Dell Latitude

I'm still in school and I use a dock. Admittedly, my E6400 remains semi-permanently docked, but I've got maybe seven or eight cables attached to the thing at the moment, and it'd be a real pain disconnecting and reconnecting them every time I wanted to move...

 

How's the campus deskscape around you, docked vs. no dock?

I haven't noticed but perhaps consumer laptops are less dockable?

Docked laptops as desktop replacements make sense, allowing mobile computing when required but perhaps not several times a day.

GK

 

Is there a consensus on this? I haven't actually owned an E-Series Latitude, but it looks better built than my D820. No?

 

I have both series (a used D630 I picked up from Ebay, and a refurbished E6400), and I personally do think the D series feel more solid. Not to say that the E-series is not well-built, but it doesn't quite feel as unbreakable as the D630 I have (and still use frequently).

 

D620/630/820/830 are built on that older chassis, and the D630/D830 were the last on that bulkier chassis. Dell went to the lighter E6xxx chassis because of the criticisms of the bulky chassis but that's what I believe made them more durable, again not saying the E line isn't. My mom has an E6400, and it is still solidly built, but I feel not as solid as my D620.

 

As an ex-D830 owner and a current-E6400 owner, I agree with this too. If the D-Series is like a GameBoy Color, then the E-Series is more like a PSP.

 

Not too sure if that's a good analogy... The gameboy color wasn't that... durable.

 

I have no complaints about the build quality of the E6400 / E6410. It may be less solid than the previous models but I am happy to carry a bit less weight. Also, the one piece E series base will provide less structural strength than a solid base with separate access covers. However, that is an acceptable trade-off considering the convenience of access to the internals. (It may not be relevant but the first run of the E4300 also had a one piece base (there's a review on this site) then production stopped for a few months and the E4300 reappeared with a solid base and separate covers for the memory and card slots. Perhaps there was a structural problem?)

John

 

This brings up another question. I know that Dell's "official" weights of the E Series are lighter than those of the D Series, but is that really true? According to this thread from 2008 (http://forum.notebookreview.com/del.../305782-exact-weight-my-e6500-batteries.html), The OP's E6500 with WUXGA and 6-cell batt weighed 5.68lb + 0.72lb = 6.40lb. My D820, also with WUXGA and 6-cell batt, weighs 6.26lb on a very accurate scientific balance. So, perhaps the person's balance was inaccurate? Or the E Series is lighter than the D only for certain configurations? Who else has measured the exact weights of the D and E Series?

BTW, I do appreciate the thickness of my D820, because it makes the palmrest less warm. As laptops get thinner and thinner, the palmrest tends to get hotter since the laptop surface is closer to the heat-generating components inside the machine.

 

My E6400 with Intel GPU and 6 cell battery weighed 2.31kg (5.1lb). Dell's advertised weight is much lower: The Quick Reference Guide stated “2.15 kg (4.75 lb) with UMA graphics, 6-cell battery, solid-state drive”. I've put in an SSD and it took about 25g / 1oz off the weight. User weights put the E6500 as starting at about 1lb heavier, maybe more.

I wouldn't trust either Dell's weights for the D series or the weights quoted in reviews unless the reviewer specifically states that they have weighed the computer. Far too many reviews use the manufacturers weights without checking which is a bit negligent considering that the computer's performance is measured very accurately but many users are concerned about getting a balance between weight and performance.

John