Dell Latitude

Also keep in mind that most of the recent Nvidia drivers don't support audio over the Displayport connection...dunno if Intel has the same problem with their drivers.

 

Very informational thread.
Besides eBay and the Dell outlet as purchasing sources
Those looking to spend less MUST check out their local
craigslist and local recyclers.
There are some very legit bargains to be had there.
Sadly this economy has forced the closure of many small and some larger businesses or the elimination of jobs within.
Many companies place the IT personnel in charge of equipment rotation/elimination of such if not leased.
It is good to get to know a few of these folks...
Therefore if persistant in your pursuit, you may just find some great buys with warranty.
This past week i located a very nice e4300 with the SLP9400 4GB, backlit, print reader, and more for $250
The hard drive was not included as they wanted to have all data destruction via drive shredder.
The best part is this e4300 still has over 700 days of next day and gold pro support, just under a year old, new solid bottom style with compartment panels and has windows 7 pro coa.
All ownership transferred.

I really did not need another machine around, it just seemed too good to pass on, i see people spending more on netbooks all the time.
Sorry its not for sale, yet there have been some similar used deals on ebay lately.

The Dell outlet & eBay will always have low hanging fruit when you need it now

Yes, always try to purchase business grade laptops for personal home use.
HP Elitebook & Lenovo thinkpad and in this case the Dell latitude all receive superior support in comparison to their consumer counterparts.

e4300 + eDock display-port out to hdmi yields audio on this one.

 

I was actually down to under 5 the last time I measured. Like 4.9 or something. Intel graphics, LED screen, SSD, no optical drive, and standard keyboard... not quite the 4.75, though, despite being under the required spec.

 

Did you find a travel bezel for the optical drive bay? It's so much harder to find cheap travel bezels for Dells than for Thinkpads -- in fact I sold two Thinkpad travel bezels for $5 each just last month. I am still hoping to find one for my D820 for under $10.

BTW, if you remove one RAM stick, the wireless card and all antennas, you may drop the weight to 4.85 lb or so. I wonder what else Dell removed to achieve 4.75 lb.

 

I did. I got it straight from Dell and it cost a fortune for the crappy piece of plastic that it is (like $15 maybe?). It's like they don't want you to buy more stuff from them or something

 

That was actually a "bargain", because Dell Canada now wants $69.99 for it (whereas Dell U.S. doesn't carry it any more):

DELL Dell - Accessory; D/TravelLite Travel Module for D-Family Laptops : Laptop/Notebook Accessories | Dell Canada

EDIT: It turns out Dell U.S. is selling it under a different part #, for $15.99 plus sales tax:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...l.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=biz&cs=calca1&sku=341-2200

Still too expensive! And why does it take 1 to 2 weeks to ship??

 

I had a backlit keyboard which might add a small amount to the weight, but not enough to explain the difference. The optical drive weighs less than 4oz / 0.1kg while the bit of plastic probably weighs at least an ounce. Even though Dell use a 4 cell battery for their weights, the numbers don't stack up unless one seriously strips out hardware.

John

 

So do you guys think for playing HD movies on a big screen TV is a video card needed or will intel integrated hd graphics work? Would I see a difference in playing movies on the laptop if I have a graphics card?

 

I'm pretty certain the current intel integrated chips are more than powerful enough to drive HD movies on an external screen. You really only need a dedicated graphics card for 3D work.

 

The D620 and D820 are very nice -- I love my D820 -- but I highly recommend AGAINST the D610 because it feels very fragile. I haven't used or even seen a D810 yet but I imagine it's just as bad.

I do understand that D620's and D820's with Nvidia graphics have faulty video cards. So I avoid performing graphics-intensive tasks on my D820, and I recommend everyone who owns a D620 or D820 to do the same.