Latitude E6400/E6500 good and bad thread

I received my E6400 early december and I have spent quite some time trying to get it optimized for VMWare Workstation.

Cons.
-So far, only driver issues.
* the sound sometimes stutters. (driver issue)
* NIC driver does'nt support Windows Server 2008, yet.

Pros.
- I love the screen (LPL LED) and it's much better than the LED on my m1330.
- Keyboard is one of the best I have ever had on a notebook.
- Build quality
- eSata, DisplayPort, backlit keyboard.
- Size of the 90W power brick is convenient and small.

Generally I'm very satisfied, I just wish it had a Quad Core.

 

We have a bunch of E6500's here.
Overall they're pretty well built machines with decent performance.

If I had to single out one major flaw with these things, it's the eternally buggy Control Point software.

 

yes, they better get it sorted quickly. its annoying me too. and the stupid connection manager isnt even a complete piece of software (wifi disabled for now..."coming soon")

at least its a promising new concept, its like dell's version of thinkvantage.

anything is better than that horrible horrible quickset they used to have

 

Amen brother, let's hope they hear you and get it sorted out soon.

I'm really getting tired of the 'why isn't my laptop changing power modes automatically when switching to battery?' emails. It's mainly because either DCP has completely forgotten it's battery saver selection checkboxes or the entire app crashed and closed itself. Arg !

 

really? i havent had it crash on me before. the most common thing to crash on me is the bloody audio drivers

 

Are there alternatives to dell's control point? ie, Can most of it be avoided altogether, or is it too integrated into the system?

 

for connection manager, you can leave it out, vista can handle it. (unless u have WWAN card) but for the system manager and the security manager, i dont think you have a choice, since the components need the proprietary software.

 

I've also been meaning to fill this one out:

I have one of the earlier E6400s, only about a week older than John Ratsey's. P8400, 2GB, NVS160M, 64GB SSD, LED WXGA+, DVDRW, 1397 WiFi, 6-Cell. The SSD is not the stock SSD.

Let's start with the cons:

> As some have already mentioned the machine is a bit overweight. Dell made a huge fuss about the 4.3lb entry weight, but most practical configurations are about 5lbs. Mine weights 5.1lbs as configured, 4.1lbs without the battery or optical drive. You can see how 4.3lbs might be possible, but not as practical.

> Pardon my language, but the cooling on the Quadro simply sucks balls. There's a fatty thermal pad between the GPU and the heatsink and the heat transfer is poor enough such that at full CPU and GPU load, the Quadro can run up to one hundred degrees. Like you could boil water on that.

I have not yet been inclined to risk voiding my warranty, but with a proper copper mod, the temps become much more bearable. There is a full 20+ degree drop at full CPU and GPU load and the machine runs cool enough such that the fan never comes on at idle or light load.

> My last big qualm is more of a problem with Intel. I simply hate how they have locked down the lowest VID on their new processors, such that you cannot lower the idle voltage via software. This is frustrating because my unit spends most of its time at idle or light load, so the largest power savings would be in dropping the idle and low-load voltages.

Those are the three big problems I've had with the machine, but there are some small quirks as well:

> Large screen bezel
> Off-center latch
> Dust in speaker grills
> Lousy software

> I'm not sure if this last thing is just me, but the power share doesn't seem to work when the laptop is in standby. Somewhat annoying because I rarely shut it down at night.

Now for the pros:

> Overall excellent design and build quality. I have owned the C600, the D600, and now the E6400, and the improvement between each generation, the reduction in thickness and weight, is simply amazing. If my D830 was a Gamecube, the E6400 is a Playstation 2.

> I love the access panel that makes up the bottom of the notebook. On many older Dell machines, you need to remove the keyboard to access the memory and sometimes the palmrest to access the processor. Not only does the panel open up the processor and memory, it also covers all three of the machine's Mini PCIe slots and the internal drive bays.

> Backlit keyboard is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Using my non-backlit HP TC4200 in the dark I wonder how I ever got by without the backlit keyboard. Better lightning implementation than the ThinkLight if you ask me. And of course the keyboard itself is quite sturdy and pleasant to use.

> The power consumption even with the Quadro is very good. I pull about 13 watts at idle, though RMClock estimates 11 watts. Full CPU and GPU load is still under 40 watts, so I don't see why Dell saw a need to include the 90 watt adapter.

With a proper cooling implementation and an SSD you can have truly silent computing under light loads. Battery life is subsequently about 4.5 hrs which is quite good in my book. The metal plate also does a good job dissipating heat; I'd rather use this machine in bed than the aforementioned TC4200.

Some lesser pros:

> Windows XP
> Four USB ports
> Slim AC adapter
> Runs on 65W PSU
> Battery in back

Other thoughts:

> I have mixed feelings about the LED screen. It's thin and bright, but the colors can be a bit washed out and the viewing angles aren't great either. Furthermore, I feel that the build quality, although still high, is lower than that of the rest of the laptop; the top back and bottom of the screen particularly have a bit more flex than the rest of the machine.

> It picks up grease. Like really easily.

For the most part, my only regret is getting the Quadro and it's not that big of a deal since my E6400 doesn't spend that much time on the road. Get the Intel if you don't game. The P8400 is also sufficient for almost everything you need to do these days; don't be fooled by your e-peen and get a T9600 if you don't need it. Save the money and buy an SSD.

 

The e6500 has to have THE and I mean THE worst internal speakers of ANY laptop I have EVER used. My little MSI Wind sounds like a high end system compared to this.

Dell should be ashamed to put out a system with this poor of internal speakers. At to think this is supposed to be a flagship model. These speakers are definitly going to sell some IBM and HP laptops once people actually HEAR how terrible the sound is.

I work in IT and select laptops for employee use. There is NO WAY I would give this laptop to ANYONE who even REMOTELY needed to use the internal speakers. This would rule out travelling salesmen, attornies or anyone else who spends the day/night in a room and wants to relax with a DVD. You would rather watch infomericals on the TV where the people actually sound like people and not like they just had their privates squashed.

As you can see I am pretty upset. My D820 that this replaces was lightyears ahead of the e6500 in internal audio quality. Watching slingplayer is painful on the e6500.

Very, VERY disappointed.

 

I always travel with some small Creative speakers which, conveniently, I can power from the USB port. Most of the time the speakers are plugged into my Creative Zen but, if I want to watch a DVD, they are plugged into my computer and can give generous audio volume.

I've been doing this for more years than I can remember. Notebooks which have audio as good as the external speakers tend to be big and heavy.

So maybe you should give your road warriors the option of having a portable computer with some small external speakers

John