Latitude E6400 Owner's Lounge

After a few days of using my new e6400 I ran the windows experience index, do these numbers look acceptable?



p8700 2.53Ghz
4gb ram (about 3.5gb usable I think)
32 bit vista
250GB 7200 rpm HD
nvidia quadro nvs 160M

I'm thinking about installing 64 bit vista, will this have a significant impact on my score?

 

That is the default score for the Nvidia GPU. Intel options the contrary, lower Gaming score but higher Aero. The reason for this is that the memory used on the NVS160M is 64-bit (not it has nothing to do with Windows and CPU's... it's a different thing). And to get double the performance you either need 128-bit memory (which you can't because for one GPU memory is not sold for the market and second like all GPU's, it's memory is soldered in the GPU board.. well motherboard in this case), OR double the speed of the memory. For one you can't double speed of the memory but if you could it wou;d take twice the power to run it, and the 128-bit option would also take twice the power than the 64-bit memory. As the Intel GPU is MUCH less powerful, it can afford the higher memory bit and consume a little less than the Nvidia solution. In any case Aero runs fine, or at least when you plug-it in. I just wanted to explain why it's lower.

The rest is fine.

No, the score will be the same, that's a how a descent benchmark too is done.
The benefits of going 64-bit:
- More power without using more battery* (notice the star).
- Ability to run 64-bit applications (this is where the more power comes to play)
- Ability to use 64-bit codecs, meaning increase battery life when you watch videos. How much? well that depends on the video size, format, codec, how it was codec, compression level. So, I can't say.
- Ability to use your 4GB of RAM (as under 32-bit Windows (like all 32-bit OS's) you actually ~3.1 to 3.5GB of RAM at best.
- Performance increase of about 10% is said by a lot of computer enthusiasts such as myself.
- The WHOLE OS is in 64-bit, including Windows calculator and Paint (well I don't know why these were made in 64-bit it clearly doesn't need use power, by anyway) is in 64-bit, so that is nice.

The downside is that:
- 32-bit drivers won't work, but applications still do. That means if you hook up a printer, make sure it has 64-bit drivers. As for the system itself, don't worry it was designed for Vista 64-bit.
- 16-bit applications can't run. Windows removed Windows-on-Windows for 16-bit application that is there on 32-bit versions of Windows. 16-bit applications are most of the ones in Windows 95/98 (despite being able to run 32-bit applications. It was a time of transition, like we face now with 64-bit) and for DOS applications. So it should not cause any issues... however sadly, some games before 2005 still had 16-bit components. So expect these games/software to not run. However you can always setup a Virtual PC and have XP on it or use DOSBox emulator to run all these old programs. This issue affects only very few people. Most people found a patch, or updated their software to the latest version, or nothing was needed to be done, to have everything work.

In other words, if you use no special or ultra old application/game/peripherals then your not affected by all by this.

And that is it.

Additional note:
1- The day you get Vista/Win7 64-bit, check out shark007 codec pack. It exists in 32 and 64-bit flavor, designed for Vista/Win7. Both 32 and 64-bit versions can be installed without any conflict for compatibility. This codec also enables Windows Media Player 64-bit (which is not set by default) so that you can use your 64-bit codecs. It's the best codec pack I found up to this date. Nothing comes close to it in quality and doesn't screw up your system when you update the codecs nor when you uninstall it.

2- If you have Vista Buisness edition, then you don't have 64-bit DVD codec. You can use PowerDVD that is provided by Dell for a good DVD codec, but it's in 32-bit (PowerDVD fault), so you must use Windows Media Player 32-bit. So it might be confusiong at first, but once you set Windows which edition to run your movies/video and DVD than that is set.

3- If you used your system for some time, and switch windows, you will see that it boots slower. That is NOT because of the OS, but that is because Vista/Win7 is doing boot optimization every number of days. So when you install a new Windows or simply re-install your system the optimization is obviously lost. Just wait a week or two and it should be back to what it was.

 

I know I explained this before, but for all new comers, here is my old post on the whole thing with 32 and 64-bit CPU's. I hope you find it interesting. The topic was onto why a 64-bit software can't run under a 32-bit CPU.

 

Uhhhh... I just booted my E6400 and when DCP loaded a warning popped up "Your battery needs to be replaced."
Unfortunately, I couldn't click the "Click here for more information" link because the program didn't react anymore.
What the hell was that? Should I worry? Call Dell?

 

Mh, battery health still is normal.. I guess that was a software error or something.

 

hey, which graphics card should i get for this comp?

Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD With PC-Card
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M With PC-Card

Or just list the pros and cons for each. Thanks guys.

 

That's happened to me even though my battery was brand new. Disregard it.

 

First, although it's most likely that no one here will use it, I would suggest to get the Express Card for the simple fact that it's PCI-E (rather than PCI) and new cards will work with it. Pick PC Card if you some card that you really need, else I think you'll just screw yourself over 2-3 years down the road if you decide to get a sound card or TV-tuner or anything really that can fit in such port. You can never predict the future, so better to be safe than sorry, that is how I see it. If you don't have that option, just ask when you call, they'll put it in for you (also offer you free shipping and amazing free upgrades and drop the price just by asking nicely.. in my case if I inculde all the free upgrades with my system I would have paid 2024$ Can.. and I paid ~1600$ before taxes.)

Anyway, now to you real question.
Your question has been asked again and again on this very thread. So I won't go in too much details and stick in bullet points.

Nvidia Solution
- Best driver support, still has distribute drivers from their first video card they ever produced. And still make bug fixes for older video cards even thus few people still have them today.
- If we convert the GPU as a Geforce, it's equivalent to a Geforce 9300M OC (but just under a 9400M). The Intel is equivalent to a Geforce 7400M in performance.
- Can play the latest games somewhat smoothly with minimum settings
- If you are lucky (as not all GPU's are made the same), you might be able to overclock when system is plug-in, and match about the performance of a Geforce 9500M, (see my signature for details). However you risk to fall like 2 users in this thread where the GPU heats up more than normal. I think their issue got solved after a motherboard/heatsink replacement. Yes, StreetFighter 4 runs on above minimum settings but not medium (about 54fps based on the benchmark tool made available).
- You can do light CAD'ing.
- You gave PhysX and CUDA features if you use such application
- Supports ALL applications.
- Supports 1080p HD movies
- Laptop has excellent cooling and even uses it's metal base as heatsink so the GPU end up not causing any issue.


Intel:
- Less heat.
- Increase of battery life (about 30min more on a 9-cell battery than the Nvidia solution).
- Best Aero experience under battery (The Quadro downclocks to save battery to compete with the Intel solution)
- Like Nvidia solution, support 1080p HD movies.
- Limited driver support (expect the driver support to end as soon as Intel release a new video card)
- Limited application support. Intel focus is per application to have the best optimized driver to use the least amount of power per performance. however, if your applications needs to use the GPU and is not supported, the application will crash.


So it comes down to:
- If you play games casually, or doing some small CAD projects or running some application that uses the GPU to render things (ie: Photoshop CS4, latest Adobe Premier). Nvidia solution is best for you.

- If you just type text mostly and play videos on your system, Intel option is the way to go.

A few post earlier, I believe (if I am not mistaken threads) I talk about why Intel will give you the most smooth Aero experience under battery.

 

It's a really easy decision. If you play newer games that require fast 3D processing, go with the Nvidia. Of course, you have to ask yourself why you want to buy a business laptop in that case, since the nvidia chip in the E6400 is not that good with the latest games.

For others, the Intel graphics solution is the way to go. Better battery life, lower temperatures, and a quieter laptop being the obvious advantages. But there is potentially better reliability, too. Also, people reported that the nvidia software appears to throttle speed when running on battery, which negates some of the advantages of the nvidia chip.

I have both. Using a 9 cell battery, the Intel solution gives about 60 to 90 minutes more battery life. Most importantly, the E6400 with Intel graphics is much cooler and quieter.

 

You hit the nail on the head.