Vostro 3400 - who else?

[chris_compson]

Vostro 3400 shipped from US, hope to get it in a few days. How long does it take Dell to ship from US to Calgary? Anyone?

should be 2-3 days.

[chris_compson]

So how are these babies? Has anyone else experienced the shock from this thing?

I did experience shock from the system but only when using a non grounded acadapter which is not supported by dell on this system. they say only 3 pin plugs should be used.

also on my 9cell battery i tend to get the first time through i got 3 hrs but the next 2 discharges got about 7 hrs doing basic web surfing.

[p_the]

Thanks Chris, hope it gets here tomorrow then, winter storm here in Calgary and would be great to have a new toy to play with.

Will post first impressions when I get to touch it

[Raether916]

Installed a backlit keyboard yesterday- much improved over the standard.. easy to install as well- its the non screw type, simular to the mini's

cr

[farenheit]

Installed a backlit keyboard yesterday- much improved over the standard.. easy to install as well- its the non screw type, simular to the mini's

cr

Hi
Do you have a step by step on how you accomplsihed this? I have a backlit keyboard due in soon but the service manual is still not up on dells website and i dont really want to break by baby

Thx

[fierywater]

Well, decided the flex didn't really bothered me and bit the bullet on a Vostro 3400 with the i5-520m/backlit keyboard/etc. What pushed me over the edge was the long shipping time on the U30JC-A1 combined with the increased savings on the 3400 on Dell's website ($169 instant savings on select models now). $870 after MA tax.

Now the wait begins! Dell says estimated delivery date of the 18th, but I'm hoping for sooner.

[p_the]

Ok, received my Vostro 3400 this morning, have been using it off and on for about 8 hrs. I bought this on a student program, quite a basic configuration since I didn't have the option to change any configuration. I5-430 processor, 3GB memory, integrated video card, backlit keyboard, 7200 rpm disk, the rest are the same.

My present other laptop is Dell Latitude D620, almost 3 yrs old. Have used another older Dell model, Toshiba, Compaq, and HP laptop in the past. Here are some of my impressions and some comparison to the D620. The D620 is a solid model, used it daily for almost 3 years, travelling with it daily & powering it off/on 4-5 times a day, more solid build as it is a Latitude.

Early impressions:
- 6-cell battery lasts 3 to 3.5 hrs while copying GB of files from my old Latitute D620 via wireless connection, browsing the net, and installing bunch of software at teh same time. Impressive in my opinion for a 6-cell battery.
- keyboard (no back lit) is not as rigid to the touch (as compared to the 620). As everyone mentioned it flexes slightly as you type. I would not really notice the flex unless I am watching it and pressing the buttons harder than necessary, but it does fell kind of light, less solid to what I am used to.
Just for clarity, if my daughther's XPS is a 10 (it has the best keyboard on a laptop that I am familiar with), then I would give this Vostro a 7 - 7.5).
- Screen lid. I find the screen lid doesn't flex as much as I would've expected (after reading some of the comments here). I honestly don't see a difference compared to the D620. Considering the thiness of the screen, it is actually better that expected for me.
- Screen, good but less vivid compared to my D620, both screen are matted. I think I need to play with video contrast adjustment. It is not a concern enough for me to bother with right now.
- Fan, seems to be on most of the time and a tad louder than desired. Will be noticable in a quiet room.
- Temperature, runs quite cool, will not burn your lap. I am actually suprised how cool it is, maybe that's why the fan is on high speed most of the time.
- Overall, quite satisfied with it. Plenty of power for what I use it for. Although not a big concern, I wish the keyboard would feel more solid and the fan is quieter. Otherwise, great portability and performance.

Raether916, did you get the backlit keyboard from Dell? I would consider installing the backlit keyboard also if it's priced reasonably. Also, does it have a different feel to the keyboard (less flex)?

P.

[p_the]

Feirywater, mine was delivered 4 business days earlier, 6 days if you count the weekend .

[chris_compson]

Feirywater, mine was delivered 4 business days earlier, 6 days if you count the weekend .

i ordered mine at launch and got it 2 weeks early but at that time the leadtime was 1 month

[Raether916]

As for the Backlit keybard, install- there are 4 small clips on the top of the keyboard, you push those in and then pry the keyboard up, it just pops out. You will need to lift up the keyboard connector and the board is out.. Putting the new one in is tricky since you have the backlit cable to do as well, I put the screen flat and installed from the screen side. then the board just presses back into place

Yes i got from Dell- my Rep told me it came with the keyboard- then it arrived without- He claimed that he never said it came with one- I pressed and asked to review the phone recording- next day i saw a dispatch for the keyboard in my account.