A few assorted questions before purchasing E6400

Hi all,

I have just a few questions left before I order a shiny new E6400. Any input would be much appreciated . My original "What should I buy?" post is here.

1. I'd like to get the 7200 RPM drive, but I've heard reports of a whirring/whining sound. Is that a widespread problem or is it limited to the original batch half a year ago?

2. Everyone seems to have a different preference for the WiFi card. Are there significant differences between the options? I plan to use this computer outside whenever possible, but I don't know how far apart the access points are.

3. Are there any hard numbers on the battery life difference between the Intel and nVidia video chips? I've seen lots of numbers thrown around, but nothing based on empirical evidence. My target battery life is 4 hours with WiFi and Bluetooth enabled.

4. Finally, how often do coupon codes come around? The 15% coupons on the T400 ThinkPad seem to appear frequently, but I haven't seen anything lately for Dell. A week or two ago there was a deal where you could get a free Mini 9 with the Latitude, but I'd rather go for a discount. Would a Dell representative price match the 15% discount on the T400?

Thanks!

 

2. In my experience, Intel wireless tends to have fewer compatibility issues. n is worth the extra investment to make it more future proof and, theoretically, have better range.

3. The power consumption difference between the two GPUs is muddied by other hardware configuration differences (particularly CPU and HDD) but, broadly, the Intel graphics will give 20% better battery time. You should also get a P series CPU if you want good battery performance. Not only is the maximum power rating lower but also the idle power consumption. Some users who have the nVidia GPU get an annoying amount of fan noise. Intel GPU + P series CPU should give you your target 4 hours run time with reasonable display brightness.

You may also want to consider fitting a Hitachi 5K500.B HDD. It's only 5400rpm but will match the 7200rpm HDDs except for the Seagate 7200.4 500GB while being very power efficient (potentially another 20 minutes on the battery run time).

John

 

1) I can tell you that my WD 7200rpm drive has little to no whirring sound (normal for HDDs). I think this depends on 2 factors - whether you are getting a 1 or 2 platter drive, and who the manufacturer is. Since with 2 platter drives, there are 2 spinning discs instead of 1, you'll get more noise. I think that most 160 and 250gb drives these days are 1 platter, while 320 and 500gb are 2 platter. The significant problems I heard of with the noise came from the Seagate Momentus 7200.3 drives. These are generally considered to be just plain bad drives, so if you don't get one, you should be fine. I think they've issued updated firmware since the problem was discovered, but I don't think that fixed it for everyone.

2) I have both a Dell and Intel card (1397 and 5100) in my machine and can tell you that the Intel has better range overall. The Dell uses a broadcom chipset (which some people specifically need - that's why I have both cards), but if you don't know that you need it specifically, no need to worry. The Intel 5300 offers 3 antennas as opposed to 2, so you'll get better range that way. Generally, the more expensive the card, the better the quality.

3) I can't give you anything scientific, but John's 20% sounds reasonable. You can do an Intel GPU + P series (with the standard 6 cell battery) and fairly easily get 4 hours. If you need more power, you can do the Nvidia GPU and T series processor (with 9 cell) and also hit 4. It really depends on what you're doing though...

4) The Dell online store has a $260 discount right now (off of $999). The promotions always change, but don't expect to get something huge. They may increase the discount to $300, or they could go down to $220. If you called a rep, you could probably haggle the price down 15%. You could also use the Dell outlet to get an excellent deal.

 

Is this with the 6-cell or 9-cell battery?

I always considered those discount things just a way to make the laptop feel like a good deal; ie, the price is whatever it is, then they just mark it up and tack on an arbitrary discount. Is that not the case?


One more question: Is it possible to get access to both RAM slots through the bottom of the notebook?

 

6 cell battery. Clean install, SSD and a few optimizations and I bet you can get more.

 

You're very right about the discounts, but that's pretty much what you're going to get. When Dell advertises a deal, they get rid of the feel good discount (where they advertise a sale price, which is actually the 'MSRP' or price they want to sell it for) and tack on something a little better (e.g. 30% instead of $260), which on a $1000 system is pretty close to the same thing - just $40 cheaper. I'd recommend negotiating with a Dell rep - from what I've heard, it's pretty flexible.

No, the notebook does not have a dedicated RAM door. HOWEVER, to open it, all you need to do is remove 1 screw, and the whole bottom panel comes off - so you have access to RAM, the processor, etc. It would take you all of 3 minutes to switch the RAM. Check out the Dell Service Manual - just click what part you would want to replace and you get step by step directions.

 

6 cell.

John

 

Thanks everyone, order placed!

I tried getting a discount through a Dell representative, but I didn't even get past the first gate. The representative insisted they were only for "businesses" and that I should order a consumer line instead.

 

Uh, just tell them you work for yourself?

 

He said your business had to be registered or some nonsense like that.