[SOLVED] dell latitude d630 and E6420 poll

dave67 · 02-05-2020, 11:37 AM

Which one of these are a better for Linux in general. I am thinking of purchasing one.

beachboy2 · 02-05-2020, 11:55 AM

dave8671,

The D630 is pretty ancient and has a much lower spec.

The E6420 is more modern with more RAM and a better CPU, but has Broadcom wifi. However, this can be dealt with.

This link might be of help:
https://blog.schlomo.schapiro.org/20...6420-with.html

EDIT
Then again, this video seems to feature a 6420 with an Intel wifi card:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ckCQTYem1A

dave67 · 02-06-2020, 12:44 PM

I want to test possible older systems with SSD drives and see how they function. The D620 or D630 are older slower models I can get for 80 bucks on ebay. I plan to offer mainly Debian based Linux distributions as a option for older systems as a service. But I want potential clients to see what Linux can offer with a showcase laptop and a brand most known. The E6420 is an i5 and if a client has this model great. The GPU in some dells is a Nvidia 4200M that maybe be an issue it seems on some threads I read about it getting hot. This is my Debian project to see what models that may be in closets can still be usable to someone that has hard times and can not afford a new computer.

sevendogsbsd · 02-06-2020, 12:51 PM

My HP Ultrabook 840 (G1) works out of the box using Linux. I have upgraded ram and switched to an SSD but those things are easily accomplished. I installed Ubuntu on it as an experiment for my wife and after the install, everything worked. The caveat is bluetooth as I have not tested that but wireless works perfectly. I think I got the laptop on Amazon as a refurb for $300.

ondoho · 02-07-2020, 02:31 AM

I suggest checking https://notebookcheck.net/

I don't like "best of" questions, and I like them even less when the OP did not supply any additional information (like a link to the device's hardware specs for example) that would show their initial effort.

fatmac · 02-07-2020, 06:23 AM

For modern day web browser usage, you need at least 2GB ram, other than that, most older computers & laptops will work for basic computer use - just keep it lightweight, no more than XFCE, if you want a desktop, but window managers make best use of available resources.

I've added extra ram & SSD to most of my old computers/laptops, & they are still usable with Firefox for internet use, just don't open too many tabs.

For a lightweight Debian based distro you might like to take a look at AntiX.
https://antixlinux.com/

Timothy Miller · 02-07-2020, 08:20 AM

While a D630 will function still if maxed ram (4 GB) preferably or close to it, it's age and limitations (Wifi N is the fastest that it can have, it only CAME with G, SATA II 3GBs max not 6GBs SATA III, max 4 GB ram, DDR2 only is much slower than modern DDR4) make it not an ideal candidate to use even at the low prices it can be had for.

The E6420 is a much better machine, and much more modern (Wifi N standard but can upgrade to wifi 5/AC, SATA III, Max 8 GB ram DDR3).

beachboy2 · 02-07-2020, 01:58 PM

dave8671,

Don't overlook the Lenovo T430.

You may be able to buy a job lot with or without HDDs at your budget price. Worth a look.

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...30-4175590873/

dave67 · 02-07-2020, 05:15 PM

I have Two Thinkpad's T420, T520, the T520 is my main laptop both have Ubuntu 18.04. I looked at the T430 before getting the T420 something made me get the T420. Think back then it was Ubuntu 1404 which had a fan issue maybe. maybe that is in the past now. I have decide to use my T420 and save money and install a SSD and I got be a caddy for another HDD to exchange the CD?DVD drive. It has been in the basement in a box I forgot I had it in storage. I get all my Thinkpads from a seller on ebay which is RenewableTechnologyResources. The refurbished laptops he has always impressed me. Until l I tried Linux Mint 19.3 I really did not like xfce. On my desktop which is a dinosaur the idle ram is around 340MB.

didntsellout · 02-08-2020, 10:55 PM

Showcase, eh?

Had a Lenovo G530 for years, then went to a D630 (which I prefered to the E6420 that I returned to an ebay seller) and now have an Asus U50F RBBAG05 because BIOS was giving me problems with th D630. Once I max out the RAM, I'll prorbably end up keeping it for a while. SSDs in older laptops are the way to go. D630 with 4GB was not bad, but BIOS made me kiss it goodbye.

Best wishes with your showcasing, though the audience is becoming smaller all the time!

dave67 · 02-14-2020, 09:34 AM

I Just realized that my partners sister has an E6420 Dell with windows 10. She got it from the computer-tech guy when the company she was working for laid her off. It runs well on windows 10 for her.

djk44883 · 02-15-2020, 08:02 AM

I have an E6520 been running Debian for several versions without issue. You'll have to decide how it compares to your series. I believe it has a first generation i7, yes I've been thinking about "upgrading" it. It's mostly used for personal/home finances... personal business. It does have Nvidia, I sit it on a cooling rack - as I've always done with every laptop I've ever had. No issues with graphics.

I've also ran Debian on a Dell 2110

dave67 · 02-16-2020, 08:15 AM

I would think the Nvidia would not get hot unless you woukd play games? What driver is used for that GPU.

Since I have neen preparing for this service. I have pick the best software out there. But I try not to have duplicates of the same function.

djk44883 · 02-16-2020, 09:16 AM

Not a gamer, so it's not being "pushed" to it's high clock speed. Occasionally watch some streaming video, but nothing HD, so still not really using it's power.

as for driver, start with nvidia-detect, in the past I have had struggles getting it configured. I had used this depreciated tool, nvidia-xconfig to get what I needed to set up an snippet nvidia.conf in /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d

dave67 · 02-16-2020, 10:42 AM

I am not a gamer on Linux, lite gaming on windows. Think its to much work windows is bad enough. I mainly use my PS4. I looked up the E6520 I like that it has a number-pad one feature that older or newer Thinkpads lack. My partners Lenovo 920 does not have this feature.