Dell Latitude 5491: a rigorous corporate laptop with a powerful processor
Finding a compact notebook with a powerful processor is not easy. In the vast majority of models with diagonals of screens less than 15 inches, low-voltage Intel Core U processors are installed. What if you need a significantly higher CPU performance? For such cases, there is a Dell Latitude 5491 . Strict and fairly compact 14-inch corporate-class laptop with six-core processors and discrete graphics inside. Today we talk about it in detail - welcome under cat.
Dell Latitude 5491 - a strict laptop, and even a little harsh. The design is extremely restrained and minimalistic. Users of classic or, especially, gaming laptops may even say that it looks boring. But such a machine should not be fun and attractive at all - it is a “workhorse”, the main thing in which is reliability, convenience and practicality. Still, Latitude is a business series of Dell laptops designed for corporate needs.
')
The whole case of the notebook is completely made of fairly thick plastic. The cover and the working panel at the pressings bend only slightly. On the whole, questions about the strength of the structure are unlikely to arise - very close attention was paid to the build quality here.
Separately, we note that there is no glossy element on the body of the Dell Latitude 5491 - all surfaces are matte. Elements with soft-touch coating in the design is also not provided. As a result, the fingerprints on the computer case are almost invisible and can be easily removed with a regular dry microfiber cloth, even without special cleaning products.
The cover of the laptop can be completely tilted back 180 degrees, which is very useful when several people are watching the screen at the same time, bending over the table, say, a meeting room. Quite a frequent scenario, it is typical for the offices of large companies. In all other positions, the screen is also securely held by metal hinges. The width of the frames around the display is not a record one, but it is also difficult to call them overly thick.
The thickness of the body of the 14-inch laptop is 20.3 mm, the computer weighs 1.65 kilograms. Again, this is also not a record in class performance, but with them the Latitude 5491 remains quite a portable solution that you can take with you from the office to your home, to carry on meetings and on business trips.
Ports on the body of the Dell Latitude 5491 are located on three sides: both on the sides and back. On the back side are the 8P8C connector for connecting to the Internet using a wire, the input for the power adapter, the “big” USB 3.1, HDMI and a sliding tray for the SIM card. It is in all versions of the laptop, but the laptop can only connect to the mobile Internet in those configurations where the WWAN module is present. The good news is that if you choose a configuration without it, and then decide that you still need the mobile Internet in the PC, then it will not be a big problem. The slot for the appropriate adapter and antenna for it is in all versions of the Latitude 5491. So you can simply purchase it and install it yourself.
In practice, the location of these particular interfaces on the back of the laptop is quite convenient. Neither the network cable nor the thick cord from the monitor or projector will interfere with the operation, since they are far away from the user's hands.
On the left side of the Latitude 5491 is a card reader for SD cards (it is made in the form of a tray, where you need to install a storage device, and it is very fast!), Another USB 3.1 Type-A and USB Type-C, which in basic versions supports interface DisplayPort, and in more advanced - Thunderbolt 3. In our test sample, which we took for the review on Habré, just the second case. In addition, it has an optional smart card reader.
On the right side of the notebook we see the combined audio jack, the third USB 3.1 Type-A and the VGA port. Note that here and on the opposite side all interfaces are offset to the back of the laptop case, i.e. Connected devices will not interfere with the work either.
An Intel Wireless-AC 9560 adapter with Bluetooth 5.0 and both Wi-Fi ranges is responsible for the wireless internet connection. The solution is good and has long been well recommended. Neither the stability of the connection, nor the speed of data transmission will not have to complain.
On the part of the interaction with the system, users of the Latitude 5491 have a lot of different options available. Calculate? The keyboard and touchpad are classics, one and two. There are also modifications with a touch screen - these are three. Well, number four is a trackpoint with a nice edging in Dell's proprietary blue. We know the thing for an amateur, but the one who loves this control is often not ready to part with it. And then there are two specially added buttons for working with trackkint that imitate pressing the left and right mouse buttons. In addition, the trackpoint is also an option. If it is not needed, you can select the PC version without it.
The keys are somewhat reduced compared to the standard, but despite this, typing on the Dell Latitude 5491 is incredibly convenient. The secret is in a fairly high profile of the buttons by the standards of the class, as well as the depth and softness of their progress in combination with a clearly tangible trigger point. Our employees, who often work long and long with large texts, praise her very much.
There is no full-fledged digital unit in this laptop, but there is a tricky feature - the ability to type them using the Fn button and standard letter keys. Very useful, given that the laptop is corporate, and constant reports, often filled with a lot of data, are an integral part of corporate life.
The touchpad is relatively small, located exactly in the center of the bottom of the working panel. The surface is slightly rough, the finger slides with little effort. With the accuracy of tracking movements, there are no problems, multi-touch gestures are supported. Just below the touch pad are two physical buttons with a deep stroke. In general, this control replaces the mouse quite successfully in cases where you need to work behind a laptop somewhere outside the office.
And then there is a fingerprint scanner to enter the system. Stuck is also optional.
The key feature of Dell Latitude 5491 laptops is that they use non-low-voltage Intel U-series processors, as in the 5490, and multi-core and multi-threaded i5-8300H, i5-8400H and i7-8850H. And this makes this computer one of quite rare solutions for those users who are looking for a compact laptop for tasks focused on the computing power of the CPU. In our particular test device, the i5-8400H is installed, and here are the results it demonstrates with the Cinebench R15 benchmark in comparison with the i7-8750H and i5-8250U.
The cooling system includes only one cooler, so during long loads, all three H-series processors mentioned above gradually reset their frequencies. For such scenarios, it makes sense to slightly modify them programmatically independently: the undervolting and limiting the maximum clock frequency from 4.0–4.3 GHz to 3.5–3.2 GHz will make the chips much more stable and reduce the heating. In idle time, the laptop is cold, but long-term loads can warm up the case in some places up to 40-44 degrees. However, these figures are still far from calling them uncomfortable.
While surfing the web, working with documents, watching videos and solving other simple tasks, the cooler does not even spin - the laptop is not audible at all. With an average load, the noise level can reach up to 40 dB, and with a long high load, it can be adjusted to 45 dB. The second is already audible to colleagues in the office, who sit side by side, but will not distract.
The graphics adapter in the minimum configurations of the Latitude 5491 is an Intel integrated graphics processor. In higher versions, a discrete NVIDIA GeForce MX130 is used, which in working (but not game) tasks is an essential addition to a powerful processor. However, in online projects like WoT, DOTA 2, Overwatch, but with the exception of PUBG, you can play at minimum and medium graphics settings in Full HD resolution: the frame rate will be at least higher than 30. Below just in case we give a comparison of Latitude 5491 with others previously tested on Habré Dell laptops of various classes in the gaming benchmarks 3D Mark Fire Strike and WoT Encore.
The Hynix drives installed in our particular test laptop are very different. One of them is SATA, therefore, by SSD standards, high speeds are no different and, compared to NVMe, of course, it shows significantly more modest results. The second is a solid-state drive just as NVMe, also produced by Hynix. By the standards of the class, write and read speeds are average.
Just in case, we add that our test configuration is a bit non-standard, plus it turned out that the system is installed on a slower SATA SSD, which accordingly affects the performance of the overall performance of the PC Mark 10 system. In configurations with only NVMe SSD and the system installed it is on them that the results will be much higher.
The display diagonal of the Dell Latitude 5491 is exactly 14 inches. In all the modifications presented in Russia, the resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, but the screen can be both normal and touch. In our particular case today, the first option, and he has a matte, not glossy finish. The IPS-matrix used here is good for the black depth and high contrast that is good by the standards of the class, the uniformity of the backlight in our test sample is in perfect order.
The maximum brightness reaches about 220-230 nits, and this is not enough for comfortable use of a laptop on the street. But indoors it will not become a problem, especially since the viewing angles are very wide here. Colors do not change even if you look at the display at very sharp angles - from the side or top. The color gamut of the matrix covers approximately 60% of the sRGB range, which once again reminds us of primarily corporate computer use: office programs, web surfing, mail, presentations, and generally any tasks that do not require high color accuracy, including, by the way, are in focus. , CAD.
In order to gain access to the "stuffing" Latitude 5491, you need to remove the bottom cover from the laptop, unscrewing the eight screws. The latches here are quite tight, so it’s better to arm yourself with a plastic card that has not been used for a long time - the opening process will go much easier. And what picture will open before you immediately after removing the cover:
First of all, pay attention to the presence of two slots for RAM. Our configuration uses one bar with 8 GB of RAM. In the older versions you can find options with 8 + 8 GB of memory. Well, you can independently expand the volume to 16 + 16 GB.
Nearby is the wireless adapter Intel Wireless-AC 9560, which we have already written above.
In the upper left corner there is a place for the WWAN module.
In our case, an additional 256 GB SSD NVMe drive is installed here in the M.2 2230 form factor.
The main SSD SATA drive in the more classic form factor M2.2280 is below.
The important point: the design of the laptop is made in such a way that either 2.5-inch HDD or SSD M2.2280 can be installed in it. If you choose the first configuration, then the computer will have a slide and cable for connecting the HDD, but there will be no stand for mounting the SSD. In the second case, as in the hero of this review - exactly the opposite. Therefore, selecting the configuration for yourself, you will need to think a little about everything in advance.
By the way, all the photos are in 1920x1080 resolution. If suddenly you see the exact models of components that are bad, then just open the pictures in a new browser window and they will become larger.
The laptop has a battery with a capacity of 68 Wh. Despite the combination of a fairly powerful processor and discrete graphics, the Latitude 5491 is in practice very tenacious. A full 8-hour work day without connecting to a power outlet is not a problem for him at all, provided, of course, that it is about working with documents and surfing the web, rather than editing video or some other resource-intensive tasks. In the test with continuous playback of Full HD video to full discharge at maximum brightness, the laptop lasted exactly 8 hours and 20 minutes.
The computer’s power unit is quite large - the dimensions relative to the laptop can be seen in the photo below, the weight of the adapter along with the wires is about 600 grams, power is 130 watts. Charging speed is average: from 0 to 50% per hour, and up to 100% in two hours. The LED is integrated into the plug, which glows blue when connected to the mains.
Dell Latitude 5491 is a good laptop for users who are looking for a compact solution and, at the same time, place increased demands on processor performance, and also need a more powerful graphics system than integrated into the chipset. As a good narrow scenario, the use of such a machine can be considered to work with CAD. The computer is compact enough to travel with him - for meetings and business trips. At the same time, it is equipped with a good set of ports and in various configurations offers many interesting options: a touch screen, a WLAN module, a fingerprint scanner, a trackpoint with additional buttons for it and a smart card reader. Additional advantages are quite a long battery life, the possibility of self-upgrade of RAM and SSD / HDD, as well as a proprietary three-year warranty.
Prices start at 55,000 rubles. That will cost the Latitude 5491 with an Intel Core i5-8300H processor without discrete graphics, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB of HDD. The operating system in this case is Linux. There is also a similar configuration, but with a 256 GB SSD instead of HDD, it is 5-6 thousand more expensive .
All other modifications of computers include Windows 10 Pro. The most basic version of this OS will cost 67-68 thousand . For hardware, it is similar to the model described above with Linux and SSD. The configuration with the i5-8400H, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD and MX130 discrete graphics will cost 75-78 thousand rubles, almost identical to that reviewed in this review.
As always, you can purchase these computers from our many official distributors. For large orders of Latitude 5491 or any other Dell and Dell EMC equipment, you can feel free to contact us in private messages on Habré. Thanks for attention!
Appearance and ergonomics
Dell Latitude 5491 - a strict laptop, and even a little harsh. The design is extremely restrained and minimalistic. Users of classic or, especially, gaming laptops may even say that it looks boring. But such a machine should not be fun and attractive at all - it is a “workhorse”, the main thing in which is reliability, convenience and practicality. Still, Latitude is a business series of Dell laptops designed for corporate needs.
')
The whole case of the notebook is completely made of fairly thick plastic. The cover and the working panel at the pressings bend only slightly. On the whole, questions about the strength of the structure are unlikely to arise - very close attention was paid to the build quality here.
Separately, we note that there is no glossy element on the body of the Dell Latitude 5491 - all surfaces are matte. Elements with soft-touch coating in the design is also not provided. As a result, the fingerprints on the computer case are almost invisible and can be easily removed with a regular dry microfiber cloth, even without special cleaning products.
The cover of the laptop can be completely tilted back 180 degrees, which is very useful when several people are watching the screen at the same time, bending over the table, say, a meeting room. Quite a frequent scenario, it is typical for the offices of large companies. In all other positions, the screen is also securely held by metal hinges. The width of the frames around the display is not a record one, but it is also difficult to call them overly thick.
The thickness of the body of the 14-inch laptop is 20.3 mm, the computer weighs 1.65 kilograms. Again, this is also not a record in class performance, but with them the Latitude 5491 remains quite a portable solution that you can take with you from the office to your home, to carry on meetings and on business trips.
Interfaces and communications
Ports on the body of the Dell Latitude 5491 are located on three sides: both on the sides and back. On the back side are the 8P8C connector for connecting to the Internet using a wire, the input for the power adapter, the “big” USB 3.1, HDMI and a sliding tray for the SIM card. It is in all versions of the laptop, but the laptop can only connect to the mobile Internet in those configurations where the WWAN module is present. The good news is that if you choose a configuration without it, and then decide that you still need the mobile Internet in the PC, then it will not be a big problem. The slot for the appropriate adapter and antenna for it is in all versions of the Latitude 5491. So you can simply purchase it and install it yourself.
In practice, the location of these particular interfaces on the back of the laptop is quite convenient. Neither the network cable nor the thick cord from the monitor or projector will interfere with the operation, since they are far away from the user's hands.
On the left side of the Latitude 5491 is a card reader for SD cards (it is made in the form of a tray, where you need to install a storage device, and it is very fast!), Another USB 3.1 Type-A and USB Type-C, which in basic versions supports interface DisplayPort, and in more advanced - Thunderbolt 3. In our test sample, which we took for the review on Habré, just the second case. In addition, it has an optional smart card reader.
On the right side of the notebook we see the combined audio jack, the third USB 3.1 Type-A and the VGA port. Note that here and on the opposite side all interfaces are offset to the back of the laptop case, i.e. Connected devices will not interfere with the work either.
An Intel Wireless-AC 9560 adapter with Bluetooth 5.0 and both Wi-Fi ranges is responsible for the wireless internet connection. The solution is good and has long been well recommended. Neither the stability of the connection, nor the speed of data transmission will not have to complain.
Input Devices
On the part of the interaction with the system, users of the Latitude 5491 have a lot of different options available. Calculate? The keyboard and touchpad are classics, one and two. There are also modifications with a touch screen - these are three. Well, number four is a trackpoint with a nice edging in Dell's proprietary blue. We know the thing for an amateur, but the one who loves this control is often not ready to part with it. And then there are two specially added buttons for working with trackkint that imitate pressing the left and right mouse buttons. In addition, the trackpoint is also an option. If it is not needed, you can select the PC version without it.
The keys are somewhat reduced compared to the standard, but despite this, typing on the Dell Latitude 5491 is incredibly convenient. The secret is in a fairly high profile of the buttons by the standards of the class, as well as the depth and softness of their progress in combination with a clearly tangible trigger point. Our employees, who often work long and long with large texts, praise her very much.
There is no full-fledged digital unit in this laptop, but there is a tricky feature - the ability to type them using the Fn button and standard letter keys. Very useful, given that the laptop is corporate, and constant reports, often filled with a lot of data, are an integral part of corporate life.
The touchpad is relatively small, located exactly in the center of the bottom of the working panel. The surface is slightly rough, the finger slides with little effort. With the accuracy of tracking movements, there are no problems, multi-touch gestures are supported. Just below the touch pad are two physical buttons with a deep stroke. In general, this control replaces the mouse quite successfully in cases where you need to work behind a laptop somewhere outside the office.
And then there is a fingerprint scanner to enter the system. Stuck is also optional.
Hardware component and performance
The key feature of Dell Latitude 5491 laptops is that they use non-low-voltage Intel U-series processors, as in the 5490, and multi-core and multi-threaded i5-8300H, i5-8400H and i7-8850H. And this makes this computer one of quite rare solutions for those users who are looking for a compact laptop for tasks focused on the computing power of the CPU. In our particular test device, the i5-8400H is installed, and here are the results it demonstrates with the Cinebench R15 benchmark in comparison with the i7-8750H and i5-8250U.
The cooling system includes only one cooler, so during long loads, all three H-series processors mentioned above gradually reset their frequencies. For such scenarios, it makes sense to slightly modify them programmatically independently: the undervolting and limiting the maximum clock frequency from 4.0–4.3 GHz to 3.5–3.2 GHz will make the chips much more stable and reduce the heating. In idle time, the laptop is cold, but long-term loads can warm up the case in some places up to 40-44 degrees. However, these figures are still far from calling them uncomfortable.
While surfing the web, working with documents, watching videos and solving other simple tasks, the cooler does not even spin - the laptop is not audible at all. With an average load, the noise level can reach up to 40 dB, and with a long high load, it can be adjusted to 45 dB. The second is already audible to colleagues in the office, who sit side by side, but will not distract.
The graphics adapter in the minimum configurations of the Latitude 5491 is an Intel integrated graphics processor. In higher versions, a discrete NVIDIA GeForce MX130 is used, which in working (but not game) tasks is an essential addition to a powerful processor. However, in online projects like WoT, DOTA 2, Overwatch, but with the exception of PUBG, you can play at minimum and medium graphics settings in Full HD resolution: the frame rate will be at least higher than 30. Below just in case we give a comparison of Latitude 5491 with others previously tested on Habré Dell laptops of various classes in the gaming benchmarks 3D Mark Fire Strike and WoT Encore.
The Hynix drives installed in our particular test laptop are very different. One of them is SATA, therefore, by SSD standards, high speeds are no different and, compared to NVMe, of course, it shows significantly more modest results. The second is a solid-state drive just as NVMe, also produced by Hynix. By the standards of the class, write and read speeds are average.
Just in case, we add that our test configuration is a bit non-standard, plus it turned out that the system is installed on a slower SATA SSD, which accordingly affects the performance of the overall performance of the PC Mark 10 system. In configurations with only NVMe SSD and the system installed it is on them that the results will be much higher.
Display
The display diagonal of the Dell Latitude 5491 is exactly 14 inches. In all the modifications presented in Russia, the resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, but the screen can be both normal and touch. In our particular case today, the first option, and he has a matte, not glossy finish. The IPS-matrix used here is good for the black depth and high contrast that is good by the standards of the class, the uniformity of the backlight in our test sample is in perfect order.
The maximum brightness reaches about 220-230 nits, and this is not enough for comfortable use of a laptop on the street. But indoors it will not become a problem, especially since the viewing angles are very wide here. Colors do not change even if you look at the display at very sharp angles - from the side or top. The color gamut of the matrix covers approximately 60% of the sRGB range, which once again reminds us of primarily corporate computer use: office programs, web surfing, mail, presentations, and generally any tasks that do not require high color accuracy, including, by the way, are in focus. , CAD.
Upgrade Opportunities
In order to gain access to the "stuffing" Latitude 5491, you need to remove the bottom cover from the laptop, unscrewing the eight screws. The latches here are quite tight, so it’s better to arm yourself with a plastic card that has not been used for a long time - the opening process will go much easier. And what picture will open before you immediately after removing the cover:
First of all, pay attention to the presence of two slots for RAM. Our configuration uses one bar with 8 GB of RAM. In the older versions you can find options with 8 + 8 GB of memory. Well, you can independently expand the volume to 16 + 16 GB.
Nearby is the wireless adapter Intel Wireless-AC 9560, which we have already written above.
In the upper left corner there is a place for the WWAN module.
In our case, an additional 256 GB SSD NVMe drive is installed here in the M.2 2230 form factor.
The main SSD SATA drive in the more classic form factor M2.2280 is below.
The important point: the design of the laptop is made in such a way that either 2.5-inch HDD or SSD M2.2280 can be installed in it. If you choose the first configuration, then the computer will have a slide and cable for connecting the HDD, but there will be no stand for mounting the SSD. In the second case, as in the hero of this review - exactly the opposite. Therefore, selecting the configuration for yourself, you will need to think a little about everything in advance.
By the way, all the photos are in 1920x1080 resolution. If suddenly you see the exact models of components that are bad, then just open the pictures in a new browser window and they will become larger.
Battery life and charge
The laptop has a battery with a capacity of 68 Wh. Despite the combination of a fairly powerful processor and discrete graphics, the Latitude 5491 is in practice very tenacious. A full 8-hour work day without connecting to a power outlet is not a problem for him at all, provided, of course, that it is about working with documents and surfing the web, rather than editing video or some other resource-intensive tasks. In the test with continuous playback of Full HD video to full discharge at maximum brightness, the laptop lasted exactly 8 hours and 20 minutes.
The computer’s power unit is quite large - the dimensions relative to the laptop can be seen in the photo below, the weight of the adapter along with the wires is about 600 grams, power is 130 watts. Charging speed is average: from 0 to 50% per hour, and up to 100% in two hours. The LED is integrated into the plug, which glows blue when connected to the mains.
Summary
Dell Latitude 5491 is a good laptop for users who are looking for a compact solution and, at the same time, place increased demands on processor performance, and also need a more powerful graphics system than integrated into the chipset. As a good narrow scenario, the use of such a machine can be considered to work with CAD. The computer is compact enough to travel with him - for meetings and business trips. At the same time, it is equipped with a good set of ports and in various configurations offers many interesting options: a touch screen, a WLAN module, a fingerprint scanner, a trackpoint with additional buttons for it and a smart card reader. Additional advantages are quite a long battery life, the possibility of self-upgrade of RAM and SSD / HDD, as well as a proprietary three-year warranty.
Prices start at 55,000 rubles. That will cost the Latitude 5491 with an Intel Core i5-8300H processor without discrete graphics, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB of HDD. The operating system in this case is Linux. There is also a similar configuration, but with a 256 GB SSD instead of HDD, it is 5-6 thousand more expensive .
All other modifications of computers include Windows 10 Pro. The most basic version of this OS will cost 67-68 thousand . For hardware, it is similar to the model described above with Linux and SSD. The configuration with the i5-8400H, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD and MX130 discrete graphics will cost 75-78 thousand rubles, almost identical to that reviewed in this review.
As always, you can purchase these computers from our many official distributors. For large orders of Latitude 5491 or any other Dell and Dell EMC equipment, you can feel free to contact us in private messages on Habré. Thanks for attention!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/448940/
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