E6410 Owner's Thread

The case and chassis are metal alloy. The displays (I recommend the WXGA+ panel) are as good as you will get in this size of notebook and it is the more useful 16:10 aspect ratio screen. Dell uses several sources so there can be some variation.

If battery life is your concern then get the Intel integrated graphics. My E6400 can be stretched to 6 hours on a 6 cell battery. My impression is that the E6410 is no better and may be slightly worse in this respect. E6410 owners can comment on their experience.

There are also some useful comments in this thread.

John

 

I would definitely go with a 14inch system.. for me, as a university student, 14inch is the max max size for a laptop... 15inch is way too big, it's carrying a monitor to class. It's way to big, and way too heavy, and carrying it with you all day in your back bag, will be annoying.

I would go with a 14inch system with a 9-cell battery for extended battery life.
The Vostros 3400 looks interesting with it's aluminum casing, and similar specs as the Latitude E6410. The difference from what I can see is that the Latitude E6400 Nvidia solution is a little bit faster over the Geforce 310M, support dock station (if you care) nor secondary battery (you can attach a normal battery, plus the slice battery under the laptop (size of the laptop), to get even more battery life). The Latitude also has Display Port, while the Vostros has HDMI. Display Port can be converted down to HDMI and DVI, while HDMI can only go to DVI with an adapter.
The 9-cell battery of the Vostros lift the system up, for me it's a no no. I hate this. Also there is no backlit keyboard (something I found to be very useful) option. Finally, the Vostros screen resolution is lower than the Latitude E6410. Moreover, the Latitude E6410 has Latitude ON (never tried it, as I have the older model which doesn't have it), which is suppose to be booting a Linux distribution modified by Dell, which runs on it's own separate processor and memory, to reduce power consumption. I believe it only includes and e-mail client software, a web browser (probably firefox), and that's about it. If you have long days, this might be interesting option, as you can now use Office 2010 online, to type your notes with OneNote or use Word or Excel. Office 2010 Online is free, you can access it now via your live or hotmail account. Finally, the Latitude E series has advance power optipns, such as the possibility to cut the power of your optical drive, SD card reader, firewire, reduce the screen refresh rate down to 40Hz,, to save a little bit more battery life (Dell extended battery life, it's called).

The body (casing), of the Latitude E series is made of an magnesium alloy, making it better than aluminum, when you drop the system (from Dell), and it feature better, more screen solid hinges. Oh and teh Latitude as LED backlit screen saving even more battery life.

I have the Latitude E6400 (see signature for full specs). When I put the screen brightness to minimum (which is actually bright enough for me in a class room, mainly because the LED backlit are bright enought in class), having OneNote open, wireless ON, Dell extended battery turned on, new 9-cell battery, Vista 64-bit (at the time Win7 was far from being out, and this is when I got my laptop), system idle. I got almost 9 hours of battery life (8hours and 40'ish minutes).
You can turn off the screen with Fn+D, when you don't use it (press any key, or Fn+D again or move the mouse to turn on the screen immediately) to save even more battery life when you don't use it, and don't want to put the system to sleep.

Sadly, so far, no one on this forum does the above test. They all put everything on max or something in between and calculate the battery life... like if that was useful :face palm:

 

The E6410/E6510 has an all-metal case, whereas the Vostro 3400/3500 is all-plastic with aluminum trim on the screen lid on the on the sides.

The E6410/E6510 has a 3 year warranty, as opposed to the 1 year warranty of the Vostros and lesser Latitudes.

Ideally, a Lattitude E6XXX series should be more durable and run cooler than a Vostro 3XXX series.Basically, the choice comes down to budget and how you use your notebook. When you pay more you get more. Since you're looking at business notebooks, you probably have more specific requirements than the average retail consumer. I'd suggest reading the Notebookcheck reviews.

 

There really isn't all that much difference in weight and footprint between the E6410 and E6510, so it really is a matter of personal preference.

I'm inclined to say that the E6410 is a better value and there is no advantage in performance for the larger E6510 - unless someone wants the larger 16:9 screen as opposed to the E6410 old-fashioned 16:10 screen?

It all depends on whether a user truly needs the extra life afforded by a battery sticking out of the backside of a notebook. Considering that the E6410 comes with decent high capacity 6-cell battery, I wouldn't be all that anxious to burden myself with a 9-cell.

Actually, the Vostro 3000 series computers have what appears to be aluminum trim. It's shiny, it's pretty, and under the underside is all plastic apparently. No real advantage over an all-plastic cased note book.

I wouldn't get all that excited about Nvidia graphics. Unless someone has an actually pressing requirement for a dedicated GPU, it's best to go with the integrated Intel graphics for the same of battery life and reliability.

If a user truly needs high powered graphics, it's probably best to go for a true gaming notebook with a 1GB GPU.

Actually, that's better for passive cooling - the notebook stays cooler due to better airflow, the fan runs less and the battery lasts longer. You should like it.

A backlit keyboard is only useful is you don't know how to type and are forced to hunt-and-peck.

It's only a problem if you actually want a higher resolution display. If someone wants a true 1080 resolution screen, the only choice is the E6510 - and an additional $129!

Latitude ON Flash is no longer offered, at least not at the moment, which is just as well.

From experience, I can state that this option is entirely pointless, as it takes longer to type in the mandatory password than it takes for Windows 7 to boot!

The original Latitude ON concept was fascinating, and might indeed have extended battery life, since it had it's own ARM processor. It also cost $200 - the price of a netbook. Not hard to see why it didn't catch on? Latitude ON Flash was a cheaper solution because used the CPU, which obviously erased most of the battery life advantages.

Right now, I'm inclined to say that Dell is shifting to the upcoming Ubuntu Light and away from Latitude ON, although I might be wrong. If Latitude ON is on it's way out for good, it probably won't missed.

I'd also advise against Office 2010 in any form, since Open Office seems to be more stable and entirely free. I've never lost any work product, or work time, in Open Office. That's more than I can say for Microsoft. In any case, if you want to save battery life, you're better off turning off the WiFi card. As far as using an online Microsoft application, I'd think twice. I mean, seriously?

Use Open Office, or even Open Office Portable, and always backup to some form of flash memory.

"When you drop the system?"

If you drop it, you can break it. This is not a Panasonic Toughbook. Now I know there was a European who had a tree fall on his E6400, bending it like a pretzel, and it did boot up after the accident, once, before it was bricked. Just to be clear, we're not talking about a ruggedized or even a semi-rugged computer?

Still, there are a number of advantage to magnesium. The biggest advantage is that it's somewhat easier to cast than aluminum.

Keep in mind that GoodBytes is referring to the previous model, the E6400, which was introduced in 2008. Keep in mind that every E6410 now has an LED backlit screen, although it was optional on the E6400 back in 2008.

I also wouldn't recommend Mircrosoft OneNote since it is really a program that was originally meant for a tablet PC - and windows tablet PCs are not exactly popular. Without a touchscreen, which isn't available on the E6410, you wouldn't have full functionality with OneNote.

The biggest reason to avoid OneNote is that it uses a propriety file extension, and given Microsoft's poor trackrecord in the tablet PC market, you really have to wonder how long it will take them to ditch OneNote altogether?

 

I've owned a WXGA+ equipped E6410, and I can say with great certainty that I'd rather give the standard WXGA a try.

Basically, back with the previous model, the E6400, only the WXGA+ came with LED backlighting. Now that every E6410 has an LED backlit screen, what's the point of the upgrade? The WXGA+ upgrade might have even caused driver issues when I attempted to use external monitors.

Personally, I've owned both 16:10 and 16:9 aspect ratio 14" notebooks, and I can say that having the oddball 1400x900 was more off an inconvenience than having the more common 1360x768 resolution.

I would only buy the WXGA+ again if I liked to work outside, in direct sunlight, and I never, ever, connected my notebook to an external monitor.

My advice is to buy the WXGA. Save the $79 and the headaches.

 

About 0.45kg (1lb) is a significant difference in weight.

Actually, it's 16:10 1440 x 900. If you are happy with a lower resolution then consider the Dell E4310. It's even less weight to carry around. One of our moderators, Greg Ross, used an E6400 about a year before moving to the smaller E4300.

John

 

There's a pretty substantial pricing premium associated with the E4310 over the E6410, as one would suspect given the additional costs associated with ultra-compact packaging. I wouldn't pay a $380 premium for the E4310 over the E6410.

Incidentally, I don't think that the weight differential between the E6510 and E6410 would be prohibitive. The E6410 is admirably light, and unlike a previous poster, I can state with certainty that it weights far less than 5 pounds with the 6-cell battery.

Where the E6510 loses out is in relative value in comparison to the E6410. In the mass market, consumer sector, a 15" inch notebook invariably sells for less than 14" notebook. In the E6XXX series the opposite is true, the E6510 commands a $50 premium over the E6410. Oddly enough, I don't think that the larger case gives any further advantage in cooling, so it appears the E6410 is the optimum value.

As far as the 16:10 aspect ratio, I've used 1280x800 in past, along with Intel integrated graphics, and I haven't had any problems with external monitors. However, I've had issues in past with upgraded display options, so my bad experience with the 1440x900 display shouldn't have come as a surprise.

As stated, I'm sticking with the base WXGA display for my next E6410.

 

I do not have a 6410, but do own a 6510 with the FHD screen, and have used a number of notebooks with varying screen resolutions over the years. IMO, when it comes to business-class notebooks, the only really compelling reason to go with a larger model would be pixel real-estate. The weight difference between a 14" and 15" model is not what I would call huge, but 15" is significantly more unwieldy than 14", which absolutely is a factor when traveling.

Of course, comfort and individual need also play a role, but with the improved DPI scaling in Vista and W7, I would rather have the physical pixels present, and use scaling as (or if) needed.

I do agree that the price premium of the E4310 is a bit much- for that form factor/screen resolution, I would be more inclined to look for a refurb Elitebook 2530P.

Finally, with respect to external display output/projectors, have you given multi-monitor management software a try?

 

Yes there is... 15inch is bigger, so it's harder to carry around.
Things that are smaller and heavier are easier to carry than if they are bigger.

It's not old-fashion, it's proper wide-screen. Just because TV broadcast are too cheap to update their equipment to output not output compressed and reduced resolution to offer HD signal, they created 16:9 aspect ratio. In reality, there is extremely few movies filmed in 16:9. I say this, because that was their argument onto why have 16:9 over 16:10. Anyway, it's off topic.

Oh no it sticks out a bit.. the end of the world! Please..
Beside when it sticks out, it give you a better grip when handling your system. Even those that lifts the laptop.

Please re-read my post, I SUGGESTED to get a bigger battery life if he does like me, need the computer for extended periods of time.
ALSO, battery life degrade.... it start with 6 hours (for the 6-cell), and soon enough, 6 month later or so, you have 3 hours.. is that enough?!
While if you have a 9-cell, even thought you don't need 9 hours.. the battery will last longer before you come to a point where you go and say "Th battery doesn't deliver enough time for my needs, I need a new one." And batteries are not cheap...

Not what Dell video says. So I don't know, check reviews.

I would! Better dual screen support, better image quality, better color accuracy, and of course better performance over the Intel solution.

Ok so based on your logic, we should all be using netbooks, and if we want more performance, he must go with 19inch, 3 inch thick gaming laptop powered by a 350W PSU that won't fit your bag. Niiice.
Some people do enjoy CUDA, some people do enjoy light gaming on the go, and some people do CAD where their project size allows to run perfectly smoothly on med or even low powered GPU.

Yes you are correct, but it's uncomfortable, and it makes more noise when you type. This is annoying in a class room, especially after everyone looks at you with eyes that they want to destroy your laptop.

Riiiiiiiight. wtv you say.

I think the poster knows the feature difference... if he wanted 1080p, then we would ask for the E6510 only and not the other systems.

1- Doesn't mean that Dell of your region doesn't offer it anymore, that everyone else doesn't have it
2- You can do special request when you call to order (and negotiate free upgrades and price)
3- If Dell is out of them and you need to wait a bit to get it, doesn't mean it doesn't exists.

WOW, either you use the longest password ever for essentially useless (you don't have any sensitive data in your system, and if you do you'll use Windows 7 built-in encryption, making your log-in password more useful), or you are slow in typing on your keyboard.

Funny, OpenOffice is like Office 2010 WEB (which is free), Extra-light edition, and hard to find what you are looking for, and takes ages to startup, because it's made in Java.

Humm no. Maybe Office 2010 under Vim under Linux, it crashes a lot, but in a normal Windows 7 environment, it doesn't crash more than OpenOffice. Also if Office crash you have the ability to recover your file, while OpenOffice latest version, doesn't, it just closes on you, and voila.. that is all, open it again, and nothing.. no way to recover your work.

huh?! Yes if you want to save battery life, don't turn on the laptop at all. My solution is better Ok ok, fine, I know what you mean.
Office 2010 web was a suggestion to use under Latitude ON. Under Windows, you can use wtv you want, as well Office 2007/2010 runs on Windows, but not under Linux.

You don't even have a basic grammar check in Open Office.. is it THAT hard to have this feature? Spell Check is a joke as well. It's just as good as the one in Firefox, which granted at least it's something, but common.. it's not like something new. Frankly I see little work being done on Open Office. As much as I welcome competition, it looks like they are 3 people working on it, and only once a year, in term of new feature development. And I see 0 innovation, just playing catchup.

I dropped mine, I see at University laptop falling on the floor. Accidents happens. Mine has no scratch, no dent, and still look bran new. I dropped it about from your elbow to the floor. The floor was carpet (so no scratch thanks to that), and concrete under it. While cheaper laptop breaks in parts.

Of course, but if you can have a small dent and scratch rather than running buying a new system, it's worth buying a better quality system.

Correct we are not, but there is a difference between a fall and the screen hinges break and can't be fixed without high repair price, and one that is just scratch with maybe a dent.

I was comparing with the Vostros. I am aware that now it's all LED backlit.

Yes, the old version, not anymore. OneNote 2010 is, in my opinion, the best note taking program I found.

Yes, because the ones that works perfectly are expensive (see Latitude XT2), and low power for the money. The technology is not there yet. But since the past 5 years, it evolved greatly. From difficult to use and not great tracking and poor battery life, to acceptable battery life, and great tracking and easy to use.

Please use OneNote 2010. I just spent a year with it (with Office 2010 technical preview which I got invited too, and public beta)

So, what do anyone cares about. They are no special benefit form this.. oh right, have your competitor be able to use it, ok so...

With Linux poor tracking on home computers, you wonder why it was not ditch altogether. You can't say that, the same way I can't say what I just said.
Good Tablet PC are expensive. Today, we finally have them (good ones)! It's a mater of time before they become affordable. Soon (maybe 5-8 years) it won't surprise me if it's a 100-200$ upgrade on a system, if you get what I mean.

 

This entire statement is erroneous. The 16:10 aspect ratio was never a serious contender for the HDTV standard. From early on, it was always 16:9.

I'm not about say that 16:9 is ideal but it was a compromise between the analog broadcasting standard the anamorphic ratio. If there was an argument of 16:9 vs 16:10 for the HDVT standard, it occurred at the ITU back in the 1980s, and I seriously doubt you were a participant.

Nvidia has an absolutely rotten GUI. I've had terrible personal experience with several Nvidia GPUs, with Nvidia drivers and with Nvidia business practices.

Unless someone really needs the dedicated Nvidia, I'd suggest avoiding on the basis of the brand alone.

From what I've seen a number of E6410 users complain about lack of performance in various gaming applications. All I'm saying is that a dedicated 512MB GPU really isn't all that powerful. For someone who actually demands a high end graphics GPU, something like an Alienware M15x with a 1GB ATI GPU would be far more appropriate. For a typical business user, Intel graphics are just fine, unless you work for a boss that doesn't notice or care if you playing World of Warcraft during business hours.

Then maybe you should stop typing.

Actually, why would a 9-cell battery make your typing so much louder than a 6-cell battery?

The poster was considering the E6410/E6510 and Vostro 3400/3500, so it's obvious that he's making a broad comparison.

Sure. Maybe Latitude ON Flash is really popular somewhere. Yup. "Somewhere out there, beneath the pale blue night......."

Not there's one request I wouldn't want to make again. I wouldn't care if it was free.

Having actually used Latitude ON Flash, I would not recommend it to anyone.

"If Dell is out of them," I'd advise Dell not to bother with restocking.

I'd "wait a bit" not to get it.

Actually the annoying Latitude ON password prompt requires at least 8 characters of which (1) much be a number and (1) letter much be upper case. I type as quickly as most people do, but I really couldn't beat a Windows 7 boot up with Latitude ON, which is really start for a "quick start up" lightweight operating system.

Now, I don't know if the original $199 version of Latitude ON with the ARM processor was any better, but I do know that Latitude ON Flash wasn't even worth $50.

I'm not going to get into all of the glitches I experience with Latitude ON Flash, but it goes without saying I wouldn't buy another system with this feature.

If Dell has truly dropped Latitude ON Flash, it is a positive development.

I can only hope that a full version of Splashtop works better than this abomination.

Funny, I don't have a problem opening any OpenOffice application. I also don't have a problem closing Openoffice either. I wish I could say that about MS Word.

I'm very familiar with the file recovery aspect of Microsoft Office. I used to use it all too frequently. I really have to admire the sheer instability of a number of Microsoft applications. At least they are consistent.

To be honest, I've never had a crash with OpenOffice. Actually, I've had far fewer problems with open source programs than with Microsoft applications.

Office 2010 web was a suggestion to use under Latitude ON. Under Windows, you can use wtv you want, as well Office 2007/2010 runs on Windows, but not under Linux.


Your "solution" isn't really a solution, it's just a scenario built around a Microsoft product.

I'd suggest that you try version 3.2.0.

Personally, I don't notice anything terribly wrong with the spell checking function of Openoffice Writer. Does it get confused with a few unusual, little used terms? Sure. Not a big problem.

I personally don't know how much of a drop a Vostro 3x00 or Latitude E6x10 can take, but I don't want to give anyone the impression these are rugged or semi-rugged laptops, as that term is customarily defined.

Personally, I've owned quite a few notebook computers and I've never dropped a single one.

From what I can find out, every Vostro 3x00 series appears be LED backlit as well.

Have you heard of the iPad?

So you're just repeating the Microsoft propaganda? I'm sure they're more than little frightened by a free competitor. They should be.

Proprietary files formats are a tremendous inconvenience to the user. After all, who wants to invest time and effort in a strange file type that is only supported by a single program that might be abandoned by Microsoft? Trust me, Microsoft has orphaned file extension before and will do it again.

Ask Dell. They're preparing to launch a lineup of Ubuntu 10.10 notebooks, and there's even talk about Ubuntu Light on

The HP TM2, for instance, isn't especially expensive, at least not in comparison to the iPad which has far more modest hardware specs. Put the TM2 together with the similar Elitebook 2730P, and overall sales might match 2% of iPad sales if I had to guess.

I'm inclined to say that there isn't much of a future for Windows table PCs, except as downmarket iPad clones. The same goes for the stillborn Microsoft smart phone. So, there goes the intended market for Microsoft OneNote.