I received my Dell Latitude D620 on May 2. (Specs in sig). I've done several real-world tests and benchmarks for this review. I didn't compare it against another system, like a D820, but did get some photos next to an M140.
Build Quality: I found the build quality to be solid and firm throughout the system. When I open and close the LCD there is no creaking or other odd sounds that I experience with some Inspiron laptops. The magnesium-alloy case feels great and professional. I never liked the feel of painted plastic cases. There are some plastic parts, like the panel where the power keys is located.
Heat: The laptop does get warm, but I was able to play Half Life 2 with the computer on my lap while wearing thin running shorts (maybe that's a bad image lol) and the heat did not get uncomfortable for me. However, the M140 gets astronomically hot and unbearable to use on one's lap. I have the 5400RPM hard drive, so that may make a difference in heat over the 7200RPM drive.
Display: I have the 14.1 WXGA+ widescreen display with a native resolution of 1440 x 900. I was worried it would be difficult to read the display at this resolution, because on my previous system, XPS Gen 2, with the 17" 1920 x 1200 widescreen, I had difficult reading the text and the icons were too small until I increase the DPI. I have not changed the DPI on the D620 and I can read everything fine. Word documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, web-pages, and message boards are all quite readable. The M140's display looked too low-resolution in comparison.
I did not have any issue with the display buzzing while on AC power or battery power. No fixed pixels either.
DVD play back was nice, and especially good with the 1440 x 900 resolution. It did not look as great as my previous True Life display, but there was no glare and reflections that were constantly caused by True Life displays.
Video Card: This D620 is equipped with the Nvidia Quadro NVS 110M video card with 64MB dedicated memory, 256MB with the "Turbocache" memory. I didn't have a chance to run a lot of games, but I played Half Life 2 at a resolution of 1280 X 800 with a combination of medium and high settings (no FSAA) and maintained frame-rates over 45fps. The game ran smooth and was not choppy. The only slow downs were in wide open areas with several enemies, but it was still within playable frame-rates. I ran all the 3DMark benchmarks with the following results (default system config):
3DMark2001: 11116
3DMark2003: 3337
3DMark2005: 1444
3DMark2006: 590
Not the best scores in the universe, but good enough for some light gaming, much better than the GMA!
The Quadro card runs at about 55C when idling. I'm waiting for a new version of RivaTuner to be release so I can monitor temps during gaming.
Core Duo: Based on normal use of installing programs, working with photoshop, downloading, and browsing web, using Google earth, I noticed the Core Duo processor helped as the computer would not hang for any amount of time when trying to switch between applications.
Noise: The D620 is virtually silent, except for the occasional hard drive sounds. There is an option in BIOS to switch the hard drive to silent mode at the expense of some performance. I didn't play with that option yet.
Sound: The speaker is not that great and only really good for playing system sounds. However, I use headphones whenever I need good sounds, like if gaming or watching a DVD. With headphones, the sound is good.
Battery Life: I was able to crank out 5 hours of battery life with the 9 cell battery, Wifi / bluetooth turned off, and the screen set to a medium brightness. With Wifi bluetooth turned on and the monitor on max brightness, battery life goes down to around 4:30 or so. The 9 cell battery does stick out like a small palm rest, but this doesn't bother me. It has a rubber coating to make it more comfortable.
Portability: This system is highly portable and very light weight. It's a good 1.5 lbs lighter than the M140 (6 cell battery) shown in the photos. I'm able to carry it around with ease and use it on the small starbucks tables. The XPS Gen 2 was a bitch to take anywhere.
Keyboard: Easy to type on and doesn't skip keys. I had a cheap Acer laptop before and the keyboard had way too much play and would skip keys at times.
Any other issues you'd like me to cover? Or other requested photos?
Hope this review helps.
Build Quality: I found the build quality to be solid and firm throughout the system. When I open and close the LCD there is no creaking or other odd sounds that I experience with some Inspiron laptops. The magnesium-alloy case feels great and professional. I never liked the feel of painted plastic cases. There are some plastic parts, like the panel where the power keys is located.
Heat: The laptop does get warm, but I was able to play Half Life 2 with the computer on my lap while wearing thin running shorts (maybe that's a bad image lol) and the heat did not get uncomfortable for me. However, the M140 gets astronomically hot and unbearable to use on one's lap. I have the 5400RPM hard drive, so that may make a difference in heat over the 7200RPM drive.
Display: I have the 14.1 WXGA+ widescreen display with a native resolution of 1440 x 900. I was worried it would be difficult to read the display at this resolution, because on my previous system, XPS Gen 2, with the 17" 1920 x 1200 widescreen, I had difficult reading the text and the icons were too small until I increase the DPI. I have not changed the DPI on the D620 and I can read everything fine. Word documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, web-pages, and message boards are all quite readable. The M140's display looked too low-resolution in comparison.
I did not have any issue with the display buzzing while on AC power or battery power. No fixed pixels either.
DVD play back was nice, and especially good with the 1440 x 900 resolution. It did not look as great as my previous True Life display, but there was no glare and reflections that were constantly caused by True Life displays.
Video Card: This D620 is equipped with the Nvidia Quadro NVS 110M video card with 64MB dedicated memory, 256MB with the "Turbocache" memory. I didn't have a chance to run a lot of games, but I played Half Life 2 at a resolution of 1280 X 800 with a combination of medium and high settings (no FSAA) and maintained frame-rates over 45fps. The game ran smooth and was not choppy. The only slow downs were in wide open areas with several enemies, but it was still within playable frame-rates. I ran all the 3DMark benchmarks with the following results (default system config):
3DMark2001: 11116
3DMark2003: 3337
3DMark2005: 1444
3DMark2006: 590
Not the best scores in the universe, but good enough for some light gaming, much better than the GMA!
The Quadro card runs at about 55C when idling. I'm waiting for a new version of RivaTuner to be release so I can monitor temps during gaming.
Core Duo: Based on normal use of installing programs, working with photoshop, downloading, and browsing web, using Google earth, I noticed the Core Duo processor helped as the computer would not hang for any amount of time when trying to switch between applications.
Noise: The D620 is virtually silent, except for the occasional hard drive sounds. There is an option in BIOS to switch the hard drive to silent mode at the expense of some performance. I didn't play with that option yet.
Sound: The speaker is not that great and only really good for playing system sounds. However, I use headphones whenever I need good sounds, like if gaming or watching a DVD. With headphones, the sound is good.
Battery Life: I was able to crank out 5 hours of battery life with the 9 cell battery, Wifi / bluetooth turned off, and the screen set to a medium brightness. With Wifi bluetooth turned on and the monitor on max brightness, battery life goes down to around 4:30 or so. The 9 cell battery does stick out like a small palm rest, but this doesn't bother me. It has a rubber coating to make it more comfortable.
Portability: This system is highly portable and very light weight. It's a good 1.5 lbs lighter than the M140 (6 cell battery) shown in the photos. I'm able to carry it around with ease and use it on the small starbucks tables. The XPS Gen 2 was a bitch to take anywhere.
Keyboard: Easy to type on and doesn't skip keys. I had a cheap Acer laptop before and the keyboard had way too much play and would skip keys at times.
Any other issues you'd like me to cover? Or other requested photos?
Hope this review helps.
