Generally, if you Google "(Dell model name) datasheet" for business-oriented models such as those in the Latitude and Precision line, you can find a PDF with details specs and options. The one for the Latitude E5550 is here. The FHD non-touch display is clearly identified as IPS, and I would guess that the FHD Touch display is as well, but I doubt the 1366x768 panel is. However, you really don't want that panel for other reasons. I've seen it, and even on 14" models, that pixel density is too low for a satisfactory image (or work space), plus the colors and brightness are mediocre at best. On 15" models, the pixel density is even worse.
If you have a Service Tag, you can go to support.dell.com, enter it, and then click the System Configuration section, where you will see the original shipping configuration. Unfortunately that often includes a lot of acronyms rather than a "human readable" options list that you'd see when ordering it, but often if you're somewhat technical you can figure out what's what. Good luck!
Thanks. The link you provided was very helpful. As I'm only considering FHD models, it's now clear IPS was standard on FHD models.
I don't have a service tag to search yet (5550's with 4th-gen CPU's are hard to come by!), but do you know if the shipping config you refer to indicates which company manufactured the display panel?
Thanks. The link you provided was very helpful. As I'm only considering FHD models, it's now clear IPS was standard on FHD models.
I don't have a service tag to search yet (5550's with 4th-gen CPU's are hard to come by!), but do you know if the shipping config you refer to indicates which company manufactured the display panel?
Out of curiosity, why do you specifically want a 4th Gen Broadwell CPU? If memory serves, the 5th Gen Broadwell platform introduced some reasonably significant performance and battery life improvements, even though it had a bumpy launch.
As it happens, I helped a client order some Broadwell E5550s a while ago, and searching one of their Service Tags and going to the Original Configuration area, I see this. The first line below is a Dell part number that expands to reveal the 3 items below it.
Out of curiosity, why do you specifically want a 4th Gen Broadwell CPU? If memory serves, the 5th Gen Broadwell platform introduced some reasonably significant performance and battery life improvements, even though it had a bumpy launch.
This was 'a tale of of two reviews'... This machine is ostensibly for my wife, but it will be mine whenever we travel.
Before settling on the E5550, I zeroed in on machines with 4th or 5th gen i5 CPU's with SSD and 15" screen, based on our computing needs and budget. I eliminated the impressive E6540 due to its weight (9 cells to support 4xxxM CPU). The following year, Dell apparently did a 'series realignment' as there was no E6550.
I eliminated the somewhat lighter E5540 for a variety of reasons cited in an in-depth review at notebookcheck.com. I then zeroed in on the E5550, which has a nominal weight of only 4.7 lbs. That's among the lightest I've found with a 15" screen.
As a laptop novice (our only portable has been my wife's 2004 vintage Thinkpad T42p, which I've rebuilt more than once and is barely still useful for browsing), I relied on whatever reviews I could find on machines of the target vintage to make my selection. Needless to say, this has been a learning experience!
As it turns out, notebookcheck did in-depth reviews on both versions of the E5550. Based on my read, the main advantage of the Broadwell version is a somewhat higher base clock rate (2.3Ghz for the 5300U vs. 2.0Ghz for the 4310U) and significantly lower power consumption in standby mode. Interestingly, the Haswell version has a higher max turbo clock rate (3.0Ghz vs. 2.9Ghz) and is actually more efficient at full load than the Broadwell version (both CPU's are rated at 15W TDP). But these differences are not relevant for our situation.
On the other hand, the Haswell 5550 had two primary advantages over the Broadwell, both of which are important to us. First, the reviews cite MUCH better display metrics for the Haswell version as compared to the Broadwell version. Here are the 3 key metrics (Haswell, Broadwell)
contrast: 953:1 vs. 589:1
brightness: 320 cd/m2 vs. 295 cd/m2
black level: 0.36 cd/m2 vs. 0.53 cd/m2
The Broadwell 5550 display numbers aren't that bad -- they only look bad compared to the Haswell version, at least as reported in these reviews.
As an aside, given that both test machines had the same Samsung IPS display, I found it odd (and frustrating) that the author of the Broadwell 5550 review offered no explanation or even an acknowledgement of these puzzling results, especially since his review, notwithstanding the display section, was largely a comparison with the Haswell 5550.
The second "PRO" for the Haswell is noise... The Broadwell version has higher noise levels under various loads -- the range was 38 to 46dB(A) for the Broadwell 5550 vs. 33 to 37dB(A) for the Haswell version. As you can see, the Broadwell at low load is noisier than the Haswell at full load! In fact, the Broadwell 5550 was the loudest among all of the comparison machines. We both put a premium on this particular metric. I spent considerable time and energy before building my current and previous desktop machines researching how to keep a computer quiet as possible. Unfortunately, I can't design and build my own laptop!
Well you’ve obviously done your research! I’m surprised the display metrics are so different though, and Notebookcheck definitely knows what they’re doing. Both reviews tested the 1080p non-touch display? As for CPU specs and noise, if you won’t be doing particularly CPU-intensive tasks, you might never actually encounter those differences.
The main reason my client wanted the E5550 was because they wanted a built-in numeric keypad since they’re an accounting firm, and obviously they wanted docking station support. Since this was before USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 arrived, there were very few systems anywhere that offered both of those things. But if you don’t care about the keypad but still want a 15” display, have you also looked at the XPS 15 9530 and 9550? I have the 9530 and really like it, except that the keyboard isn’t nearly as good as what you’ll find on a Latitude. However, the 9550 improved that significantly and includes Thunderbolt 3 for docking station options. The only option if you want the docking station to charge that system would be the TB16 with 240W power supply though. The other systems to check out are their sister systems the Precision M3800 and 5510, respectively. They’re essentially the same thing except with Quadro rather than GeForce GPUs (if they have a discrete GPU at all, which not all configurations of either variant do), but you might find happen to the Precision variants more easily than the XPS in places that sell used systems that came off business leases and such. Good luck!
Yes, both review machines had exact same display. Here is the link to the Broadwell review. The display metrics chart includes the Haswell version as one of the comparables.
As for the XPS 15, I wouldn't consider the 9530 for the reason you mentioned. In fact, my initial interest in the Latitude E6540 was because it had the pre-chiclet keyboard, but the weight was a big turn-off. As of the 5550, Latitudes switched to the chiclet but I noted that the 5550 got kudos for its KB in both reviews.
The XPS 15 9550 appears to only come with touchscreen display, which is of no interest, although I don't guess it would hurt to have one. Opps... it has a Skylake CPU, which pushes resale value beyond our price range, confirmed by a quick scan of completed sales on eBay. Likewise with the Precision 5510.
I might consider a M3800 at the right price (it has 4th gen CPU, but I don't want to pay a premium for the standard i7). But doesn't the M3800 have the same keyboard as the 9530?
I do appreciate your guidance though, as those models weren't on my radar.
BTW, the noise issue on the 5550 Broadwell isn't just at high loads. The test results show (noted in my previous post) that even at the lowest tested load, the Broadwell 5550 is louder than the Haswell at full load!
The XPS 15 9550 is available with a 1080p non-touch display, but it's probably less common. The Precision M3800 is basically identical to the XPS 15 9530 except that it uses a Quadro GPU whereas the XPS 15 9530 uses a GeForce GPU -- so yes, the keyboard would be the same. For what it's worth, nobody at my client has complained about noise or display quality on their Broadwell E5550s, and neither of those stuck out as shortcomings to me in the time I spent setting them all up. But to each his own, of course. The keyboard is solid, but fyi if you don't specifically need the numeric keypad, that actually CAN become a turn-off. The reason is that the presence of a numeric keypad forces your hands to be in a resting position that's off-center on the laptop chassis and display, which can feel awkward to some people. It can also be a usability issue if you ever intend ot use the system on a relatively unstable/uneven surface, such as your lap, because now the resting position of your hands is adding weight to one side of the system, which affects balance. Anyhow, good luck with your search!
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
0
January 17th, 2019 21:00
Generally, if you Google "(Dell model name) datasheet" for business-oriented models such as those in the Latitude and Precision line, you can find a PDF with details specs and options. The one for the Latitude E5550 is here. The FHD non-touch display is clearly identified as IPS, and I would guess that the FHD Touch display is as well, but I doubt the 1366x768 panel is. However, you really don't want that panel for other reasons. I've seen it, and even on 14" models, that pixel density is too low for a satisfactory image (or work space), plus the colors and brightness are mediocre at best. On 15" models, the pixel density is even worse.
If you have a Service Tag, you can go to support.dell.com, enter it, and then click the System Configuration section, where you will see the original shipping configuration. Unfortunately that often includes a lot of acronyms rather than a "human readable" options list that you'd see when ordering it, but often if you're somewhat technical you can figure out what's what. Good luck!
ginahoy6
5 Posts
0
January 18th, 2019 17:00
Thanks. The link you provided was very helpful. As I'm only considering FHD models, it's now clear IPS was standard on FHD models.
I don't have a service tag to search yet (5550's with 4th-gen CPU's are hard to come by!), but do you know if the shipping config you refer to indicates which company manufactured the display panel?
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
1
January 18th, 2019 19:00
Out of curiosity, why do you specifically want a 4th Gen Broadwell CPU? If memory serves, the 5th Gen Broadwell platform introduced some reasonably significant performance and battery life improvements, even though it had a bumpy launch.
As it happens, I helped a client order some Broadwell E5550s a while ago, and searching one of their Service Tags and going to the Original Configuration area, I see this. The first line below is a Dell part number that expands to reveal the 3 items below it.
391-BBSS : 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) Non-Touch Anti-Glare LCD
34VFY - BEZEL, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY, N-TSP, CAMERA, E5550/5550
FHKK7 - ASSEMBLY, CAMERA, HARD DRIVE, 0.92M, W/MIC
C3MWM - LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY, 15.6FHD, IN PLANE SWITCHING, EDP1.3, AG, LEGEND
ginahoy6
5 Posts
0
January 18th, 2019 22:00
This was 'a tale of of two reviews'... This machine is ostensibly for my wife, but it will be mine whenever we travel.
Before settling on the E5550, I zeroed in on machines with 4th or 5th gen i5 CPU's with SSD and 15" screen, based on our computing needs and budget. I eliminated the impressive E6540 due to its weight (9 cells to support 4xxxM CPU). The following year, Dell apparently did a 'series realignment' as there was no E6550.
I eliminated the somewhat lighter E5540 for a variety of reasons cited in an in-depth review at notebookcheck.com. I then zeroed in on the E5550, which has a nominal weight of only 4.7 lbs. That's among the lightest I've found with a 15" screen.
As a laptop novice (our only portable has been my wife's 2004 vintage Thinkpad T42p, which I've rebuilt more than once and is barely still useful for browsing), I relied on whatever reviews I could find on machines of the target vintage to make my selection. Needless to say, this has been a learning experience!
As it turns out, notebookcheck did in-depth reviews on both versions of the E5550. Based on my read, the main advantage of the Broadwell version is a somewhat higher base clock rate (2.3Ghz for the 5300U vs. 2.0Ghz for the 4310U) and significantly lower power consumption in standby mode. Interestingly, the Haswell version has a higher max turbo clock rate (3.0Ghz vs. 2.9Ghz) and is actually more efficient at full load than the Broadwell version (both CPU's are rated at 15W TDP). But these differences are not relevant for our situation.
On the other hand, the Haswell 5550 had two primary advantages over the Broadwell, both of which are important to us. First, the reviews cite MUCH better display metrics for the Haswell version as compared to the Broadwell version. Here are the 3 key metrics (Haswell, Broadwell)
contrast: 953:1 vs. 589:1
brightness: 320 cd/m2 vs. 295 cd/m2
black level: 0.36 cd/m2 vs. 0.53 cd/m2
The Broadwell 5550 display numbers aren't that bad -- they only look bad compared to the Haswell version, at least as reported in these reviews.
As an aside, given that both test machines had the same Samsung IPS display, I found it odd (and frustrating) that the author of the Broadwell 5550 review offered no explanation or even an acknowledgement of these puzzling results, especially since his review, notwithstanding the display section, was largely a comparison with the Haswell 5550.
The second "PRO" for the Haswell is noise... The Broadwell version has higher noise levels under various loads -- the range was 38 to 46dB(A) for the Broadwell 5550 vs. 33 to 37dB(A) for the Haswell version. As you can see, the Broadwell at low load is noisier than the Haswell at full load! In fact, the Broadwell 5550 was the loudest among all of the comparison machines. We both put a premium on this particular metric. I spent considerable time and energy before building my current and previous desktop machines researching how to keep a computer quiet as possible. Unfortunately, I can't design and build my own laptop!
I bet you're sorry you asked :Surprise:
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
0
January 19th, 2019 06:00
Well you’ve obviously done your research! I’m surprised the display metrics are so different though, and Notebookcheck definitely knows what they’re doing. Both reviews tested the 1080p non-touch display? As for CPU specs and noise, if you won’t be doing particularly CPU-intensive tasks, you might never actually encounter those differences.
The main reason my client wanted the E5550 was because they wanted a built-in numeric keypad since they’re an accounting firm, and obviously they wanted docking station support. Since this was before USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 arrived, there were very few systems anywhere that offered both of those things. But if you don’t care about the keypad but still want a 15” display, have you also looked at the XPS 15 9530 and 9550? I have the 9530 and really like it, except that the keyboard isn’t nearly as good as what you’ll find on a Latitude. However, the 9550 improved that significantly and includes Thunderbolt 3 for docking station options. The only option if you want the docking station to charge that system would be the TB16 with 240W power supply though. The other systems to check out are their sister systems the Precision M3800 and 5510, respectively. They’re essentially the same thing except with Quadro rather than GeForce GPUs (if they have a discrete GPU at all, which not all configurations of either variant do), but you might find happen to the Precision variants more easily than the XPS in places that sell used systems that came off business leases and such. Good luck!
ginahoy6
5 Posts
0
January 19th, 2019 16:00
Yes, both review machines had exact same display. Here is the link to the Broadwell review. The display metrics chart includes the Haswell version as one of the comparables.
As for the XPS 15, I wouldn't consider the 9530 for the reason you mentioned. In fact, my initial interest in the Latitude E6540 was because it had the pre-chiclet keyboard, but the weight was a big turn-off. As of the 5550, Latitudes switched to the chiclet but I noted that the 5550 got kudos for its KB in both reviews.
The XPS 15 9550 appears to only come with touchscreen display, which is of no interest, although I don't guess it would hurt to have one. Opps... it has a Skylake CPU, which pushes resale value beyond our price range, confirmed by a quick scan of completed sales on eBay. Likewise with the Precision 5510.
I might consider a M3800 at the right price (it has 4th gen CPU, but I don't want to pay a premium for the standard i7). But doesn't the M3800 have the same keyboard as the 9530?
I do appreciate your guidance though, as those models weren't on my radar.
BTW, the noise issue on the 5550 Broadwell isn't just at high loads. The test results show (noted in my previous post) that even at the lowest tested load, the Broadwell 5550 is louder than the Haswell at full load!
jphughan
9 Legend
•
14K Posts
0
January 21st, 2019 20:00
The XPS 15 9550 is available with a 1080p non-touch display, but it's probably less common. The Precision M3800 is basically identical to the XPS 15 9530 except that it uses a Quadro GPU whereas the XPS 15 9530 uses a GeForce GPU -- so yes, the keyboard would be the same. For what it's worth, nobody at my client has complained about noise or display quality on their Broadwell E5550s, and neither of those stuck out as shortcomings to me in the time I spent setting them all up. But to each his own, of course. The keyboard is solid, but fyi if you don't specifically need the numeric keypad, that actually CAN become a turn-off. The reason is that the presence of a numeric keypad forces your hands to be in a resting position that's off-center on the laptop chassis and display, which can feel awkward to some people. It can also be a usability issue if you ever intend ot use the system on a relatively unstable/uneven surface, such as your lap, because now the resting position of your hands is adding weight to one side of the system, which affects balance. Anyhow, good luck with your search!