Dell Latitude E6430 Review: A Business Laptop With Exceptional Performance

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By Oluwaseun Bamisile

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Itechguides' Take on Dell Latitude E6430

Summary

The Dell Latitude E6430 is an affordable laptop that offers a durable design with a comfortable keyboard. In addition to that, the laptop offers fast SSD storage and overall strong performance. Unfortunately, the laptop is quite heavy for a 14-inch laptop.

Overall
4.3

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Fast SSD
  • Durable design
  • Comfortable keyboard
  • Strong performance

Cons

  • Relatively Heavy for a 14-inch laptop
  • Limited display color production

Are you looking for a Dell Latitude E6430 review that provides you all the details you require? Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about the Dell Latitude E6430.

In this review, I’ll go over the general design of the Dell Latitude E6430 in great detail. Furthermore, I will review its performance in terms of CPU, RAM, graphics, storage, and battery.

In addition, I’ll offer benchmark results as well as comparisons to similar products and its predecessor. Moreover, after each section’s review, I will include ratings.

By the end of this review, you’ll know enough about the Dell Latitude E6430 to decide whether it’s worth buying or not.

My Initial Thoughts

Dell Latitude E6430 Review My Initial Thoughts

The Latitude E6430 is no exception when it comes to Dell’s reputation of providing high-performance and high-quality laptops. It is a business laptop that comes with good hardware, a lot of features, and solid build quality.

Dell’s Latitude E6430, with its 14-inch display, strikes the ideal balance of mobility, efficiency, and durability. In addition, despite its outstanding features, this laptop is reasonably priced.

In terms of price, the Dell Latitude E6430 had a starting price of $264 at the time this article was published (August 2021).

Now that I’ve given you a taste of what to expect from Dell Latitude E6430, let’s look at the design and other features of the laptop.

Dell Latitude E6430 Design, Dimension & Weight Review

As with its predecessor (Latitude E6420), the Dell Latitude E6430 has a gunmetal grey aluminum lid, a matte chrome body, and angular edges. 

The Latitude E6430, like other laptops in Dell’s Latitude E6400 series, features a Tri-Metal chassis with a magnesium alloy frame for solid durability. Reinforced steel hinges, a matte chrome bumper, a protected LCD seal, and a spill-resistant keyboard are all features of this device.

Dell’s Latitude E6430 has an LCD display panel with two distinct screen resolutions to choose from. You can choose between an HD (1366 x 768) or an HD+ (1600 x 900) resolution for your laptop.

The laptop I reviewed comes with an HD (1366 x 768) display screen resolution. You won’t have to worry about reflections when working in bright conditions because this display is anti-glare.

In addition, the stability of the display screen’s viewing angle is excellent. Even at extreme angles, where the colors begin to distort, they stay pretty steady.

However, the display screen’s color production is comparable to that of other low-cost displays, making it extremely limited and dull. Therefore, photographers and graphic designers who seek accurate color reproduction should consider other laptops with better displays.

Dell’s Latitude E6430 features a full-sized keyboard. However, due to the 14-inch case’s size, it does not include a number pad.

Despite this limitation, the keyboard is quite comfy and typing on it is a pleasurable experience for me.

In addition, the keys on the keyboard are solid, with just the proper amount of tactile feel. The keys are also larger than those found in most notebooks with chiclet-isolated keys.

Due to the fact that there is minimal space between the keys, there is little possibility of making errors while typing. Moreover, the keyboard also features backlighting, which makes working in a dark environment more comfortable.

When you don’t use the laptop for a few minutes, the backlight switches off automatically. You can also adjust the brightness of the backlight.

The keys’ surface is soft and it’s sleeky – nearly similar to an Apple laptop keyboard.

Furthermore, the keyboard incorporates liquid ducts that move spilled liquid away from the keyboard.

When it comes to the touchpad in the Latitude E6430, Dell did a near-perfect job. The touchpad has a little roughened surface that makes it easy to glide over, and it navigates the cursor on the screen precisely and accurately.

A dedicated soft-click (left and right clicks) button is situated beneath the touchpad. They have a comfortable lengthy keystroke and may be pressed together to emulate a center click.

Multi-touch gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling, are supported on the touchpad. As a result, scrolling is exceedingly smooth, almost identical to that of Apple’s popular MacBooks.

The Dell Latitude E6430 has a pointing stick located in the center of the keyboard, just like most other business laptops. The pointing stick has a non-slip, dotted rubber surface and can be used to control the cursor on the display screen.

The pointing stick also has its own dedicated soft-click buttons (for left, right, and center clicks). The dedicated buttons are situated right beneath the spacebar key on the keyboard.

In terms of ports, the Dell Latitude E6430 comes with a decent amount compared to its predecessor, Latitude E6420. A USB 2.0 port, VGA, and combo audio jack are located on the laptop’s left side.

On the right side, you have a DVD drive, two USB 3.0 ports, an ExpressCard 54mm, and an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo. An HDMI port, Kensington lock, power socket, and RJ45 LAN port are located on the laptop’s rear.

In addition, an SD card reader is located on the front of the laptop. Unfortunately, the laptop lacks a Thunderbolt port.

Moving on, the Dell Latitude E6430 also features stereo speakers which are of average quality. They don’t have an exceptional sound, but they also don’t have any significant flaws.

Dell offers the Latitude E6430 with an impressive three-year warranty. As a result, if you experience hardware malfunction during the warranty period, you have the option of having it repaired or replaced.

Moving on to the weight and dimensions, the Latitude E6430 has a dimension of 352 x 241 x 26.6 mm and weighs 2014 g. With this dimension and weight, the Dell Latitude E6430 is smaller and weighs less than its predecessor, the Latitude E6420.

The Dell Latitude E6420 has a dimension of 353.06 x 261.62 x 33.02 mm and weighs 2068 g.

However, when compared to the Lenovo Thinkpad X250, the Dell Latitude E6430 weighs more. Based on my experience reviewing laptops, this laptop is quite heavy for a 14-inch laptop.

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X250 weighs 1360g and has a dimension of 306 x 209 x 20 mm.

In conclusion, the Latitude E6430 boasts a durable build quality, comfortable keyboard, and a good number of ports. Therefore, in this design review, I am going to rate the laptop a nine out of ten.

Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop Processor (CPU) Performance Review

Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop Processor (CPU) Performance Review

Dell powers the Latitude E6430 with a third-generation Intel Ivy Bridge processor. The laptop is available with a 2-core Intel Core i7-3520M processor.

This Core i7 processor has a 4 MB cache memory. Also, it has a base frequency of 2.90 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.60 GHz.

I ran a Cinebench R10 test to determine the performance of this laptop’s processor. Cinebench R10 test is a benchmark test that can be used to determine how fast a CPU performs in various workloads.

According to the benchmark test, the Dell Latitude E6430 scored an impressive 6128 points. With this score, the Dell Latitude E6430 has a better performance than the Lenovo ThinkPad W530.

According to the same benchmark test, the Lenovo ThinkPad W530’s Intel-Core-i7-3820QM processor scored 4986 points.

The Dell Latitude E6430 also performed better than its preceding model, Dell latitude E6420. On the same benchmark test, the Latitude E6420’s Intel Core i5-2540M processor scored 5105 points.

Overall, this Dell Latitude E6430 processor is capable of handling intensive computing tasks and multitasking. Therefore, I will rate the laptop a nine in this processor performance review.

Dell Latitude E6430 Memory (RAM) Performance Review

The Dell Latitude E6430 comes with a standard 2 GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM. In addition, this laptop has two RAM slots with each having a maximum capacity of 8 GB – a maximum of 16 GB on both slots.

The laptop I reviewed had 8 GB RAM, which was quite excellent at multitasking. As a result, I was able to navigate between various applications and had up to 25 chrome tabs opened without experiencing any lag.

To further determine the laptop’s performance, I conducted a PCMark 10 test. The PCMark 10 test can be used to determine a PC’s performance in specific areas of work, such as Productivity.

According to the PCMark 10 test, the Dell Latitude E6430 scored 3169 points. When compared to its predecessor (Latitude E6420), the Dell Latitude E6430 performed better.

According to the same test, the Dell Latitude E6430’s predecessor, Latitude E6420 scored 2287 points.

Finally, I believe the laptop deserves an eight out of ten based on the fact that it offers multiple RAM slots.

Dell Latitude E6430 Storage Option & Performance Review

Dell Latitude E6430 Storage Option & Performance Review

The Dell Latitude E6430 comes with multiple storage options. The laptop comes with a 7200 RPM SATA HDD, a 5400 RPM SATA HDD, or an SSD.

The maximum storage capacity of the 7200 RPM SATA HDD is 750 GB. The 5400 RPM SATA HDD, on the other hand, has a maximum storage capacity of 320 GB.

In addition, the SSD storage option supports a maximum storage capacity of 256 GB. Moreover, the laptop also offers an 8-in-1 memory card reader for extra storage.

The laptop I reviewed came with a storage capacity of 256 GB SSD. In my opinion, 256 GB of storage should be enough for most users.

However, if you require more storage, you could easily opt for HDD storage since it offers a larger storage capacity.  Also, as I noted earlier, you can also include an 8-in-1 memory card for extra storage. 

Due to the fact that SSDs are faster than HDDs, I expected the SSD on the Latitude E7430 to be fast at transferring data. To confirm what I expect, I conducted a file transfer test to determine the transfer speed of the SSD.

On the transfer test, the laptop was able to copy 4.97GB of mixed media files in 30 seconds at a transfer rate of 169.6 MBps. In comparison, the Lenovo IdeaPad 320 has a slower transfer rate when compared to the Dell Latitude E6430.

On the same transfer test, the Lenovo IdeaPad 320 had a transfer rate of 135.5 MBps. That’s not all, when compared to its predecessor (Latitude E6420), the Dell Latitude E6430 also performed excellently.

The Latitude E6420 only managed to achieve a transfer rate of 105 MBps on the file transfer test.

In conclusion, the Dell Latitude E6430 offers multiple storage options and a not-surprising fast SSD. Therefore, I will rate the laptop a nine in this storage review.

Dell Latitude E6430 Graphic Card Performance Review

Just like its storage, the Dell Latitude E6430 offers multiple graphic cards. You can either get the laptop with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 or NVIDIA NVS 5200M.

The integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 has a base GPU frequency of 650 MHz and a boost GPU frequency of 1250 MHz. On the other hand, the NVIDIA NVS 5200M has a base frequency of 672 MHz and a boost frequency of 1344 MHz.

The NVIDIA NVS 5200M graphics card option features a 1 GB GDDR5 dedicated VRAM. Unfortunately, the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics option doesn’t feature a dedicated VRAM.

Lack of dedicated VRAM means that the graphics card will have to share the system memory with the CPU. Therefore, the graphics card will not be able to handle graphics-intensive applications or games.

The Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics card came standard with the laptop I reviewed. As mentioned earlier, this graphics card isn’t good at gaming.

However, it was able to run few outdated games in low graphical settings.

For example, while playing FIFA 2012 on low graphical settings, the laptop achieved a frame rate of 127 fps. That’s not all, the laptop was also able to achieve a frame rate of 42 fps while playing Anno 2070.

In comparison, the Dell Latitude E6430 performed slightly better than its preceding model, Dell latitude E6420. On a gaming test, the Dell Latitude E6420’s Intel HD Graphics 3000 was able to achieve a frame rate of 120 fps while playing FIFA 2012.

In conclusion, the Intel HD Graphics 4000 is capable of playing outdated games in a low graphical setting. However, if you are a graphic designer or a gamer when buying this laptop, it is best you go for the NVIDIA NVS 5200M graphics option.

Finally, in the graphics review, I will rate the laptop an eight. This is based on the fact that the laptop offers multiple graphics options.

Dell Latitude E6430 Battery Life & Performance Review

Dell Latitude E6430 Battery Life & Performance Review

To my surprise, the Dell Latitude E6430 comes with numerous battery options. You can either get the laptop with a 4-cell 40 Whr Lithium-Ion, 6-cell 60 Wh Lithium-Ion, or 9-cell 97 Wh Lithium-Ion battery.

The laptop also offers a 9-cell 87 Wh Lithium-Ion, 9-cell 97 Wh Extended battery slice, and 3-cell 30 Whr E-Modular Bay II battery. A 6-cell 60 Wh Lithium-Ion battery came standard with the Latitude E6430 laptop I reviewed.

As advertised by Dell, this 6-cell 60 Wh Lithium-Ion battery should last up to 10 hours. However, to confirm Dell’s claim about its battery, I conducted different battery tests.

The first battery test involves setting the laptop brightness to medium and enabling energy-savings mode. According to the battery test, the laptop lasted an impressive 8 hours and 46 minutes.

The second battery test involves continuously browsing the internet using a WIFI connection while on energy-savings mode. According to this test, the laptop lasted for 5 hours and 36 minutes.

When compared to the HP Elitebook 8460p Laptop, the Elitebook 8460p lags behind, lasting about 5 hours and 13 minutes. The Lenovo ThinkPad T430, on the other hand, outlasted the Latitude E6430 with a runtime of 6 hours and 29 minutes.

In comparison to its preceding model (Latitude E6420), the Latitude E6430 performed way better. During the second battery test, the Latitude E6420 managed to last only 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Finally, in this battery review, I think the Latitude E6430 deserves an eight out of ten rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Dell Latitude E6430 A Good Laptop?

Yes. The Dell Latitude E6430, with its Intel Core i7-3520M processor, is a laptop that offers exceptional performance for practically any activity.

2. Is The Dell Latitude E6430 Built For Business?

Yes, absolutely. Dell’s Latitude E6430 is a business laptop with excellent build quality, good hardware, and a lot of features.

3. What Is The Maximum Amount Of RAM That A Dell Latitude E6430 Can Hold?

The Dell Latitude E6430 offers 2 RAM slots that have a combined maximum capacity of 16 GB (8 GB in each slot).

4. When Was The Dell Latitude E6430 Released?

The Dell Latitude E6430 was released in 2012.

5. How much does the Latitude E6430 cost?

During the time this article was published (August 2021), the Latitude E6430 start at a price of $264.

My Final Thoughts

The Latitude E6430 boasts a solid build quality and a large number of configuration options. It’s a budget-friendly laptop that can handle everyday computer activities as well as light gaming.

In addition, the laptop also comes with a nice keyboard and a good number of ports. Its most notable feature is the ability to increase RAM and storage.

Finally, the Latitude E6430 is one of the best options if you want a sleek business system with plenty of power.

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About the Author

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Oluwaseun Bamisile

Oluwaseun is the Lead Content Editor at Itechguides.com. He holds a National Diploma in Computer Science (currently studying part-time for his Higher National Diploma). An internet geek with a love for automobiles, he writes product reviews, tech articles, and how-to guides on the site.

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