e6400 summary

Exactly! I love how I can push MATLAB to the limit (using both cores) and the fan might still not go to full speed (depending on room temperature). It really ticks off the Thinkpad fanboys at work. Of course, if they undervolted they would probably achieve the same.

 

Interesting... but what is the end result? Apart from less CPU heat and thus lower cooling requirements aren't you now working with a system that can process less instructions per second? And when you're pusing MATLAB to the limit, isn't more computing power exactly what you're looking for?

 

No. This is a common mistake. The end result is a system that can process exactly the same instructions per second, but generates less heat and has longer battery life.

Here's a small explanation:

Underclocking is lowering your CPU clock. The CPU will be slower, and consume considerably less power. This happens automatically on modern computers (Intel's SpeedStep technology) to save power and, in laptops, extend battery time. People rarely do manual underclocking, but many people do overclocking, which is the opposite: forcing the CPU (or more likely, the graphics card or GPU) to run faster than originally designed, making it also dissipate more heat.

Undervolting is lowering your CPU voltage. Since each CPU has different tolerances, Intel sets them at a high voltage level to make sure all CPUs can use it. For most CPUs, the voltage can be safely set at a lower level, lowering the power consumption and heat dissipation while maintaining the exact same speed. However, this safe level has to be manually determined in a CPU-by-CPU basis, which is why Intel doesn't do it.

And here's the best news: you can do it yourself easily! See flipfire's excellent Undervolting Guide here at NBR. It's completely safe, free, easy to revert if you're not happy and works like a charm.

 

One possible drawback is that RMClock does not support half multipliers, so this can result in the loss of the fastest speed. That's one reason I chose the P8600.

There are also other undervolting programs in addition to RMClock. CPU Genie and NHC come to mind.

John

 

The LG display is fantastic, better than any of my previous laptops.

I've owned two ThinkPads over the years- a T43 and, more recently, an R61 14.1". The E6400's keyboard has slightly longer key travel (which I like) than the ThinkPads, but it is every bit as solid, flex-free and easy to use for long periods. The 'backlighting' option is well worth the upgrade and it works far better than the ThinkPad "ThinkLight". I will concede, though, that Dell's Trackstick pointer isn't quite as good as the ThinkPad's Trackpoint.

I haven't experienced any (owned it for almost a year now).

The only other complaints I've heard repeatedly are regarding the Touchpad. It's rather small (compared to most notebooks of similar size) but I've grown accustomed to it, so it doesn't both me.

Warranty might also factor into your decision- the E6400 comes with a 3-year Warranty standard, vs. 1-year from Lenovo and most others.