-
"Excellent features, performance and customer service" on by titaniummd
Pros: Customer service, Solid build, very good battery life, Spillproof keyboard, Drop zone Hardrive, Minimal 'bloatware', Excellent performance, Lighter than most 14.1" Widescreens
Cons: Limited vertical viewing angle, Only 2 choices for video cards, no firewire option, Not a gaming machine
Summary: When I was purchasing a laptop, I wanted something light, powerful, durable, and relatively affordable.
My configuration:
2 Ghz Duo Core
1 GB 667 Mhz RAM
100 GB HD 7200 RPM
8x DVD R/CD RW
Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics
WSXGA+
Appearances:
I was most impressed with the conservative but attractive styling. The widescreen 14.1" screen is excellent in quality (WXGA+) and is sharp for watching movies and looking at digital images.
Build:
This is one of the most solid notebooks you can purchase with no screen flex and firm palm rests. Given the 'spillproof' keyboard and the 'Drop zone protection' for the hardrive, this was an intuitive choice for a mobile user. The finish is durable and more scratch resistant than plastic notebooks. This will take the wear and tear of the mobile user who needs power and durability without sacrificing weight.
The feel of the keyboard is excellent and is standard in size with the same configuration as most mainstream notebooks. The dual pointer/mouse pad option adds excellent versatility. The lid closes very tightly and the hinges are composed of metal. Some plastic trim around the keyboard is present
Up to 4 GB of memory can be added.
Slots include 4 USB, Serial port, PCMCIA, Smart Card and Network access. No firewire ports in this machine.
This PC weighs in a 5 lbs with a 6 cell and 5.5 lbs with a 9 cell battery. Battery life is very good: 6 cells (3:40 Maximum settings and WIFI on) and 9 Cells (6:00 Maximum settings and WIFI on). With WIFI off your battery life is extended about 25%.
Performance:
Startup from rebooting is fast. Multitasking with is no problem which included virus scanning, spyware scanning, surfing the net, working in Office programs with multiple documents open, and playing music. Programs start very quickly and I had never seen a faster start up for Adobe Photoshop than with this. Video encoding is a faster than I have experienced on my previous Pentium M 1.6 Ghz notebook with 512 MB RAM ( I have gone from running to flying).
This is not a gaming machine. With the Intel 950 GMA integrated graphics, your choices of games is limited. The NVidia option is available but I have yet to testt that.
Given the minimum amount of 'extra' and needless software, performance out of the box is top notch.
Entertainment:
Given only one speaker, sound is decent. Music with dynamic ranges or Pop music is distorted at the loudest setting.DVDs play smoothly and are crisp; even with the action.
Customer service:
Excellent customer service with wait times less than 5 minutes. Technical support is helpful and knowledgable. My interactions with customer service has been nothing less than excellent.
Impression:
Other than not being a gaming machine and a limited viewing angle, there aren't too many competitors who can deliver all of the features, durability and service accompanying the Dell Latitude D620. I highly recommend this notebook.Updated
I upgraded to the 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache and all I can say is WOW. This has a bright screen when compared to the Intel GMA 950 graphics. The screen quality, brightness and adjustments make this card a necessary upgrade. The card is helpful for 3D business applications and Computer Aid Design (CAD). This is not a gaming card but it is recognized by Game hardware testing websites as a GeForce 7300. I cannot confirm its performance in this regard.
As for the battery life with the newer card it is still the same but I haven't run a 13 hour marathon with 2 batteries like I did the with prior configuration.
Using a software monitoring program to determine temperatures, the CPU temperature is 38 degrees and is about 5-10 degrees celcius less than with Intel's GMA 950.The GPU core temperature runs around 50 degrees celcius.
Again, I am extremely happy with this machine's performance, screen quality and brightness and the EXCELLENT customer service through Dell Small Business. I highly recommend this computer and this company. -
"Widescreen makes a difference" on by tekcpaguru
Pros: Dual Core is very fast, good battery life, soft keyboard, feature rich, generally quiet
Cons: Adjusting to lower screen brightness creates a buzzing noise which can get annoying.
Summary: My Config - 1.66 Dual Core, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB 7200 Hard drive, Intel Video Chipset
Overall I'm very happy with the Dell D620. The widescreen adds more real estate to work with such as working in Outlook or Excel. I went with the 7200 hard drive and 1GB RAM which made this system blazing fast. I would recommend the 7200 drive.
I only had the option to get the intel video chipset which seems to work well, but I haven't tested video or tried gaming. I don't know if the Nvidia option will come back.
Although this offers the embedded broadband option (Verizon or Cingular), I opted to go with a Sprint connection card. In the past, I've been disappointed with these "broadband cellular" claims but with EV-DO it really is fast, about as fast as my cable modem at home. I need this to RDP into servers to administer and perform maintenance and have had no problems. If you are a mobile roadwarrior and considering mobile broadband, it may be worth the investment.
Cons - When I lower the screen brightness or turn on the auto light sensor, the screen creates a humming or buzzing sound which I think is by design but can be a little annoying. It reminds me of when a processor fan starts grinding against the casing so I originally thought it was the fan but then realized it happens when there is a dimmer resolution. When I am at highest or lowest brightness settings this noise goes away -
"Perfect for Business" on by gibraltor1
Pros: Fast, Widescreen, light, good battery life with 9 cell battery
Cons: Not a gaming laptop
Summary: My configuration:
1.86 GHz Core Duo
1 GB ram
256 MB Video
9 Cell Battery
I got this notebook when for web design and programming. It does a great job with both of these. The load time on Photoshop was about 2 second. I am also able to quickly change between programs and files with out any delay. If you get this computer get a 9 cell battery otherwise you will find your self constantly tied to a AC outlet. I have also never had technical issues with dell computers, this one is no exception.
The down side is that it is great for programming and on the road business applications it is not a gaming laptop. I guess that it is appropriate that this computer is placed in Dell's Latitude or business line of computers. I was curious and installed Battlefield 2 on this computer and the results where not all that good. While the game was still playable the graphics where choppy.
If you are looking for a very mobile and powerful computer for business or graphic applications this is a great PC and I would highly recommend it. If you are looking for a computer that will give you a good gaming experience or need something that can handle a lot of 3D graphics I would look else where. -
"Very disappointed with the screen." on by sisela
Pros: Good features for the price. Quite operation and fast.
Cons: The screen is grainy and dim. Base system battery is a 9 cell, which gives good battery life, but make the unit heavy.
Summary: This is a great unit apart from the screen. A comparison with a D600 screen can be found on the DELL Community Forum.
http://forum.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=latit_video&message.id=21944 -
"Thin and light??" on by ignorebox
Pros: Good screen and performance
Cons: Bulky, heavy
Summary: This is a good performer though it isn't really comfortable for travel. I bought this system because it's advertised as being "thin and light" and am disappointed in that regard. The widescreen is nice but also makes the system too wide to fit in my laptop case! Dell advertises this system at about 4.5 pounds but my scale weighs it at about 5.5 pounds -- maybe they weigh the system without a hard drive or keyboard? Who knows?
Write a Review
%20-%20Laptops%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://computershopper.com.com/laptops/dell-latitude-d620-core/4852-3121_7-31792102.html&x_breadcrumb=3000:3121){kind=small}
