e6420/e6520 to release tomorrow?

I'm thinking of getting a Dell Latitude e6420 for college. I have a few questions:

• Does the card reader support SDXC?
• Is the 9-cell battery worth the money, extra weight, and size?
• Should I go with the standard-res multitouch display or jus the high-res? I'm 18, so eyesight isn't a concern.
• Which gives me more power: Core i7 2720QM or 2620M?
• What's a "Dual Pointing Keyboard"?
  
  Thanks in advance.
  

 

In order:

• Most readers support SDXC these days. Whether they all support 128 GB cards is another question. Up to 64GB should be no issue.
• In my opinion, no. Depends on your needs, really. This machine is going to get 4-5 hours of real-world use on the 6 cell. Also, the 9-cell will stick out the bottom. Ask yourself, "When am I really going to be away from a power outlet for this long?"
• Stick with the 1600x900 screen. No reason for multitouch for school use.
• The 2720QM is the quad-core version of the i7 chip. It offers more processing power at the expense of battery life. Unless you're doing a lot of programming, graphics work, the i7-2620 or even the i5-2610 will be fine for most tasks.
• Dual pointing means that the E6420 has both a familiar touchpad with two click buttons as well as a rubberized pointing device mounted in the keyboard (along with two more buttons installed below the space bar). Some people prefer this, I guess.

 

The 9-Cell is worth it if you want a lot of battery life. I've never had a problem carrying around my Dell M4400 w/ a 9-Cell, and this laptop is much heavier than the E6420.

About the screen, go for the high-res option! The high resolution is really useful for pretty much everything, and you'll probably never use the touchscreen. Plus, sometimes touchscreen overlays can diminish the quality of the image on the screen. I know this was the case with the Thinkpad W510.

The i7-2720QM will give more power than the 2620M due to the fact that it's a quad-core processor rather than dual-core. The 2620M will be a bit better for single-threaded apps, but the 2720QM is a lot faster for multi-threaded apps, and still plenty fast for single-threaded apps. The 2720QM will result in lower battery life, but with the 9-Cell the battery life will still be respectable.
If you don't need the i7-2720QM, I'd just go with one of the i5's to save money, since the 2620M isn't all that much better than the i5's.

The Dual-pointing keyboard basically means you have both a trackpad and a trackpoint (rubber mouse in the middle of the keyboard)

 

9 cell battery is important IMO, esp if you plan on bringing your machine to multiple classes unplugged from the wall. I had a epically long 3 hour class Spring of 2010 and was glad to have more than enough juice. My D630 has a 9 cell battery and I love the extra runtime. Still 4-5 hours aren't bad on a 6 cell.

The high resolution display is a absolute must, no need for multitouch..trust me you wont use it, but you'll appreciate the nice high resolution non multitouch screen every day. Again, I have a high resolution screen option on my D630 and, although the aspect ratio is different than on the E6420, it's a definite improvement over the standard screen.

I'd get the i5 processor as it's a great performer for most users.

 

Can someone point out the differences to me between the E5520 and the E6520? I am a bit confused as to which one I want. They look nearly identical to me, besides that the E5520 does not have discrete graphics option. Also do the Latitude models have an island-style keyboard like the Vostro series do now? Is there much flex in the latitude keyboard?

 

Maybe not a trade off any more. I am seeing the 2720QM go down to less than 5 watts of draw at idle. I am also seeing 5 hours of battery life with the 60Whr battery on the 2720QM surfing the web or typing in one of Dell's new low power DCP modes.

Keep in mind that at full tilt the 2720QM will draw 45 watts - which would drain the battery more quickly.

 

I know that before, the lower line models like E5520 had less premium features on the outside, but you're right...they appear to be at parity construction wise now, with the tri-metal case, etc.

I think the E5XXX series now varies more internally with fewer customization options.

As far as the keyboard goes, it's a standard keyboard only made to look like it's chiclet..It's definitely not though.

 

Does the keyboard have a nice feel to it though? easy to type on? I hate when notebooks have a lot of flex in the keyboard..

 

Actually, are we sure that the E5x20 series has the same sort of all-metal cases as the E6x20 series? It's pretty clear from the port arrangements that the two series are very different. Considering how hot the E5x10 series got during the Notebookcheck test, I'd be a little reluctant to buy one sight unseen.

 

I actually just cancled my order for a e5420 for the e6420. There are some pretty significant quality differences between the two by looking at the photos. Also the ability to use the expansion bay for other options is very nice. actually...one of the top reasons i went with the 5420 at first was b/c of what appeared to me no annoying "dual-pointing" buttons but come to find out if you opt for the backlit keyboard on the 5420 it will have those buttons. that plus a much cheaper price seemed fine to me at first but take another look at the pictures and the 5420 just appears bulky and cheap compared to the 6420.