Latitude E4200 first impressions w/ photos

You might get your wish, sooner than ya think

 

If it isn't too much trouble to do a test, does i8kfangui work on this machine? If so, how hot does the SU processor get under light loads with the fan disabled? I'm curious because even though the processors seem to be getting cooler on the whole, Dell is making their fans turn on at lower temps, completely negating any of the noise benefits...

 

Oooh. Monakh, you naughty naughty man.

 

hi guys, would it be possible to somehow upgrade the 1gb of ram that's soldered onto the board? any idea?

 

any thoughts anyone?

 

I've not looked at it, but it's probably BGA chips which would mean no. Even if they didn't use BGA, I'd still go with no, if just because it's going to be a very tough job and even if you do it physically correctly, there's no way to know if Dell has programmed the BIOS to only recognize 1GB on the first channel.

 

And even if you manage, you would most definitely void your warranty.

Jason, how is your E4200? I know you hate it to bits

 

I hate it. I really do. It's not a bad little machine but it's not worth anywhere near what I paid for it.

What I like:

• It's small & light.
• Keyboard is full-size (for a notebook) and has a nice firm response, unlike older Dell KBs.

What I don't like:

• I'm on my second one.
• The screen on this one has the same slight pinkish stripes as my first if viewed off-angle, even by the slightest.
• Screens are, in general, low-contrast, and are, to me, a step below the crappy 14" version that ships with the E6400.
• "Ultra Performance" 64GB SSD isn't very fast. "Performance" would have been fine, but I have a personal requirement of 100MB/s read & write for something to be called "Ultra".
• 5530 Wireless card took forever to get and once I got it I found out that the GPS doesn't work unless there's an active SIM in the system (which there typically isn't since I usually just tether my BlackBerry Bold).
• Still no Latitude ON.
• Loud as hell even though it runs cool to the touch.
• Feels flimsy, especially on the right side when typing (especially when I hit the Enter or Period keys).
• Battery life with 4-cell is nothing to write home about and larger batteries make it heavier and extend dimensions.

I could go on but it gets ugly from there...

Up until a week ago I was fully intending to sell it and buy the Adamo but I'm really disappointed in the specs and weight and am no longer sure. The specs are identical to the E4200 (aside from the 4GB options which probably means sync'd dual-channel 2x2GB) and 3.25-3.5 lbs would have been fine but 4 is really pushing it.

 

Did anyone test the speaker on the Dell E4200 ... I like skyping without the need for headphones in hotel rooms ... Corporate user have you tried that out. I am guessing this is a traditional matt screen which works fine for me

 

The speaker is OK for Skype etc, but don't rely on it for music. I used it quite a bit before I switched to either a headset or external speakers.

Jason, I completely understand your frustration. I spent merely a grand (well 1.4K with tax and warranty) on my E4200 so it doesn't bother me at all. Spending almost three times as much, well I would hate it too. The very thought gives me shudders.