Dell Latitude E4200 Info

So, I ordered a used Latitude E4200 to replace my old D430. (D430 graphics performance was just not good enough for me. I used to have a laptop with the GMA 4500MHD (E6500) and it was good enough for me.) Anything I should know about? I also ordered a uSATA 64GB SSD for it.

 

Keep in mind that the uSATA SSD needs to be just the PCB... something with a casing may not fit in the E4200.

 

Yeah, I got the right one.

Refurbished: Samsung 64GB 1.8" R075R, MMBRE64GTDXP-MVBD1 Thin / Caseless Firmware VBM25D1Q uSATA MLC SSD Solid State Hard Drive HDD - Newegg.com

 

Right, my Latitude E4200 arrived today. I'm loving this thing so far. Much better than the D430. With throttlestop it runs rock stable at max speed at .875v. Is this thing overclockable? Like, with a pin mod or something?

 

Ok... maybe I'm the last one on earth that LOVE the E4200 and want to use it as long as possible by extending its useful life with the latest goodies, but , in case there is someone else like me out there, here are my findings of the recent experiments (if I'm repeating whatever is in that loooong 53 pages and ooooold 8 years-old thread, please be indulgent, I'm thinking about the last 3 guys on earth that want help with the e4200 and just scroll to the last page) :

I'll list what I wound by experimenting (and even testing some myths found on the web about the Dell e4200) :

• The WWAN PCI-e slot is not a weird thing that just work with WWAN cards, it works with PCI-e cards such as those nice double USB 3.0 PCI-e cards (with the blue header) that add super fast expansion to your laptop. NOTE: this USB 3.0 card blue header does not fit the bottom access cover without some cutting... You'll need some 5V to power those new ports, so if you are an electronic pro, it might be time for you to fire the soldering iron and use this holy grail ... yes... here is THE COMPLETE SCHEMATICS OF YOUR beloved e4200: http://kythuatphancung.vn/uploads/download/927f2_Compal_LA-4291P.pdf
• The combo of a mSATA SSD + cheap eBay mSATA-to-microSATA adapter works perfectly. I just upgraded to a 256GB LITE-ON SSD that is lightning fast! It is also much smaller than the original Samsung microSATA 1.8 naked SSD drive and its cousins You just need to build some bracket to old the new small drive in the wide 1.8 opening
• if you have a 1.4GHz (SU9400 processor) and want some cheap speed upgrade, just hit eBay and get yourself a cheap used 1.6GHz motherboard with the SU9600. Its an easy upgrade, it cost me 25$ and it can easily reach 1.8GHz with some software-only tweaks! (yes, do a little Google search and with a tool called ThrottleStop you'll be able to fix the multiplier at 9x) Yep! from 1.4 to 1.8 for 25$!
• upgrade your ram SODIMM with a 4GB DDR3, for a total of 5GB, they are very cheap these days. Get a fast one, it will be compatible and it will be useful for you next (faster) computer
• use Linux, you'll be amazed how fast this computer boots to desktop in just a handful of seconds (ok, you're not used to Linux, but it might be a solution to extend your life on that laptop)
• you can hack your external DVD / CD_ROM bay y removing the socket from it and soldering a SATA data cable +power cable to its inner PCB. You'll get a super fast eSATA+power combo cable to 2.5in SATA drive (because they just use the 5V and no 12V). Very useful for backing up and drive imaging your data... like when you'll update to that huge mSATA SSD

I'll add more when I find more interesting things...

Have fun!

 

Hi! I just picked up a Dell Latitude E4200 on ebay for the purpose of office work, and web browsing. It's on its way to me now. Will like to enquire if anyone here still using the laptop and has upgraded to Windows 10? The laptop is running Win 7, and thus eligible for the OS upgrade. Am concerned about any driver issues that may pop up.
Mine is 2gb ram and SU9400 processor, so not sure it is Win 10 capable. Any advice will be most welcome!

 

I've got a E4200 running windows 10. Everything seems to work ok, but overall it's a little slower than running windows 7. Mine has 4gb ram.
One thing I have noticed is that when watching a video full screen (i.e. netflix, youtube), on windows 7 the screen will stay on as long as you are in full screen, but in windows 10, it goes into screen saver every few minutes. Also netflix playback is jerky in win 10 edge browser. Slightly better in firefox, but still stutters a little.

 

HI

I have had my E4200 for 5 years and am really pleased with it. New memory is in the post but I need to upgrade the SSD which is a 64Gb Samsung uSATA model.

I am reluctant to buy a used SSD so I am concentrating on a new SSD. Ebay has 3 suppliers from China offering 128 GB Samsung uSATA SSDs but, when you click on the feedback for these sellers, the items they have sold – some of which have been returned of course – are marked “private”. This makes me a little suspicious since I am not able to see which units are being returned.

Origin offers an Origin Storage (HDD) Order Code: DELL-128MLC-NB63 EAN: 5055146585626 Origin Storage SSD, 6G MLC, 128GB, 1.8 inch (4.5cm), microSATA
1.8 inch SSD which appears to be designed for the E4200.

However, they also offer (what I believe to be a PCI-e card): 128GB, MLC, 29.85mm, SATA uses the WWAN Slot instead of a WWAN card Product Code: NB-128MLC-MINI EAN: 5055146585329

Their support team advises that, if placed in the WWAN slot, it will appear as another drive (after formatting etc). It will be bootable but only if the BIOS allows it. My BIOS does not seem to have this option but does offer a boot from an NIC card. Would this PCI-e mini card be an NIC by any chance?

Any suggestions gratefully appreciated.

 

No the NIC (network interface card) is your Ethernet adapter - this would be for imaging the machine in corporate environments.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Alex,

Thanks for letting me know. Looks as if this PCI-e mini card will be a useful boost to storage space and I will just stick with my 64b GB SSD as the bootable drive.