Dell Latitude E6430 14" Laptop Computer - i5 Dual Core 2.5GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Windows 7 Professional

Product Information

pounds, the beefed-up ATG starts at about 6 pounds and our nicely equipped sample hit the scale at 6. However, Intel's rapid succession of processor generations is trying even for a company the size of Dell, and so, for now, the ATG is still equipped with Intel third generation "Ivy Bridge" processors, and not 4th generation "Haswell" chips. Work comfortably with easy E-Family docking and the help of design features intended to simplify laptop usage and make your time in front of the screen as productive as possible, anywhere you work. For those interested in how the semi-rugged ATG compares inside to the fully-rugged XFR, the picture below shows them side-by-side. The two pictures below show the right (top) and left (bottom) side of the unit with all protective doors in the open position.

Whereas consumer notebooks usually consists of little more than a plastic case with a motherboard attached, semi-rugged designs are generally more complex, even if it's in subtle ways.

Our Latitude E6430 consumes just as little energy as the Elitebook during full load (Prime95 + FurMark) with 50. Overall, the ATG display is still good enough to use the machine outdoors and even in bright sunlight. Beyond that, the maximum opening angle of 185° allows work in every (im)possible position - the vents are placed so that using the device on the lap does not leave you gasping for air. We generally prefer fanless designs for rugged and semi-rugged systems, but even efficient components in this class of machine do generate a lot of heat that must be removed to facilitate longevity and performance under less than ideal thermal circumstances.

Our eval unit came equipped with a Core i7-3520M (one of the chips that have apparently been dropped), the optional nVidia NVS 5200M discrete graphics card, and a 256GB SSD. Since Dell's semi-rugged and rugged models are loosely based on the Latitude consumer laptop line, the ATG and XFR models have had wide-format displays for years. We do wish the consumer E6430's optional higher resolution (1600 x 900 pixel) display would be available for the ATG.If Dell wants to continue offering pointing sticks on its business notebooks, it needs to revisit this annoying design. It's a subdued design, especially compared to the tough and macho XFR, but one with its own quiet elegance.

processor and come with 4GB of memory and a 250GB Hard Drive offering flexibility reliability and durability. Unfortunately, most vendors of semi-rugged laptops and other mobile computing gear are vague when describing just how much abuse a product can take. Capable of up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM and scalable SSD storage options, the Latitude E6430s is ready to cope with the most demanding work applications.

This comparison is put in perspective considering that some laptops that feature the same graphics are approximately 40% slower than our test device. We did not disassemble the entire machine, but did remove the purposefully designed magnesium bottom cover to get an idea how this machine is organized, and how easy it is to service it and/or upgrade components.

However, field personnel may wear gloves and they want to be able to open and close the LCD lid without taking them off. This Latitude E6430s will be fully assembled to your configuration, then tested before being securely packaged and shipped directly to you. Please be aware, however, that your purchase is subject to the particular license that accompanies the software and you must agree to the terms and conditions of that license when you install the software.

Unlike the XFR, the ATG also has a trackstick in the middle of the keyboard, and three trackstick buttons. and Intel's Wireless Display technology WiDi, which lets you stream HD content to a television equipped with a WiDi adapter—like the Netgear Push2TV —instead of using the HDMI connection. The methods Dell applied reduced overall reflectivity and resulted in a very good effective contrast ratio. An SD Acard reader is located on the front and - when required - a 56K modem can be installed at the rear.