New Latitude 5470

I have the non-touch FHD panel, the 4-cell 62 Wh batttery and the M.2 SSD. The weight is ~ 1.8 kg (same as the weight listed in Dell's specs, after all, their number is based on the same configuration).

I don't, so I'm afraid I can't help you on that.

 

I was wondering: is placing two M.2-format SSD's an option, one on SATA3 and one on MCIe ?
I've read in the owner's manual that both options exist and those M.2 are much smaller than 2,5"-SSD's. Are both ports (SATA3 and PCIe) available?
If so, it might be worth a try to solve your problem (+being lighter and more efficient)

 

yes you were right, got it confirmed on dell chat the other day. thanks

 

Info from the Dell chat (very friendly and helpfull person! Good service!)

(A)
when asking if (1) to place two M8-SSD's (1xSATA3+1xPCIe) and (...no luck?) (2) if both all PCIe ànd SATA-ports are installed and 'ready to use' so that, even if you buy it with a 2,5" Sata3-SSD, you could still buy a M8-PCIe-SSD later separately to replace the 2,5" (luck!):
(In the first response from Dell, I suppose they meant "with M8PCIeSSD-connector", based also on the further response.)

Dell:
Yes, it is always present with M8PCIeSSD
you may opt to change the hard drive to M8PCIeSSD after purchase.
One hard drive is supported.
A thank you for patiently waiting.
We cannot install up two hard drive at the same time.
Me:
OK. So if I understand it correctly, there are always 3 connectors present (one PCIe
and 2 Sata3) but, because of internal space restriction, only one can be used at a
time, but it can be changed/switched to another type later at any time after buying
the laptop if one wants?
Dell:
A yes, you are absolutely correct


I'm actually wondering if they don't say that 2 SSD's are not possible because there are no fixations for 2 simultaneously, while there would be (1) enough room for 2xM8 and (2) PCIe+SATA3 ports are both available.
It would be nice if someone could try it out .
But I'm already happy that I can put a fast and light M8-PCIe-SSD after buying the laptop with a the smallest and cheapest possible 2,5" drive...it appears the M8-PCIe-option is not available yet through the website in Belgium, so I have to do it that way.
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(B)
I also asked if it was possible to disable the R7 M360 through Windows or driver-settings when on the go, to extend the battery-life, but no luck:

Dell:
Please be advised that we do not have the option to enable or disable the dedicated
graphics card as it is automatically detect by the computer based on the applications
that you will be running.



I don't know if the dedicated R7 M360 is that much better than the iGPU (HD 530) for 3D CAD etc. I might just go with the i7-version without dedicated GPU.
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(C)
I also asked if the 16GB-limit was just for the sales (e.g. currently not available) or because 32GB is not supported by the laptop. Third time no luck:

Dell:
Maximum is 16 GB memory
I am afraid that it won't apply up to 32 GB. The Latitude E5450 supports maximum of 16 GB

 

@zoek: Thanks for sharing!

@ALL: I decided to keep mine after all. Will upgrade to a larger M.2 (2280) later down the road, I'm hoping for 1TB SSD cards in that form factor later this year.

As for battery life: I haven't had a chance to test extensively, but from Windows' battery indicator, it seems I might be getting close to 10 hours. That's with the 62 Wh battery.

 

@jasperjones great info so far... any feedback on Linux with this machine?

Also, do you like the screen?

 

So since you can't have more than one drive installed, and the price from Dell for PCIe and SATA 3 drives are the same, does it make any difference whether you choose PCIe or SATA3?

 

Not that much. I installed Ubuntu in a VM on a Windows host. I decided I'm waiting for Ubuntu 16.04... I did run some live distros, though. I had a Gparted stick floating around with 0.22.x or 0.23.x. Couldn't get X to start. Only when I used the latest and greatest 0.24, I was able to boot into the graphical desktop.

For me personally, the FHD screen is great. Very bright, good viewing angles. I don't notice any bleeding. I have no clue about color accuracy, though.

I wasn't travelling the last few days so I still haven't tested the battery extensively. From the few times I've run on battery, battery life seems extremely good (perhaps even longer than 10 hours with light usage).

Not sure I like the keyboard. For one, I don't like that there aren't dedicated Home and End keys (they're only available as Fn + another key). For another, I'm not sure I like that it's chiclet style. Thus far, I prefer typing on the non-chiclet keyboard of my previous Latitude. To be fair, I am a bit spoiled, typing on decent mechanical keyboards most of the time. The only other Chiclet keyboard I used before was the desktop keyboard of an iMac a few years back. I certainly found it much better than the one on the E5470.

Anyways, it's perhaps a bit early to condemn the keyboard. Maybe it takes some more time getting used to it.

 

Apparently, PCIe can be much faster than SATA3: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2977...dup-tiny-drives-deliver-huge-performance.html

However, I don't know which brands/models of SSD's are put in those Dell laptops, so I'm not sure they benefit from that considerable potential...
(It might be a reason to buy the laptop with the cheapest hard drive (e.g. simple, small 2,5" drive) and buy a very good PCIe-M8-SSD separately to replace the original one... That's one of the reasons I asked Dell if the PCIe-connection is installed and works for all configurations: the PCIe-M8-SSD's can't be delivered yet through Dell in my country apparently, so they cannot offer that option when buying the laptop for the moment :-s)

 

"Can be" is the important part of the sentence. The interface itself is faster, particularly if PCIe x4 (4 data lanes). However, a consequence of the faster performance is more power consumed and more heat generated. Unless the storage device has its own heat sink it is likely to slow down to SATA speed under sustained workload.

M.2 slots can support both SATA and PCIe in the same slot which is delightfully confusing for everyone.

John