E6420 Owner's Thread

I can't be 100% sure since I haven't tried it, but the E6420 should support SATA600 since it is a feature of the new Intel chipset. Dell might have done something in the BIOS to block it, but I can't think of a good reason why they should. It's taken a while for Lenovo customers to accept that the new notebooks support the faster SATA.

One possible check is to run the mainboard module of SiSoftware Sandra's Hardware reports. It tells me that the controller is SATA600, one channel is using SATA 300 and the other channel is using SATA150 (on my Thinkpad T420s). However, it is possible that the maximum speed is determined from the controller type rather than any test.

John

 

We just got our first batch of E6420's in, and let me say I am disappointed.

1. The charger looks like it came from a $399 dell laptop
2. The design while aesthetically pleasing, looks like it came from the Inspiron line. Don't get me wrong, the laptop looks cool, fresh, and bold but I think they sacrificed function for form which in the business world is a big no no. Why have something the looks good but cant hold up to the rigors of the working environment?
3. I HATE THE RUBBERY PALM REST, going to be hard to keep clean.
4. Specs are nice, speed is good and the LCD looks nice but why the large LCD bezel? Why not put a larger LCD in it?
5. Why not have backwards compatibility with KB, ROM drives, batteries? Dell promises a 4 to 5 year life span on external peripherals with the Latitiude line, why not make the same promise for internal ones like those listed above? I understand if the case design changes but come on, i have tons of batteries, KB, ROM drives for E6400/E6410!!! This is bad for ROI!!!

Overall I don't like were Dell went with this model, it looks and feels like a consumer grade laptop, not business.


Specs;
I7-2620
4GB RAM
Intel GPU
DVD +/- RW
1600X900 LCD
250GB HDD
Intel 6300 WIFI
Bluetooth 375
Backlit KB
Web cam

 

So, I am considering buying the E6420 as for mainly use in office and travelling and had a question:

1. How is the hard drive noise/vibration for a normal 7200 RPM HDD? This was a bad issue on my XPS 15 that I still have.

Edit: NVM, wrong laptop, I am looking at the E5420

 

Side note, does anyone know were I can get F6 drivers for XP?

 

Go to Intel's website, and use the ones from there.

Intel® RST Driver Files (for version 10.1) - F6 Install (32-bit)

 

Look for Intel Rapid Storage Technology support/driver downloads for your OS. Note that several of the most recent versions will be listed. Select the SATA mode you want in the BIOS first. If you install the IRST app, some readmes suggest XP requires certain .net support and some MS hotfixes... so read up if you plan to use the Intel app in RAID/IRRT mode.

GK

 

Hello,

I have bought an E6420 with an i7-2720QM quad core and I am worried because it gets too warm when the CPU is at full speed.

If I run some application that makes intensive use of the CPU (prime95 or bitcoin for example) it reaches the 90ºC in less than 5 minutes and if keep it running in less than half an hour the CPU reaches the 100ºC and starts throttling.

Anybody with a 2720QM CPU on the E6420 can stress the 8 threads of the CPU at 100% and monitor the temperatures that it reaches?

Is a general problem with this laptops or I got a faulty one? Should I call Dell service support? Thanks!

 

Same configuration and same behavior. On the other hand, in practical use, it is fairly unusual to have the 4 cores (8 threads) in full use at 100% for long time. It happens to me when I run my networking simulation software. Generally speaking, notebooks are not meant for such kind of job. I had several notebooks before (both Dell and Sony), always fully equipped ones, and I had similar behavior. The only exception was my previous Dell Precision, but it was much bulkier (probably to make space for a cooling device big enough to withstand such kind of hard jobs).

Enjoy your E6420 and use a desktop for long running, highly CPU intensive applications.
G.

 

And what happens if I do video editing, cad rendering or some other stuff in my daily work that needs the CPU at 100% for several hours?

I don't think this to be serious. If dell is unable to cool the 2720 enough then better don't sell this CPU with this chassis. But when I buy a laptop I expect that the fans will be able to keep the system cool under *ANY* load.

Besides, today the HDD started failing (smart errors and i/o read errors) and the laptop is only a week older !!

I called technical service and asked for a replacement.

 

I think nowadays most of us is "overusing" notebooks. I do not think most of them are ready to be used as true desktop replacement. I am not saying this is good. Neither this is acceptable. I am saying this is what state-of-the-art technology offers. And it is a fact that does not depend on a single producer or a single model. As I said, I had several notebooks in the past and I always buy them putting the fastest available CPU and GPU. Well, all of them had "problems" with heat under hard job. I had to manually throttle the CPU (e.g., avoiding the fastest frequencies) or to move to a desktop for the hardest jobs. The only exception was my Dell Precision, but that was a machine explicitly designed to cope with such kind of hard jobs, and this reflects in it being much bulkier than similarly equipped alternatives.

Also, we have to decide what we classify as a "problem". If the overheating breaks your hdd in one week... this is a problem. If the machine throttles the CPU down a bit but works without major faults, this is something different (and more acceptable to me).

In any case there are not many alternatives: either accept bulkiness (up to the point to buy a desktop, not a notebook) or stay away from hard jobs. Moving from Dell to other producers will not change much (unfortunately).

My 2 cents