If you'd like more graphics punch, you can add discrete Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M graphics for $70. numbers, the Dell Latitude E6400 handled World of Warcarft pretty well it automatically ran at a smooth 32 fps with the resolution set to 1024 x 768 pixels. test, the E6400 produced predictably low frame rates: 20 frames per second in auto-detect mode (800 x 600-pixel resolution).

The E6400 notched a score of 918 in our 3DMark06 test, more than 300 points less than the thin-and-light notebook average (1,236), but that's to be expected of a system with integrated graphics. Our configuration was equipped with Intel's GMA 4500M HD graphics. Copying the same files to another folder on the drive took 4 minutes and 35 seconds, or 18.5 Mbps. Transferring a 5GB file of mixed media took a swift 3 minutes and 18 seconds, or a rate of 25.7 Mbps. Dell includes a 5,400-rpm 160GB hard drive that's protected by Strike Zone technology for storing documents, photos, music, and video. If you'd like to add additional memory, the Latitude E6400 can be outfitted with an outstanding 8GB of RAM. Many other notebooks take a minute or longer. We've come to expect slow boot times from Vista-based systems, but the Latitude E6400 wasn't bad: It took 53 seconds to gain control of the OS after hitting the power button. We were able to work within Google Docs, chat with colleagues in Meebo, listen to MP3s, and run a virus scan without seeing a performance hit.

That's almost 500 points higher than the thin-and-light average, but about 400 points less than the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400, which has the same processor but discrete Nvidia graphics as opposed to the E6400's integrated Intel graphics.

The Latitude E6400 notched 3,025 on our PCMark Vantage test (which measures the application performance of PCs running Vista). Under the hood of our Dell Latitude E6400 was a 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor and 2GB of RAM, which made for a smooth computing experience. The uppermost USB port on the left side of the unit is the most intriguing: Taking a cue from Toshiba's Sleep and Charge technology, Dell's USB PowerShare lets users charge their gadgets through this special port (which is designated by a lightning bolt symbol next to the traditional USB symbol), even when the computer is turned off. The system's perimeter contains numerous ports and outlets for hooking up gear: four USB 2.0, eSATA, VGA, Display Port, Ethernet, modem, FireWire, one Type II PCMCIA or ExpressCard/54, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and headphone and microphone jacks.

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