Curious what the main issues, complaints, etc. have been with the e4300 now that it's been out for a while. (Also, I'd love confirmation of it's actual weight.)
I was originally considering this the only potential competition to a Sony Z (as I am after light, slim but powerful/normal components). However, I've since backed off the idea of a e4300. Still
I broke my XPS M1330 at work and one of the laptops the computer dept is suggesting as a replacement is the Dell E4300.
I played around with one that my colleague has. The size of 4lbs is okay, the performance seems okay for my usage pattern. However, there's a major show-stopper: the screen. I'm none too impressed by the screen, in terms of contrast and black levels. This review confirmed my impression:
Notebookcheck: Review Dell Latitude E4300 Laptop ). And it seems this laptop does not offer any screen upgrade option.
Also resolution was okay, but I wouldnt mind a bit more, although that is not a deal breaker like the other two issues.
So is there any Latitude or corporate Dell unit that would basically be an E4300 with a better screen?
Windows 7 runs amazingly on this machine (specs in sig). Though, it ran fantastic with Vista as well.
Despite my overall good experience thus far, there are a few things to note:
1) The webcam. Yeah, it works fine with AIM and what not out of the box, but I'd like it if Dell released an official Win7 driver + Win7 Webcam Central to better support the Latitudes.
2) The Ambient Light Sensor. It's a bit wonky under Win7, so I've left it disabled for the time being and manually change the brightness when needed. Again, I'd like to see Dell release a Win7 version of the ALS Utility found under their Vista drivers.
I posted here earlier this year after I had received my E4300 and I promised to come back and give more feedback once I had a little more time.................................
View 6 Replies View RelatedI'm in the process of trying to decide between getting an E6400 or E4300 to replace my aging Toshiba A105-4074. I'm somewhat surprised by the lack of discussion here about the E4300 compared with the huge number of threads about the E6400.
I have an E4300 here at work that I have been impressed with, so I have hands-on experience with it. I haven't had any hands-on experience with the E6400, and have only seen one briefly. While I've read lots of good things about it, I wish I could use one for a couple of days in order to get a feel for it .....
I just received my E4300 from the Dell outlet, it's in great condition with one exception.
The keyboard has a bulge or slight rise in the center. I have the back-lit keyboard.
The Dell E4300 for example is generally inferior (IMO) to the Vaio Z (heavier, slower, uglier, lower quality screen, lower quality build materials, etc.) yet it costs just about the same."
Sony Z here in Canada: $2614 before tax ($45 shipping)
If you make the warranty the same (3 years), $2943 before tax + $45 shipping
Same specs, I paid $2100 before tax (and free shipping) for the Dell E4300. Is it worth the difference when the keyboard (I don't like the Z's keyboard)?
I have to wait the same week (Oct 14/15) to receive either.
I need to replace my D610 and I have two options:
Option 1: E6400
Intel Core 2 DUO T9600 2.80GHZ Processor
14.1: UltraSharp WXGA (1440/900) display
4GB ram
160GB HDD
DVD+/-RW
Dell wireless 1397 802.11/b/g Mini Card
Option 2: E4300
Intel Core 2 DUO SP9400 2.40GHZ Processor
13.3" wide WXGA screen
2GB Ram
80GB HDD
8X DVD
Dell wireless 1397 802.11 b/g Mini Card .....
What type/brand of case is everyone using to tote around their E4300. I just got mine in yesterday and I need something to protect her!
View 3 Replies View RelatedI love the way it looks and feels so far, but I think I have a problem.
1.The screen is really dark. My current comp e1505 on the lowest setting is brighter than it.
I tried messing with dcp to no avail, toggling on/off the ambient light sensor .....
Any idea if Dell will ever release an updated GPU driver to support Flash 10.1 hardware acceleration?
Currently the driver is 8.15.10.1855.
EDIT: Never mind. According to the Adobe release notes PDF, support starts with driver version 8.15.10.2021. Looks like we're outta luck until Dell releases a newer driver.
I'm interested in buying a good portable notebook and the E4300 is one of the main contenders because of the solid build, good batterly life and its weight and size
So I've been reading many mixed reviews about the latitude e4300 where many people thought it didn't live up to what you would expect from a premium business notebook with a premium price.
I was thinking of putting the beta on when it comes out later today. Will any of the Vista video/trackpoint/??? drivers work? Or will I be SOL?
View 4 Replies View RelatedI need some advice on picking the E4300 or E6400. The pricing in my country is a little different from the US I guess. I'm stuck on deciding with which machine as the pricing is about the same (see below).
I'm studying in a university where my course is about 50% programming, and can spend about 5 to 8 hours a day in school....
Well, the latitude E4300 is very cool, i like it, it has great design, but what the hell they were thinking about when they made the 6-cell battery ugly like this?
so i can't get it, we paid like 1500$ for great laptop and we can't enjoy it cause of just a damn battery!
don't you think it is the right time for us to ask about the bay battery for E4300 ? does anybody knows when Dell will lunch the bay battery?
i think i will not use this laptop with this ugly 6-cell batter anymore, i will throw it in a box till getting bay battery!
I bought a refurb E4300 about a month ago. I really like the design and really want to keep this laptop, but I've come across some random issues, I've never dealt with before and it's getting to annoy me.
The most recent one is when the computer sits for about 10 min (the setting is set to 10 min) and goes to standby.
The blue microsoft screen comes up and the words "Preparing to stand by" shows up and it freezes.
I can still move the mouse (I notice the pointer moving), the keyboard still works (toggle lighted keyboard), but the screen stays as is. The only way I've solved this is to do a hard reboot. Painful.
My other issue was from the other day. I didn't want to disturb anyone so I plugged in my headphones.
After that, I couldn't control the volume. None of the volume controls worked at all. In face, only one source of audio was coming up.
I am in the market for a new laptop. I have been tossing up wether to get the Dell XPS 13 or the Dell Latitude 4300 (13").
I am particulary looking for a laptop to use on the train as I commute to work and so am looking for something small, with a battery life that can handle up-to 2 hours with maybe 30% of the time high CPU usage (1 hour each way).
I am a software developer and will want to dual boot Windows and Linux, and will want something with a bit of grunt .....
I have been unable to find anything to replace the disk drive with. After OS and basic application installation, I never use CDs or DVDs.
I would much prefer a battery or hard drive. Even a plastic weight-saver would be better than the disk drive
So for now my feelings are not to good.
Dell is just starting to support Windows 7 on E4300. There are now few drivers coresponding to that system, but...
- Dell ControlPoint Security Manager Application - upgraded to A13 but still there are some problems with fingerprint reader after starting from sleep mode (long time before reader connect).
- Dell ControlPoint Security Device Driver - upraded to A12 but still I have a SmartCard Device (SCFILTERCID_3303013145410602b6) without drivers. Weird, because there is another SmartCard device that is installed corect, and my E4300 have only one SmartCards Reader.
- Dell ControlPoint System Manager - even with new A12 there is no possibility to adjust brightness without ALS.
- there are another two devices without drivers. Some "PCI Serial Port", and "PCI Simple Communications Controller".
I'm using Windows 7 x64 RTM.
I love my E6400, but sometimes I think having an ultraportable would better meet my needs. I'm considering switching to an E4300 for this reason and am looking for some input. The specs of my E6400: P8400, WXGA+ LED backlit, 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HDD, Intel 5300, 4500MHD, 9 cell. What I'm most concerned about is build quality, keyboard and screen quality, power, weight, and battery life between the two systems. I really like the screen on my E6400 and I'm worried that I'll be disappointed downgrading to a WXGA. Also, would I be saving an appreciable amount of weight by moving from an E6400 with a 9 cell to an E4300 with a 6 cell, enough so that it would justify switching laptops? Basically, is there anything I might be disappointed in by going from an E6400 to an E4300?
View 10 Replies View RelatedI was wondering if anyone has tried using the Dell 45W power adapter with their E4300. If so, does it work?
It would be handy to carry the 45W one around instead of the 65W one assuming that it works.
I just noticed that my dvdrw is not working.
In My Computer it shows: BD-ROM
In Device Manager it shows: UNSBGH QBWHEN8X2305 (Drive Name)
The Actual Drive: TS-U633A
Has anyone experienced this problem? I try updating the firmware from U633A-U633C but it wont update and detect the "actual drive".
I was wondering if people have any suggestions for sleeves for a Dell Lattitude E4300 with 6 cell battery.
View 10 Replies View RelatedI am getting back my Dell E4300 I sold on eBay because some dummy thinks the computer is slow (takes too long to load Windows) I want to reinstall Windows XP Pro with the MINIMAL amount of drivers/software required. Does anyone have a list of drivers I MUST install on the Dell E4300
View 4 Replies View RelatedLocation: Dublin, Ireland
Order Date: 18/09/2008
Estimated Delivery Date (on or before this date): 20/10/2008
Actual Shipment Date: 25/09/2008
Cost: 1461.68 euro (2135.08 usd)
Config:
QTY Item Description
1 Latitude E4300 : BLACK Intel Core 2 DuoSP9300(2.26GHz,1066MHz,6MB) Latitude ON Reader
1 Standard Touchpad 214-10064
1 Display : Black -No Camera, Latitude On Reader, WWAN- 13.3inWXGA(1280x800)
1 Documentation : English Shipping Docs
1 Memory : 4096MB (2x2048) 800MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
1 Hard Drive : 80GB Serial ATA (5400RPM)
1 Optical Drive : Roxio Creator 9.0 Software (XP & VistaCompatible) with Recovery CD
1 Optical Drive : Power DVD 8.0
1 Optical Drive : BLACK 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
1 Power Cord : UK/Ireland 90W AC Adaptor 3-pin
1 Battery : Primary 6-cell 60W/HR LI-ION
1 No Carry Case
1 Wireless : Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802.11 a/b/g/n 1X2) 1/2 MiniCard with Centrino label
1 Keyboard : Internal UK/IR Qwerty Standard Keyboard
1 Software Driver : Latitude E4300
1 Software Driver : Recovery DVD
1 Operating System : English Windows Vista Business SP1 to XP Pro SP3 Downgrade
1 Windows Vista Business SP1 Os media
1 Client Systems Management Disabled
1 AntiVirus : Not Included
1 Base Warranty
1 3Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day - Minimum Warranty
1 No Warranty Upgrade
1 Declined CompleteCare
1 Latitude Order - Ireland
1 Road Freight Charge Per Unit 1-10 unit
Collected my dell latitude e4300 saturday morning (27/09) from my local depot instead of waiting for it to be delivered and been giving it a whirl for the last day or so.
First some quick figures. On my kitchen scales the e4300 with the 6 cell battery weighs about 1.8kg (4lbs). The charger and power cord weigh another 500 grams (1lb) making for a total travel weight (notebook + 6 cell battery + charger) of about 2.3 kgs (roughly 5 lbs).
The e4300 feels sturdy enough although the 6 cell battery that sticks out at the back feels a little loose when given a tug. The keyboard (uk layout) as far I can tell is almost same the size/layout as its bigger brother the e6400 except for the page up and down which are full size and placed beside the arrow keys.
When first powered up the machine spends a little over 2 minutes in some kind of bios initialization mode before booting into a windows xp setup screen - subsequent power ons are a lot faster taking about 50 seconds to a bring up a full xp desktop.
The matte display (device manager says LCD2207) is brighter and has better viewing angles than the Latitude D630 I used some months ago but I was expecting a lot more from a LED screen.
Heat wise the notebook gets a little warm under the chassis top left near the air vent where the cpu is located but was still comfortable enough to place on my lap while wearing jeans.
Noise is a problem with this notebook. The cpu fan although not loud is audible if you're in a quiet room. The latitude D630 was almost whisper quiet in comparison. There's also a slight electronic buzz which sounds like someone sending morse code coming from the top left of the notebook which becomes extremely irritating after a while.
The battery meter claims over 6 hours when fully charged but I've gotten nearer 5 with wifi and some web browsing - will do more formal tests later.
The default software install on this machine is a mess - see attached screenshots taken from task manager and process explorer.
On booting into Windows xp over 354 mb of ram is already being used up by running processes all seemingly related to the proper functioning of this laptop. I though vista memory usage was excessive but for an xp install this is ridiculous - if only 512Meg ram was installed this machine would not be usable as a business notebook.
In general use the touchpad becomes intermittingly laggy with the mouse pointer pausing to change shape (2 black arrows,twirl) no doubt due to some value add cruft running in the background and the touchpad has twice stopped responding to finger input necessitating a windows reboot.
The bottom right of the keyboard doesn't seem to fit snuggly with the notebooks chassis leading to a noticeable flex everytime you press the page down or right arrow key.
Theres an ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness on the fly depending on lighting conditions but anytime I enable it the display brightness seem to jump about a lot (even indoors at night) so I left it off.
With wireless configuration there also appears to be some kind of bun fight between windows xp,dells control point and Intel PROSet software with the apparent winner being Intel.
Not sure if there's also a problem with whatever tracks hard disk usage on this notebook as the hard disk light on the bezel is constantly flashing even when filemon.exe utility reports no file activity.
I'm going do some more tests and try and find out if I can do something about the buzzing noise, hard disk light and keyboard flex but as it stands for the price I paid this notebook is failing to impress.
I have an E4300 and an E6400. The E6400 came with a 5530 WWAN chip, which I would like to move into my E4300 instead. When opening the WLAN/WWAN compartment of the E4300 however there does not seem to be any wiring for the GSM card.
I then found some antenna wires leading to the Latitude ON slot. Since I really doubt I will be getting a Latitude ON chip in the near future, would I be able to run these wires to the WWAN card?
Just picked up a (seemingly) great deal on an E4300 from the Outlet with a 256GB Encrypted Mobility SSD for about $1100, and wondered which SSD actually comes with it? I'm hoping it's at least a 2nd Generation Samsung and not some old 1st Gen Samsung that's slow as molasses!
View 9 Replies View RelatedI am having problems getting 3 drivers loaded on an E4300 in windows 7. The chipset drivers says "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software"
Base System Driver
Broadcom USH
Unknown device
I try to fix a latitude E4300.
- int. keyboard does not work (however trackpoint and touchpad work), only an ext. USB keyboard works.
- laptop is slow: in the BIOS setup the response is already slow, mouse is very slow...
- when hitting F8 on the ext. keyboard, you get the windows startup menu.
(safe mode etc.) Response of this menu is also slow.
- windows (XP) does not start at all, you see the Windows startup screen and nothing happens (no BSOD)
- even a recovery cd like "hiren's boot CD" or "I have the password" doesn't start.
Bios: A13
All settings in the BIOS are correct. Changed to default, still the same problems.
I ran diagnostics (F12), but no errors found???
I ran chkdsk on the harddisk (removed HD and put it into an external HD case), errors were found, but corrected...
I would like to install a backlit keyboard into my e4300.
I removed all the visible screws but the case is still intact.
Are there screws behind the rubber pieces?
Has anyone successfully disassembled the e4300 before? I wasn't able to find any documentation or photos anywhere.