E6410 Owner's Thread

honestly i didnt check to see if something was blocking it when i installed. i really hope that is the case. I wish I were being picky. Pressing the "w" key results in flex that can be seen at "f6". After exams I suppose I will have to open her up and see what is going on.

 

I noticed more flex after installing a backlit keyboard and fixed the problem by removing the keyboard, gently bending it so that it was slightly concave (middle lower than the sides) and reinstalling it. I think there's a tendency to unintentionally bend the keyboard during installation.

John

 

Thanks booboo12 and GK. I did get Win 7 Professional, Home Premium, so I'm good. Just received the laptop it and about to explore. The blue vanity cover is shockingly bright "regatta" blue, not a deep saturated color at all. Well, I wanted it to stand out, and it does, just a little more than I care for. My question about potential future WiFi + WIMAX option is just thinking ahead, not a need for now.

 

Just to clarify, the Latitude E6410 most certainly comes pre-installed with three antennas. I replaced the Intel 6200 wireless card with an Intel 6300 in my system, since I have a three antenna 300mbps-capable router. This was an exercise carried out more for the sake of becoming more intimate with the hardware than for any real performance upgrade. If performance is a concern, one would likely use the gigabit ethernet port, rather than the paltry (in comparison) 300mpbs attainable with a wireless card.

For most practical purposes, the difference between wireless cards is negligible. However, for home or office networks supplied by a wireless signal (and presumably in an environment where an ethernet connection is infeasible), the difference in throughput has the potential to become realized. Suffice to say, unless you are transferring large amounts of data within a local network, there should be no apparent difference in performance between the wireless cards.

 

Hi All,

Im new here and this is my first post.

I recently bought the 6410 and overall im very pleased. I have a one annoying problem though (except the tiny bad touchpad... :

The fan of the laptop is constantly on its driving me crazy!!!
CPU temperature is normal but the fan doesn't stop!

I found out it only stops when i remove the HD - I have a SATA WD 320GB mechanical HD.

I read somewhere in the thread that some people have also standard HDD's but their fans remain off till cpu load. is this true?

If i will replace the HDD with an SSD one will the fan remain off till cpu load? or does it kicks in if it detects the SATA connectors?

Thanks!

 

How long has the HDD been running? Could Windows be indexing the new drive, causing it to heat up? Probably not it.

GK

 

Are you sure it is the fan and not HDD noise?

I read somewhere in the thread that some people have also standard HDD's but their fans remain off till cpu load. is this true?[/QUOTE]Yes. I would expect the fan to stay off for about 15 minutes from a cold start under light usage conditions.

If i will replace the HDD with an SSD one will the fan remain off till cpu load? or does it kicks in if it detects the SATA connectors?[/QUOTE]The fan operation is controlled by the temperature of various components. Run HWiNFO32 and select the sensors option. This will shw various temperatures and also the fan speed (called CPU next to a fan symbol) at the bottom of the Dell EC section, but only when the fan is running.

John

 

Thank GK, it's not a new drive and it's not indexing...

 

Yes. I would expect the fan to stay off for about 15 minutes from a cold start under light usage conditions.

If i will replace the HDD with an SSD one will the fan remain off till cpu load? or does it kicks in if it detects the SATA connectors?[/QUOTE]The fan operation is controlled by the temperature of various components. Run HWiNFO32 and select the sensors option. This will shw various temperatures and also the fan speed (called CPU next to a fan symbol) at the bottom of the Dell EC section, but only when the fan is running.

John[/QUOTE]

Thanks John,

the fan is running all the time regardless of the usage. even if the laptop is idle it stays on. i opened the case, removed the HD and saw that the fan is off. when I installed the HD the fan kicked in again...I tried some HW monitors and saw that the CPU temperature is normal and even below (~35 C)

 

I received my E6410 off the Outlet for $480 after the coupon and it's been great. I'm coming off a desktop with a P4, though I've used the D620 and D630 for some time before.

Thoughts:

Screen: The 1280 x 800 is pretty bright and decent for what I'm used to (D620, D630, some LCD from 1998). I usually have it set around 2 down from the dimmest. However. it really annoys me that sometimes when I scroll, the screen will briefly get brighter for a second before reverting to its proper brightness. A bug I guess.

Keyboard: I didn't like it too much originally, but since I'm used to it now and that it's somewhat broken in, I find it decent. The backlit feature is nice, though I don't use it too often since I can touch type. Still, I don't think that it can compare to one of the new Thinkpad keyboards. The best keyboard I've ever used on a laptop was on a T510 on display at Micro Center. Sadly, I couldn't afford an Arrandale T-series, or else I would've gotten T410 over the Latitude in a heartbeat. Also, I slightly prefer the keyboard on the D630 over this one too. I prefer its typing sound and its feel over this one. I don't like the slightly rubberized feel too much, and would've preferred hard plastic, though that requires double shot injection molding to do backlit, so it would've cost more.

Touchpad: Okay. Certainly not as good as the one on the D630. It's fast, but not very accurate. Two finger scrolling works fine.

Trackpoint: Better than the D630 one. I'm not sure how it compares to the Thinkpad one, but it's now my preferred pointing device. I really like the 3rd scrolling buttons for the stick. The buttons have a nice feel and decent throw to them.

Build quality: Decent. The left palmrest has noticeable flex. The screen will flex a small bit, but only slight ripples, and only if pressure is applied by the fingers while you're trying to bend the thing. Otherwise, not much flex. I can pick it up by one corner just fine. Hinges are decent.

Port arrangement: I like the new everything-thing-is-on-the-sides, as it's more accessible than the back. I'm glad they kept the USB ports on the upper right corner as on the D620/D630. It's really handy for plugging in stuff like optical mice.

Lighting: The blue LEDs don't bother me that much, and I think it's a nice added touch. It goes together well with the silver surface on the back.

Other: I didn't like the display latch at first, as I thought pressing it was a bit awkward, but it's fine now I'm used to it. I still would've preferred the sliding type on the D630, and along with the protruding 9-cell battery in the front acting as a handle, it was really easy to open.