Dell Latitude - E5400 Laptop Computer (Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 160GB/2GB)

CNET product brief

Description: This configuration of the Dell Latitude is a 5.5-pound, mainstream notebook computer.Compared to other consumer level notebooks on the market, it is very inexpensive at around $580.The 14.1 inch widescreen has a native resolution of 1280 x 800, which is fairly standard among laptops.Runs on the Intel Core 2 Duo processor.This notebook includes a 160GB hard disk drive and 2.0 GB of memory.

Pros: Has a 2.40 GHz CPU speed, which is somewhat faster than some similarly priced notebooks.By way of comparison, the average cost of a product with this zippy a CPU speed is $1,310.An anti-theft security tether can be fastened into the built-in lock slot.

Cons: Has only a 160GB hard drive, which is smaller than some similarly priced notebooks.For example, the Lenovo G550, a 5.5-pound notebook at around $600, has a 320GB hard drive.The poor battery performance of this notebook means it has to be recharged more often than other notebooks in its class.This notebook's Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics chip uses system memory, which sometimes results in slower performance.

Suitability: Suited for those who just need a basic notebook.If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Internet from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled notebook.Comes with a DVD player for watching movies.

Value: In view of its very inexpensive price, this notebook has great features for the money.For example, when it comes to screen size, the average price of mainstream products with a comparable screen size is quite a bit more -- right around $752.Generally, given the trade-offs between performance and low price, this item will likely only appeal to serious bargain hunters.

Suggestions: (1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Internet more conveniently from any room.(2) Using this PC's Firewire (1394) port, you can connect to many digital video camcorders and other equipment to rapidly upload data to the notebook hard drive.

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