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The eSATA port can be used for fast data transfer with an external eSATA hard disk, ( Battery Acer Aspire One ) just like the FireWire beside it. USB 3.0 isn't installed, but can be retrofitted via the module bay according to Dell. In this case, ( VGP-BPS13A/S Battery ) the DVD drive would be omitted.

The Latitude E6520 can offer the entire range of communication technologies as a business laptop.( Battery Acer Aspire 4710 ) Since we have the basic version, there is neither Bluetooth nor a HSDPA module installed. ( Dell Laptop Battery ) A corresponding mini PCIe socket as well as SIMCard slot is empty. The E6520 of course has WLAN according to standard draft n specifications (Dell Wireless 1501) as wireless technology. ( Latitude D620 Battery ) Additionally, an Intel 82579 LM gigabit controller is installed.

Dell's data protection tool and the backup and recovery manager belong to the installed security tools.( vostro 1400 battery ) The Trusted Platform module or fingerprint reader is unknown to our E6520 version. ( Dell Vostro 1310 battery ) Merely a Kensington Security Slot can be used with the correlating steel cable can be used for protection against theft.

There's not much in the box,( Sony VGP-BPS13A/S battery ) but there is at least a recovery data carrier for Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit. The user therefore doesn't have to burn recovery DVDs with his own blanks, as common for most manufacturers. ( Dell Vostro 1320 Battery ) The backup and recovery manager is recommendable if you'd like to backup your arduously set up system.

Tediously connecting all cables becomes unnecessary with Dell's Advanced E/Dock docking station (about 140 Euro). ( Inspiron 1720 Battery ) The user would be extensively equipped with serial, parallel, two PS/2, four USB,( Dell 1520 battery ) VGA, DVI, S-Video, audio, RJ45 and RJ11 (two flat screens). If you don't need so many ports, you can choose the Dell 200-70680 Simple E/Dock docking station (about 120 Euro). The smaller alternative supplies 5 USBs, ( Battery Dell Inspiron 1420 ) eSATA, LAN, VGA, DVI, display port, and audio.

Warranty

The standard warranty ex-factory adds up to 3 years ( Battery Dell Inspiron 1525 ) (service on the next business day). Upgrades are available at Dell's for a surcharge, for example the 3 year Pro Support with onsite repair on the next business day and hardware repair support.

The keys supply a very good feedback due to their crisp pressure point and long key drop. (Battery Sony VGP-BPS13/B ) The clearly separated arrow keys (plus page up) protrude out of the keys rectangle and can thus be used without looking. ( Dell vostro 1510 battery ) A separated number pad (spatially separated) designed like in a desktop keyboard finishes off the typing array.

However, we really get enthusiastic when it comes to the pleasant typing qualities.( Sony VGP-BPS13B/B battery ) The Latitude's key bed is fitted absolutely tight, even over the DVD drive. It bids the typist a firm stroke (not hard). ( battery Vostro 1520 ) The keys are non-slip and the fingers can find their way around accurately due to the clear, conic concavity. On the whole, Dell has succeeded in implementing the advantages of a large desktop keyboard as good as possible into a 15.6 incher. The keyboard backlight is not included in our low priced E6520 version.

Touchpad

The ode of praise continues with the mouse replacement.( Dell inspiron 6400 Battery ) Dell speaks of dual pointing because there is a point stick (3 keys) in addition to the multi-touchpad. This dual mouse input device is also standard in ThinkPads and HP's Elitebooks. ( HP Compaq 8510w battery ) The hands don't have to leave the keyboard to move the pointer. Instead they move the mouse from where they are. This increases the work speed.

Touchpad use is convincing across the bench. ( battery VGP-BPS9/B ) The noiselessness and the large, smooth key drop ensure fast use. The touch surface is pleasantly smooth, but not slippery. The pad is sufficiently sized with a diameter of 9.1 centimeters. It is sensitive up to its edges and can be individually modified (scroll bars, gestures, sensitivity).

The matt LED screen (model: PPCTF-156WH4, no manufacturer data) has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels in consumer style (16:9). The 4:3 business format hasn't only become obsolete by Dell. The WXGA resolution (HD Ready) has a coarse resolution for a 15.6 incher.( Acer Aspire 4520 battery ) However, it could be the right choice depending on the user's requirements. The majority of users, or professionals, will opt for the optional 1600x900 or 1920x1080 pixel resolution (HD+/FHD, +29/49 euros).

Acer Aspire One Battery

To praise: (Acer Aspire One Battery ) Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit is contained on a DVD. The user therefore doesn't have to create recovery discs, as is usually the case with other manufacturers.

The standard warranty upon delivery has a duration of 12 months. ( VGP-BPS13A/S Battery ) For an additional sum it is however possible to attain upgrades from Dell, e.g. 3 years Pro Support with next working day on-site repair.

The keys with a crisp pressure point and a long key travel give a very good feedback.( Acer Aspire 4710 Battery ) The separated arrow keys (+ page up/down) stand out from the keyboard, and can definitely be operated without looking.( Dell Latitude D620 Battery ) An alphanumeric keypad is out of the question due to the form factor of the device. Users have the opportunity to use this via key conversion using the Fn keys. The corresponding numbers and calculation symbols are marked in red on the letter keys.

The base of the keys of the Latitude E5420 is generally firm, and provides the user with a firm end stop (not hard). ( Dell Laptop Battery ) The keys are pleasantly grippy. Merely the keys above the optical drive(dell vostro 1400 battery ) are a little bouncy when pushing them hard.

The use of the touchpad made a good impression on us in every respect.( Vostro 1310 battery ) The quietness, and its large size, as well as easy to use buttons are worlds better than the majority of consumer touchpads. The surface is pleasantly smooth but not slippery.

The Alps multi-touchpad is sufficiently ( sony VGP-BPS13A/S battery ) dimensioned with a 9.1 centimeter diameter. It is sensitive right up to the edges. The touchpad only has a vertical scroll bar, which isn't marked though.

The non-reflective LED panel ( Battery Vostro 1320 ) (type: Samsung LTN156AT02P01) has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The WXGA resolution is the standard for 14 and 13 inch notebooks. The measured black level lies at 1.42 cd/m², which comes with a very bad contrast of 131:1. Blacks are therefore not very dark, but have more of a gray glimmer.

Professionals will opt for the optional resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. (Dell Inspiron 1720 Battery ) Whether the color space of the HD+ panel in the E5420 is also just as humble can't be assessed in this case. The HD+ display in the Latitude E6420 (see the last ICC picture) had a similarly small color space, and we suspect that both of the 14 inch devices have the same panel built in.

The WXGA (Battery Dell Inspiron 1520 ) panel in our tested device is definitely a far stretch from the often used Adobe RGB (t), which is also the case for sRGB (t). For the sake of comparison we have also included a (not very good) display panel from the Vaio EB3Z1E Full HD (t).

The luminance is the same as the contrast, and stays well below 200 cd/m². ( Dell Inspiron 1420 battery ) On average we determined an illumination of 177 cd/m². This is sufficient for use indoors, but very bright surroundings, such as in the sun, won't be favorable for a dark desktop display.

The matte surface of a notebook display panel is the first and foremost requirement for relaxed working under sunlight.( Battery Dell Inspiron 1525 ) As much as we turn and twist the Latitude E5420, no reflections are disturbing. (Battery VGP-BPS13/B ) The depicted photographs show the display with perfect sunshine. From the front the meager luminance is just about sufficient, from the sides the picture can already become noticeably darker.

View from side, sun indirectThe viewing angles show a very narrow range for the Latitude.( Dell Vostro 1510 battery ) If the eyes deviate upwards or downwards (vertically), then ghost images already appear after 20 degrees. Towards the right and left (horizontally), we were able to deviate up to 45 degrees from the middle. Beyond this the colors start to invert considerably. Display panels with wide viewing angles are a rarity,(Sony VGP-BPS13B/B battery ) and the Latitude E5420 is also not an exception to this.

Viewing angles Dell Latitude E5420 Essential

Dell's 14 inch notebook is equipped with an Intel Core i3-2310M (2 x 2.1 GHz). ( Battery Dell Vostro 1520 ) The brand new Core i3 dual-core CPU has Hyper-Threading (process 4 threads), but doesn't have Turbo-Boost. The CPU power consumption lies at a TDP of 35 Watts. Of these the two physical cores require 25 Watts. 10 Watts are required by the integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics solution and the memory controller. ( Dell Inspiron 6400 Battery ) Compared to the expensive Core i5 models, such as the i5-2540M, the i3-2310M doesn't have any support for the AES New Instructions. AES helps with encrypting and decrypting. Dell allows for configurations with a 2540M up to an i7-2620M (dual-core).

As usual there are 4 GB of DDR3 RAM on board,(HP Compaq 8510w battery ) whereby both of the available slots are occupied. For an additional sum the E5420 can be fitted with 2x 4 GB or 1x 4 GB of RAM. The hard drive is a 320 GB HDD from Western Digital (WD3200BEKT-75KA9T0) with a rotational speed of 7200 rpm. An SSD option (128 GB) is also provided by the manufacturer.

System information Dell Latitude E5420 Essential

The Sandy Bridge Core i3-2310M (2x 2.1 GHz) (battery VGP-BPS9/B ) manages to score as many points in the single-core test in Cinebench R10 Single 32-bit, as the significantly faster clocking i3-380M (2x 2.5GHz from the Arrandale generation (2.769 points). The bigger brother i5-2410M (2.3 GHz, Turbo) scores a better 4.510 points (64-bit).

When it comes to daily work multi-threading is more relevant. ( Acer Aspire 4520 Battery ) The i3-2310M once again scores almost identically in this discipline as the i3-380M (6.233). The 2011 i5-2410M or i5-2520M scored 9.451 and 10.128 points respectively (Cinebench R10 Multi 64-bit). The upshot: The Sandy Bridge Core i3 can already take on its faster clocking Arrandale predecessors with a meager clock speed of 2.1 GHz.