Latitude E4300 first impressions

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered a Black e4300 from Dell Outlet with the 20% coupon. Also got the NBD service for $99 (a necessity IMO)

Specs are as follows:

Intel Core 2 Duo SP9400
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)
128GB Mobility Solid State Drive
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
6 Cell Primary Battery
Integrated Webcam
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
No Fingerprint Reader
65W AC Adapter
Back-lit Keyboard
Bluetooth Wireless Card 365
Genuine Windows XP Pro with Vista Business License
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
Roxio Creator DE


Get 20% off any refurbished Latitude E4300 laptops with this coupon! - $207.80

Lat E4300: 3Yr Basic Ltd Warranty and NBD On-site Service

Order Subtotal: $930.20
Shipping and Handling Total: $19.99
Shipping Discount: -$19.99
Tax Total: $81.38
Total Amount: $1,011.58

Not too bad of a price I think. Will post up my impressions/review and some photos if anyone is interested.

 

Not to bring back the dead, but I am interested in getting this laptop new or from outlet. I read all 42 pages, and I feel quite informed

I heard about the MBs being replaced cause of issue(s) described here: http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19245498.aspx

Should I buy, wait for the next one from dell, or buy another make/model all together?

 

the motherboard issue has been fixed for a few months now. Purchase away.

 

I second that statement. My new E4300 that was assembled mid August is running perfectly. I wouldn't worry about a thing.

 

I have a referb and it runs fine as well.

 

Well, I contacted our rep and I hope to get a quote for a E4300 with the following specs (this is to replace my D420 that I gave to my brother). I was going to order it in blue, but my wife and I decided on black.

Intel Core 2 Duo SP9600 (2.53 GHz)
4 GB RAM
160 GB HD
Webcam
Dell Wireless 365
Intel WiFi Link 5300
6-Cell Battery
3 year complete care with NBD support
Dell Latitude ON Reader
Internal Backlit English Keyboard
Vista Home Basic Service Pack 1 (will be replaced with windows 7)
Intel vPro set to Off
8X DVD+/-RW

I hope the price is decent, but we will soon see...

 

Sorry but Vista Home Basic users are NOT illegible for a the free Windows 7 upgrade.
You need Vista Home Premium minimum to access to the free Windows 7 upgrade (says so on Dell page, where you pick your OS)

Second problem, is that your OS is 32-bit, you need a 64-bit operating system to unleash the full power of your CPU, run 64-bit applications, and be able to use your 4GB of RAM (and only ~3GB). If you pick a 32-bit Vista, your free Windows 7 will be in 32-bit as well. 64-bit is the future, embrace it.

I STRONGLY suggest to call Dell, and modify your order before it's too late.

 

Thank you for your help, and I totally agree, but I am covered since I was part of the beta program I received a free copy of windows 7.

EDIT: On another note....I may just use that free copy on my desktop, and get another one. Thanks for the heads up!

 

I'd second the buy statements as well. Mine has been running well since early January (apart from all bloatware my company puts on it, but that's hardly the computer's fault). Just make sure to get a 6-cell as my 3-cell drains "instantly" (2,5 hours or so).

 

Well, I bit the bullet and I purchased it. Not that bad price for the specs (I didn't change the OS, cause I may just put linux on there instead)

1 224-6287 Latitude E4300, Intel Core 2 Duo SP9600, w/ Latitude ON 2.53GHz, 1066MHz, 6M L2 Cache Dual Core
1 311-9160 4.0GB, DDR3-1066 SDRAM, 2 DIMMfor Latitude
1 330-1375 Internal Backlit English Keyboard for Latitude E4300
1 330-1652 Documentation (English) Latitude E-Family/Mobile Precision
1 320-7022 Mobile Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD , Latitude E4300
1 341-7476 160GB Hard Drive 9.5MM 7200RPM FFS for Latitude E4X00
1 330-1365 NO Internal Fingerprint Readerand NO contactless smartcard reader for Latitude E4300
1 320-7410 Wide Screen WXGA White LED forLatitude ON, Latitude E4300
1 420-8732 Vista Home Basic Service Pack 1, with media, English Latitude
1 430-3195 Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module, Latitude E4X00
1 420-9159 Dell Latitude ON Reader Latitude E4X00
1 330-1384 65W 3-Pin, AC Adapter for Latitude E-Family
1 330-0879 US - 3-FT, 3-Pin Flat E-FamilyPower Cord for Latitude E-Family
1 313-6824 8X DVD+/-RW, Black, Latitude E4300
1 421-0536 Cyberlink Power DVD 8.2,with Media, Dell Relationship LOB
1 421-1189 Roxio Creator Dell Edition 10.3, Media, Dell RLOB
1 320-7414 Integrated VGA web cam Latitude E4300
1 420-8666 Dell Webcam Central Software for Dell Latitude/Mobile Precision
1 430-3362 Intel WiFi Link 5300 (802.11 a/g/n 3X3) 1/2 MiniCard for VPRO Latitude E/Mobile Precision
1 330-0885 Intel vPro set to Off for future use for Latitude and Mobile Precision
1 330-1366 Resource DVD with Diagnostics and Drivers for Latitude E4300Notebook
1 312-0756 6-Cell/60-WHr Battery for Latitude E4300
1 320-7417 Black Wide Screen WXGA LED Panel with Latitude On with WLAN AND Camera, Latitude E4300, Dual Core
1 990-3562 Basic Support: Next Business Day Parts and Labor Onsite Response 2 Year Extended
1 990-5810 Basic Support: Next Business Day Parts and Labor Onsite Response Initial Year
1 991-8628 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty Plus Onsite Service Extended Year(s)
1 991-8627 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty Plus Onsite Service Initial Year
1 900-9987 Standard On-Site Installation Declined
1 990-3952 CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection, 3 Year
1 988-7689 Info, Complete Care
1 310-8759 You have chosen a Vista Basic System
1 330-1153 Intel Centrino 2 vPro Core DuoProcessor