Latitude E6400 Owner's Lounge

I think you yourself said you could get 8+ hours out of your Nvidia E6400. If that 12W dissipation JUST FROM THE GPU is real, the rest of your laptop (the CPU, the chipset, the backlight, the LCD, the wifi, the HDD, etc.) must be generating energy .

 

Perhaps, these published Watts are max power. Hence, the reason why the laptop needs a 90W PSU, especially with the Nvidia GPU. OR your measurements are wrong. Just look at the page of both website, the Watts are there.

Or maybe, the heat that the CPU and GPU renders is soo hot that teh huminity boils and the "fan" is in reality an alternator and grabs the energy and powers up the rest of the computer. Almost like a steam engine!

Yes, I got 8+ hour once the battery age a bit (I get now, 7h and half.. seams to be stabilizing at this. But out of the box battery, I had 9H. From my understand Intel GPU users have approximately 8H with an age battery.

 

If you want a really fast system, and it seems you do, since you are going for a fast processor, you may want to get the cheapest hard drive, and then buy an Intel, Samsung, or the OCZ Vertex, SSD to replace it. That is a difference you can definitely feel, whereas the difference between the P8700 and P8600 is probably insignificant.

Another thing to note is that upgrading memory at time of purchase is very expensive. You can find 2GB DDR-2-800MHz RAM for about $20. If you get just the 2GB in a single DIMM from Dell, you can cheaply add the extra memory yourself.

Dell gives you the XP Pro downgrade for the same price as the Vista Business. That way you can start with XP Pro and upgrade to Vista later.

By the way, if you buy Vista in July or later, Microsoft will give you a free upgrade to Windows 7 later. In my opinion, Windows 7 is the best OS for this laptop. But it is still unreleased, so there are certain risks with using it.

 

So...it turns out I am returning my E6400 to Dell after numerous build quality issues with the two units I received from the outlet. The first one had issues like loose hinges, heavily worn screen bezel, among other things. The second had a much better build, but I recently discovered that it wobbles on a flat surface and that the chassis itself is somehow a little bent in addition to the screen bezel paint/finish already wearing off after 2 weeks. Not huge issues, but enough that I want to get this thing fixed.

There led to my problem, after talking to a tech on the phone, I was told I would have to either: set up another exchange, send it in to the depot, or maybe even return it and order another one. I cannot wait another month for another exchange and I can't wait another 7-10 days for the depot to fix this issue. So I talked to a customer care rep who gave me the option to return this unit after talking with an escalation person without the restocking fee even though I'm outside the 21 day return window. Though I will have to pay for shipping apparently...which honestly shouldn't be the case, luckily I still have my original box.

Anyway, then I proceeded to talk to a sales rep to see if they could give me an extra discount on a new unit since I do like the E6400 and would like to get a 100% quality one. However, my specific specs cost around $1,200 retail. I paid $750 on mine from the outlet. The rep I talked to was only able to offer me basically $100 off from $1,200 with the same exact specs. I honestly feel like I shouldn't have to pay an extra $350 to maybe get a new unit without any issues. I'm not sure what price he'd have to go to, to encourage me to take another chance. So I told him that I would have to get back to him on whether I wanted to go through buying a new unit.

Right now, I've just hung up after basically 2 hours on the phone...and I'm not sure what I'm going to do now...

 

You ordered yours from the outlet. You should have expected a slightly damaged unit. They aren't new units, that is why you got such a good price.

Also, another thing to keep in mind is that the E6400 is dell's entry level performance business laptop. Its going to have some build quality issues. The back is easy to scratch. The speaker mesh is easy to dent. Quality and price just don't mix.

 

Not with the amount of issues I had. Even from the outlet, the unit should be able to withstand everyday use... Plus, the model I bought was "technically a previously new" unit, meaning that it should not have been used period. Obviously, that's not the case. So your saying I just be happy with the fact that I saved $450 and that's it?

 

I don't see why you feel that way. Why would Dell sell you a new one for $350 less than the going price? It's generous of Dell already to allow you to return the unit when you are outside of the 21 day return period. Didn't you say that yours look brand new when you got it as an exchange?

 

The low end of the Latitude E series is the E5000 series.

 

I thought so as well. On further inspection, I got a bit too excited about that haha...there were already some scratches on the front lid so there's not way it's 100% brand new.

Yes, it is nice that they are waiving that fee, but I still have to pay shipping costs which are not THAT cheap either. But your right, I don't expect them to give me a new unit for $750. But he should definitely give me more than $100 off.

Basically, I could buy another similar unit from the Outlet, buy a brand new one, or go with a different model/company. The only other laptop I was looking at before was the T400.

 

Just because you have high expectations for the E6400, and that those expectations have not been met in your opinion, you feel entitled to a larger discount than what you have been given?

Look at it this way. You got to use two E6400's for, what, a month? Think about how much Dell has spent on this order already. They have done more than anyone could ask for to make you enjoy your purchase. And now you are complaining that the shipping, which may be $10, is not cheap?