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:

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

Picture: Dell Latitude E4200 running Samsung’s 64gb 2nd Generation Ultra Performance SSD

There is lots of information out there with SSD benchmarks but I was more interested in looking at how this latest SSD compares with the other equipment I use to help put the speed benefits into some practical perspective.

As you can see the Samsung SSD is streets ahead of any of the more traditional hard disk technologies I use.

Even better news is I know there is even more performance to come from the likes of the Intel’s X-25M with it’s blistering 234mb/sec transfer rate. So I guess I am saying it looks like SSD is coming of age.

So how does the Samsung 2nd Gen SSD compare to a typical desktop PC

Picture: 500gb 7200rpm Samsung.

This PC has a relatively modern Samsung HD501LJ 500gb Sata 300 drive and would be fairly typical of a hard disk in a desktop PC of today.

As you can see the average transfer rate and access times don’t  compare favourably with the SSD.

One thing I would love to see is fast SSD drives being an option on Desktop PC’s. It just makes sense to me to have a fast boot drive then a large capacity 2nd drive for the data. Sounds like the best of both worlds to me.

Next up 5400rpm Laptop Hard Disk

In this performance comparison the more traditional 320gb 5400 rpm drive was annihilated by the ultra performance SSD. That said the high capacity 320gb is something that’s just simply not possible with the limited storage capacity of today’s available SSD’s.

So for a media laptop with high storage capacity (256gb+) and performance SSD = nirvana.

Thoughts

I think ultra performance SSD is going to be  a game changer and for the first time in a very long time in technology I get a glimpse of what computer’s will be capable of just a few years down the road. In a world post Windows Vista, post hard disks that have to rotate and spin.

Sometimes I find something in technology that’s just so impressive I say to myself “I’m never buying one of these without that again”. Examples from the past would be:-

Laptops with a DVD drive

Laptops with a Wireless Network Card.

And now a Laptop with Performance SSD joins that list.

I’m glad I waited out the first generation SSD and have jumped into the water at the right time just as the performance took a great forward and the SSD’s of tomorrow look even better.

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.

After a two week wait Vodaphone finally delivered their latest USB Modem Stick Pro.

The model number is K3760

The box contents include

The K3760
A USB extender cable
Safety Manual
Quick Start Guide
Vodafone Mobile Connect Software CD 
A SIM card

The K3760 supports: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSUPA and HSDPA depending on mobile coverage.

Why a USB Stick based solution?

Well the plug and play ability of USB allows me to quickly internet enable any PC. So the built in WWAN of a laptop may be neater but USB is more flexible.

I don’t even need to remember my install CD any software installs from the memory inside the K3760.

Mobile broadband is also a good fall back temporary solution if my office based ADSL is playing up.

Sidebar: For optimum internet redundancy I used to have two separate ADSL connections but I have dropped down to 1 ADSL and 1 Cellular. So if one goes down I can utilize the other.

Like any mobile data solution you need good data coverage and I will build up a better picture of this over time.

Hardware

The USB memory stick like design you will be used to. The USB connector is recessed into the shell and it has a a silver switch to bring it out. The hardware holds the data sim but also has mini SD socket which can take mini SD up to 4GB. Note it is supplied with none.

Install

I have installed and tested it on both Windows XP and Windows Vista and both experiences were identical. However I got the impression that Windows Vista was doing more in the background and used nearly 1mb of data allowance just being connected.

The install on both platforms has a rather geeky dos box with some things going on.

But this disappears once the install is complete.

The version of Vodafone Mobile connect Lite is 9.3.3.10523

Connected

The speed of the connection depends on the type of network you have access to.

From my location during various parts of the day I had HSUPA all the way down to GRPS but all were functional working internet connections but of varying speed.

Other networks

You can force the Modem stick to re poll the available networks. I was surprised to see the other companies networks listed and their speed types. handy if I want to move to another provider with better converge a year down the road.

You can determine the speed of the available mobile internet without connecting. The USB modem will Blink Green if a GPRS or Edge network is available and Blue for 3G.

VPN

My primarily reason for needing mobile broadband is to be able to VPN into systems for remote administration and all my existing VPN software worked first time.

So my out of the box experience with the K3760 is excellent. It did remind me of my first experience of using broadband after years of 56k modems. The WOW look how fast that file is downloading experience.

I will write a follow up post about the K3760 in a few weeks after I have use it a bit more.

So bookmark  http://www.colindiponio.com/category/mobile-broadband/ for future updates.

Product Link: http://www.vodafonebusinessshop.co.uk/DataWelcome.html

Useful Vodafone Resources

Vodafone Homepage – Mobile Phones – Broadband – Vodafone Help

The guys over at PCMag.com have a 4.5 review of the Dell 24″ 2408WFP monitor.

This 24″ Widescreen monitor runs at a native resolution 1920×1200.

I am currently rocking a twin monitor desktop with two displays running at 1600×1200 and 1650×1050. That gives me a resolution of 3250×2250 but the thought of a boost to 3840×2400 is appealing.

Review Link: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2331027,00.asp

Working in I.T. Support I have to think ahead and one problem I needed a solution for was Data recovery for laptop hard disks.

Now if a desktop PC’s hard disk fails you can usually just connect the faulty hard disk as another disk in a working system and recover the data.

However laptop hard disks due to their size cannot co-exist internally in another laptop or PC.

Picture: 2.5″ Laptop Hard Disk

For that you would  need an external USB hard disk enclosure with the correct connections either IDE or SATA.

So for my box of tricks I ordered an inexpensive (£15) Akasa P2 SERIES 2.5″ ESATA/USB EXT (see main picture).

So finally this week the call came in for a user of a Dell Latitude that had dropped the laptop and required their data recovered.

Once the laptop was in my hands I carefully removed the hard disk. In this example it was a SATA drive.

I plugged it into the Akasa hard disk enclosure and connected the supplied power and data cables and the faulty hard disk was now accessible.

Tip: Both the power and data run on USB so there is no external power issues to worry about.

Not only was I able to recover the data but I also ran some hard disk tools that fixed the corrupted operating system and the hard disk was back in working order back in the original laptop.

So £15 well spent.

The guys over at Notebook review have a Dell Inspiron 9 in for review with lots of pictures and commentary.

Something these guys do in their reviews is measure the heat temperature of laptops. They report that the Inspiron mini runs hot so the heat maps are really useful.

Overall the review is positive and worth a read for those interested in the mini.

Also on the link is a 4 minute video review

Link: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4578

This video is a good starter for anyone considering one of the new breed of mini laptops.

The video covers models from Acer, HP, Asus and MSI.

I was initially getting interested in these small form factor sub notebooks but the screen resolution is too much of a compromise for me.

I am waiting for Dell to release their 12 inch Dell Latitude e4200.

Most of my clients have Board Rooms and in those rooms are large displays connected to PC’s.

So there is always a need to be able to control a PC but also be cable free.

Three wireless technologies exist in this market :-

RF (Radio Frequency), Bluetooth and now 2.4Ghz Wireless.

RF is the oldest and least exciting, distance and line of sight plays a part.

I recently tried out the Wireless KeySonic Compact Keyboard with integrated Touch Pad (Model 540)

As the picture above shows it’s basically a laptop keyboard style and is ultra thin and light.

You use the supplied USB Dongle in an available USB socket on the PC and with zero configuration it just works.

The rage of 10m is equal to Bluetooth but much better than RF.

The build quality was pretty much what I expected from a Sub £30 product but saying that it looks and feels adequate for the task at hand.

This an entry level dual format HD reader it can read Blu-Ray and HD-DVD disks.

It ships with an OEM version of PowerDVD 7.3 capable of playing back both formats (if your PC meets the other spec requirements).

It requires a SATA connection and comes supplied with a SATA cable.

The drive is about 1″ longer at the back than other drives I have seen.

The drive was relatively quiet on playback.

This drive is a DVD burner but it can’t burn Blu Ray or HD-DVD so this is a reader only for those formats.

The cost is circa £70.

Summary

Having access to 3 digital formats DVD/HD-DVD and Blu Ray from a single drive makes this a great addition to an existing HTPC or Entertainment PC.

The cost of PowerDVD alone is about £25 so the bundle makes this really good value for money.

On a side note Cyberlink have removed HD-DVD support in PowerDVD 8.0 so this is your last chance to get  HD-DVD playback software.

Specs

Blu-ray Disc and HD Dvd-rom drive