Dell Latitude E6420-ATG

The Dell Latitude E6420-ATG ($3,348 direct) business laptop is built like a tank, designed to venture where other laptops fear to tread. From its semi-rugged construction to its beefy second-generation Intel Core i7 processor, this laptop is made to take a beating while providing all of the functionality you need from a professional laptop. It's sleeker than its fully-rugged counterparts, like the Getac V200 ($5,177 direct, 3.5 stars) and Dell Latitude E6420 XFR ($5,612 direct, 4 stars), which sport a bulky frame and bumpers on every corner. However, the Latitude E6420-ATG is still one tough laptop that will be suitable for the business worker at home, in the field, or in the boardroom.

Design
The E6420-ATG is designed to withstand extreme conditions. It's rated for a variety of harsh environments, including dust, humidity, and vibration. The stringent MIL-STD 810G testing requirements means that even if you drop it, smack it, bump it, or spill on it, you know you'll still be able to fire it up and get your work done.

The triple-metal construction includes a magnesium-alloy skeleton, an anodized aluminum lid, and a powder-coat magnesium-alloy bottom panel. This same metal construction extends to the steel hinges and zinc-alloy latch mechanism. The outer edges of the lid are also covered with an additional protective layer similar to the lining used to protect the interior of truck beds. All of that armor gets heavy, though. The E6420-ATG tips the scales at 6.4 pounds, which is considerably heavier than most 14-inch mainstream laptops, but it's still lighter than the 9.38-pound Dell E6420 XFR. The E6420-ATG measures 1.48 by 14.07 by 9.7 inches (HWD), and can be equipped with an optional briefcase-style handle for easier carrying.

The 14-inch display is nearly 2 inches larger than the screen of the Getac V200, and that extra real-estate allows for multitasking with multiple windows. The screen is made with outdoor viewing in mind, with wide viewing angles and brightness that offers visibility even in direct sunlight. The 1,366-by-768 resolution also means that photos and videos can display at 720p. The E6420-ATG also has impact-resistant front glass protecting the screen against dings and scratches.

The keyboard is traditionally laid out, eschewing the chiclet-style used in other systems. The keyboard is also spill-resistant, and you'll be able to use it in low-light conditions thanks to an adjustable backlight. A pointing stick and trackpad offer two forms of cursor control, and the trackpad supports two-finger scrolling.

Features
One standout feature of the E6420-ATG, a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), also provides an extra level of rugged durability. Not only does an SSD offer faster performance, the lack of moving parts makes for a more durable and resilient drive than spinning hard disks. It also offers more storage space than you'll find in other rugged laptops, like the 80GB SSD found in the Getac V200, and the 120GB spinning drive found in the Getac B300.

The E6420-ATG offers a conventional selection of ports: three USB 2.0 ports, a USB/eSATA combination port, VGA and HDMI video outputs, ports for Ethernet and a regular telephone line, and a SmartCard reader. Along with headphone and microphone connections and an SD card reader, these ports are all protected from the elements by heavy-duty port covers. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

While the E6420-ATG may have a chunky design and several layers of protection, the hard drive and desktop are spare and uncluttered. The only pre-installed pieces of software you'll find on the Latitude E6420-ATG are Microsoft's Bing toolbar and a starter version of Office 2010.

Performance
The E6420-ATG is equipped with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2620M dual-core processor and 4GB of RAM. While it went head-to-head with the similarly configured Dell E6420 XFR on performance tests, the E6420 XFR came out slightly ahead, primarily because of its extra 2GB of RAM packed in. In Cinebench R11.5, the E6420-ATG scored 3.06 points, an insignificant 0.06 points ahead of the Dell E6420 XFR. In media creation tasks the E6420 XFR clearly had a leg up when it came to video in our Handbrake test, encoding a video 32 seconds faster than the E6420-ATG (2:11). Our Photoshop CS5 test yielded less dramatic differences, with the E6420-ATG completing the test in 3 minutes 37 seconds, just 5 seconds behind the competition.

Intel's batch of second-generation Core i processors feature an upgrade to its integrated graphics, which make for mild improvements when it comes to handling 3D content. In our 3DMark 06 graphics test, the E5420-ATG scored 4,380 at medium resolution and 1,947 at higher resolution settings. Compared with the Getac V200 (which scored 1,650 at medium resolution and 1,426 at higher resolution settings), this improvement is enormous. The difference can also be seen in our gaming tests, where the E6420-ATG pumped out 20.32 frames per second (fps) in Crysis and 18.9 fps in Lost Planet 2 at medium resolution and detail settings. So you won't be playing high-end 3D games, and you probably shouldn't if this laptop is for work, but you could get away with lower-end titles like Torchlight and Team Fortress 2.

It doesn't do much good to have a durable laptop that can survive the elements if it doesn't have a battery that will survive the afternoon. The E6420-ATG comes with a giant 9-cell (97Wh) battery. It lasted 8 hours 46 minutes on MobileMark 2007, several hours longer than the Getac B300 (6:45) and Panasonic Toughbook CF-52 (5:15), though both use batteries larger than 85Wh.

It's difficult to compare such a unique laptop to any of our regular units, even where there are similarities in performance or equipment. In the end, the primary selling point of rugged laptops is their construction and durability, and as such, I have to compare to the best and most recent rugged laptops. In terms of pure performance, the E6420-ATG can easily compete against the most rugged laptops out there, like the Dell E6420 XFR, without much trouble. If budgetary constraints enter into your decision making process, you might want to instead opt for the business rugged HP Elitebook 8740w ($1,999 direct, 4 stars), but when you want uncompromising durability, the E6420-ATG is the system you'll want to get you through the storm.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
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