Dell Latitude

Also, students probably, more than 'business' users, need the docking stations that can be used with the Latitudes as well. Take laptop to school, bring it back to dorm, dock it with proper LCD monitor and gear, and continue schoolwork. I know, when I was in school a decade ago, I would have practically killed to have a setup like I have now.

 

Maybe for particularly well off students . We aren't exactly poor but the price for my daughter's (business grade) laptop was enough of an expense. Keyboard, monitor, docking station and larger desk (which would require a larger bedroom) would easily double the amount.

I find the idea of a young carefree student carrying around an expensive laptop to be a bit frightening. The other day at the library I heard this big crash/clatter. I look up and this kid had just knocked his mac to the concrete floor. He just picked it up like it happened every day. I talked to the tech at a local repair facility and she said she got laptops literally in pieces from students at the nearby highschool.

A three year complete care warranty is a must for a student, in my opinion, and that adds quite a bit to the price. Even if the student is careful the kids around them aren't. I've had to move my laptop out of the way of a swinging backpack more than once.

And I keep telling my daughter that a laptop is an awfully expensive replacement for a pencil and an eraser... vive la technologie.

 

I will be using this computer for:

-CAD (Pro-E and Solidworks)
-Watching downloaded movies
-Porting movies to a 55 inch HDTV
-Listening to music(not sure how the speaker are)
-reading ebooks

I think that latitude will be fine with this. I am not sure if I need a video card to port movies to my tv. I know the intel integrated graphics are fine for CAD. The problem with students getting laptops like these is that they are not marketed to them. I just graduated a few months ago and all the laptops that were sold to student were inspirons. I didnt know any other dells existed. My latitude came as a hand me down from a family member. Im sure dell prefers to sell laptops that will break alot to student because they know there are parents willing to spend money to replace there college kids laptop.

 

This is where the Dell Outlet provides excellent value for money, particularly if one is willing to accept a little cosmetic damage and look among the scratch-and-dent stock.

John

 

That's true, but do your research. I have not, nor will I ever buy a consumer notebook again, at least for business purposes. They are consumer grade for that reason. Parts are not standardized, and models are replaced every other week.

You don't have to spend stupid money for a Dell business notebook, you can get an E6410 with i3, 3 GB RAM, and a 320 GB HDD for like 650, comes with a 3 year warranty also..

You don't even need to buy a scratch and dent. My certified refurbished Latitude 13 had no cosmetic issues whatsoever.

 

Well, using a laptop for anything more than an hour at a time, is an ergonomic abortion, and not good for the eyes, the shoulders, or any other part of the body. I don't know what your definition of a 'well off student' is, but I can buy a Dell Latitude E6410 + a Dell U2311h 23" IPS LCD + a docking station, for less than $1400 fully equipped. What's college tuition for 4 years, $40k? Seems like a trivial expense in the whole scheme of things, to have a reliable, and warranty-backed package of computer hardware that is ergonomically appropriate.

A Latitude is probably a lot less likely to incur major damage, than a plastic-cased Inspiron or XPS, that's for sure. Now, I know the E-series isn't built as well as the D620/D630/D820/D830 laptops, but certainly, they're still a tougher build than their 'consumer' competitors. The 200 flights a year I take my D830 on, for the past 3.5 years, certainly bear witness to that (and I use basically a cloth case that provides no protection for my laptop....the D830 is just that tough!).

The 3-year NBD warranty (not even completecare) is standard on the Latitudes. Its an expensive extra feature on the 'consumer' laptops. Once you add a 3-year factory warranty to the BOM on the 'consumer' laptops, the prices, even with the online quotation tools, are fairly similar. Best bargain on the Latitudes, of course, is to pick them up on eBay or through refurbishers/resellers, instead of the Dell build-to-order website.

 

Yup, sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. The E6400/E6510/E6410/E6500 have Displayport output, which, with adapters, can hook into HDMI. I'd suggest you look for one with the Bluetooth radio in. Docks can be had for $100 on eBay or elsewhere.

 

Can anyone tell me if I integrated graphics will work to port HD movies to a TV or do I need a graphics card?

 

You may need an adaptor for the DisplayPort, but the Intel graphics is capable of this. It's as good as a dedicated GPU for everything except 3D rendering.

Going back to the OP's question, I see the difference as the E6510 offers higher display resolutions (albeit at 16:9) but weighs more. It can also take a quad core CPU, but that will bring no benefit for most users.

John

 

Ergonomics aside, college laptop usage appears to happen anytime, anywhere, anyway, without docking. I have not seen docking equipment populating dorm rooms. I would skip the docking purchase unless it's demanded.

My new 6/10 E6410 was $1470 w/free shipping (full spec in reimage notes below).

GK