Understanding the difference between these two SSD options is something Dell hasn’t  been overly forthcoming with. They told us the Ultra Performance was fast on the Direct2Dell blog but its still not really clear for a consumer which option is best.

Well if Dell won’t tell you then I will.

First Performance:

Manufacturer/Tech	Type	Average Transfer rate	Access Time
Samsung/MLC	64gb Dell Mobility	76.2.0mb/sec	0.2ms
Samsung/SLC	64gb Dell Flash Ultra Performance	112.0mb/sec	0.2ms

The Dell Ultra Performance wins hands down. The average transfer rate is far superior.

Screen1: The Dell Mobility MLC Version

Screen2: The Dell Ultra Performance SLC Version

MLC/SLC

MLC= Multi Level Cell (See Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_cell)

MLC is generally seen as a slower SSD technology and one potentially prone to reliability issues and shorter lifespan.

SLC = Single Level Cell (See Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-level_cell)

SLC is the faster and more robust of the SSD technologies.

Notes:

So there are two things to consider when choosing that Dell SSD option

1) Performance

The performance of the Cheaper MLC based SSD is still excellent compared to traditional laptop hard disks. For example the MLC SSD has faster performance than my own Desktop PC’s hard disk. So its slow compared to the Ultra Performance SLC but it still delivers on the performance front.

Its a bit like comparing a BMW to a Porsche both are nice but the SLC has the performance edge.

The Samsungs in these tests are both "*slow* compared to latest Intel’s X-25M technology that is about to hit in Europe. So performance should be seen in relative terms. It’s great but there is always something faster around the corner.

Q) MLC/SLC Can you feel the difference in everyday use.

A) Not as much as you would think.

2) Reliability

Q) Should you be worried if you have a MLC based SSD?

A) No, the MLC’s lifespan will far outlive the machine it came in.

Conclusion

Basically the Ultra Performance (SLC) wins on both Performance and Reliability but comes at that increased cost which is currently £317+VAT for the same 64gb capacity.

I personally would not let all this MLC/SLC stuff worry you too much. If MLC technology was so bad it would not be commercially available in machines with 3 year warranties.

Test Bed

I used two identical but separate Dell Latitude E4200’s with Clean installs of Windows XP Pro SP3. The only difference in the machines were the SSD’s being tested.

Important: The names “Dell Mobility” and “Dell Flash Ultra Performance” allow Dell to use any SSD from any manufacturer and call them that.

In my case Dell supplied 2 Samsung models as time goes on Dell could very well change the brand of SSD being used. So don’t assume its always going to be Samsung.

—

I have also written about SSD here

I know a few people who come to the site are interested in the Latitude E4200

Dell today put on the support site Bios A04 for the E4200

The Fixes/Enhancements are:-
——————
1. Added support for a digital signature in the BIOS flash executable.
2. Updated the PSA to build 4117.
3. Fixed an issue where the system can be slow to boot to the internal hard
drive after a failed PXE boot exits.
4. Fixed an issue where some BIOS Setup parameters are not accessible via the
keyboard.
5. Fixed an issue where on occasion the system will automatically
shut down when resuming from S3.
6. Fixed an issue where the time stamp of the BIOS power event log in setup is
wrong for the power button event.
7. Fixed an issue where presentation mode cannot be turned on/off
from the DCP.

Link: Drivers Page for Dell Latitude E4200 Drivers

I have now been using the Dell Latitude E4200 for a week and it’s generally been a very positive experience.

The Good

Performance: This continues to impress. The fast transfer rate and access time of the SSD keep the system very responsive and perky, even after bogging down the system with Windows Updates and Anti-Virus etc.

Battery Life: In a 24 hour period which contained 12 hours in suspend/sleep mode the laptop was operational for 5h:40m on battery. I am not using any of the Dell power management software so even better results may be possible. Note: During the 12 hours of sleep the battery lost 10% of its power.

The Not so good

I experienced one blue screen, this was when the laptop was coming out suspend mode. It’s probably been in and out of this mode more than 100 times. So this appears to be  an isolated incident.

It sometimes fails to re establish a remote desktop connection to another computer. A reboot on the laptop end fixes it. This happened a couple of times earlier in the week but not subsequently.

The Intel Wireless sometimes drops and then immediately re-connects not often but I have seen it happen when it shouldn’t. I think this is a power management setting I need to change on the Intel side.

iTunes would not authorise until it was rebooted and then I had to power it off manually as it would not shutdown after the iTunes 8.01 was installed.

Other

I haven’t figured out how to keep the lid clean it’s collecting various finger prints.

I’ve given a few product demo’s to clients and they are all impressed by the size and speed of the laptop.

After what appears to be a troubled European launch I managed to get my hands on a Dell Latitude E4200. Dell’s lightest business laptop.

The unit came with the following specification:-

Intel Dual Core 1.4 Ghz CPU (SU9400 800Mhz FSB and 3mb Cache)
2 Gig of Ram (800Mhz DDR3 Dual Channel)
64gb Ultra High Performance Solid State Drive SSD
External DVD+RW
6 Cell Battery
Windows Vista Business SP1 to XP Pro SP3 Downgrade

Innovations: Storage

I avoided the first generation of SSD hard disk technology due to the cost and performance issues. However you can order the E4200 with Samsung’s latest ultra performance 2nd generation technology.

SSD technology is about to take off in a big way now it can deliver high performance and low power consumption. It would appear Intel is about to steal the march on Samsung and have some amazing SSD technology in the intel X25-M SSD’s.

However the 64gb Ultra High Performance Solid State Drive SSD from Samsung is no slouch.

Innovations: Power

I cannot tell you how impressed I am  with Dell for finally re-designing their power bricks.

 

It’s small, light and doesn’t get too hot. One word excellent.

Innovation: Form Factor

If you have ever used a Latitude D400, D410, D420 or D430 the compact form factor should come as no surprise. I’ve used everyone of those models over the years and yet the E4200 takes it one stage further. Its ultra compact, light and has performance to die for.

Pictured above is a E4200 sitting on a Dell XPS M1530 hopefully this demonstrates just how small the E4200 is.

Optical Drives

The E4200 can be ordered with an External DVD+RW drive. These have been re-designed to make them smaller and lighter than before. I for one hardly ever use an optical drive anymore I either download what I need or copy files  over a network or some other form of storage.

However having the eSata driven optical drive does come in handy for installing operating systems etc. Although it initially appears awkward having a separate optical drive this is overall the best solution to keep the weight of the laptop down. The unit is powered off the laptop.

Battery

One compromise you sometimes have to make with ultra compact laptops is battery life. I could have ordered a 4 cell battery that would fit flush to the back of the design however when it comes to mobility power capacity is more important that aesthetics.

So I chose the 6 Cell battery that would appear to be capable of keeping me working online for 4+ hours. It does stick out the back about 1” but the additional battery life is worth the trade off.

I did a quick test and played back a test mpeg 2 video file (DVD Quality) stored locally and it played back for 3h25m before the battery died. This is a good stress test as it involved lots of SSD activity as well as video and sound.

Operating Systems

Although mine shipped with a pre-installed Windows XP SP3 I decided to install Vista Business SP1 and Then XP again so If deploy any E4200’s in the field there are no surprises in Operating System deployment.

Now with the relatively small capacity of 64GB the size of the Operating System footprint is worth looking at.

Windows XP Pro SP3 took up 6.81gb Leaving 52.6gb

Windows Vista Business SP1 took up 14.9gb Leaving 44.5GB Free

Average Boot Times

Windows XP Pro SP3: 44 Seconds for a fully loaded desktop connected to a wireless network.

Windows Vista Business SP1: 53 Seconds for a fully loaded desktop connected to a wireless network.

Windows Vista Performance Index Dell Latitude E4200 3.2

As you can see outside of graphics the E4200 does perform well.

I do plan to use Windows XP as my main operating system but I have to say the Windows Vista user experience was really rather nice. and I was impressed at the boot time and overall performance.

Installing a Clean OS

It was easier to re-install Vista than XP due to some unrecognised hardware in XP that took some detective to sort out. See here.

Build Quality and Observations

This looks pretty good, the USB sockets are a bit tight to begin with but over time will be fine.

The screen has a matt finish i.e. not glossy the viewing angles take a bit of getting used to but for the user sitting in front of it, it’s fine.

The Keyboard is excellent but the track pad mouse buttons feel plasticy.

Fan: This does kick in from time to time and is neither too noisy or obtrusive.

Heat: Compared to other small form factor laptops from Dell in the past I was pleasantly surprised by the E4200 not once did it become uncomfortable.

SSD: First of all you do notice an immediate speed improvement and the lack of traditional hard disk noise is welcome. So my first impression of Ultra High Performance Solid State is very positive.

Performance: Even from the couple of days of use I can tell the E4200 is going to be very capable on the performance front. I was initially concerned that the low speed of the Dual 1.4Ghz cpu’s would be an issue however the rapid speed of the SSD’s  keep the system responsive at all times.

Cost

The Dell Latitude E4200 was launched in the UK in September 2008 with a base price of £899+VAT. In early November the entry level base price rose by £130 to £1029. The main difference was Dell now no longer offer 32GB SSD hard disk so the consumer has to pay the difference for the higher capacity 64GB SSD the entry level Dell Mobility version.

At the time of writing Dell only offer the E4200 with SSD technology.

As you can see there is a steep, steep price increase if you want to go the performance SSD route.

One interesting question to answer is how much of a difference is there between the:-

64gb Dell Mobility and the 64gb Dell Ultra Performance SSD’s and now that both are out in the wild in the same machine I am sure this will come to light.

Value for Money?

The costs of a non tablet Dell business laptop ranges between £409 and £1029.

So this puts the Latitude E4200 at the top of the range. Unlike the previous D4.x range from Dell the E4200 has been priced in a class of its own with a base price in excess of £1000+VAT and the performance model coming it at £1436+VAT The E4200 is unlikely to become the mainstream choice. For that you’re looking at the 14.1” Latitude E6400.

E4200 Pro’s / Con’s

Pro’s

Small and Light
High Performance
Excellent 6 Cell Battery Life
Redesigned Power Brick
Ultra Performance SSD is impressive

Con’s

Only 2 USB sockets
Expensive

Conclusion

The E4200 lives up to my expectations of a compact yet powerful laptop. It’s a tad expensive but what you get especially with the performance version at least is something quite special.

Links: Official Dell Product Page / Dell Latitude E4200 Spec Sheet PDF

Bookmark the link below for future E4200 coverage:

http://www.colindiponio.com/category/dell-latitude-e4200/

If you have any questions about the Dell Latitude E4200 then please use the comments or e-mail me directly.

Dell finally, finally, finally got their act together and I should have a review up by next week.

If you have any specific questions about the Dell Latitude E4200 leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.

What should be cool about the E4200?

1) It’s the  lightest business laptop that Dell supply.

2) First look (for me) at their implementation of Samsungs Ultra High performance SSD technology.