My first "out of the box new" work computer.

[simple_gifts]

After working 11 years for a IT services company, I finally got a new looking, new smelling computer. (we usually get fully depreciated computers that our customers paid for)

Dell Latitude 6400
3.5 Gb RAM XP SP3
Core2Duo P8700 (2.53GHz)
Nominal hard drive.

Was using Dell Latitude D600 (1.5GHz Pentium M with 1Gb RAM)

For people who don't have "managed PCs" where they work imagine trying to do your work while the PC is trying to do virus scanning, software inventories, hard drive encryption, on the fly attachment scanning and about 100 installed software titles to really bollucks up the registry. All sorts of login scripts etc to really slow stuff down. This is now a thing of the past. With the extra memory, there is almost no paging and monthly virus scanning kicked off and I didn't even notice. On my old machine, i usually justed walked away and filled my coffee cup.

One draw back is that LCD screens are usually "made" to support one resolution. This one is 1440x900, way too much real estate on the screen, I had to make the fonts bigger just to read them.

Pretty sturdy design for this machine and it has a lighted power adapter. What will they think of next? I mean THAT makes my life easier.

I figure I should have this machine until XP is no longer supported.

ok, not a speed daemon, but it was a bit on unexpected pleasure on a Monday morning.

-T

 

[EricF]

once you uninstall all of dell's [censored] programs it should run pretty well afterwards.

 

[Colt45ws]

Having two or more cores along with 3-4GB of memory really speeds things up.

 

[VK56VD]

This should be a very quick machine running XP and with the specs given. Enjoy.

I'm using 2.4GHZ P4 with 2GB of ram and am very happy for my needs, running XP.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

once you uninstall all of dell's [censored] programs it should run pretty well afterwards.


I don't do desktop work at all, but I'm pretty sure Dell will image HD's with a corporate image for a price. In other words, they load "our image"; we don't use theirs. Those try and buy programs really dog a machine.

 

[JustinH]

I work for a major bank, we use p4 machines that are absolutely whipped. They have windows xp and internet explorer 6!

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

The 1440x900 screen is what I spec for everyone as it is the backlit-LED option. It's a far better screen than the other other two options for the model that Dell offers IMO.

The 6400's are a hit as the design is (finally) a step up rather than a step sideways for the Latitude models.

4GB of RAM, but with XP only 3.5GB...can you run Win7 x64 on this? It runs FAR better than XP on this computer. The hard drives are the slowest link, a 7200rpm disk is a needed quantity in these things. The 5400 rpm models are "modest" performers at best.

Did you get the backlit keyboard, too?

Congrats!

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

can you run Win7 x64 on this


no.

I noticed the case is magnesium something and the hinges are actually metal. The whole unit is a notch above the d600 thing I had before. I'll give it a few years before I render my 'build quality' judgement.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

It's a shame you can't run the 64bit version on there. I run it on all of them. Runs like a computer is supposed to run (well, one with a MS OS on it

)

 

[Lyondellic]

You should be able to use an x64 OS on any dual core computer:

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37006

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

You should be able to use an x64 OS on any dual core computer:


It is a managed work computer; our OS's aren't a la carte. 8)

 

[CivicFan]

Yeah, at work we run IE6 as well. Some of the vendors do not support anything newer for their web based user interfaces so we are stuck with that POS.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

The vendors need to get their act together and get in the 21st century. MS is shoving IE6 into the sunset, Google wants no part of it, it's the most insecure browser ever....yet businesses won't budge on developing for technologies newer than 2001. Makes no sense.

 

[CivicFan]

Agreed but go tell that to GE or Siemens.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

...or the higher-ups at my job. Luckily, I make the calls for the departments our group supports so we just need to make it work with old development cycles (IE6 & such) and aren't forced to use XP or other ancient technologies. I tried Linux, but it was too painful to make work in a Windows-centric shop.

The E6400/E6500 Latitudes do run much better with Win7 than XP. Too bad simple_gifts can't flex the OS he's running.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Just saw this tweet, how timely:

Imagine cutting your lip on the same broken glass for 8 years, then dissing everybody who drinks—injury-free—without you.

So, yeah. IE6.

 

[JustinH]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
The vendors need to get their act together and get in the 21st century. MS is shoving IE6 into the sunset, Google wants no part of it, it's the most insecure browser ever....yet businesses won't budge on developing for technologies newer than 2001. Makes no sense.


I'm sure there is new software out there. Business just doesn't want to pay for it. Technically we aren't allowed to use the internet for anything but business purposes.

Heck, we just got Windows XP installed on computers in the year 2009. Previously it was windows 2000.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

I'm sure there is new software out there. Business just doesn't want to pay for it. Technically we aren't allowed to use the internet for anything but business purposes.


Internally, our company has many web based apps based on MS junk. e-paystubs, e-learning etc. I think the firestorm from other browser users and the fact that "a web based app that only supports 1 company's browser" has a built in paradox has driven them to make things more applet based. Also everytime MS has a new idea it is back to the drawing board for all your programs.

Of course had they stuck to open documented standards.......

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

In a bitter twist of irony, IE8 actually adheres to so many of the standards that people have wanted IE to do from the start. Personally, IE8 is a great browser in Win7....xp? not so much. The speed ain't there.