In a previous post, I reviewed my Latitude XT2 Tablet PC with Windows 7 Beta, and I noted that I may buy an SSD in the future. Well, the future is now, and I recently purchased an Intel X-18m second generation drive and installed it in my computer.
Quantitatively, the numbers show a marked increase in both the Windows Experience Index and the HD Tune results, seen below. Qualitatively, the difference is amazing. My computer boots from a cold start to a working desktop in under 20 seconds, and it takes mere seconds to install a program like Firefox. It almost feels like I have a whole new computer. Certainly worth the ~$230 for the 80 gigabyte drive.
 WEI with SSD - 7.7 for HDD |
 WEI without SSD - 4.6 for HDD |
 HD Tune with SSD |
 HD Tune without SSD |
Update: I recently purchased an Intel X-18M second generation solid state drive, and it has made a huge difference. Read more about it here.
I took advantage of the deal I mentioned in my last post and picked up a Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet PC. I have always liked Tablets, ever since I began programing an e-Textbook program on an HP TC1000, which was a great tablet but a bit small and slow. Last year I took advantage of a similar deal to purchase a Latitude XT, but it was quickly annexed by my significant other, which left me using my old Fujitsu s2110, which wasn’t the fasted machine when I bought it 3.5 years ago, though still a great laptop.
Fast forward to today – I now have a Latitude XT2 with Windows 7 Beta installed. The Latitude XT line is one of only two Tablet PC models that have a multi-touch capacitive screen, which Microsoft is integrating tightly into Windows 7. You can have a look at a demo here (notice that they use a Latitude XT). In this review, I will be analyzing my new Latitude XT2 and comparing it with the Latitude XT to determine if it is worth the upgrade. Keep reading for benchmarks, pictures, and thoughts on both the machine and Windows 7.
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