Latitude E6510 Owner's Lounge

I've had my Latitude E6510 for a few months and had some questions.

The ambient light sensor seems to not work very well. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Like now when I hold my finger over the sensor. Other times it goes up and down 1 brightness level like it's between sensitivity levels. And I don't like how it often blasts me with 100% brightness in the morning with no lights on. Is anyone else experiencing similar problems?

The notifications for volume, keyboard, and brightness level won't stay onscreen. They only work if the software is open. When I close the software, the notifications go away. I've tried reinstalling the Dell System Manager software, but no luck.

I used to have corruption problems caused by the bluetooth driver (corrupted the HDD when I tried to install the driver, so I had to format and reinstall windows) but now that I've upgraded to x64 I haven't seen any driver installation failures.

Another thing that struck me about the laptop is the huge bezel on the bottom. It seems like there's enough room for a 16:10 panel, but for the same width it might not be a standard size.

I agonized over choosing between the 1600 x 900 vs. the 1920 x 1080 panel. I ultimately went with the 1600 x 900, because the IT at my school said that windows DPI scaling isn't too good and that they hadn't seen 1080p in a 15" screen and it might be too small (I actually looked at screens in Best Buy and couldn't find 1080p on a screen smaller than 17"). I thought the 1080p might make text to small. Most on this forum seem to like the 1080 and have no problem with DPI scaling. (My school did have a weeklong server failure that knocked out basically every service except internet(which doesn't matter if you can't log in), so maybe I shouldn't trust their word).

The widescreen is a bit frustrating; in everyday tasks you don't notice it but once you start up Matlab/AutoCAD/Adobe Premiere you miss the vertical space.

When I watch 1080p videos online I swear I can see the jagged edges caused by the downscaling. Dunno if I made the right choice in terms of monitor resolution.
Is the text on the 1080 really small/is Windows DPI scaling better than the IT at my school give it credit for?

Also, the webcam driver on Dell's website says it is already installed (the only thing installed is the default Windows integrated webcam driver). Should I just install Webcam central? (is it 64-bit if the computer came with a 32-bit OS disk)?

 

If the DCP control over the ambient light sensor does not satisfy you, I would turn it off and set the brightness manually.

I believe the onscreen notifications require DCP running in the task tray/startup folder?

I would not suspect the BT s/w driver of corrupting the HDD. Could have been some other cause... perhaps a bad OEM install.

1600x900 on the 15.4" would suit my eyes. 1440x900 on the 16:10 14.1" E64x0 here is pushing it. DPI scaling works pretty good within a reasonable range like 120%, but native res is the best bet, particularly if you are lamenting 16:9 vs. 16:10. I don't know what 1080P gets you unless its more for driving an external display... no experience here.

The default Win7 cam driver should enable the device. My Webcam Central CD shipped with Win7 x64 and does not indicate x86 vs. x64, so I believe it will run on either OS. The hardware driver is the bit that must interface 32-bit or 64-bit. So, I'd use the Webcam Central you have.

GK

 

1440x900 on a 14inch laptop, stretching? Really? I actually want a higher resolution on it. Too small of a work area.

The problem in changing the DPI is not Windows. Windows 7 particularly does a great job. The problem is very few software simply don't support it. DPI changing will pick up when we will start using super high resolution screen for our screen size.

 

Of course a bigger work area is desirable, but higher res in a fixed area results in smaller objects which are harder to discern, depending on one's vision. Of course, it's subjective, but I'm confident in suggesting that 1440x900 native on 14.1" is a practical usage limit. Let us know how you like it when you're older... when your eyesight naturally worsens.

GK

 

I have an issue with my 4 month old E6510.
The audio output from the laptop has defects in it. It has a quality issue, it makes small scratchy noises when outputting any kind of audio. I can confirm its not Windows or the System speakers, as it does the same with external speakers/headphones under both Windows and Fedora. Any suggestions, or ideas?

 

Make sure that you have installed the latest version of the IDT audio driver which was released last September.

John

 

I did, sadly. Had no luck with it which really annoyed me. I'm suspecting a faulty audio controller but i dont see how it happend, as it was previously okay about a month or two after purchase.

 

Time to phone Dell and get some warranty service?

John

 

Yup, follow what John said. What warranty service did you have? Perhaps you can get a technician to come to your home/business and diagnose it rather than RMA it to Dell.

 

The top end warranty service. I work for a company who works for Dell hence why i have the odd hardware in it. I'm sceptical to send it to Dell due to the fact very little of it is as was factory fitted. I fear they'll either not support it or replace it. Along with my custom hardware.