E6420 Owner's Thread

[on2]

Anyone have issues streaming media across the network?

I'm getting intermittent video lag issues with any type of content 480P, 720P, 1080P.

I have tried 3 different drivers.

1.) Dell's latest driver from their website
2.) Intel's latest driver from their website
3.) The one that pops up in Windows Update

Surprisingly the one from Windows Update lags the least but still does, quite annoyingly.

I had the same issue with my E6410 but using the Intel driver's solved the problem.

Specs are as follows
i7-2630QM
NVIDIA
8GB
SSD

[darkstar107]

I bought a laptop with this screen:

WJ139 - LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY...,14.0HDF+,LIGHT EMITTING DIODE...,LVDS,AG,Z,LGP (AUO Panel B140RW03 V.0 or V.1 Matte)

Does anyone know if that screen is interchangeable with this one:

GJ494 - LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY...,14.0HDF+,LIGHT EMITTING DIODE...,LVDS,AG,Z,LGP (LG Panel LP140WD1-TLM1 Matte)


Thanks in advance.

[iamian]

If anyone's monitoring this site from Dell, kudos to Maria Cruz at Executive Customer Support Team. It took over a month but I finally received my E6420 ordered through their outlet.

First one came without the backlit keyboard. Second one had a bad LCD. Third was missing the backlit keyboard and the cover made a loud "click" when opened. This was first time ordering "Refurbished" from the outlet and I was regretting the decision. I searched their inventory for "Outlet New" and confirmed all the spec and Maria approved the replacement even though this unit was priced significantly higher.

In conclusion, I got a great deal and although I had some initial reservations, Dell came through and made things alright in the end. They could not possibly have made any money on my transaction but it's a sign of great customer service to go to the maximum and now they have a customer for life.

I have couple of questions for anyone who can respond.

1. WEI shows 4.7 for Graphic but 6.2 for Gaming Graphic, is this unusually low?
2. Warranty was 3-year Mail-In Service but now showing 3 years of Rapid Response Depot.through CTS. I'm assuming I have to contact CTS for warranty support?

Thanks in advance.

[gman4life]

If anyone's monitoring this site from Dell, kudos to Maria Cruz at Executive Customer Support Team. It took over a month but I finally received my E6420 ordered through their outlet.

First one came without the backlit keyboard. Second one had a bad LCD. Third was missing the backlit keyboard and the cover made a loud "click" when opened. This was first time ordering "Refurbished" from the outlet and I was regretting the decision. I searched their inventory for "Outlet New" and confirmed all the spec and Maria approved the replacement even though this unit was priced significantly higher.

In conclusion, I got a great deal and although I had some initial reservations, Dell came through and made things alright in the end. They could not possibly have made any money on my transaction but it's a sign of great customer service to go to the maximum and now they have a customer for life.

I have couple of questions for anyone who can respond.

1. WEI shows 4.7 for Graphic but 6.2 for Gaming Graphic, is this unusually low?
2. Warranty was 3-year Mail-In Service but now showing 3 years of Rapid Response Depot.through CTS. I'm assuming I have to contact CTS for warranty support?

Thanks in advance.

Iamian, Does your dell E6420 have NVIDIA NVS 4200M also?

[iamian]

Iamian, Does your dell E6420 have NVIDIA NVS 4200M also?

No, just the integrated Intel HD 3000. I tripled the maximum page file size to no difference. I need to add another 4GB of RAM.

[iamian]

What is it with Dell Client System Update? It keeps recommending the same set of updates.

[AlAraf]

Hi,

new BIOS A12 is available here:
Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

However, it is not clear whether this is an update for E6420 ATG only or for non ATG too.

Best regards,
Adam

[jlacroix]

Hi everyone, I have only one remaining issue with me E6420 (thank god). The problem is that the laptop appears to "wobble" when laying on a flat desk and the lid is open. Dell replaced the bottom cover, and I installed it, but no change. I've read somewhere in this very thread that this was a manufacturing issue? Is that true? I'm hoping there's a fix for this.

[superboredom]

Hey,

Is anyone using their E6420 in a docking station with external analog stereo speakers?

If I use the IDT audio driver listed on Dell's E6420 drivers page I notice a pop shortly after audio playback. I believe it to be some sort of power management setting (as if the device is being turned off when playback completes). However turning off power management in the IDT control panel doesn't resolve the issue nor does changing Windows power management settings. Interestingly I don't seem to hear it when using the internal speakers on the laptop.

If I uninstall the IDT driver and use Microsoft's standard High Definition Audio Driver, this doesn't happen. However I will get the occasional crackle in audio which is also frustrating.

In typical Dell fashion they are sitting on an ancient version of IDT's driver and it seems hopeless that they will ever update it. I had requested support for the E6420 be added to this "community" version of the driver (Michael's NEW IDT/Sigmatel Modded Driver - LaptopVideo2Go Forums) but that also hasn't happened.

Has anyone else run into this issue and were you able to resolve it?

Thanks!

-Rob

[superboredom]

Anyone have issues streaming media across the network?

on2: I was running into a problem streaming TV from my HD Homerun Prime to Windows Media Center on my E6420. Playback would "stutter" and then "fast forward" to catch up after the lag. Updating to the latest NVidia driver seemed to resolve it.

Notebook Drivers

This is assuming you use the discrete video for playback rather than integrated (which you can control via the NVidia control panel).