Intro:If you're like me you hate the 'dongle life'.
As such, I have been searching everywhere for a decent laptop that I can use and recommend for all the various things I do in production.
Enter the Dell E5420 2021 Laptop.
It has everything a AVL + IT tech would need.
---
Preamble:I do a lot of IT work, so a network port was required.
I like snappy speed. I can't stand a slow computer.
Touchscreen is just useful in so many ways.
I debated on the new macs a lot, and many other MFG/models.
Ultimately ports were my highest priority.
We bought 11 of these for my day job. They're fantastic. I did a ton of research and finally landed on this model.
My requirements: ethernet port, touchscreen, under 2k, 14", Win10Pro
My wants: finger print, USB A, TB3, good battery life
I wish it had a SD card reader instead of micro, but it's hard to get everything in one package without spending more.
I was worried about GPU performance, but I find it has no issues.
15" started seeming a bit too large for all the portable stuff I was doing. 14" is more manageable. And once I discovered the extra power of a 15" isn't necessary 14 is a no-brainer.
OFC the new MBC M1 chip is amazing and all that, but sadly while I heavily considered making one my daily driver they had a few things that I couldn't get over. 1 - lack of Ethernet (pedantic people can go away), no USB-A. I'd deal with the touchscreen and no face rec'g for the M1 chip and better speakers. But alas, I hate dongles.
Other laptops I compared/used:
-X1 carbon
-E7470 (2015)
-XPS
-MBP
-HP
-Lenovo Flex 14 (Ryzen 3500u) [great laptop for price ~$500]
-Lenovo C940 (10750H)
---
Body:CPU - intel i5-1145g7 is a very powerful 10nm CPU and comes very close to
i7-1165/85 counterparts in terms of performance, while still keeping TDP low for increased battery life.
I can't recommend the 14nm (10750H) offerings as they are super sluggish. I can't really recommend the 10nm 11500H based on power draw.
You might consider the e5421 variant with 11750H processor if you do a ton of rendering. But then you should be doing that on a TR or 5950X anyways. (or MBP M1 Pro Chip)
RAM - no this isn't LPDDR4X which makes me a bit sad for performance, but it is a big plus for upgraders. Easily put in any SODIMM kit that you like. I used
TTZD432G3200HC22DC-S01I'd get 16GB for 99% of applications. Win10 isn't that bad with memory management. Still, I got 32GB cuz...well why not for $110. Cas latency doesn't matter for Intel CPU's and our applications.
NVMe - Another plus is this is easily upgradable. Get the smallest size initially and do the upgrade yourself. I used the
XPG SX8200 ProGPU - the built-in G7 80EU is plenty good, even for lightweight gaming (AOE2:DE). Get the 1165 (G7 96EU) if you need a bit more; but it's unlikely. (or connect an external eGPU)
Touchscreen - 10 point touch screen, don't get privacy shield it lowers brightness and isn't all that functional. ~250 nits isn't very bright. It's okay in the sunlight, not direct sunlight though.
Touchpad - multi-touch capable, all the normal win 10 swipes and such. Can't complain.
Keyboard - backlit, it's okay; 99wpm, I can do ~115 on mechanical. I wanted a 10-key touchpad for IP addresses as I do a ton of networking. But found that just isn't that useful after using my 15" c940 for awhile.
Chassis - plastic, but IDC, build quality is 'fine'
Ports - Gigabit LAN, WiFi 6,
HDMI 2.0, 2x
USB-A 3.0, 2x
TB4 (DP 2.0, 40Gbps)Battery - make sure to get a 4cell battery; will last all day
Speakers - they suck, same with 3.5mm TRRS port. But they get the job done for speech. Compared to MBP... it's no contest.
Windows Hello/Fingerprint reader - 'They' already have your fingerprint from the super high-res wedding photos on Facebook and your retina scanned from all the facetime/selfies so don't bother with the 'too much tech' argument. It's convenience and it's nice, best feature for logging in by far. Why don't the new Macbooks have this yet but still have have a massive mustache. Plus the camera has a shutter so you can watch movies, naked, in bed if you want, without fear.
Extended Warranty - get it, seriously. Mine came (from eBay) with a trackpad issue. submitted for a replacement. Tech came out next day, took her all of 10min and problem solved. No cost.
Win10 Pro - is a must, delay updates (or disable all together), remote desktop, etc.
Get office products from somewhere like brytesoft
Go buy
Mixing Station and get to mixing!
---
Where to buy?eBay, seriously. Upgrade the RAM/NVMe drive easily on your own. Make sure it's 'new in box' and has a dell warranty. (or buy it after the fact). And you've saved ~$1k of sticker price.
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-5420-laptop/spd/latitude-5420-laptop/cto1l542014us?redirectto=SOC&configurationid=8ec0f607-1fc5-4aaf-acae-ddb8d3a7adcd---
AVL+IT software I install:+---1 - Main
| | Ninite.exe
| |
| \---Windows10Debloater-master
| | LICENSE
| | README.md
| | Windows10Debloater.ps1
| | Windows10DebloaterGUI.ps1
| | Windows10SysPrepDebloater.ps1
|
+---2 - Productivity
| | BraveBrowserSetup.exe
| |
| +---Office 2016
| +---Foxit Phantom PDF
| +---Chrome
| +---Windows7Games_for_Windows_11_10_8
| |
+---3 - IT
| | Advanced_IP_Scanner_2.5.3850.exe
| | ccsetup586.exe
| | HandBrake-1.4.2-x86_64-Win_GUI.exe
| | ImageGlass_8.2.6.6_x64.msi
| | OBS-Studio-27.1.3-Full-Installer-x64.exe
| | Tftpd64-4.64-setup.exe
| | Wireshark-win64-3.4.9.exe
| | teraterm-4.106.exe
| | balenaEtcher-Setup-1.5.122.exe
| | AeroAdmin.exe
| | rufus-3.17.exe
| | vs_community__604981674.1635340116.exe
| | UserBenchMark.exe
| | SupportAssistLauncher.exe
| |
| +---VNC
| | VNC-Viewer-6.21.920-Windows.exe
| | tightvnc-2.8.63-gpl-setup-64bit.msi
| |
| +---HashOptionRightClick
| | AddHashOptionRightClick.reg
| | RemoveHashOptionRightClick.reg
| | Add Hash_SHA1-256-512-MD5.reg
| |
| +---syncthing-windows-amd64-v1.18.0
| +---ffmpeg
| +---iperf2.0.9
| +---iperf3.1.3
| +---always-on-top
| | always-on-top.exe
| | readme.txt
| |
| +---oldcalcWin11Win10
| \---ExpressPCBSetup
|
+---5 - Shortcuts
| Network Connections.lnk
| Syncthing.url
|
+---6 - np
| | dLive-Director-1.90-Installer (1).exe
| | XilicaDesignerSetup_4.3.0.exe.zip
| | EASE_Focus_v3.1.160.zip
| | reaper642_x64-install.exe
| | Install_Waves_Central.exe
| | Studio-2-Software (1).zip
| | BvNet-USB-Driver-Install-2_08_28_B.zip
| | DNA-System-Engineer-7.02.22-Updated-Presets (1).msi
| | direct_win (1).zip
| | Custom-Control-App-1.2.4-Installer.exe
| | Custom-Control-Editor-1.2.4-Installer.exe
| | SQ-MixPad-1.5.0-Installer (1).exe
| | wireless-workbench-win-6.15.0.zip
| | Touchstone_Setup.exe
| | TouchstonePro_Setup.exe
| | PreSonus_StudioLive_24.4.2_AE.doc.zip
| | LightkeyInstaller.zip
| | Vista3_R3_21712.exe
| | foo_enhanced_spectrum_analyzer 0.9.4.2.zip
| | foo_musical_spectrum.zip
| | ImageGlass_8.2.6.6_x64.msi
| | CrystalDiskInfo8_12_1.exe
| | neets-soundbar-sb1.zip
| | NeetsProjectDesigner1.27.1.zip
| | NeetsCentralControl1.5.4.zip
| | v60hd_rcs_w300.zip
| | XTouchSetup_4.1.0.exe.zip
| | ArmoniaPlus-2.0.0.124.zip
| | EAWResolutionSetup-v2.8.1.8.exe_.zip
| | fat32format.zip
| | AFMG Licence Manager.zip
| | CD_EASE4.4.67(B26)_ProgramOnly.zip
| | EASE_Focus_3_GLL_Database_2020_07_29.zip
| | EASE_SpeakerLab_UserFiles_SL1REG-B00000-001-000-SDA-054752-254723 (1).zip
| | EASE_SpeakerLab_UserFiles_SL1REG-B00000-001-000-SDA-054752-254723.zip
| | EASEGuard_EA4REG-J00000-001-000-SDA-054751-707957.zip
| | rePhase 1.4.3.zip
| | REW_windows-x64_5_20_4.exe
| | ArtaSetup1941.exe
| | DATS_V2_setup.zip
| | OBS-Studio-27.1.3-Full-Installer-x64.exe
| | Stream_Deck_5.1.3.14750.msi
| | 4KCaptureUtility_1.7.5.4825_x64.msi
| | DaVinci_Resolve_17.4.2_Windows.zip
| | 4kvideodownloader_4.18.5_x64_online.exe
| | bbflbk5.exe
| | Wireshark-win64-3.4.10.exe
| | PacketSender_x64_v7.2.3.exe
| | DWGTrueView_2022_English_64bit_dlm.sfx.exe
| | Epic Pen Setup v3.9.117.0.exe
| | BEHRINGER_UMC_Driver-V5.12.0.zip
| | BEHRINGER_FLOW_v5.12.0_2021-06-15_setup.zip
| | SimplyPUT_PC.zip
| | AllenHeath_SQ_v4.86.0_setup.zip
| | Focusrite_Usb_4.65.5.658.exe
| | fut_usb_win.zip
| | driver_usb_win_1212.zip
| | friture-0.48.msi
| | Smaart8Setup.exe
| | DIALux_evo_10.0.exe
| | Capture 2019.2.9.msi
| | Capture 2019 Library.c2z
| | Central_Offline_v12-7andApps_Win.zip
| | ProPresenter7.7.1_117899527-Setup.exe
| | ProPresenter6_Win_6162 (1).zip
| |
| \---Image_MetaData_Stripper_10-Win32-MSVC2008
|
\---aoe2
\---Age of Empires II Definitive Edition