IDC Whitepaper “Optimizing Performance with Frequent Server Replacements for Enterprises” commissioned by Dell Technologies and Intel, March 2021. Results are based on interviews with 18 IT practitioners and decision makers at midsize and large enterprises and a web survey of 707 IT practitioners and decision makers at midsize and larger enterprises using Dell Technologies server solutions across 7 industries. See full whitepaper: https://www.delltechnologies.com/resources/en-us/asset/white-papers/products/servers/server-infrastructure-resiliency-enterprise-whitepaper.pdf ProSupport Plus includes Keep Your Hard Drive & Accidental Damage Protection to cover everyday accidents like drops, spills or electrical surges. Two weeks ago, we brought you our full reviewof the newest member of the Latitude E5XXX family, the E5530. In it, we praised its impressive performance, stable construction, great battery life, and largely unmatched input devices. We were pleased by the inclusion of two USB 3.0 ports, an upgrade which the E5430 also boasts over its predecessor (the E5420). Meanwhile, we had our reservations about the E5530’s hefty weight, noise level, and subpar fit and finish. The distinction between the Latitude 6XXX series and the lower-grade 5XXX series is certainly evident in a side-by-side comparison, with such luxury MIL-STD 810G-tested amenities as magnesium alloy wrapped corners and heavy-duty hinges surrendered in exchange for a lower price tag. But how much do such omissions really affect the Latitude E5430’s overall appeal? And how well does it fare in the wake of its last-gen predecessor, the E5420? Intel SME Study Disclaimer: Based on a 2018 survey of small business owners in five countries. Details here intel.com.au/smestudy

While other changes have taken place, the big story with Dell’s 2012 Latitude refresh is the inclusion of Ivy Bridge CPU options. Less pricey Sandy Bridge models are still available, and neither choice will result in a slow PC by any judgment. It’s worth noting that Dell also lists Intel Celeron Bxxx CPUs as an option, but as of this writing such a configuration isn’t selectable. Beyond that, the choices range from a Core i3-2328M Sandy Bridge CPU all the way to a 2.9 GHz Core i7-3520M, the latter of which is currently the fastest dual-core Ivy Bridge CPU around. Our review model features a 2.8 GHz Core i5-3360M, which is only slightly slower than the top-end Core i7-3520M.Max Turbo Frequency refers to the maximum single-core processor frequency that can be achieved with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology. See www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/ for more information and applicability of this technology. There are two different 14-inch display options to choose from on the Latitude E5430, both of which graciously feature a matte finish. The first is a standard HD (1366x768) display, and the second is an HD+ (1600x900) display with Premium Panel Guarantee. Our review model came equipped with the latter, and, as in typical fashion with most Dell models, the higher-resolution display is also quite a bit nicer than the standard one. Though we weren’t exactly wowed by the contrast ratio (more on that in a moment), the picture quality was nevertheless subjectively good and the panel is bright. Colors were a bit flat, however. For more info on battery warranty support, see the Dell knowledge base article Dell Laptop Battery Warranty Support.

on Dell internal analysis using publicly available specs in August 2023 comparing maximum effective capacity for PowerStore 1200 and FlashArray //X20. Assumes average 4:1 data reduction for PowerStore, 5:1 for Pure Storage. Actual results vary. Embracing our obstinate addiction, we tested Diablo III’s performance on the Latitude E5430 to see how it compared to our previous tests and those performed just weeks prior on the E5530. While admirable, the results didn’t vary materially from our E5530 venture—just a couple of frames per second here and there, which is an insignificant difference that could be attributed to any variety of factors. In terms of hard numbers, this translated to an average of 28 frames per second on high and 36 frames per second on medium settings, both certainly palatable values for a business notebook. The Latitude E5430 carries the torch forward with another round of impressive graphical benchmark results for a machine restricted to an integrated GPU. Though these machines certainly aren’t built for gaming, our tests prove that the HD 4000 is no slouch should some low-end gaming still find itself on the agenda. So, what does all this buy you? Plenty of runtime in this case. To reiterate, our review unit received a standard 9-cell battery, and we were impressed with the results. One of the first items we tested was minimal system usage under nearly-idle conditions via the Reader’s Test in Battery Eater. Before testing, as always, we fully charged the unit and disabled sleep, hibernation, screen and hard drive timeouts, and all wireless radios. Under these conditions and set to the “Power Saver” power profile, the notebook stayed alive for an exceptional 11 hours and 2 minutes. Two Nanya 2 GB DDR3-1600 RAM modules (4 GB total) came installed in our review unit, which is more than enough for most users. But with the extremely low prices of DDR3 RAM and the considerable ease of upgrading components in the Latitude E5430, it’s easy to justify a higher amount. Fortunately, up to 16 GB of RAM is supported (8 GB per slot), so there should be no trouble reaching a sufficient number.Amazingly, with a few exceptions, the Latitude E5430 actually manages to stay cooler than the larger E5530, even with the same CPU and other basic components. Following an hour of simultaneous CPU and GPU stressing for a full hour using Furmark and Prime95, the underside of the notebook reached an average temperature of just 35. 6°C, which is nearly a full degree lower than the E5530’s temperature under the same conditions. This renders the notebook comfortable for use on the lap even when under load in most situations. One of the most-discussed features of the Ivy Bridge chipset is Intel HD Graphics 4000, which you’ll find included with any mid- to high-end third-generation Intel Core CPU. While integrated solutions still can’t compete with midgrade or better discrete adapters in terms of performance, they are better in terms of power consumption and cost, and—at least in the case of the HD 4000—they come close enough to their lower-end discrete comrades such as to render them quite enticing for many users. The Core i5-3360M CPU’s performance rivals even the fastest dual-core Sandy Bridge CPUs. In our synthetic benchmarks, we witnessed scores comparable to the Core i7-2640M in most categories, and consistently higher than the Core i7-2620M. Cinebench R10/R11.5 both tested the i5-3360M in our unit higher than the similar second-generation i7 CPUs, and the 3DMark 06 CPU benchmark agrees. wPrime places the i5-3360M squarely between the i7-2620M and i7-2640M, but the results are so similar (around 2.5% difference) that comparisons really don’t mean much. The bottom line is that the Core i5-3360M should provide more than enough power for just about any business user who’s looking to accomplish the essentials with their notebook, but it also shows no signs of weakness in terms of heavier tasks such as photo and video editing.

The Latitude E5430 can be outfitted with either a 320 GB (encrypted or non-encrypted) or 500 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, or for a little higher cost, a 128 GB Solid State Drive (SSD). Our review unit came equipped with a Seagate Momentus Thin ST320LT007-9ZV142 7200 RPM 320 GB drive. Like the drive we received in our E5530 review model, this is a smaller, single-platter 7 mm-height hard drive that normally is meant for situations where drive size is a prohibitive design factor (such as in many ultraportables). The E5430 actually features a fully-sized 9.5 mm-height drive bay, so any traditional SATA laptop drive will also fit. Next, we enabled all wireless radios, set screen brightness to the highest level, and enabled the “High Performance” power profile. We then initiated the Classic Test within Battery Eater to simulate heavy system stress. In this instance, the notebook endured a still commendable 2 hours and 25 minutes. The microcontroller is handing control of the computer to the processor. This code persists if no processor is detected.All other products will be delivered via the fastest available method (excluding bank holidays and weekends) and generally within 3-5 days, depending on customer location. The first thing to note is that the casing, while again, not as heavy-duty or high-quality as the front-running E6XXX models, is still predominantly solid. The first clue the E5430 offers in this regard is its considerable weight. At 2.51 kg, this is a far cry from a featherweight ultraportable. Nevertheless, in conjunction with its reasonably-designed form factor, it is hardly restrictive in its size. It feels comfortable on the lapand is easier to use than many smaller notebooks in such a position thanks to an adequately-sized, flat palm rest—and this is in spite of the weight and size of the extended battery we received to boot. Very little flexis detectable anywhere apart from just above the optical drive, which is a typical and forgivable weakness of nearly every notebook. While our E5530 review unit was afflicted by some notable gaps between casing components, we are pleased to report that no such problems apply to the E5430 we received. The Latitude E5430’s optional fingerprint readerprovides biometric authentication that is also remotely administrable if desired, while TPM 1.2and smart card enrollmentare available for an added cost. Meanwhile, self-encrypting hard drives, which are mainstays in many modern enterprise environments, are also an option. Intel processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor numbers differentiate features within each processor family, not across different processor families. See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/processor-numbers.html for details.

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Performance

The closest notebooks in terms of specifications in comparison with the Latitude E5430 are perhaps the Dell Latitude E5530 (which we’ve already referenced heavily throughout this review) and the Lenovo ThinkPad L530 model we recently reviewed. Both of these competing models are 15-inch notebooks, but it’s safe to assume that their 14-inch counterparts with identical specifications should post similar performance scores. As it happens, the E5430 matches (or comes in negligibly below) its E5530 bigger brother in most every benchmark. In turn, it thus also bests the ThinkPad L530 in every Cinebench test. These are impressive results coming from a 14-inch business notebook with a “mid-range” CPU.