Latitude E6400 Owner's Lounge

~15 minutes extra battery life with the 4500MHD.
1 year standard battery warranty; additional battery warranty can be added at the time of purchasing the system.

 

The Nvidia Quadro card has a technology called Nvidia PowerMizer. This technology slows down significantly the speed of the video card when you don't need it, and increase speed as you need it. In battery mode, the GPU will stay at minimum speed all the time. This will not only increase battery life as mentioned above, (only ~15min less) but also heat will be low. In normal environmental condition, the fan will not kick in when you are on battery mode, and set your system to PowerSaver. On my signature provide a tool that I made, to tweak the Nvidia graphic card driver, where it also includes PowerMizer settings. Check to link for some screen shots and information on it.

Power-wise:
- Intel 4500HD is equivalent to a Geforce Go 7400 at best.
- Quadro is equivalent to the Geforce 9300M, and can be POTENTIALLY (every chip is made different and drivers differ results) overclocked to almost a Geforce 9500M. See my signature for more information on how to easily overclock the video card using profiles that can be loaded when ever you want, and my results.
(Power equivalence is based on 3D Mark 06 - default settings score)

Personally, if money and that little reduction of battery life is not a problem, then go with the Quadro, as you have in hand a a video card with proper driver design to run anything (rather than per application, hence comes Intel with it's famous game compatibility list), and give you power in a "just in case" scenario, where you do want to play a heavier game. That's my opinion. If not, definitely go with the Intel one.

 

Hey Fellas:

Just got my E6400 yesterday and have swapped the 120GB Fujitsu with a 500GB WD scorpio Blue.

Loaded Vista Ultimate 64Bit w/SP1 and had some questions if you all could let me know, I would appreciate it.

1. Before loading the OS, I switch the bios disk access method to AHCI. After installing the OS, I read the several people suggestion installing
the Intel Matrix Storage Drivers was advisable. When I tried to do so, Vista told me the current drivers where new....so I didn't install the Intel ones....

Should I somehow force the Intel Matric Storage driver install?

2. I specifically did not install DCP...I did however install only the Broadcom USH driver from the DCP Security package via "custom" install...did this to remove device manager hardware error for the Broadcom USH...even though I don't have a Finger Print Reader.

Is there any compelling reason to install the DCP Apps?? Do I need the Ambient Light driver? I set the options in bios the way I wanted them.

3. Also, the sound control buttons...are they supposed to be backlit?

4. My laptop didn't come with a filler blank for the SD card and I was wondering if the smart card slot is supposed to come with some kind filler blank also?

Thanks alot for any additional info.

 

1] ambient light sensor is controlled by DCP
2] i think you should install the newest intel storage manager
3] mine came with both filler on the sd card and pc card
4] sound control are not backlit

 

1. Interesting. Is the current driver (from the Vista install) a Microsoft driver or Intel driver? What version?

I wonder if you go to install the IMSM app (which includes the Intel driver), if that will install?

2. No compelling reason to install DCP. If you can live without it, you can save yourself the trouble and the machine the overhead. You can always install it later.

Note that the Connection and Security modules may include actual related device drivers that you presumably installed separately.

3. Don't know.

4. My SD slot had the filler blank. The smart card slot is empty, I think... my machine is elsewhere so I can't check.

Since the SD slot is spring-loaded, I've wondered if leaving the filler installed would fatigue the spring over time?

Also, mine has the express card (or PC card) filler blank... and this is not the same as the smart card slot.

GK

 

It's more then the fingerprint reader, you have the TPM chip and contact and contactless smart card reader.

This will make work the ambient light sensor, and give you on-screen notification of all your button. It's actually 2 programs. One, the heavy is Dell Control Panel, and the second is the ultra light on-screen notification. Oh and it will make all the functions keys on the keyboard work. What I did, is install it, and only left the on-screen program to run with Windows at startup. If I need the actually panel, I just do Fn+F7.

No.

Call Dell for the SD card slot.. should be free.. this is like a a fraction of penny to produce... The other one is on the ExpressCard or Cc card (which ever you have), found on the right side of the machine.

 

Thanks guys. In was speaking of the Smart Card slot, not the PCMCIA Express Card slot.

I have the blank for the PC Express Card. I asked about the Smart Card blank because I saw photos of an e6400 in which the "SC" label was present, but there was no visible slot. I assumed there was a blank present...perhaps the picture I saw was one without the "SC" reader??

Thanks for confirmation about the sound buttons not being backlit. Wasn't sure about that.

Can somebody link my to the Intel drivers you think I should try for the Matrix Storage driver?

As for DCP...I have mixed fealings about it. It seems to be rather a large app and I am not sure I will get much benefit from have it. Most of the FN buttons work without it...F1, F4, F5, and F8 (not tested this one)...and back light arrows work as well.

Am I missing something here? DCP might be useful, I am just not sure for what.

 

Again, it's 2 applications.
The first one is the the big fatty one that just give you options for adding/modifying form FN shortcut keys.. like Fn + E for eject drive, of Fn+D to turn of the display (but not the computer or put it into sleep.. just the display to save power) and more...
Installed app don't do anything to your system as long as they don't run (well disk space... but for you it's not an issue). What you may want is the second application that comes with it, that is very light, and extra low on your system resource, fast startup, while running unlike all other laptops, for the onscreen notification and the custom Fn key set with the first application talked about and the other buttons on your keyboard.

Once installed, you will see 2 items in the startup list.. one to pre-load the big fatty one (actual DCP), and the second one it the on-screen notification and keyboard shortcut support application. Just remove the startup of the first one, and you are set!

64MB of RAM days is finished... that little thing is NOTHING for your system, trust me.

 

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Fil...991&lang=eng&OSFullName=All Operating Systems good link to have, it is all of the PM45 drivers, including the IMSM. and if you have the 5100 or 5300 intel wifi, those are avail at http://downloadcenter.intel.com/fil...64-bit+version&lang=eng&strOSs=162&submit=Go!

 

Thanks Veritas! I downloaded and installed (without issue) the IMSM driver from Intel.

I tried to install the Video driver (G45/GM45 Express) as well, but it refused saying to "obtain drivers from hardware vendor". I already have Dell's latest...so I guess that's it.

Was hoping to up my performance composite index (lowest rating is 3.7 from 3D performance).