Dell Latitude 5490 and 5491: Be sure to buy the right one!

[@PaulRudd1941]

Im an HVAC technician who needed a laptop that could give me lots of hours for looking at digital prints, and I always have a 120v charger with me. The 5490 is excellent for what I need, no fancy graphics, all I need to see is the engineers specs. Battery life is unlimited in my truck. Plus, from what Ive read from other contractors, in their dusty, dirty vehicles, is that this laptop does quite well.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

There's something to be said for business grade machines that undergo environmental testing.

[@PaulRudd1941]

​​@@LaptopRetrospective thank you for the reply. All I needed to read was the dust, sand, and drop tests performed by various governmental and private agencies and I was sold. I paid 300 dollars Canadian (~250 USD) and I feel like it was quite a steal. I'd reccomend it to any contractor, as I've had it about 7 months now.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Yes, those tests are important not only for contractors but benefit regular consumers. Part of what I try to do is educate people that this might matter to them.

[@tafin2683]

i have lattitude 5490 but i dont have amd or nvidida graphics card why?please tell me.

[@fast-dollar]

is the 5490 good for web navigation, office..?

[@Olivander12]

I made the jump from a 7th gen I7xxu cpu to a 8th gen i7xxxu cpu and the difference in performance is quite significant. So if a 7th gen u series processor works most of the time for you, but some more power is needed, the 8th gen is your way to go.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Unless there was a significant difference in cost between the 7th and 8th gen machine used, I don't think it would even be on my radar. 😁

[@investjournal]

I was really set on getting a used 5491 because of its beefier 6/12 CPU, but reddit folks say its heatsink is inadequate and doesn't let the 45W CPU shine. So probably 5490 would be better since it comes with the same heatsink, but CPU is less hot at 25W. Yes, 4/8 i7-8650U should not be compared to 8850H, but it should be sufficient for browsing, KZbin, mail checking and watching blu-ray movies.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Yeah you don't need an H series CPU for those tasks.

[@renmaki6159]

Thank you 😊 the description on site for shopping was odd lol. Yet your video let me know the 5490 is what I want. The 5491 would be great for gameplay

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Glad I could help!

[@StaelTek]

i just bought the 5491 for cheap from a friend, and as someone who normally wanted a Thinkpad, i do have one complaint: The heatsink is clearly too small and not capable of cooling an i5 8400H and MX130 efficiently. I do appreciate a large fan and a decently sized heatpipe, but i would prefer a smaller fan and a larger heatsink. not something that liquid metal and adjusting the fan/power profiles couldn't solve, but i had a Thinkpad P50s (T560) and that thing never overheated and barely spun the fan at all unless it was at heavy loads. but to be fair, that's a dual core 15W CPU and not a 45W quad core CPU, but still, the heatsink was smaller than the Thinkpad. Overall i am happy with it as it is and are enjoying it for what it's meant to do for my needs.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Laptop cooling solutions are a real and constant battle. I agree with the P50 though.

[@GodmanchesterGoblin]

This was helpful, thanks. I have the 5491 with i7-8850H and matte 1080p screen. It's a really nice machine. I watched to learn a bit more about the internals in case I need to change things in the future.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Glad I was able to help. 😎

[@piotrd.4850]

5490 has TWO problems! 1. SSDs have for some reason PCIe 3.0x2 (not x4) so most drives work noticably SLOWER! 2. heat - power supply section and CPU overheat easily. Disable Turboboost and other stuff.

[@lopserdff]

oof

[@lopserdff]

at least its still functionable

[@R1BNC]

We had 5490 and it fails for some reaso (very bloated battery and mobo failure), luckily dell warranty did a motherboard and battery replacement. I do like the 5490 design (it has a trackpad). You might also want to show the dell boot diagnostics demo. F12 > Diagnostics

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Thanks for the tip on the diagnostic menu.

[@време]

mistake: 2:18 states 5491 has 35W TPD design. In fact it is 45W. Because it has 8300H, 8400H (2:55), which are rated at 45W TPD by Intel

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Thanks for pointing that out. Dell spec sheets are sometimes trickier to decide than I'd like.

[@kronickittiez7929]

I just found one of the 5491 laptops at my local dump in the e recycling bin... it was missing the ram and ssd 😅

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Easily fixed. 😉

[@humemahkhalid891]

Is 5490 i5 8 gen good for programming or should I go for t470s i5 7 gen I wanted to go for t480 but it's not in my range

[@LaptopRetrospective]

I'd go with 8th Gen Intel.

[@tray180]

Am More for performance but didn't know they had a intel H version an i already bought the i5350u am upset but happy i got a laptop it touch with 16gb ram an 256 SSD but didn't see your video

[@osirismarin6362]

Thanks for your review, I was really looking for it. I bought a Dell 5491 on Amazon, but the back cover says 5490 and it caused me quite a stir to know if I had been scammed, but when I opened the device I realized that it really is a 5491... what happened? I have one cover of another model hahahaha

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Yeah, it appears to be a more common issue than I originally thought. Glad I mentioned it ever since.

[@calvinezeokafor3360]

Thanks,do you have a review for Dell 5490 i5 7300u?

[@LaptopRetrospective]

I don't review specific configurations, just the overall model. The difference would only be the CPU.

[@tek2313]

I noticed that the new models of Dell Latitude don't have the TrackPoint? is it gone?

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Good question. I'm not as familiar with Dell machines so I'm not sure if it's an option, no longer on this model or gone entirely.

[@MrKillswitch88]

Bagged a Precision M6800 recently because it was pretty cheap but anyway I noticed some things that compared to the M6700 be it mainly cost cutting that was well pretty odd even compared to much older models. First was they deleted two grommets used for the keyboard then there was the connector for bluetooth was also deleted (very odd) and the cpu cooler could have been better as well. The mxm is much easier to install on the M6800 though the cooler could have been a little better there as well but far from terrible. Lastly was the display panel which was very noticeably of a cheaper grade than the 120hz and RGB panels of my two M6700s beyond that not bad especially compared to the castrated ultrabooks. Also those on the defunct notebook review forum were wrong that the wx 7100 does work with 60hz edp panels at least in the M6800 without any issue at all.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

I've got a refurbished M6800 as my daily driver. It's honestly the best laptop I've ever owned. Being a fan of legacy ports and slots it's got them all. I use it with a dock which makes it the ultimate desktop replacement.

[@EmanuelViez]

Hello. Good video... I have a question, let's see if you can help me. Is the matte screen of the 5490 the same as the matte version of the 5491? I think so... Thank you.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

My recommendation is you check the specs in the documentation for each to see how much of it matches up. Keep in mind the specs might match but Dell may use multiple suppliers for panels.

[@EmanuelViez]

@@LaptopRetrospective I understand. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

[@zakariaben9424]

Please which one would you go for : thinkpad T480 or dell 5491, great comparison btw

[@LaptopRetrospective]

ThinkPad T480 wins. Dual batteries, excellent build quality.

[@emmanueltseh2500]

Hello Laptop Retrospective I recently got the Dell Latitude 5491 and i noticed that, it doesn't have the NVIDIA geforce mx130. Is that a normal occurrence for this particular model?

[@LaptopRetrospective]

I'm pretty sure it was optional.

[@mr.picklesworth]

For someone looking for a used affordable laptop what do you recommend? Lenovo think pad or dell? I currently have a thinkpad t430 and am looking to upgrade to something a little better but still affordable and available in Canada.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

What's your budget? If you enjoyed the T430, I'd try pricing out something from the T450 up to the T480.

[@mr.picklesworth]

@@LaptopRetrospective my budget is pretty low. $250 Canadian. I was looking at t480 but they haven't quite come down enough in price yet. Is a t470 or t480s worth it or would I be better off waiting for t480 prices to drop more?

[@LaptopRetrospective]

The nice part about the T480/s is the 8th gen CPU which means official Windows 11 support. Depending on where you are located, shopping around any local resellers might produce better pricing.

[@mr.picklesworth]

@@LaptopRetrospective Thank you for the advice.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

You're welcome. Best of luck.

[@shbmsrto]

Can it charge via the USB C port?

[@shbmsrto]

The 5490

[@LaptopRetrospective]

It will do a max of 45W.

[@shbmsrto]

@@LaptopRetrospective ok thanks

[@noah4425]

have you checked out any of the thinkpad x1 yogas

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Haven't had the chance yet. I've done some regular ThinkPad Yoga's but that's it.

[@yes_man_lol]

if we compare all these to 7390?which one is better? u should do a series of 8th i5 by dell business laptops! its so confusing.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Dell laptops aren't super common around here right now so I don't see them as often.

[@eddy45686]

7390 by far I have both

[@asan1050]

Laptop Retrospective ThanksMuch for sharing !

[@LaptopRetrospective]

You're welcome!

[@PearComputingDevices]

I love my keyboard and trackpad on my 5490, absolutely great input devices married to a decent 1080p screen. The 5420 on the other hand is one hell of a downgrade. Even the 5400 that replaced thr 5490 was still really decent. The 1080p ips display and clickpad absolutely sucks. Reminds of an expensive Inspiron. Even the keyboard doesn't feel right and get this no nipple. I am highly disappointed. Especially once you consider the price once piling on thr options. A huge step backwards. I seen this trend with the 7410, now even the 5000 is getting the treatment. It also feels cheaper then any Latitude 5000 series I have ever touched and the cooling can't be an improvement either. Our i5 model throttled upon testing. It might be our configuration but it seemed to run a little hot. But over all it did feel a touch faster the 5400. All in all though very disappointed. Maybe if this was priced like the inspiron 5000 series the

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm not as well versed in Dell laptops. Still learning.

[@mythm2063]

I got a dell 5490 and it doesn't have the point track, I don't understand how ?

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Good question. Maybe it was an optional item.

[@syedhamzaali6343]

I want one of these but I only have 149 USD saved up after working for 6 months in my country I have seen people selling these around 139 but delivery is around 100 dollars :c

[@LaptopRetrospective]

An unfortunate reality I'm afraid. Different markets will have different prices and availability.

[@previewsankar331]

Which one is better to buy used laptop dell 5490 i5 8th or Lenovo t480 i5 8th gen . Can you suggest me sir

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Personally I'd go for the T480. It has the dual battery PowerBridge technology and several other things I'd want in a laptop.

[@tafin2683]

i have lattitude 5490 but i dont have amd or nvidida graphics card why?please tell me.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Dedicated GPUs were an option. Sounds like yours wasn't built with one.

[@tafin2683]

@@LaptopRetrospective can i buy one and add it in my laptop.I dont know but i have amd raeden software installed on my pc

[@LaptopRetrospective]

@tafin2683 They are soldered to the system board. To my knowledge it was just Nvidia for dedicated GPU options for these units so I have no idea why the software is there unless somebody was using some kind of egpus with it.

[@lopserdff]

I have a Dell latitude 5490 and mines have nvidia mx 130 its just yours is the past version of it but hey if you wish to switch to msi go for it! 😊

[@lopserdff]

​what is an egpus

[@fast-dollar]

5490 is it good for web navigation, office..?

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Yep, easily.

[@fast-dollar]

@@LaptopRetrospective thank you

[@lopserdff]

very very fast bro its even fast like a gaming pc! 💀😈

[@UttarakhandiCulture]

Dell latitude 5490 i5 8th gen....have Nvme m.2 Ssd Slot or not... please reply

[@LaptopRetrospective]

It depends on how it was configured from the factory: www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-ca/latitude-14-5490-laptop%20/lat_5490_om/storage-specifications?guid=guid-8020b976-a01f-44e2-bfb4-fe498e50e780&lang=en-us

[@UttarakhandiCulture]

@@LaptopRetrospective how can I check this

[@LaptopRetrospective]

@UttarakhandiCulture You can try and run the serial number through Dell's website, boot into the BIOS or open the machine.

[@TheBoomerJokester]

On a laptop I choose battery life, on a desktop I choose performance.

[@lopserdff]

on a laptop I choose battery + performance

[@LaptopRetrospective]

@lopserdff the two aren't often found together outside of workstation units.

[@lopserdff]

​@@LaptopRetrospectiveI do have an issue on the 5491 that its slow boots I don't have fast boot option on choose what the power button do but after looking at a tutorials I was able to turn on fast boot. here is the step for turning on fast boot if you don't have the opthion: open PowerShell as an administrator and type this command: *powercfg /hibernate on*

[@haroldumphries]

Very nice and quick

[@ningyuanwang600]

A single heatpipe for 8850H and an nvidia GPU. 🤦 This one should be really loud under the load.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

I didn't find it much louder than the U series under load. Fan design is slightly different.

[@PearComputingDevices]

Especially if you use a thunderbolt dock, I used a 5491 with an i5 8400h and Nvidia gpu.. makes for a good entry workstation. Serious power, but with that comes heat and a lot of it. The 5491 will even throttle a little Especially if you actively use a thunderbolt dock for charging.

[@adesh_kustwar4927]

@@PearComputingDevices I own a latitude 5491 and i can say that it doesnt throttle if i keep charging it on thunderbolt 3 it does throttle alot if i use the original charging adapter and if i use the thunderbolt for output it does throttle alot by throttling i mean power throttling when thunderbolt is used for output i can conclude that charging through thunderbolt is a way more efficient way as it doesnt heat my laptop too much when on 100% and running on ac power mode.

[@LaptopRetrospective]

Very interesting. The TB port may provide the power to keep it happy the standard charger cannot.

[@ted-b]

Nice review, performance every time for me! :)

[@LaptopRetrospective]

It's only one number but it makes a huge difference.

[@odetadefemi9506]

I wouod preder batterg life in a laptop ahead of performance

[@UttarakhandiCulture]

Dell latitude 5490 i5 8th gen....have Nvme m.2 Ssd Slot or not... please reply

[@lopserdff]

me: dell latitude 5490 ssd slot Intel core i9 nvidia GeForce mx 130

[@lopserdff]

also with a fingerprint

[@tiktokcats5825]

Dell 5490 with 8400H is it good or should i take the 8350U

[@LaptopRetrospective]

The H series processors generally give better performance.