E6420 Owner's Thread

I have been happy with mine, no build quality issues on mine, although I like my E6400 better...

 

If that's the route you're looking at, have you also compared the Latitude E5420? It's very nearly the same laptop, but cheaper; a few higher-end options aren't available (ones you probably would not choose).

I just received a batch of 20 E5420 systems at work. I haven't had time to work with them much yet, but they look good so far.

 

A postscript as to where this ended up (and it is not a happy ending).

I had to purchase a second E6420 before Dell would give me a refund for the first one. So I did, using the same Ships Fast option to select the same spec'd machine.

It shipped with the same standard, non HD+ screen.

I had half an hour on the phone to Dell, listening to a script, being talked over and generally patronised. The second laptop is going back for a refund. That's the highwater mark.

As for the first one, Dell's position is basically "tough. If you don't want a refund, you have to keep it. That model doesn't come with the screen you ordered and paid for, so get over it". The upshot seems to be that in the UK you may have considerable difficulty getting an E6420 with an HD+ screen.

I was also told there was no one higher up in Dell I could speak to, and that I would not be provided with an address to which I could send a letter of complaint.

By way of background, I've been buying Dells (and only Dells) for 20 years, starting with a 316SX. This is the first time I've ever had a problem with them, but it has certainly left a bad taste.

 

Sausages79: That would have peeve me off to listen to what you have to go through, I do not understand why they would continue speaking to you like that. Have you spoken to their supervisor of the current departments? Not sure what to go about with this, but I too have problems with their script talking though it was all sorted with my second call.

 

Does your shipping manifest from the first laptop show that it has the higher res screen installed? Did you order it as a Ships Fast?

 

Correct. Don't install the Control Vault driver. Even if you uninstall and try and install the Data Access drivers, the fingerprint will never work. Been there....rebuild!

 

I have an E6420 and would like to add the USB 3.0 Media Bay Module, but I'm having trouble finding one from either my Dell rep or elsewhere online. Can you tell me the part number on the module? Many thanks!

 

Dreamliner - did you ever figure out the windows border artifact when moving the window around? I think it may have to do with the Nvidia Verde driver, but not sure. Did you resolve it?

 

The diagnostics (press F12 for boot menu and then select diagnostics) has it's own temperature readings. After running the complete diagnostics (including memory test) the readings I received are:

Current Temp, High, Low
CPU: 62c, 77c, 56c
Ambient: 30c, 30c, 25c
Sodimm: 43c, 49c, 33c
Video: 56c, 66c, 49c

I have the e6420 with i5-2520, nvidia chip, 4 GB RAM, 1900x600 HD+ LCD

Can others post what they got? Please also include your laptop configuration

 

Video Card: Does anyone how to tell which chip on the motherboard is the Nvidia chip? Under the heat sink (when looking at the bottom of the laptop with the fan to the left, there is a chip that is immediately to the right of the fan and another that is right of the CPU. Is one of these the Intel video chip and/or the chipset chip?