Latitude E6400 Owner's Lounge, Part 2

From all indications it appears that the new E series laptops will hit early March, not summer, so you won't have to wait as long as you may think. You can check out the New latitude thread in this forum for updates. This should bump down the price of the E6400 (and there is likely going to be a small business dell coupon soon). I'm in the market for a new E6500 or E6510, depending on what happens over the next 2 weeks.

 

This decision is all yours. For me, if I was in your situation, assuming I don't know much about computers, I would take the chance of having no warranty on the system, and use forums to educate myself and help others, to increase my knowledge significantly in computers, something that I'll do everyday, meaning, if I don't have a problem, I'll still present my guesses, my research, and what I heave read onto the forum itself.

A 64-bit Operating System with a 64-bit CPU, is 100% backward compatible to 32-bit applications. So they all are going to work. Just make sure your peripheral (printer, scanner, etc..) have Vista 64-bit or Windows 7 64-bit drivers. (Win7 is based on Vista, and both drivers form either OS will work under Win7). Usually it's not an issue. If it is, contact the company for alternatives (some drivers from a difference device might work with your current device). But then again, this is rare that it will not work. It's usually for very old peripherals. Keyboard, mouse and drivers, don't require drivers.

Going to 64-bit allows you:
1- Run 32-bit and 64-bit applications to run.

2- Run 64-bit OS, drivers, applications, and video/audio codec's which provides you more performance by using less or the same amount of power than if they were in 32-bit due to: new operation codes built-in into the CPU which allows to do execute some instructions faster, longer instruction (64-bit long), allows less instructions to be sent to the CPU, also it can support longer number to work with. But wait their is more! 64-bit CPU's include security system prevent many security hacks form occurring, like buffer overrun protection.

3- Windows Vista/7 64-bit, requires that all drivers are digital signed by Microsoft, ensuring that viruses which goes as a driver and rootkits can't be installed on your system. New Core from Vista, makes Vista/Win7 VERY secure. At the moment of Vista release, over 85-90% of viruses/worms/trojans was unable to execute their attack on the user system. The virus just stand there ready to be detected with your anti-virus software, and removed. The rest of the 10% of viruses, are user errors (meaning the user actually runs the virus, and gives it full administrator privileges).

4-Address up to 16 Exabytes of memory (theoretical CPU limit - we don't have enough to test this). Please note that the motherboard chipset also limits the max memory size you can use in your system. 16 Exabyte is 16 000 000 GB of RAM . While a 32-bit CPU (or a locked down 64-bit CPU done by using a 32-bit Operating system), can only support 4GB of RAM, and address up to 4GB (depending on the motherboard chipsets, usually it's less) - Video memory. Meaning you'll have anywhere from 3GB to 3.7GB (3.7 if you are lucky) of available memory. A system with more than 4GB of system memory (RAM) will not be able to start your 32-bit operating system, you'll need 64-bit.

5- Despite having 32-bit applications not really use all the greatness of 64-bit CPU, please not that 64-bit application are coming, more people uses 64-bit Operating systems, the more you'll see them. Already Adobe has several 64-bit software, we have about 99% of all video codec's in 64-bit, games are starting to emerge in 64-bit, and small software here you there which you can encounter. Just the fact of having an operating system in 64-bit provide 5-10% increase in performance for your 32-bit application, as the CPU can run all Operating System related programs and processes in 64-bit, it makes it "like" if the Operating system is lighter. Office 2010 will be in 64-bit flavor (32-bit will be available on the same disk for compatibility reason), iTuens and Zune software are also available in 64-bit.

Additional Windows 7 features:
1- Vista/7 User Account Control system, make no user true administrator, meaning if you execute a program that requires true administration privileges, the system will prompt the user (you), to allow or not this software form true administration privileges. This means, if you open a picture, and the system wants administration privileges... you know something is 100% wrong (virus or malware), because a picture doesn't need such privileges. Click on cancel, and delete the file.

2- Interface engine, called Aero, in Vista/Win7 uses the GPU to render it all, so that means moving windows around, moving your mouse, having a wallpaper, having fancy interface with glass everywhere, will not affect your system performance. CPU's sucks at drawing as there where never designed to do this. graphics cards are, they can do it without any difficulties. Hence, it can potentially increase your battery life, or have the same power consumption (more or less a few minutes), and have a more fancier interface.

3- A very long list of feature which you can see some of them on Microsoft Windows 7 website.

4- Better memory management. XP behavior is always act like if you are low in memory no mater what you do. As it's design for system with 128-256MB of RAM, not 1GB+. So it dumps everything it can on your pagefile on your HDD. Vista/Win7 is the absolute contrary. It only uses the pagefile if you are low or full in memory. This is why Vista/Win7 takes more system memory. Just this fact the performance between XP and 7 is huge on a modern system. You have RAM, it's meant to be used. If not, then why not just remove the concept of RAM entirely, and use our HDD as RAM (which is pathetically slow)

5- Superfetch, a system that takes but doesn't reserve your a part of your memory (it releases it when you need it instantly), which learns what you run as program the most often during what time of day, and pre-loads it before you do. This makes program start much faster.

6-Auto-maintenance. Windows Vista/7 doesn't slow down after 3 month, like XP did despite doing your best not too. It auto cleans itself, it automatically defarg your system, it auto-updates (without restarting your system on you). I had a system where I installed Vista on it when Vista was out until October 22nd of last year (where I got WIn7) that system, did not degrade in performance one bit. That is 3 years, no re-install, same great speed of when it was cleanly installed onto the system.

Please note, that you already skip Vista, so the learning curve is high in Windows 7. And if you wait for Windows 8.. I am sure that the learning curve would be significantly higher. Already form passing form XP to Vista it work me 2 month in playing around Vista as my main OS (to force me to be under Vista), and reading and visiting all the new features to be comfortable with it. Doing this, just in Vista, I noticed that I never been so productive, and now I can't even touch or look at an XP system it's so abysmal in comparison in term of usability.

Additional note: There is ALWAYS a downside on anything. Going to a 64-bit OS has one. 64-bit Windows does no longer support 16-bit programs. This mean DOS games and programs will no longer run. HOWEVER, the good news, is that Windows 7 Pro, comes with XP Mode, where you can run your applications (not games or any software that requires OpenGL or DirectX), under XP IN Windows 7. Like so:

Notice how Office 2003 has XP look to it, and Office 2007 is under Windows 7. Normally Office 2003 runs under Vista/7. The picture above was just an example on how it would look like. The person that took this could have simply put Office 2007 in both XP model and Windows 7 if he really wanted.

I understand, and what I am trying to do, is for you to get more for your money. And I don't want you to buy a laptop, where after 2-3 month later one that is much better comes out and you go "DAMN! Why I wasn't told!". The decision is always yours. I can't choose for you. All I am doing is laying down the card in front of you, for your to choose.

 

as aggressive as GB may be, JVCB, he is right on every single count in that post.

 

Win 7 doesn't take much learning. If you get Win 7-64 Pro (or Ultimate) then you can install the XP mode which is a virtual PC where you can run any ancient programs which won't install or run under a 64-bit OS. In my experience most of those programs are 10 or more years old.

John

 

and to add to this, my two parents (both in late 50s, early 60s) picked up windows 7 in just a few days for all the basic stuff. its really easy to learn.

 

I'll third this... my dad's in his early fifties and he picked it up pretty much immediately as well and it works with all his late nineties vintage software to boot!

 

Is that the 32 or 64 bit version of W7? I find that software of that era is what won't install on W7-64.

John

 

Yeah, it's 32bit. No real benefit for my dad going to 64bit, so why risk the incompatibility.

 

To GoodBytes and all that answered my questions on the E6400:

Thanks very much to all of you, especially GoodBytes for his kick in the rear...which I guess I needed. Apparently I was trying to "upgrade" my system without actually upgrading anything, just for the benefit of not worrying about my current hardware failing.
Being in that "late 50's" category myself and busy 12 hours a day with work, I haven't educated myself on Windows 7, reading only the big scary headlines saying that you can't just transfer your XP data and programs to a new box and be done with it.
You guys probably have no idea how intimidating all this can be for a non-techie, realizing that my WiFi, Printers, Backup Programs etc etc won't work until I go find new drivers and/or buy new software or equipment.
I'm not so much worried about learning W7, it's just getting the new system set up and running with all of my programs and data intact so that I'm not dead in the water for days/weeks while I learn how to create all new settings/bookmarks/etc. It was bad enough realizing that I was going to have to upgrade from Office 2003 to Office 2007! I'll either have to wait for a quieter time in my work load, or cave in and hire a Guru to come do the transition for me.
Again, I very much appreciate your opening my eyes to the fact that I was approaching this all wrong.
Best regards,
Jayne

 

Well at least you're taking the effort to inform yourself on the possibilities and possible issues for your upgrade.
For most here it's usually easy to say people won't have problems but in the case of Win7 it's definetly true. I think it's the most intuïtive Win versions to date and knowing anything about how windows works is more than enough to have you going in no-time. You might have to get used to the new taskbar a bit but if you have questions they'll surely be answered here.

On a side note. If your current laptop is still running without issues you might want to wait a bit after the E6410 is released and see how it runs for the early buyers here. At least you'll get an idea of possible issues and what not before taking the plunge. If you do buy it you can always return it if you don't like it or you find a problem with it but that's time nobody likes to waste (except for people who just like to test laptops ofcourse )

Good luck