E6410 Owner's Thread

Its on purpose that only the most expensive model got the backlit keyboard in the configurator. If someone orders his laptop through the online configurator and wants to have backlit keyboard, he has to choose the most expensive model.
But you can always call dell and configurate your latitude as you want.

 

The whole asknet thing is very good! According to the FAQ there is also the possibility to order without OS, perfect for me as msdnaa customer .

Another question is the NVIDIA 3100M upgrade:
PC-Card or Express-Card?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each combination?

 

If you have no PC(MIA) Card, take the Express Card (it`s the follower).

Regarding Asknet: Please note that you won`t have the 14 days right of withdrawal. I would try to get your faavourite configuration via Dell, and only if it`s to expensive than go with asknet.

 

As promised, here are some pics with the blue cover, mine arrived yesterday. I was worried the cover would show some fingerprints or have some kind of a glossy coating due to the blue colour, but it just looks and feels great and sturdy. I love the contrast from the blue lid, the silver battery and the black base.
Overall, I am just very happy with this machine. Build quality is just great, apart from a little flex in the area of DVD-Drive - But you really have to press down to see it, you don't notice it when you're typing. The speakers give a really loud and clear sound, I was very surprised when I listened to music and some videos.
The Latitude stays very cool, yesterday I did a fresh install of Windows 7 and installed tons of programs for hours, never have I noticed any heat problems. The fan kicks in from time to time, it's noticable, but far away from being loud or annoying. The only thing that's really loud is the DVD-drive. It sounds like a helicopter and the machine starts vibrating when you copy something from it. For me, that's no problem because I need a DVD drive maybe twice a year, but if you plan to watch a lot of movies, you should look for something else. I plan to replace it with the Travel Lite Module as soon as it's available in Austria, because I want to save weight:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/cables/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=330-3422
The WXGA screen is okay, but nothing great. Viewing angles are very average. I guess the WXGA+ screen will perform better, but as I mentioned before, I prefer the WXGA resolution. I have to say, my best laptop so far (after XPS M1530, Dell 11z and the HP 6930p Elitebook). If you have any further questions, just ask.

 

I will never buy another laptop without a backlit keyboard. How's that as an answer? (I am a E6400 owner).

If you think you plan to use your laptop in slow light or none a few times at least, it will be worth to have that feature as you can see your keyboard nicely.


As for the battery question... I have no idea. The best thing to do is be patient and wait and compare.If the 90Whr is only a few extra minutes, than it might not be worth it.
For one a battery doesn't last 3 years.. you'll change it by that time. Usually the life span of battery is a year to a year and half, dependent on usage. Of course, every battery is different based on the pureness of the Lithium-ion, and by the time length I don't mean that the battery is actually broken, but rather that the battery doesn't enough battery for your needs (expect a few hours, like 2 hours or an hour and half). What i suggest is to get a 90Whr, and try to negotiate with Dell for a free 2 year warranty on it. Also, I have NO IDEA what will pass and not pass under their warranty. They might say "it's normal", and your stuck. So having that extra warranty for free, you lose nothing if they say no (well you lose in purchasing a new battery, or try again last in the year, still under warranty. But, you don't lose a new battery PLUS that useless extended battery warranty).

 

@welt:
do you mean PCMCIA? No PCMCIA card in use but maybe in the nearer future. Are there adapters vom PCMCIA->Expresscard availible?

@hugohansen24:
very nice color! That is an awesome blue!
What about the runtime of your battery?

@GoodBytes:
That is definately an answer so I will spend the 50€ on the backlit keyboard

 

Oh yes, I ment PCMCIA (=PC Card). If you`re going to buy a card, are`nt you able to buy this with express card?

When I´m right there are adapter which let you put express cards in PCMIA Slots but not the other way.

But I`d try to get your wanted card with express card and go with the newer technology.

edit. oh, I did search a bit, and there are pcmia>express card adapter, too.

 

An alternative is to buy a backlit E6400 keyboard off ebay for less than 50€ and spend 5 minutes installing it yourself.

John

 

Hm, the cheapest DE Version of the backlit keyboard I found on ebay was 50€ – so I`d order it via Dell.

 

@welt
if there are adapters I will definately choose the expresscard, thank you for that.
As I can see you are from germany and I would like to know what kind of e6410 you've bought and how long it took from order to deliver