Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. 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?

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. 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. The anti-glare screen is a mixed bag. Yes, it will prevent screen reflections from fatiguing your users' eyes, but the screen is also a little dull looking next to newer ultrabooks. See http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/hyper-threading/hyper-threading-technology.html?wapkw=hyper+threading for more information including details on which processors support Intel® HT Technology. 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.Estimated valueis Dell’s estimate of product value based on industry data, including the prices at which third-party retailers have offered or valued the same or comparable products, in its most recent survey of major online and/or off-line retailers. Third-party retailer data may not be based on actual sales. Regardless, there are a few areas where the E5430 still falls short. The first is display quality; while our upgraded 1600x900 HD+ panel is certainly adequately bright for even outdoor use, the contrast ratio and color spectrum leave much to be desired. It’s also still quite a loud machine, reaching disturbing decibel levels under moderate levels of stress (though this behavior can be adjusted at the expense of some performance using Dell’s built-in power plans). And finally, the weight—while partially a factor of the heavier-than-usual build quality—is more prohibitive than that of many competing 14” notebooks. 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. 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 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. Intel classifications are for general, educational and planning purposes only and consist of Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN) and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers. Any use made of Intel classifications are without recourse to Intel and shall not be construed as a representation or warranty regarding the proper ECCN or HTS. Your company as an importer and/or exporter is responsible for determining the correct classification of your transaction.Processors that support 64-bit computing on Intel® architecture require an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. The same applies to the Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU, but perhaps to an even greater extent. This GPU has consistently proven itself to be faster than even the highest recorded scores of its HD 3000 counterpart in nearly every situation. This leaves little doubt that the notebook should be able handle most any low- to mid-range graphical task with no trouble.

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 Suffice it to say, the Latitude E5430 is yet another step toward affordable perfection in the business market. It represents an intelligent balance between luxury and economics, focusing on the areas which matter most and skimming over some of the more robust details championed by the upper-echelon Latitude E6XXX series. It improves upon its predecessor by adding USB 3.0 (2 ports) and extending the battery life while simultaneously improving performance—even in the graphics department, which continues to impress with the help of the Ivy Bridge-based Intel HD Graphics 4000. 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. 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.

The Latitude E5430 was subjected to the same rigorous system performance evaluations as the rest of our test candidates, and that includes PCMark synthetic benchmarks. Here, the notebook continues to shine, turn in scores of 8011 and 3054 in PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7, respectively. While the PCMark 7 score is actually a notch higher than that of the 15-inch Latitude E5530, the Vantage score of 8011 is 8% below that of the E5530 (which scored an 8720). Regardless, these are nonetheless impressive scores that should serve as encouragement no matter what your intended use. Estimated delivery times are provided to us by the respective delivery companies. We pass this information onto you, the customer.