell because my college is partnered with them and they can do warranty work on campus. Anyways the specs to the one I customized is as follows:

-Core 2 duo T9550 2.66GHz
-Vista Business SP1, with media
-WXGA+ ultrasharp LED display
-NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M w/express card
-4GB DDR2-800
-250GM 7200RPM HDD

I plan to use it as an all around computer. The obvious Microsoft Office applications, some video editing, internet & email. I am not too impressed with a lot of the consumer line laptops. I want something that is very comfortable to type on and is very durable and will not ware out or get outdated too quickly. Prefer not to weigh a whole lot, but not a huge deal breaker. I am currently using a HP Pavilion dv4000 and it is a quite heavy 15.4". Anyways, is this a good laptop for me, or should I look for something different?

 

If you're not a gamer, consider getting one with Intel graphics. Cooler, quieter and longer battery life. Is there any reason why you want the T9550 processor? The P series CPU's are more energy efficient. Do you do a lot of video coding?

The 7200 rpm drives in general are a little bit noisier. Think about going with the cheapest HD and upgrading to a SSD.

The backlit keyboard is a nice option. If you need to use it in school all day, I recommend getting the 9-cell, which gives you almost 9 hours of battery life with the Intel graphics.

Yes, this is an excellent laptop for college. In fact, I know of at least one college where this is the preferred laptop and it is offered to all incoming freshmen in a package deal.

 

Looks good. This is a laptop that will last a long time. It is also on the heavy side, so be wary of that. My fully loaded E6400 with 9 cell battery weighs just under 5.8lbs.

Like chunglau said, unless you really need the dedicated graphics, I'd go with the Intel. The Nvidia card is not that powerful, and from what I've heard from users here, it can cause some heat-related headaches (It doesn't for me, though).

 

I appreciate the quick reply...
For the graphics, I figured it would be worth the $64 upgrade to keep options open if I'd ever need it. With the processor, my two options are the P8400 and the T9550, so I figured it would be worth the $74 for the faster speed and cache. The reason I was looking at going pretty high performance/graphics wise is I really want this laptop to last me all four years of college. I never thought about the 7200RPM drive and that was a good point to bring up. As of now, I'm not too intrested in the SSD for the reason of less storage and higher price. However, what would be your opinion if I stayed with a hard drive, would you recommend a 5400 or 7200? I checked the specs again and the backlit keyboard and 9-cell were also included so I should be set there. Any idea on battery life I'd stick with the NVIDIA graphics and the T9550 with the 9-cell? Also, a big point I forgot to mention is I do plan to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional, will that be easy to do/will all the hardware/dell software work with windows 7 pro?
Thanks Again!

 

If you don't actively game, go with the Intel graphics. It makes the fan turn on less, and therefore you have a quieter machine. It is also significantly cooler. I don't consider the Nvidia chip an upgrade at all. I own both and I prefer the Intel system.

Even the P8400 will take care of all your applications through college. I would rather get the P8400 or the P8600, Intel graphics, and a 6-cell battery so that the weight is a little less. The newer 5400 rpm drives like the Western Digital Scorpio Blue series are very competitive with the 7200 rpm drives, and they are much cheaper as a DYI upgrade. I paid less than $60 for the 400GB Scorpion Blue 5400 rpm drive. My guess is that within a year you would want to get a SSD drive, given the way prices have come down and performances have improved.

Installing Win7 is a breeze.

 

This has probably been discussed in other threads, but are all the new SSD's compatible with the hard drive slot in the e6400? I have an older laptop, so I am not as up to speed on this as you guys with the newer machines. It sounds like the drive specifications have been standardized so you can use just about any HDD or SDD in the e6400 if I am understanding you correctly.

 

Yes, as long as you make sure they use SATA-II connector in 2.5" size.

 

You want a 2.5" form factor and SATA for the E6400. Most SSD's are SATA drives, but there are some IDE (PATA) drives, too.

 

For video editing, Adobe Premier uses the Quadro CUDA feature's.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_quadro_cx_us.html
Now technically, the Quadro CX is well not only for desktop only, but its of course more optimized as it's more powerful, but the Nvidia solution may still help over the CPU.

The laptop is Win7 ready, based on my test with the RC version. It's easy to install. You should get Win7 Pro free upgrade as you buy your laptop after June 26.

Just some extra information for you:
- When you order your system, make sure to get 64-bit Vista.
- Once you get your system check out shark007 codec pack for Vista/Win 7 32 and 64-bit codec pack. The best you can find.
- Your system should come clean, meaning all your get is the drivers, driver applications (easy to uninstall), Roxio (of course, with Dell), PowerDVD 32-bit (yea I know it's not 64-bit), Dell Control Point (doesn't bother the system), and that is all.

- Vista Buisness does not have a 32 or 64-bit DVD codec only Home Premium and Ultimate edition (all editions at and above Home Premium for Win7 will have a 32/64-bit DVD codec)

- Call to order your laptop, you can negotiate a nice deal with free upgrades and free shipping.

- Get your laptop with Next Buisness Day On site service, I and like many others sees the great benefit to have your laptop fixed the next buisness day (instead of a possible week + shipping time), and always keep your system in hand.

Enjoy your new system!

 

Any data/facts to back up the amazing claim that the Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M chipset *may* speed up encoding times in a laptop?