NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Dell Forums › Dell Business (Vostro, Latitude, Precision) › E1705 - I9400 / Where is the docking port??
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

E1705 - I9400 / Where is the docking port??

post #1 of 22
2/17/06 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 
Hello, I just ordered my E1705 and after doing some further reading it appears there is no docking port on this model?? How can this be? I am coming from an I8600 that has a dokcing port and have a number of peripheral devices pluged into it at my home desk station. Am I to understand I am going to need to plug and unplug every device from now on when I want to go mobile on my brand new PC? What is the thought behind leaving this off as an option, or am I just missing something and they havent come out with it yet?

Thanks in advance for any help here
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 22
2/17/06 at 3:11pm
I think they discontinued the docking station on the new (silver and white) models
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 22
2/17/06 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Can you still get port replicators for these models? Why would they do such a thing? Am I the only one that finds docking your laptop a mandatory convenience, I cannot believe more have not commented on this here yet.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 22
2/17/06 at 5:01pm
It's been talked about before*maybe not with the 9400 though. You're gonna have to get a USB based port replicator if you want one.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 22
2/17/06 at 5:20pm
While configuring a 9400, there is an option for a USB port replicator/stand in the accessories. Dell Part# 80370973. Looks like it could be a possible solution for you, but it looks like you'd have to plug in power each time as well as the USB. The way it's made, however, would make a seperate keyboard required.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 22
2/17/06 at 5:28pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the tips guys, but am I missing something? Isn't the quick disconnect feature one of the main conveniences of owning a laptop. I have office and home office locations with Port Replicators at each because of the external monitor hookups, iwreless mice, sound, etc, why was such a staple feature elimanted this rouund? I am so disapointed I may cancel now.....
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 22
2/17/06 at 5:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhagg
Thanks for the tips guys, but am I missing something? Isn't the quick disconnect feature one of the main conveniences of owning a laptop. I have office and home office locations with Port Replicators at each because of the external monitor hookups, iwreless mice, sound, etc, why was such a staple feature elimanted this rouund? I am so disapointed I may cancel now.....

I feel the general market for this laptop is more towards a media audience / gamer / ???? power user, but it is definetly not business friendly, e.g. not even a standard parallel / serial port on board.

Need to shell out for some usb convertors in my situation.

At least they gave us six.

Dougie.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 22
2/17/06 at 6:40pm
I used to have the APR with the i8600 - so I know what you mean. You can get a USB port replicator – but it is essentially a glorified USB hub with some legacy ports and perhaps a sound card and LAN port.

I wound up getting a good USB hub. With this approach I simply hook all my USB peripherals up through the hub. Then I use my wireless card to connect to my router. I have plenty of devices hooked into my notebook all through the USB hub but still only a total of 3 connections to my notebook – power, USB cable to USB hub, and speaker cord. Technically I could loose the speaker cord by getting a USB sound card.

Anyway after living with it for a while I feel my current configuration is just as good as my old APR.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 22
2/17/06 at 6:43pm
There are 2 types of DOCKING station.
1. The crappy USB type, which is nothing more than a USB replicator with mouse/keyboard ports,

2. Dells proprietary DOCKING conection, which u can connect dual monitors etc to. In fact, u can even an additional PCI Express gfx card into the docking device.

Im not sure if the 9XXX series supports this. I think the latitude did tho.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 22
2/17/06 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sprockett
There are 2 types of DOCKING station.
1. The crappy USB type, which is nothing more than a USB replicator with mouse/keyboard ports,

2. Dells proprietary DOCKING conection, which u can connect dual monitors etc to. In fact, u can even an additional PCI Express gfx card into the docking device.

Im not sure if the 9XXX series supports this. I think the latitude did tho.
2. seriously? A PCI Express gfx card in a docking station???????
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 22
2/17/06 at 9:27pm
yup!!
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 22
2/17/06 at 9:29pm
omg than you can liek connect a geforce 7800 GTX überpro version with 512 mb ram'n stuff to a 9400?
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 22
2/17/06 at 9:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cookie092
omg than you can liek connect a geforce 7800 GTX überpro version with 512 mb ram'n stuff to a 9400?
No...
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 22
2/17/06 at 11:00pm
wtf
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 22
2/17/06 at 11:23pm
I don't understand why your so concerned about this, It takes me less than a minute to plug in or unplug all my usb junk from my laptop when i want to take it on the go. True, a docking station is faster, but a minute really isnt that much time outta my life.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 22
2/18/06 at 1:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cookie092
wtf
LOL, i wondered that too... but apparently noone wanted to give me an answer...
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 22
2/18/06 at 2:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pflanagan
I don't understand why your so concerned about this, It takes me less than a minute to plug in or unplug all my usb junk from my laptop when i want to take it on the go. True, a docking station is faster, but a minute really isnt that much time outta my life.
Its not just the time to connect but some of the overall connections as well. In my home office I have a Klipsch 5.1 system that requires an SPDIF connection, on the 8600 the docking port has one right on it, with the E1705 I will have to attach the dongle to the S-Video out to use it, that is not a very sturdy connection especially to go in and out of the machine all the time. There are a lot of little things like this people don't think about. Besides it could not have been that expensive to add the dock connection on the bottom and they would have sold more accessories. I'll figure out a way to deal with it, but it is an inconvenience I was not expecting in upgrading my machine.

So which USB port replicator is everyone using with this?
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 22
2/18/06 at 2:29pm
If I remember right the port replicator with the expansion slot has only a normal old PCI slot...not even AGP so no video card is really an option.

Looking at it realistically, I doubt that the entire connection betweeen the laptop and the replicator would be fast enough and have the bandwidth to support a PCI-express or AGP slot on it even if dell wanted one, let alone all the other interfaces it has to support.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 22
2/18/06 at 4:11pm
Svideo does not put out an audio signal dude, no adapter would allow you to get an spdif signal from it. What you would need for that particular deal is a usb sound card, since the e1705 doesnt have a pcmcia port. Otherwise you could settle for stereo sound from the headphone jack. A docking station just isn't that important of a device for a 17" laptop in my mind.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 22
2/18/06 at 6:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pflanagan
Svideo does not put out an audio signal dude, no adapter would allow you to get an spdif signal from it. What you would need for that particular deal is a usb sound card, since the e1705 doesnt have a pcmcia port. Otherwise you could settle for stereo sound from the headphone jack. A docking station just isn't that important of a device for a 17" laptop in my mind.
Sorry dude, but the dell dongle does split SPDIF from the s-video connector from the back of E1705, I read this direct from the user guide.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Dell Forums › Dell Business (Vostro, Latitude, Precision) › E1705 - I9400 / Where is the docking port??