E6400 from Dell Outlet Purchase Help

Sorry for the late replies. The one I ordered was a certified refurbished. I heard good things about these as well and since there is a return policy there is not much risk involved.

I think the laptop comes with a restore cd and other paperwork, but I'm not sure.

When I get the laptop I'll let you guys know about everything.

 

Well, I got my laptop a little over a week ago. For the most I was really happy. Runs great, fantastic battery life, great keyboard, pretty good touchpad, nice monitor except for mediocre vertical viewing angles. Anyway occasionally the screen would turn red/green colors when lilting it. I ended up finding out that it was when any pressure was applied to the top of the left speaker or palm rest this would happen. I thought it might have been a loose wire. At first I wasn't able to fix it and sent an email to dell (yesterday) about returning it. Well I ended up finding the loose wire and fixed it, but in the process scratched the cover of the laptop.

Dell hasn't replied to my email yet, but what should I do here? Obviously if I return it they might charge the 15% restocking fee since the problem I told them about is not there anymore. At the same time, while I was the one who scratched the laptop, it only happened because it came with a poorly connected wire. Should I call them about getting the cover replaced or what should I do here?

Also, what exactly constitutes voiding the warranty when fixing/changing parts? It seems like even removing the ram voids the warranty

 

The once I received from the outlet did not come up with a disk version of windows, but did come up with back ups to the dell software/drivers. The paperwork was minimal.

 

John Ratsey,

I've been viewing your posts for the last few days and I want to thank you for the informative information and relevant posts you contribute to this forum. It has been a GREAT help in my search for the 'perfect laptop replacement' for me! I've been through a few laptops since my first computer purchase over a decade ago and now I am ready to make a new purchase.

I'm looking at the Dell E6400, probably will buy 'dell outlet' via re-certified due to the discounted price. I see a lot of posts about this and thought I would ask a few questions and see if you could help direct me to the most appropriate machine for my machine usage:

A typical day for me is having 5 or 6 browser windows open, an instant messenger program open w/ a couple open conversations, microsoft office w/ 2 documents open, microsoft excel w/ 1 document open, and I go back and forth between tabs/windows/programs. So I want something speedy that will allow me quick changing from application to application without a 'lag' as experienced many times when having multiple windows open. So basically, I am asking if having more cache is worth it or if the processor is the most important thing... I will be getting XP Pro installed w/ the backup for Windows Vista Business

Also, I do not play any video games but do watch a lot of youtube videos and would want to be able to watch them clearly. So I was trying to figure out if the video card upgrade to NVidia is worth it for me or if it's more for 3D applications and games? On another note, I will want to utilize the display port and connect my notebook to an HDMI tv and I was wondering if by doing so will I get a better display onthe tv if I havre the upgraded video card? Or would the Intel integrated perform as well in this regard? Finally, if I do not get the 'better' video card, I know the battery life is a lot better nad overall functionality should be pretty quick and also lighter in the machine, but big question is what if the video card dies out... do I have to replace the motherboard on the integrated card only whereas if I get the Nvidia I would ONLY have to replace the video card? Or would I have to replace both motherboards either way if I choose the intel integrated or the Nvidia dedicated? Also some of these video card say PC card after the description versus other wording, trying to figure out what the difference is.

And what is the difference between a wireless pc card versus mini card? Speed? Weight? Also is the intel worth getting the upgrade for? I heard a lot of reviews saying the Dell wireless card isn't so good as far as range of signal. I'm trying to figure out if I should upgrade to the Intel Wifi a/g/n or if going with the Dell a/g is fine? I don't do much outside of my house for browsing on the net, but I would like to have fast access and future proof capabilities if N becomes the standard...

Please review my below desired specs and help clarify a few of these points...thanks in advance for your input!

DELL E6400 14.1" Notebook
Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB) VS.
Latitude E6400 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)


Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD With PC-Card VS.
The other Intel integrated with mini card (forgot the name) VS.
Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
What are the pros/cons of each of these besides price?

160 GB SATA Hard Drive, 9.5MM, (5400RPM) VS.
160 GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive (7200RPM)
What are the real benefits of the upgraded HDD?

Also, I know there are a lot of topics on this question already, but haven't found the EXACT answer yet... with the 14.1" WXGA LED screen... in getting the WXGA+ (1440X900 vs. the 1280x800) can you give me an idea on just HOW MUCH smaller the fonts look on the screen? I know it should be a higher clarity display but I don't want the fonts to look tiny...Also I know you can modify text sizes/fonts in windows display/etc. but sometimes anything selected other than the factory settings looks a little pixilated/granulated/blurry... so really other than slightly more real estate, what are the bonuses of getting the upgraded WXGA+ ? Thanks...

Finally, if I got 4gb of ram versus say 2gb, will all of it be recognized in XP Pro? I understand that in Vista only 3.24gb (or so) are recognizes MAX... what about in XP Pro? Does it make sense to get the 2Gb and upgrade at a local store of get 3GB or 4GB? will be using XP Pro for a while...

I know I wrote a lot! So I thank you in advance for your help. I hope to be a contributor to this site especially after I get my laptop to help other people with their questions. Thanks so much!

dakicka

 

By definition, previously ordered new means that it was built and the order was cancelled. The computer was never touched by another customer. So, it is logical to conclude that yes, previously ordered new = new, for all intents and purposes.

I bought mine certified refurb, and apart from a few tiny scratches on the lid, also looked new.

 

The extra CPU cache primarily benefits programs which have repetitive code.

I understand that the Intel GPU is capable of providing good quality signals to an external display through the DVI port.

I don't know if the nVidia GPU can be replaced without changing the motherboard but to swap between Intel and nVidia requires a board change.

I don't understand the two types of card. The E6400 uses a half height mini card. The Intel card is less likely to have compatibility problems with different routers.

The PC card or Express card slots are not related to the wireless card. If you do not have any existing PC card adaptors then the Express card slot is faster and more future-proof.

160 GB SATA Hard Drive, 9.5MM, (5400RPM) VS.
160 GB Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive (7200RPM)
What are the real benefits of the upgraded HDD?[/QUOTE]The free fall sensor is meant to protect against damage to the HDD should you drop the computer while it is operating. 7200rpm gives slightly better performance but may create more noise and heat.

The WXGA+ display definitely uses LED backlighting which is brighter and/or uses less power. LED backlight is currently being introduced for WXGA.

32-bit XP cannot address 4GB. Task Manager thinks my E6400 can use 3620688kB of RAM. Compare Dell's price for 4GB of RAM with the cost of a DIY upgrade (it is very easy to do).

John

 

ok thanks for your timely and thorough response.

could you please clarify this though:

Originally Posted by dakicka
A typical day for me is having 5 or 6 browser windows open, an instant messenger program open w/ a couple open conversations, microsoft office w/ 2 documents open, microsoft excel w/ 1 document open, and I go back and forth between tabs/windows/programs. So I want something speedy that will allow me quick changing from application to application without a 'lag' as experienced many times when having multiple windows open. So basically, I am asking if having more cache is worth it or if the processor is the most important thing.


Your Reply: "The extra CPU cache primarily benefits programs which have repetitive code."


So, Programs that have repetitive code would be what? Could someone give me an example. Based on my system use needs, would you recommend I get the higher cache? Or will the P8600 3M cache do just fine versus the T9400 w 6m cache? thanks!

And can anyone on here confirm whether or not having the nvidia graphics card allows you to replace only the video card should it fail versus having to replace the motherboard like i know you would have to on the intel integrated video card? thanks!

 

Repetitive code is where a program is going round in a loop. This could be a scientific calculation. The extra CPU cache only gives a small performance boost under benchmarking conditions and it is likely to be very small for your typical usage. I would recommend the cooler P series CPU with smaller cache.

The task switching that you envisage needs RAM, and 3GB will be plenty.

John

 

excellent, you're the man, thanks for your expert information.
anyone care to comment about the graphics card question in my last post? wondering about the intel integrated vs. the nvidia dedicated on the latitude e6400.

 

The Nvidia GPU is still soldered to the motherboard, so in order to swap an Nvidia GPU with another Nvidia GPU, you still need to change the motherboard.