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.

Great review! The laptop does look professional and durable at that. However, I wondered what was up with the little palm rest infront of the laptop until I read what it was within the review. Overall, great job!

Thanks Mitsune.

To update the review, I've been having an issue with the Wave Embassy Security Suite software and the biometric (fingerprint reader). I was able to use it to log into windows for a day, then when I added another user and different prints, it could not log in on any account. However, I can use the scanner and enroll prints once I'm logged into windows. Additionally, if I set up the security to require a fingerprint to boot windows the scanner also works. But it does not work when I get to the windows authentication screen. Very weird. I called tech support and they are dispatching a technician next business day to replace the biometric scanner, but now I'm thinking its a software issue and not a hardware issue.

I forgot to mention the Dell 1490 wireless card shipped in the system did not work when I received it. It dropped the network continuously. Dell shipped me a new card and I received it 1 1/2 days later. I replaced the card and now wireless works fine.

Keep up the good work. I must say that you were lucky to pick up the 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M, because I can't find that option anymore. I wanted my girlfriend to pick up this exact model, but due to the lack of a graphics card, I guess I have to look elsewhere :/

Excellent review

Thanks MrinkDore.

Ronin228: an excellent presentation. And thanks for the photo of the D620 WXGA+ screen. BTW, if you have Word, would you post a doc fully maximized using a TimeNewRoman 12 point font? I know the result is a multi-dimensional factor of lens/shutter and distance/lighting (whatever you choose to maximize the resolution of the type-face), but just to get a sense of what that font might be like. If you can't, don't...your review is much appreciated...hope you're still enjoying it.

BTW, being able to use it on your lap with running shorts says a lot...really.

Again, thanks for that review. I'm flipping coins between yours, Fujitsu's "stealth" equivalent, ASUS's Z35f equally stealth 13 wide, and a Thinkpad-just-because I like their build. The fact that your D620 uses standard peripheral parts for its main user-accessible components is a plus to me.

Oh yes...need to include that "stealth" D420, too. Anyone familiar with the ASUS Z33ae: 12 inch....carbon fiber...now, if they could just produce that in a whitebook, with 2006 parts.

I'll do that for you Whitney. I used my crappy digital camera for the pics I posted, but I'll use my DSL with a 50mm lens to get the picture you want. 50mm lens maintains original proportions the best. Gimme a sec...

Here are two photos. I linked them because they're a little large.

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/6930/dsc17713wd.jpg

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/8789/dsc17756zw.jpg

That was so nice of you to do this! I was just turning in for the night! Your screen is great, and I agree with you that it's not a problem to read your WXGA+...a fine choice.

Thank you so much for the favor and the post!

Ronin228

Nice review and definitely answers some questions about the D620. I originally purchased a D620 then switched to a D820 when they delayed it for a month or more.

I'm really happy with my D820, but still thinking the D620 might be the best option if you are somewhat mobile. Although I spend most of my time tethered to a 24" Dell LCD at the office (via a port replicator), I still take my laptop out the door with me everyday and whenever I go out of town - soccer tournaments, vacations, etc.

I'm not saying the D820 is too large, it's just that when you are constantly taking it out of and putting it in a backpack case, the smaller the better. And when you have to carry it on your back, the lighter the better.

I got the WXGA+ (1680 X 1024) resolution with my D820 and I did notch the dpi up a bit - 96 dpi was just a little too small for my preference.

One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that whatever dpi setting you select is used whether you are using an external LCD or the laptop's. Since the Dell 24" LCD is 1920 X 1200, the 96 dpi setting is just too small to use comfortably all day, so I had to tweak it up a bit. Rather than switch it when untethered, I just leave it.

I do have a question for you. What do you think of the viewing angles? On the D820, I think the horizontal viewing angles are pretty good, but the vertical are very limited. Is this your experience with the D620?

I thought the battery life would be a little better. My D820 gets about 3.5 hours or better with the 6 cell battery with the LCD set to 1 notch below max, bluetooth and wireless both on. I did just order a 9 cell battery for a vacation later this month, so I'm hoping to get close to 4.5 hours with the 9 cell.

Again, great review and thanks for taking the time to share.

Thanks for a great review.

I think the viewing angles are pretty good, but I need to try out horizontal viewing. I also thought the battery life would be a bit better, I'll try to tweak it a bit and see if I can get more.

Great review Ronin. I was just about to order one of these but I'm in the same boat as Mitsune - the Quadro option doesn't appear anymore. Does anyone have any news about that ? The D820 is just a bit bigger that I wanted to get.

Nice review! The NVS 110m is still a big performance improvement over the X300 in the D610.

Would it be possible to see some pics of the horizontal viewing angle? There have been some complaints about it but no pics.