Dell Latitude E6530 business laptop - Need advice

[JVCB]

I am a business user (Word, Excel, Quickbooks, etc) that also uses a Stock Trading Platform with multiple charts/graphs etc. I currently have an older E6410 that is overwhelmed by the graphics portion of stock charting and I plan to upgrade to a new E6530 (15.6" screen with number pad on keyboard).
My specific questions have to do with the Processor, the Graphics card, and the Screen Resolution. I'm hoping someone out there has an E6530 or similar unit. I am not particularly tech oriented, so I need advice in plain English if possible..
So here are my choices:

i7-3520M 2.9GHz 4M cache (dual core?) vs i7-3720QM or i7-3740QM Quad Core, both with 6M cache. (The price difference is $40 from the dual core to the quad core, but I've heard that quad cores run hot?)

Intel HD 4000 integrated Graphics vs. NVIDIA NVS 5200M discrete Graphics (the quad core requires the NVIDIA, but it is an option for the Dual Core). I've also read that NVIDIA Graphics can make a system hot...

1600x900 HD+ screen vs. 1920x1080 FHD screen (my current screen is 1440x900 and is suitable for my use.. I don't do photo editing or watch a lot of videos on this laptop, but I read that the FHD is a great screen... not too sure about the impact on text size, especially for spreadsheets. When I use the laptop docked, my large monitor is 1920x1080).

I use my laptop for 12-15 hours a day, so overheating is a concern for me. I have 60-year old eyes, so screen resolution is also a concern. Otherwise, I would just like to get a configuration that will keep up with new software/etc for 3-4 years, and I see people on other forums recommending the Quad Core processor for longevity.

I am totally confused at this point... Any input would be very much appreciated!

 

[noidea_77]

Plain English night be a problem, because it's not my first language
The quad core and the graphics card only run hot with high load over a period of time and that only happens with gaming or video encoding. No need to worry. Any if you already have an external monitor with 1920x1080 resolution, i recommend the same for the laptop. Text size shouldn't be a problem with win7/8, because you can zoom in very easy.

 

[JVCB]

Thank you for your answer! I'm very glad to hear that the Quad Core/NVIDEA won't run hot with the types of applications I use.
So, would you recommend the Quad Core? Is it better to buy more Processor than I perhaps need now, to work well for the future?
The 1920x1080 resolution external monitor that I own is MUCH bigger than a 15.6" screen... I think it is a 27" monitor (can't remember exactly). So, I guess I'm still hoping for a Screen Resolution answer from someone who owns a 15.6" laptop with the FDH screen.

 

[noidea_77]

Yes, i recommend the quad core. Even if your office application is running on one core only, the others can take care of the virus scan and other background tasks.

 

[JVCB]

Yes, i recommend the quad core. Even if your office application is running on one core only, the others can take care of the virus scan and other background tasks.

Thanks again!

 

[scroom]

Yes, i recommend the quad core. Even if your office application is running on one core only, the others can take care of the virus scan and other background tasks.

I've purchased several quad-core E6530s and they are great performers with no noted heat issues. HOWEVER, today I look on the Dell Premier site and a quad core is no longer offered with the E6530?? What gives??

 

[JVCB]

Yes, i recommend the quad core. Even if your office application is running on one core only, the others can take care of the virus scan and other background tasks.

I've purchased several quad-core E6530s and they are great performers with no noted heat issues. HOWEVER, today I look on the Dell Premier site and a quad core is no longer offered with the E6530?? What gives??

I was able to configure the i7-3740QM Quad Core on a system today, through the Dell Small Business site. Try this link for the fully customizable base unit:
http/
http/configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=slctu2&model_id=latitude-e6530&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04
I ended up deciding on the Quad Core with NVIDIA Graphics, but haven't pulled the final trigger yet. Can you tell me if you have the 1600x900 HD+ screen on your current e6530's and whether you are happy with the screen resolution? I hate to go to the 1920x1080 Full HD screen, as I fear the text will be too tiny for business applications. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[noidea_77]

Assuming you already have win7 on your old laptop, you can try if it works with your applications: right click on the desktop, goto screen resolution. Below the drop down boxes, there should be a link for the zoom menu. You can set it to 100%, 125% or 150% to increase the size of icons and text. It works with most, but not all applications.

 

[JVCB]

Assuming you already have win7 on your old laptop, you can try if it works with your applications: right click on the desktop, goto screen resolution. Below the drop down boxes, there should be a link for the zoom menu. You can set it to 100%, 125% or 150% to increase the size of icons and text. It works with most, but not all applications.

Thanks for the nudge, I had read about this but never tried it. I found it a bit...disconcerting... but probably because I was trying 125% on a 1440x900 screen (which would be unnecessary). I do have a 1920x1080 monitor when docked, so tried it out there. I determined that some of my applications do fine and others not-so-fine; it doesn't appear to affect some of my trading apps, so that means I would have to live with the 1920x1080 for certain things. Thanks again for the suggestion; I think I'll end up going with the 1600x900 screen.

 

[noonin]

Assuming you already have win7 on your old laptop, you can try if it works with your applications: right click on the desktop, goto screen resolution. Below the drop down boxes, there should be a link for the zoom menu. You can set it to 100%, 125% or 150% to increase the size of icons and text. It works with most, but not all applications.

Thanks for the nudge, I had read about this but never tried it. I found it a bit...disconcerting... but probably because I was trying 125% on a 1440x900 screen (which would be unnecessary). I do have a 1920x1080 monitor when docked, so tried it out there. I determined that some of my applications do fine and others not-so-fine; it doesn't appear to affect some of my trading apps, so that means I would have to live with the 1920x1080 for certain things. Thanks again for the suggestion; I think I'll end up going with the 1600x900 screen.

Did you order a Latitude? I'm having a dilemma on the screen as well and wondered how you like the 1600 x 900 screen if you went with that.

 

[JVCB]

[/quotemsg]
Did you order a Latitude? I'm having a dilemma on the screen as well and wondered how you like the 1600 x 900 screen if you went with that.
[/quotemsg]
I'm just getting ready to place the order and won't have the system for another 10 days or so... but, yes, I am ordering the 1600x900 screen. I'll let you know how it turns out once I see it.

 

[noonin]

I'm just getting ready to place the order and won't have the system for another 10 days or so... but, yes, I am ordering the 1600x900 screen. I'll let you know how it turns out once I see it.

Thanks JVCB,
Interested in hearing how you like the color and contrast, and viewing angles on the 1600 x 900 screen. I looked at some full HD screens at Best Buy, and text is pretty tiny on the 1080P screen. Bumping the size to 150% was a must, but if that only works part of the time, I may consider the 900P screen

 

[noonin]

I'm just getting ready to place the order and won't have the system for another 10 days or so... but, yes, I am ordering the 1600x900 screen. I'll let you know how it turns out once I see it.

What's the verdict on your E6530?

P.S. Sorry, I can't find a choice between a double quote and no quote. I think Tom's Hardware needs a little site maintenance ;-)

 

[JVCB]

I'm just getting ready to place the order and won't have the system for another 10 days or so... but, yes, I am ordering the 1600x900 screen. I'll let you know how it turns out once I see it.

What's the verdict on your E6530?

P.S. Sorry, I can't find a choice between a double quote and no quote. I think Tom's Hardware needs a little site maintenance ;-)

Sorry for delay in answering, a personal crisis has kept me from using my new e6530 very much, so this should be considered a preliminary report.. I am perfectly happy with it for my business use, and very glad I didn't go with the 1920x1080 screen (because of text size). I'm probably not the best one to talk to about special viewing angles, etc.... all I can say is that I am 100% satisfied with the 1600x900 screen for all text viewing, and web graphics and images are perfectly acceptable. If you want to watch HD movies or do photo editing, you would probably want the Full HD screen because the images would be much better. I have a new Samsung smartphone with the Full HD screen and its amazing... but it's a 4" screen!
Also, I ended up going with the Quad Core and NVIDIA discrete graphics, and have not noticed any overheating with the unit. In fact, since I got the SSD for my primary drive, this laptop is eerily quiet compared to my old e6410... no fan or drive noise at all.
Again, sorry for delay in responding.

 

[noonin]

[/quotemsg]

Sorry for delay in answering, a personal crisis has kept me from using my new e6530 very much, so this should be considered a preliminary report.. I am perfectly happy with it for my business use, and very glad I didn't go with the 1920x1080 screen (because of text size). I'm probably not the best one to talk to about special viewing angles, etc.... all I can say is that I am 100% satisfied with the 1600x900 screen for all text viewing, and web graphics and images are perfectly acceptable. If you want to watch HD movies or do photo editing, you would probably want the Full HD screen because the images would be much better. I have a new Samsung smartphone with the Full HD screen and its amazing... but it's a 4" screen!
Also, I ended up going with the Quad Core and NVIDIA discrete graphics, and have not noticed any overheating with the unit. In fact, since I got the SSD for my primary drive, this laptop is eerily quiet compared to my old e6410... no fan or drive noise at all.
Again, sorry for delay in responding.[/quotemsg]

Thanks for posting your impression, JVCB. I looked at some 15" 1080p screens at Best Buy and agree text was pretty small, but tried using Windows magnification and it seemed to work pretty good. I have taken a break for a while at looking and need to make up my mind. Now that the 6540 is out I contemplated waiting for them, but am thinking I really can't afford what may be a minor upgrade from the 6530 (I was looking at E6530s from the Dell Outlet).