Just Ordered Latitude D810 - Page 2

I have GEIL ram and it sucks.

To clarify, it works fine now, but I have had both sticks I bought (2x 512Mb 333Mhz) replaced. First one died 1 month after purchase (took 3 weeks to get a new one to me, and the replacement shipping was $10) and the second 2 months after (too well over 1 month to get the new one). Both sticks when they died caused the computer to not turn on.

And the 8600 build is fine. I don't see any problem with it.

antiskip:

i see, neat. yeah, the price of D810 and M70 is pretty far different, you may want to check it out at www.dell.ca . i wonder how good and how expensive the NVIDIA® Quadro® FX Go1400 256MB OpenGL is, since i dont see any other differences between D810 and M70. because of this gpu, it makes Dell comes out another model called M70...it must really change hell of a lot of the performance.

no, there is no WSXGA option for i9300. the 17" is quite nice for nearsighted ppl like me, but i carry it around most of the time. i dont really mind the weight tho, just its too bulky.

i wonder if that 15.4" WS has got better view like what 17" WS has, if compared to 15" normal? btw, does your M70 touchpad come with a scroll features too, like what i9300 or XPS Gen2 does?

thanks,

sure, i always leave my review after each product i purchased, regardless of what. well, no pictures tho... (havent reached that step yet )

-SC

I haven't had the M70 for long enough to have a good knowledge of it. And after just 2 weeks I am so happy with it I am loath to be criticical of what I find is a just beautiful machine. After my old ugly and badly built i8100 (the 15" UXGA, its 64 MB Radeon 7500 [wonderful 3 years ago] and the keyboard were good though), this computer is heaven. It just works. I looked at the D610 and the D810 for ages, but though I preferred (still do, of course) the portability of the D610, and that the keyboard etc are the same as for the D810, I had to go for the WUXGA and the better gpu of the D810/M70 (but especialy the WUXGA. I just love that pixel density, once I have reset the software ppi to a better match for the native ppi). I only went for the M70 after finding at the very end of the function/pricing process that the M70 offered twice the D810's gpu for basically cost price. This review: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2302 really impressed me, and I helped persuade me, and for me it was good advice. Like the reviewer I wanted to build in a little future-proofing, as much as that is possible. I am not a big gamer, but I wanted to run gpu-intensive software with few compromizes (i.e as the software was intended to run) if and when I want to, just as for other software. Add to that that the direction of OS's is towards using gpu's for graphics operations rather than the cpu. Longhorn, due out during the expected lifespan of the machine, is expected to be HD and gpu-enabled. Lastly, I read so much about the experience of i9300 owners with their 6800 gpu, I wanted something in the same gpu family, without the accompanying comparative bulk of the i9300 (Yes, the M70's gpu is apparently an underclocked version, and not so fast. Not a problem for my brief). The i6000/D810 15.4" form is already at the limit for me for portability. I worried that the better gpu would have a downside (heat?) compared to the X600 in the D810, but the computer runs pretty quiet all the time, even under substantial gpu load. Much, much quieter than the i8100, which ran hot under any gpu load. But I do not have a D810 to compare it with. With the i8100 I went for the best gpu and saved in other areas if neccessary and was very glad I did so. I configured with the same philosophy this time. I figured that things like amount of HD space and ram could have been greater but further increases were not at a good price point. They can be upgraded later if needs change. At the moment the HD and ram space are just no problem. The only other difs from the D810 are a snazzy screen lid and a very slightly deeper body (according to the Dell specs). If the price point of the better gpu of the M70 was not equitable (i.e market--driven rather than component-driven), then I would have gone with the D810 with the X600, and I am sure I would have loved that too. If the D610 had offered a UXGA screen, I probably would have gone down that path instead. The M70/D810, like the i8100, is just a little heavier than I like, and the 14" screen would have been fine, but only with UXGA. As it is, the M70, for me, just works, well. P.S. I use a mouse. Never used the Dell trackpads much ever since the brilliant built-in central optical trackball was phased out with the Dell Latitude XPi line of notebooks many years ago. I have a Logitech MX-510 and it is fine. I haven't noticed much difference between this WUXGA screen and the UXGA on the i8100, except the aspect ratio of course. That doesn't mean there are no differences, I just haven't noticed. It is very nice, just like the old one was. No problems. The 15.4" WUXGA is noticeably smaller than the 15" UXGA, which translates into a slightly lighter notebook.

nice...this is pretty cool.
do u ever notice that Dell's notebooks have the LCD monitor refresh rate limited to 60Hz only, rather than the further ones like 72, 75, 80, 100Hz etc.? since i dont really mind of it, but anyway we should have to know it earlier as a kind of experience for the purchase next time

cheers,
-SC

As far as I know, LCD's don't strictly have a "refresh rate". That is a reading for CRT screens. The "60Hz refresh rate" is the default setting for CRT's (most CRT's can do much better than that and need resetting - nevertheless, millions of CRT's all over the world are left at the default setting). When an LCD is present, the default reading for CRT's remains, even though with an LCD that quality is absent i.e there nothing to read. LCD's have a "pixel response time", a very different native quality of the very different structure of the LCD screen.

i see.. i got an idea now, thanks for all your words
am going to return my i9300 and get the D810 (i hope i will really love it). it is on promo with 20% off now which is comparative price - more cheaper to i9300 with the configurations i want.

M70 is still out of my budget even after the 20% off coupon.

wish me luck

-SC

Yeah, the refresh rate doesn't mean anything on an LCD. It is the response time (typically measured in milliseconds "ms") that you want. I think the lowest is 8ms on a desktop (might be lower now though), but not sure for laptop LCDs.

I have seen dell advertise their PCs that have LCDs as having "flicker-free images".

I can tell you the main difference between the nVidia Go6800 Ultra and the nVidia QuadroFX Go1400 GPUs is the clock speed. The 6800 is purely a performance powerhouse. It's pushed to its limit to maximize framerates, while not necessarily providing the highest quality. Since the M70 is a workstation, it uses the 1400, which is optimized for quality. The lower clock speeds mean no tearing/artifacts when working with complex CAD and 3D models. For gaming, the lower clock speeds on the 1400 really don't make a huge difference (you can always overclock as well). Unless you're planning on doing complicated 3D animations, either of the GPUs will work just fine. By the way, I waited long enough before buying my M70 to find a 25% off coupon that brought the price down from around $3200USD to about $2400USD. Hope this helps.

You got one nice laptop their TheElecment!! That would be my dream laptop!! (for the moment anyway....)

I hope you like your new D810! I have been immensely impressed with the D810/M70 line. Wondering on your the specs settled on? e.g.which wireless card did you choose, and which screen? Perhaps you might give us feedback on your new beast when it arrives?

thanks MitchellO and TheElement

yeah i really hope! well..im just a moderated consumer, and only capable to pay for whatever that is affordably, of coz, must i like it as well, heh! (from my savings arghhh that hurts)

specs at thoguht:
P-M 750 w/ATI RADEON X600
MS XP Pro, SP2, with media
15.4" UltraSharp WSXGA+
256mb 400MHz, DDRII SDRAM (will upgrade to at least 512mb 533MHz DDR2)
60gb 7.2krpm ($180 more) or 80gb 5.4krpm ($120 more), upgraded from 40gb 5.2krpm
8X DVD+/-RW
Internal 56K Modem
Intel 2915 WLAN (a/b/g)
TravelLite Travel Module
3 yrs NBD Onsite w/ CompleteCare

$1,922.40 after 20% coupon
$2,222.26 after 15% taxes (final - if end up with 80gb hdd and bought online)

might purchase after system:
Dell 350 BT (should be much cheaper if i buy it seperately)
FireWire 800 PC Card Adapter
carrying case

that means at least $2500 i need to spend overall after RAM is upgraded.
before i get this new beast, i will have to settle down the hassle of my i9300 with Dell first. i paid $2600 for my i9300, so probably D810 could still leave me some bucks for me to get some ice creams :P

k here comes another few questions....:P
whats the main difference between XP Pro w/ media and no media? should i really have to buy media for the w/ media edition?
could anyone tell me if there is an additional discount available for student from Dell Canada?

thanks again, everyone
-SC

I doubt the bluetooth will be cheaper later on. Get it now. Also, are you paying extra for the travel lite module. If you are, don't. Its a waste of time and saves very little weight over the optical drive (and plus you lose the optical drive functionality).

The media normally refers to the Windows XP install disc. How much are they asking? If you have your own (XP Pro disc), don't bother and use it with the CD-key on the bottom of the laptop to reload.

Otherwise a good spec (although I'd get the 80Gb 5400RPM).

[QUOTE
Intel 2915 WLAN (a/b/g)
-SC[/quote]
I had problems with drop-outs with the Intel 2915 wlan until I replaced the installed 2916 driver (9.0.0.61 - also the latest driver on the Dell site in Australia and in the USA), with the latest Intel-provided driver, version 9.0.1.9. See the Intel version notes that detail problems fixed by this driver ftp://aiedownload.intel.com/df-suppo...rt%20Notes.htm
(though Intel of course say one should get the driver from one's OEM). Never a problem since. Though I have a M70, like so many things, the problem should apply to the D810 as well. Strangely, the D810 wlan 2915 driver on the USA Dell site (also version 9.0.0.61) is dated February yet its seem to be an earlier no. to the driver on the Intel site. As always, if no problem, don't fix it! If you do have problems with your connection, and the Dell drivers are the same as on the system, the Intel drivers worked for me.

thanks MitchellO
it's weird that Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module on inspiron costs $39, but the latitude one costs $50... it wouldnt be any problem for me to get one now as things come with system is always less hassle, i believe.

yeah..another $15 extra for TravelLite Travel Module. isnt this module acted as an extra modular bay?...so i would have 2 modular bays instead of one that comes together with the system (for optical drive).

ooo....got it now. nope, its free of charge - same price to that XP Pro w/o media. yeah..i would get 80gb @ 5.4krpm, as i guess there shouldnt be any huge difference compared to 7.2krpm.

i see, i wish i got the good driver, thanks anyway for your reminder.

cheers,
-SC

yeah, forogt another thing, i've just talked to Dell Canada Customer Care, he apologizes for my experience and wants to gimme $100 refund and a free printer, if i wish to keep the system.

that sounds ok for me, but i dont need the printer, and the screen is also out of my expectation, as well as the low quality of workmanship of the system i got. i wish they may be able to gimme free RAM or HDD upgrade instead or other stuffs but useful to me in other models. i have sent an email to their dept. Manager and discussed to him... hope that he can give more compensations or offers.