E6400 or M2400

The same problems seem to be randomly affecting a lot of the 14" and 15" E and M series,especially sound,there are workarounds,like disabling onboard speakers when using external output or others mentioned using the vista windows driver as opposed to the IDT one.


Most of the FX Quadro ISV certification is for software that uses openGL as an API,such as solidworks,3dsmax,maya,pro engineer etc........if you don't use software that specifies hardware openGL video in its requirements,don't worry about it......and you don't need an FX Quadro,as the certification and custom bios is what the extra cost is associated with.

 

Ok, so I guess it doesn't make too much difference if I go with the e6400 or m2400.. I'll buy the one I'll be able to have the best price for.

Is there a list somewhere of the E/M problems and workarounds?

Thanks for the help!

 

Not really,you will have to trawl through the owner lounges to find what people have been doing,personally I believe the dell controlpoint software and dell system utility has a lot to answer for,but if you need a lot of the security features....you don't have much choice but to use the DCP software.

I don't,and have a completely problem free/reliable notebook apart from the onboard sound quality which can be worked around as previously mentioned.

 

I don't need any special security, so I guess I'll do a clean XP install and won't install this DCP software!

 

Hello,

First of all, I apologize for my English, I’m from Spain.

I’ve a Precision M20 for 3 years ago and I’m very happy with it. The laptop is very cool, quiet and powerful. Now, I’m thinking about buying another laptop soon and I don’t know if choose M2400 or E6400.

I work in IT Department of my company and I’m a student of Telecommunications engineering.

I usually work with my laptop about 10-14 hours daily (job and home/university), so it’s very important for me that the laptop will be cool and quiet. The tasks which I do are: programming (C++, PHP...) with Eclipse and other IDEs, UML programs, web developing (Eclipse, Dreamweaver, a bit of Photoshop...), databases... I don't use CAD or similar.

As far as GPU: NVS 160M vs FX 370M:

Code:

			NVS 160M	FX 370M
Chip Core		G98M		G98M?
Memory Type		GDDR2		GDDR3
Stream Processor	8		8
Core Speed		580 MHz		580 MHz
Memory Speed		400 MHz		400 MHz
Shader Speed		1450 Mhz	???
Max Bandwidth		11.2 GB/s	9.6GB/s
Memory Bus Width	64-bit		64-bit
Max Memory		256 MB		256MB
Current Consumption	12 W		Up to 20W

Moreover, E6400 seems a bit smaller than M2400:

E6400 (mm): 335 x 238.3 x 25.4 - 31.0
M2400 (mm): 335 x 243.9 x 26.3 - 31.9

However, I feel “secure” with Precision name because of my experience with Precision M20.

Can you help me to choose between M2400 and E6400? What GPU is better for the tasks which I do?

Thank you!

PIC: My M20 with e6400 (not mine)

 

As an owner of M2400 its anything but cool and quiet. The fan is on most of the time and it get pretty warm at times depending on how hard your pushing it.
I came from a XPS-M170 thinking it would "feel" lighter and be able to get everything done I need to do. Well it does that later but I'm actually spending more time with my thinkpad X300 that my M2400. For those that need light and by light I mean like 3lbs the X300 or X301 is the place to be. If you need a ton of ports and dual monitors then the M2400 is the place to be.

ym

 

Anyone can help me in my decision?

Thanks for all,

checho

 

Get the E6400 with the Intel graphics.

 

Hi Everyone!
I've been reading this forum for quite a while now and you guyz are great!
For a long time now I'm thinking of purchasing either Dell E6400 or M2400 laptop.

I read many online & user reviews on both laptops and I'm a bit confused.
What I do concern of is a good battery life, good performance & a graphic card which will be good enough for some video & 3D editing (E.g. Sony Vegas, Avid Liquid, 3D Home , etc.) and some audio editing.
For the latter I guess the precision M2400 will better fit my needs, however for user reviews I see that it holds a lower battery life-time than the E6400.

This is the spec I'm planing to purchase:
P8600 2.4Ghz, 4GB RAM 800Mhz, Nvidio FX370M, 14.1" (1440X900) WXGA+ With Backlit, DVD+-/RW, 250GB/7200 HD, WLAN 1397, Integrated mic & 0.3 cam, No fingerprint (or I can add for additional charge), 6C battery, Vista Business x32 or XP Pro.

I've read many reviews regarding the screen and although the LED screen has surcharge of around 150-200$ around here. Is it worth the Extra money ?

Another question is regarding the battery. As I want to have better battery life then I guess the 9Cells battery is the best option. However I've heard from several colleagues that they regret it and would have better go with the 6cells battery as the 9C is bigger & heavier.

As the M2400 weight around 180-200gr more than the E6400, a 9Cells battery will be even heavier. :/

I'd love to hear your recommendations with both laptops and hope you could help me decide at last which one should I purchase.

Thank you all in advance!

 

The bottom line is that unless you do intense graphics work or gaming, the 160M should be sufficient. The 370M is a nice card, but apart from that, the 3 button track pad, and wavy lid, there is no difference. The price premium of about $300 with similar configurations makes the E6400 the clear choice (unless you absolutely need the 370M).