Latitude E6400 review up on Cnet

I think I´m not the only one waiting for a review of yours, so don´t take too long. I´m pretty sure it´ll give me the confirmation I need to give an order for one myself.

 

Hey John, did you go for the discrete GPU? Any idea on when you'll actually get the system into your hands? The weight of your system could be the dealmaker/dealbreaker for me too.

 

(i) I'm an integrated graphics person - I want the minimum heat and fan noise and good battery life.

(ii) I would hope to see it on Friday.

John

 

I too am concerned about the weight of the e6400. If it turns to be 5.5+, I might consider the e4300 instead.

 

Yeah 5.5lbs+ is very heavy, but seems to be with the 9 cell, so you're probably looking at close to 5lbs with a 6 cell. The 4.3lbs advertised must be with the 4 cell and perhaps a travel-light module?

 

I can't help but be a bit confused by all these comments that the E6400 is "very" heavy for it's size. Considering that the 5.7lb weight is probably with the 9 cell battery, that's actually fairly average for a 14" business machine with this feature set. It's also the same (actually might be slightly less) than the D630 it replaces, so pretty much exactly what should be expected. This is a feature rich 14" laptop with discrete graphics, significant expansion options that are rare these days for this size (unfortunately), and is built for business class durability (just like the D6xx series intentionally bulked up the case compared to my aging 600m for added screen durability). Lighter models are going to sacrifice some of that, plain and simple. You must chose your priorities - this isn't a true thin-and-light class.

I'm anxiously waiting to hear what the first recipients of the E6400 have to say. Thanks for taking the time to keep us informed, and for taking the early plunge. I've gotten bitten too much in the past year buying release products to not hear at least a little feedback before my next laptop

cheers

 

Agreed! D630 and D830 were said to be built like a tank. Full magnesium alloy body. So with the E6400, I don't mind it to be a bit heavier than most 14.1 inch notebooks as long as it is still built like a tank.

 

By example: The CNET article this thread is about complains about the weight of the Dell (5.7lb as configured - w/ 9 cell), linking to a recent Gateway T-6836 review as a comparison (5.5lb as configured - w/ 6 cell).

Putting aside the fact that this is a minor weight difference, (and if you're worried about the ac adapter, Dell sells a small one) the Gateway scored 178 minutes in their battery test, while the E6400 scored 267 minutes.

That makes the comparison rather pointless, because you could theoretically get equal or better battery life than the gateway from the dell 6 cell, at lower weight.

That's not to say the gateway is a good comparison choice at all (it's not), and probably says more about the reviewer's awareness than the laptop, but to imply the E6400 is some overweight couch potato is a bit extreme.

If I had one weight/battery related complaint about the E6400 based purely on the specs, it's that they permanently axed the option of media bay batteries. One of my favorite features of my 600m, and my i3700 before that, was reliable 8 hours+ battery life with no added girth. I could sometimes go through a week's worth of meetings before a charge. That current laptops can't match that is highly disappointing. Thankfully, I don't have nearly as much need for that amount of battery life as I used to, but it's still a shame.

Edit: I should pay attention to the article better, it does say explicitly that they used the 9 cell. That confirms the battery life observation, and also means that it should be under 5.5 with the 6 cell.

 

How long does the battery on the M4400 last? Do I need to buy the 9-cell for the "19 hours"?

 

The 19 hour stuff is assuming both the 9 cell battery and the battery slice - in short, that is a lot of weight, and not something normal folks are going to use.