Review of Dell Latitude D620.. this has a point trust me

[Chrispy]

Hello all. I received my Dell Latitude D620 from work today. The system features specs very close to those of the MacBook (1.66 core duo, 2GB ram after upgrade, 80GB 7,200 RPM Hard Drive, 256MB nVidia Quatro graphics). The only thing noticably better is the graphics card specs wise. I had two macbooks before this and I was very rough on them for how noisy they were. Let me tell you what I think about this computer.

Heat - it runs cooler than the macbooks but not by much.

Noise - it has a constant whirl sound and when the fan kicks on (about every few mins) it gets really loud. The screen also makes a buzz when I move up and down in a web page. This seems like a screen inverter issue.

Size - while not bad for a Dell, it is larger than a macbook. The weight is about the same.

Screen - the screen isn't even close to as nice as the macbook. The color is not very accurate and it is not nearly as bright.

Build / Feel - The unit is definitely a solidly built unit but does not have the nice feel that the macbook did.

So, in review, while the macbooks may have the whine they are MUCH less noisy than this Dell. I think the Dell will be a fine computer but it has really made me realize the macbooks were better than I gave them credit for. I guess this core duo processor just makes laptops work overtime now days.

EDIT: Recent developments

Hard drive problems big time... loud and toasty haha!

This computer exhibits the whine when on battery power much like the macbook only LOUDER!

I just copied some images from one folder to another and the computer gave off a horrible high pitch sound while doing it.

 

[Benjamindaines]

Good, now we can blame Intel rather then Apple

 

[TBi]

I have my Macbook for home (actually writing this in XP in parallels, what a brilliant program) and i now have a Latitude D820 for work. The are both lovely laptops. The Macbook is a hell of a lot quieter and lighter and has a MUCH MUCH better screen.

Although the D820 wins on resolution which i need for work, however i prefer the lower resolution of the Macbook as it's a lot easier on the eyes. I'd have much preferred a nice Macbook Pro for work but i could barely get IT to get me the latitude not to mention the whine I had with my last MBP.

 

[bigcreek]

I have spent the last two weeks doing side-by-side comparisons of a 15 MBP and a Dell D620. Both run hot. The dell screen is much worse than the MBP. The Dell wins on loading web pages in IE vs. Safari. ( A good bit faster). Even though the Dell machine is nice (nicer than the D610) I decided to go with the MBP. There is that much difference in the screen.

Note: Strictly comparing hardware, ignoring OS differences.

 

[benthewraith]

I have spent the last two weeks doing side-by-side comparisons of a 15 MBP and a Dell D620. Both run hot. The dell screen is much worse than the MBP. The Dell wins on loading web pages in IE vs. Safari. ( A good bit faster). Even though the Dell machine is nice (nicer than the D610) I decided to go with the MBP. There is that much difference in the screen.

Note: Strictly comparing hardware, ignoring OS differences.

The only site that I takes me a long time to load is the Apple startup page. I don't feel like changing it right now....and I find it takes just as long to load Fox News as it does the Apple page.

 

[Unorthodox]

Okay, I turst you.

 

[Chrispy]

Okay, I turst you.

;-) I'm in an Apple store now.... this can only end in trouble!

 

[RichP]

;-) I'm in an Apple store now.... this can only end in trouble!

BUY BUY BUY!

 

[xfiftyfour]

So, in review, while the macbooks may have the whine they are MUCH less noisy than this Dell. I think the Dell will be a fine computer but it has really made me realize the macbooks were better than I gave them credit for. I guess this core duo processor just makes laptops work overtime now days.

i can't believe it! apples are better than dells?! heh

my fiance has a d620 from work as well. not a terrible laptop, but i'd never even think of comparing it to a MB or MBP (i'm very partial to apples... lol).

 

[Benjamindaines]

i can't believe it! apples are better than dells?! heh

Oh crap... here we go again with the flame wars...

 

[xfiftyfour]

Oh crap... here we go again with the flame wars...

i wasn't meaning to start anything or offend anyone.. i was only kidding, playing off the stereotype that dells are a pos.. in fact, i know that the higher end business models are actually nice machines - i especially like the 820, and i wouldn't buy anything but a dell monitor.. i'm just partial to macs as my main machines, that's all.

 

[Benjamindaines]

i wasn't meaning to start anything or offend anyone.. i was only kidding, playing off the stereotype that dells are a pos.. in fact, i know that the higher end business models are actually nice machines - i especially like the 820, and i wouldn't buy anything but a dell monitor.. i'm just partial to macs as my main machines, that's all.

 

[Chrispy]

MMMmmm now the D620 hard drive is making a really really bad sound

 

[Clix Pix]

MMMmmm now the D620 hard drive is making a really really bad sound

You're never happy, are you? When I first joined MR back in October 2005, you were in the process of exchanging an iMac and since then it seems as though you've run the gamut, switching back-and-forth between various Macs and then jumping between Macs and PCs.....

I hope that one day you'll realize that there is simply no "perfect" computer and that you can learn to live with whatever it is you have at the moment long enough to actually just USE the thing and appreciate it for what it is....

 

[coffey7]

My macbook is very quiet. I can't even hear a peep.runs 63c.

 

[Chrispy]

You're never happy, are you? When I first joined MR back in October 2005, you were in the process of exchanging an iMac and since then it seems as though you've run the gamut, switching back-and-forth between various Macs and then jumping between Macs and PCs.....

I hope that one day you'll realize that there is simply no "perfect" computer and that you can learn to live with whatever it is you have at the moment long enough to actually just USE the thing and appreciate it for what it is....

I have used computers that work.. just not very many Apple ones that do. And kernel panics, bad logic boards and dead screens are good reasons to exhange computers... which I all experienced. Get your facts straight before making rude comments.

EDIT: oh and the hard drive DID die on my day old D620... so, NO I'm not happy with it!

 

[gloss]

I have used computers that work.. just not very many Apple ones that do. And kernel panics, bad logic boards and dead screens are good reasons to exhange computers... which I all experienced. Get your facts straight before making rude comments.

EDIT: oh and the hard drive DID die on my day old D620... so, NO I'm not happy with it!

It's okay, I'm a cursed computer user too. I've had two Windows OSs spontaneously combust under normal use, as well as two full hard drive failures, one melted graphics card, and one random loss of file system.

Some of us have these auras.

 

[mkrishnan]

Heat - it runs cooler than the macbooks but not by much.

Screen - the screen isn't even close to as nice as the macbook. The color is not very accurate and it is not nearly as bright.

Thanks for the review, Chrispy. I haven't personally used any computers with Core Duos in them yet... *le sigh* not even Macs. But it's interesting to me.

Regarding heat...just to chime in... this seems to be the shape of things to come, especially now that everyone is backing away from the idea of a "laptop" to a "notebook" that should be used on a table. I hope that in the longer term this issue gets back in hand. I don't want to see computers any hotter than the current generation....

Regarding the screen... does XP still not have built-in calibration? Does Dell include calibration software, or did the graphics driver come with that feature? Apple does a nice job with the preset calibration profile on their computers and displays, and I think that's why the screen colors are usually regarded as being very good, but calibrating it yourself is really a must....

 

[Chrispy]

Thanks for the review, Chrispy.

Regarding the screen... does XP still not have built-in calibration? Does Dell include calibration software, or did the graphics driver come with that feature? Apple does a nice job with the preset calibration profile on their computers and displays, and I think that's why the screen colors are usually regarded as being very good, but calibrating it yourself is really a must....

I'm glad I could help I need to find something to use to calibrate the colors. They look great on the external 19" monitors at work but on the laptops screen it looks so off.

Another interesting development. When I unplug the laptop I get the classic whine just like the macbook... only louder! The core duo does appear to be the bad player in this annoying sound after all.

 

[plinden]

It's okay, I'm a cursed computer user too. I've had two Windows OSs spontaneously combust under normal use, as well as two full hard drive failures, one melted graphics card, and one random loss of file system.

Some of us have these auras.

Wow, I've never had an OS spontaneously combust. Did the virtual flames virtually burn anything?

Anyway, I'm one of the lucky ones, not one hard drive failure or logic board replacement in 20+ years and 20+ different PCs.

My last Dell desktop did finally give up the ghost, and stopped being able to run Windows, but it was four years old and ready for replacement anyway. It still seems to run fine in Linux though, but I've stopped using it since I got the iMac and Parallels.

Another laptop had daily BSODs (in Win 95) but that was because I spilled a cup of coffee over it and never bothered getting it cleaned out.

Back to the original poster, I have a previous version of a Dell Latitude, the single core D810, and it also runs damn hot, and whines under all loads, and the fans are on a lot. And the screen has backlight leakage along the bottom. Other than that, it does the job. Since it's a work machine, and all important files are backed up on the central server, it can crash any time and I won't be upset. New employees are getting Latitude D*20 (dual cores) so I would end up with a faster PC if that happened.

If anything happened to the iMac though ...

 

[Chrispy]

I have been thinking about getting an iMac 17" or white macbook. I'm not sure which I want tho... I keep going between them in my head. I know with the iMac I would get more bang for the buck but I would then give up portability I will make up my mind eventually haha. I'm very thankful, by the way, that this is one of my primary concerns

 

[bbrosemer]

Good, now we can blame Intel rather then Apple

Hey and the Memrom and Conroe are both better than any AMD so lets not get too mad at Intel, this is one of the best comparisions, of the Upcoming core 2 duo to the AMD http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=265

 

[TBi]

It's okay, I'm a cursed computer user too. I've had two Windows OSs spontaneously combust under normal use, as well as two full hard drive failures, one melted graphics card, and one random loss of file system.

Some of us have these auras.

I know a guy with the same bad luck as you. Always thought he was just really unlucky, until i saw him screw a motherboard in without the risers which led to it's early demise. He didn't seem the get the point after telling him it was wrong because he did it again with his next board.

Same guy gave out to someone for mishandling his hard drive by screaming and shaking his fist at the other person. He has the harddrive in his hand the whole time. He had data corruption. Don't know why...

I've since changed my viewpoint of him from "unlucky" to just "thick".

 

[gloss]

I know a guy with the same bad luck as you. Always thought he was just really unlucky, until i saw him screw a motherboard in without the risers which led to it's early demise. He didn't seem the get the point after telling him it was wrong because he did it again with his next board.

Same guy gave out to someone for mishandling his hard drive by screaming and shaking his fist at the other person. He has the harddrive in his hand the whole time. He had data corruption. Don't know why...

I've since changed my viewpoint of him from "unlucky" to just "thick".

I've constructed several of my own machines, so I know more or less what I'm doing. I just have horrid luck with PCs.

One of my OS meltdowns was Windows ME, so I essentially had it coming. Another was Windows 2000, which I actually rather liked in absolute terms - it was probably related to data corruption caused by HD crash #1. HD crash #2 was pretty uncalled for, as it was a Maxtor HD fresh out of the box. I finished transferring my old HD's data to it, wiped the old drive, and when I plugged in the new one... "Click click click click". Brilliant! The loss of file system we still haven't been able to figure out, as it occured during construction of a new machine. Brand new 160GB Toshiba. The drive itself is still good, but I lost all the original data.

Anyway, tangent...

 

[benthewraith]

I've constructed several of my own machines, so I know more or less what I'm doing. I just have horrid luck with PCs.

One of my OS meltdowns was Windows ME, so I essentially had it coming. Another was Windows 2000, which I actually rather liked in absolute terms - it was probably related to data corruption caused by HD crash #1. HD crash #2 was pretty uncalled for, as it was a Maxtor HD fresh out of the box. I finished transferring my old HD's data to it, wiped the old drive, and when I plugged in the new one... "Click click click click". Brilliant! The loss of file system we still haven't been able to figure out, as it occured during construction of a new machine. Brand new 160GB Toshiba. The drive itself is still good, but I lost all the original data.

Anyway, tangent...

ME was terrible. Gross....disgusting. I've had my computer just spontaneously lose all my information on it (not once, not twice, not three, but over five times). Though I will shamefully admit I did not have an antivirus. (I was like, 12...13? )