Well, I’ve been thinking about getting a new notebook PC and I narrowed my decision down to three models; the Dell Latitude E4300, Dell Latitude E6500, and the System76 Serval Professional. Since I am still gathering funds, I will not be purchasing anything until late October. I know the models will change, but these three seem to fit what I want.
The Dell Latitude E4300 and the specs I chose:
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo SP9400 (2.40GHz) w/Latitude ON™ ready
- Intel® GS45 Express Chipset
- 13.3″ Wide Screen WXGA WLED Panel for Latitude ON
- Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
- 4.0GB, DDR3-1066 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
- Internal English Backlit Keyboard
- WWAN Capable without a WWAN Card
- 250GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor
- 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink PowerDVD
- Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
- Dell Wireless® 365 Bluetooth Module
- 6 Cell Battery (56WHr)
- Ports:IEEE – 1394, docking connector, USB 2.0 (x1) /w USB PowerShare, VGA, RJ-45, eSATA/USB Combo (x1), headphone/speaker out, mic
- Slots: Expresscard 34, SD/MMC
- 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
The Dell Latitude E6500 and the specs I chose:
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
- Intel® 45 Express Chipset
- 15.4″ UltraSharp™ Widescreen WUXGA (1920×1200) Display-Brushed Metal Black
- NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M 256MB DDR3
- 4.0GB, DDR2-800 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS
- 250GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM with Free Fall Sensor
- Integrated Webcam with digital microphone
- Intel® WiFi Link 5300 802.11a/g/n Draft Mini Card
- Dell Wireless® 370 Bluetooth Module
- 8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD
- 9 Cell Battery
- Ports: IEEE – 1394, docking connector, USB 2.0 (x4), VGA, Display Port, RJ-11 (optional), RJ-45, eSATA, USB PowerShare, headphone/speaker out, mic
- Slots: 5-in-1 card reader; PCMCIA & ExpressCard 54
- 3 Year Limited Warranty and 3 Year Mail-in Service
The System 76 Serval Professional and the specs I chose:
- Intel® Core 2 Duo T9550 2.66 GHz 1066 MHz FSB 6 MB L2 (35 Watt)
- 15.4″ WUXGA Matte Finish LCD (1920 x 1200)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 260M with 1GB DDR3
- Built-In 2.0 MP Webcam
- 4 GB – DDR3 1066 MHZ – 2 DIMMs
- 250 GB 7200 RPM SATA II
- CD-RW / DVD-RW
- Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300 – 802.11A/B/G/N Up to 450 Mbps
- Bluetooth
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Ports: DVI, HDMI, 3 x USB 2.0, eSata Port, FireWire Port, Headphone Jack, Microphone Jack, S/PDIF Output Jack, SD Reader
- Slots: Express Card 34/54
- 1 Yr. Ltd. Warranty and 1 Yr. Technical Support
I think I want the System 76 Serval Professional because it seems to have a little bit more muscle than the Dell models. Some things that caught my eye include; the RAM is DDR3 at 1066MHz rather than the E6500 which is DDR2 at 800Mhz, the choice in which Intel process I want (which is also an option for the E6500), DVI and HDMI video output instead of VGA, the 2.0 MP Webcam compared to an unknown spec from Dell (it could be 2. MP, but maybe it is 1.3 MP), and nVidia GeForce GTX 260M with 1 GB of DDR3 video memory compare to the E6500 which has an optional NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M 256MB DDR3 or the E4300 Intel Graphics Media which might be shared video memory (once again, I need to verify this)
What I like about the Dell models; the Magnesium Alloy LCD back and base, the backlit keyboard, the superior warranty of 3 years vs. 1 year from System 76, and brand name (I’ve been using and supporting Dell PCs for multiple clients since 1996).
ratedmaxpower 