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Just Bought a E6420 from WOOT on a Special and have few questions regarding Memory Expansion and...

post #1 of 5
3/30/12 at 2:02am
Thread Starter 

 

 

Alright Guys I finally Pulled the Switch, I had been wanting a Thinkpad Style Trackpoint + SSD + Above 1366x768 Resolution Laptop that was Less than 5 LBS

     

I Originally Bought the DM4-3050US from Staples for $650 - $150 Rebates and returned it in a week, The resolution was not what I wanted and performance was slow compared to my 2-3 Year Old Thinkpad X300 with a CORE 2 DUO and 64 GB SSD and 13.3 inch 1440x900, Also I felt the touchpad was extra small and the palm area was small.

     

I Returned it thinking I could use my X300 for a bit and buy a 15 Inch Ultrabook when it comes out with IVY Bridge, well seems it will be 4-6 Months before we will see a 15 inch IVY Bridge Ultrabook, and let alone better ones with Windows 8 and the next generation of them.

     

So I was in the Middle looking for Any Laptop with Higher Resolution and was gonna just swap out the HDD to SSD from my X300 or buy a new SSD.  Well it was coming out Pricy.

     

I Considered the Asus Zenbook for $899 at Office Depot with a $40 coupon making it $860+ Tax, I dont like too slick finishing and the touchpad and keyboards on it. Also the smaller 128 GB SSD and No Backlit Keyboard, Held me back, Making me wait for IVY Bridge and there next generation of Zenbook, but it will still be $1000+

     

Well I got a WOOT.com email and saw this Great deal, I also saw it on Slickdeals and everywhere, I priced it everywhere, Dell.com, eBay, everywhere and you cannot

     

This Model is exactly e6420700, and is $850 on Tiger Direct -

http://m.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1990178&CatId=4939&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=lw9MynSeamY-Wu2NaITvylIauCDdMip30g

     

http://www.woot.com

     

Anyways Only downfalls I found was no USB 3.0 Port or a Backlit Keyboard

     

But I do not get how it is 4.6 LBS with 

     

### Business-rugged laptop stylishly armored top to bottom with hard-wearing and MIL-STD 810G tested Tri-Metal™ casing, powder-coated base and spill resistant keyboard ###

     

Normally the ones with that are 6 LBS and heavier.

     

Also is the Keyboard Spill resistant?

     
******
     
Either way I got this laptop
 
E6420
 
Dell E6420700 Notebook with 14” LED Display & 256GB SSD
 
 
     
     
READ FROM HERE IF YOU DONT Wanna here bunch of regardless info.
     
Ok so first I want to do (2) Things.
     
(1)
     
I wanna upgrade the Memory from 4 GB to 6 or 8
     
Crucial has 4 GB Stick for $23 a piece.
     
Either I buy two sticks and get 8 GB or Buy one and Make it 6 GB, but I am not sure if it contains a 4 GB x 1 Stick and 1 Dimm Free, or 2 GB x 2 = 4 GB
     
Is Crucial best place Price wise? What specs does the current Dimms have?
     
ALSO I see different Memory's at different Voltages, Which one is the best one to buy, whether I buy (2) DIMMS or Just (1), I hear its better to match the second DIMM with the first DIMM.  
 
DDR3-1333 - 1.5v - DDR3 PC3-10600 VS DDR3-1333 - 1.5v - DDR3 PC3-12800 VS Other variations, There is (3) different ones on Crucials Site, and the 12800 is $3 more.
     
     
(2)
     
I wanna replace the optical Drive with a extra HDD, I saw you can buy a Hard Drive Caddy, I have a 750 GB Blue Scorpion 5400 RPM 9.5 mm 2.5 Inch, I want to put in it.
     
I see  its $24 on eBay without the Eject Release Mechanism and $19.99 on another site.
     
And $49 on [url=http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_3&products_id=395]2nd Hard Drive Caddy DELL E6520, E6420, E6320 E-Module Bay [DELL-2BAY-E6520] - $48.95 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks[/url] - With the Eject Mechanism
     
I can buy for $20-24 and use the Eject Mechanism from the Old Optical Drive, but I would like to leave it alone on the old Optical Drive, so I can hotswap easily.
     
****
     
(3)
 
So I hear you can add an external GPU to this using its expresscard slot? And also maybe add a M-Sata SSD there too! And damn a GPU!? WOW! HOW IS THAT WORK!?
     
(4)
     
Few other questions I had if anyone has any input, It has a ESATA Port, I hate how it doesnt have USB 3.0 but I am guessing I can use an extra SATA Hard Drive to copy to via ESATA.
     
Where is best Places to buy this cable and what are the speeds compared to USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. is it worth the extra work than using an external on USB 2.0?
     
 
(5)
 
 
So How Can I Hotswap the Keyboard for a Backlit one? Is it hard and wheres best place to find the Part, eBay?
     
     
(6)
     
I also want to know what SSD it contains for just knowing the Read and Write times, Just something for my own Information.
     
Thanks Guys!
     
Who is the SSD Made by and the Benchmarks or Read and Write times?
 

Edited by xraheelx - 3/30/12 at 2:16am
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post #2 of 5
3/30/12 at 4:37am
1 - the only way to know current specs on a new not-yet-arrived notebook is to wait for it to arrive and run cpu-z. Or call them up and see the sellers can tell you.

Crucial is good as anyone else, they do offer good support though.

2 - cool

3 - ain't worth the investment on the external GPU, using pci-express bus

4 - eSata claims to be 3x faster than usb 2.0 but it is a moot point if your devices (hard drive) cannot support the speed. Samething with USB 3.0, if the devices cannot handle it, what's good to have it? winknudge.gif

Just think about a nice cool motorway of 200mph support and your car can only top speed at 80mph

5 - check the forum, we have some threads about the keyboard swap

6 - back to point (1) above

cheers ...
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post #3 of 5
3/31/12 at 3:58am
Thread Starter 

(2) My Question was where is best place to buy drive caddy with Eject Mechanism Built in

 

Also does a mSata SSD 64 GB Help at all, or just extra storage

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post #4 of 5
3/31/12 at 4:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xraheelx View Post

(2) My Question was where is best place to buy drive caddy with Eject Mechanism Built in

Also does a mSata SSD 64 GB Help at all, or just extra storage


Like this one?
http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=395

cheers ...
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post #5 of 5
3/31/12 at 4:55am
Thread Starter 
I didnt wanna spend $48 when its $20 everywhere else, extra $28 is not worth for just a release mechanism, I would rather hook it up using a cheap ESata cable, I was looking for a generic or cheaper version of for newmode is selling
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