e6500 Configuration, thoughts?

Hello everyone,

I am in the process of ordering a new e6500. I have been reading through the forum for the last week and I came to the following configuration but would like to clarify a couple of questions.

Just an idea of what laptops I have, I am using Latitude D610, Latitude D620, Thinkpad T60. This might give you an idea of what I am used to. I find T60 is the best overall, D620 very mobile but slow, D610 ok and stable.

Here is what I am thinking for the e6500.

Latitude E6500 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8600 (2.40GHz, 3M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Operating Systems Genuine Windows Vista Business Bonus-Windows XP Professional downgrade
Memory 4.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
Internal Keyboard Internal English Backlit Keyboard
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
250GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor
No Fingerprint Reader
15.4” UltraSharp™ Wide WXGA+ (1440x900) LED Display-Brushed Metal Black
Dell Wireless® 370 Bluetooth Module
Modem Internal 56K Modem
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD™
Camera / Microphone Integrated Webcam with digital microphone
Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
Intel vPro™ Technology’s advanced mgmt features are Off for future use


This machine will be used mainly for the Internet and not so demanding applications.

Now,

1) What do you think overall? Any issues to watch for?

2) Should I go for the WUXGA? I have been reading about the small font but was not sure. My T60 is set to 1280x800

3) I read about HDD noise, should I downgrade to 5400 or maybe upgrade to SSD?

Thank you for your help.

 

I think it's just fine. The only possible issue would be overheating if you took the Nvidia graphics card.

 

Because of the lack of any dampening mechanism in the E6400 and E6500, some 7200RPM drives have been known to vibrate in the former. Dunno if it's also the case for the E6500, but the relative performance difference between a 5400RPM drive and a 7200RPM (compared to the relative performance difference between a standard HDD and an SSD) is so small that you might as well just get a bigger 5400RPM drive.

I think 1680 x 1050 is the best resolution on a 15" display, but since they don't make that for the E6500, I think 1440 x 900 is the next best choice.

 

Yeah, WUXGA has REALLY small icons and fonts.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Thanks for the advice. Do you think it is worth it to go SSD, pay more, get less capacity?

 

I've got a Seagate 500gb 7200rpm drive in my e6500. It doesnt have any damping, it just bolts to the chasis. That said its practically silent.

I like the 1920x1200 screen... particularly when i'm working on lots of machines and documents. Windows 7 does much better scaling than previous versions of Windows so you can have the resolution without the tiny fonts.

 

If you like the best possible image on your screen, by all means go for the WUXGA - icons and fonts (and ppi) are not set in stone, but adjustable - once adjusted right, nothing touches WUXGA. If you are happy with lower definition, and don't want to vary default settings, by all means go for a resolution more like you are used to. But once the software settings are appropriate to ensure the desired size of icon and text, the greater the ppi on a screen the clearer every equally-sized image (they are denser - less pixilation), so images are clearer and much less strain on the eyes...on 15.4" WUXGA you should be able to work all day without any eye strain at all...

1920X1200 has around 50% more pixels per inch than 1280x800, so it is a very different environment. If you are not confident of the huge change involved, then 1440x900 would be a safe option.

The 5400rpm drive is a good choice.

 

Thanks, I am glad to know that 7200rpm doesn't cause problems for you.

 

Thank you for the thorough reply. Any recommended settings for better readability with WUXGA?


When you say 5400rpm is a good choice, would you please explain why?