Precision M2400 Owner's Lounge

WXGA is 1280x800 and CCFL
WXGA+ is 1440x900 and LED

Both of these are USA things, but I don't see why they wouldn't apply to Canada, too.

 

u may need to wait a bit ... the E6400 when it first came out (on the del website in Hong Kong) also didnt have the LED as an option; a week later i did ... but of course there's no harm calling a rep up ... the LED is worth it i think if its just CAD 100-150 or so more

 

The WXGA+ panel should be backlit LED, call a rep and ask if in doubt.

 

Canada site? The WXGA+ panel is definitely LED backlit. I had the same problem when I ordered my E6400. If you are still in doubt, get an email quote and in that it will list the part as a LED screen.

BTW, if my rep was any indication, the rep will likely think that it is CCFL. The upgrade price should be over $75, they don't sell 14.1' CCFL displays that cost that much extra.

Greg

 

Been playing around with undervolting my laptop today. RMClock works, but doesn't pick up on the half-step multipliers. Also the voltages are wrong, when compared to what CPUz shows. Anyway, I have a T9400, and I must say, this has been the simplest undervolt, as every multiplier may run at 1.063v. Now, before thinking that this is some major feat, please realize that the chip's voltage range is 1.050v - 1.162v according to Intel. What this means, though, is running the processor wide open should use the same watts as idling. The only exception is a "SuperLFM" state that RMClock lists. I'm not sure what it is for, but it shows the clock speed at 1500 with a 700mhz throttle. Perhaps it is shutting down one of the cores? Anyway, that's all I've got for now.

EDIT:

Was curious about the thermals between the GPU and heatsink. Looks like an 1/16" thermal pad. I recall something about a copper mod that may bridge this gap? I'm also curious about taking the heatsink off to apply thermal paste to the CPU, but it is too new and shiny right now to attempt this.

 

PRECISION M2400 EXPERIENCE

My new Precision M2400 arrived yesterday - specifications as follows:

- Intel Core Duo 2, 2.8 Ghz
- 4 GB DDR2 800 Mhz RAM (2x2)
- 14.1" WXGA+ LED Back-lit Display (1440x900)
- NVIDIA Quadro FX 370M 256MB
- Seagate 320 GB 7200RPM Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive
- Smart Card Reader
- Fingerprint Reader
- 5-in-1 card reader
- Integrated (LCD) Web Cam
- TPM 1.2 Chip
- Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n (3x3)
- Broadcom Gigabit LAN
- Bluetooth ER 2.1
- DVDRW 8x
- E-Port Plus Dock (used with 3 x Dell 22" LCD's)
- Vista Ultimate x64 SP1

Aesthetically, the new M2400 is far sexier than its predecessor and solidly build. The wavy LCD cover is actually very "mean" looking and gives the machine a notable corporate flare.

Upon arrival, I ran the full Dell Diagnostics to confirm hardware stability and carry out a general 'burn in'. No problems were noted during the 90 minute long test.

Sadly, I am dis-satisfied with the performance of the new Dell Precision M2400. The new system replaced a Dell Precision M2300 of similar specification (was 2.4 Ghz, not 2.8), performance on this system (e.g. opening Windows Explorer, boot times, general OS use) is notably slower. In addition, the M2400 OS boot time - on a cleanly installed machine is a good ~15 seconds slower than the M2300.

I've re-installed the system three times, once with Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 and now with Vista Ultimate SP1 32 bit and 32 bit is notably faster but nothing in comparison with the previous M2300 (which was running Vista Ultimate 32 bit, SP1). Whilst all of the installs have been "stable", side by side with a M2300 there is a notable performance lag. Whilst I realize the WEI isn't a 'real world' performance benchmark, the M2300 noted a 3.4 and the new M2400 is registering a 3.9.

I can't better explain the lag so I'll outline the configuration process in hopes someone can suggest a/some adjustments.

After a clean OS install (using Dell provided OS CD), I installed new drivers downloaded from http://support.dell.com, driver install order was:

- BIOS (M2400A02)
- Chipset (R182522)
- Video (R191698)
- Audio (IDT_92HDXXX-HD-AUDIO_A02_R192358)
- Modem (CONEXANT_D330-HDA-MDC-V-92-M_A02_R187783)
- Smart Card (R188776)
- LAN (R190974)
- Wireless (R194570)
- Bluetooth (R189325)
- Webcam (R189395)
- Storage (Intel_Matrix-Storage-Manager_A02_R190227)
- Mouse (R191111)
- Power Profiles (R182065)
- Notebook System Software (Dell_System_Software_A00_R193110)
- Control Point Connection Manager
- Control Point Security Manager
- Control Point System Manager

Note: These drivers were current on September 14th 2008.

The machine was rebooted between each and every driver and application installation.

A few items to note:

1. The machine is notably slower when its used undocked. Power profiles are set at "High Performance" in both environments, the machine is always connected to the factory shipped power supply unit (90 Watt AC adapter).

2. I've noted that it "appears" that the slow down begins after the Intel Storage Manager (Intel_Matrix-Storage-Manager_A02_R190227) is installed. During its install it appears to replace Vista's native SATA and IMS drivers, could this be the issue?

3. A contact at Dell (Eng.) commented that if a sub-90 Watt PSU is used, the unit will run but will automatically operate in 'harsh' speed step. This does not appear to be the issue as the unit is connected to the 90 Watt unit and is reporting it CPU speeds at the expected 2.8 Ghz.

4. No Windows Updates were ran until after the full OS, drivers and related applications had been installed. The lag issue occurs between the OS install and during the Dell drivers install.

Input, thoughts and idea's would be appreciated.

 

In follow up to my previous post, I want to re-iterate and strongly recommend that no one buy this laptop until Dell resolves the performance issues with it.

In addition, there is a notable sound issue. There is an intermittent "skipping" in audio regardless of the media player used (WinAmp, Media Player, VLC). This occurs with the Dell audio drivers (IDT_92HDXXX-HD-AUDIO_A02_R192358) installed and also with the generic Vista high definition audio driver. Its so severe, its basically not possible to listen to music on the unit.

 

I have the sound issue on the M4400 as well, but it goes away if you let the media load fully...

 

What do you mean "let the media load fully" ?

 

Oh, sorry I meant to say I get the bug when viewing online videos or sounds.