Power, battery life, and durability
Written: Jun 30 '03
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Pros: Fast, better battery life, USB 2.0, durable design, upto 2GB Ram
Cons: None found yet
The Bottom Line: Fast, long life, durable, and feature rich. A great value and a great laptop.
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| tl098711's Full Review: Dell Latitude D600 (D600SAPP) PC Notebook |
My company had previously purchased a lot of the Latitude C640 model. Although it was quite good, I had concerns about the durability of the screen (very thin and too easy to flex), the latch, which was too easy to accidentally release, and lack of a fast I/O (USB 2.0 and/or 1394 aka firewire). The D600 answers all these concerns and then some.
Processor:
Built on Intel's Centrino chipset it includes the Pentium M processor, which was designed from the ground-up to be used in laptops as opposed to the P4 and predecessors, which were built for desktops and workstations and scaled down for laptops. The resulting processor uses less power, which translates to longer battery life. I have not personally done a comparison, but have heard of coworkers who have seen a significant improvement in battery life. Note: using wireless (either built-in or as a PC-card) will whittle away your battery capacity.
Don't be put off by the Pentium M speeds, which appear to be slower than the P4. Whereas P4 systems are in the range of 2.0 - 3.0 GHz, most Pentium M processors are in the 1.3 - 1.7 GHz, which may lead you to think they are slower. That is inaccurate; a 1.2 GHz Pentium M may perform as good or better than a 2.2 GHz P4, plus you get the power savings. A benchmark from Intel is found at:
http://www.intel.com/products/benchmarks/notebook/
But enough about the processor, what what else is cool about the D600?
Durability:
Dell has replaced the plastic chassis of the Latitude C-series with their "Tri-Metal" case, which is more durable and resistant to flexing. They've also improved the latch which used to protrude and was easily released by accident.
RAM:
The D-series now have a maximum RAM capacity of 2GB. Of course, you have to pay a lot of money to get to that maximum, but at least it's there.
Display:
The D600 comes with a 14.1" display which can either be XGA (1024 x 768) or SXGA+ (1400 x 1050). Before you run out and pay more for the SXGA+, understand that the higher the resolution, the smaller the fonts and icons will be (and the greater the overall usable "desk space"). Some people love this, other people squint at the smaller images on the higher-end screen. Some of this can be mitigated by adjusting viewing settings in Windows. Bottom line: look at a laptop with 1024 x 768 in the store (any brand) versus one with 1400 x 1050 resolution. Pick the one you like. No sense paying more for something you may not want/need.
Weight:
The weight of the D600 has been reduced by more than 1/2 pound from its C640 predecessor. It starts at 4.68 lbs, but like all manufacturer's weight figures that of course is bare-bones weight (CD/DVD/etc, extra battery/AC, will add more). It's very portable, though, for a 14.1" display model.
I/O
Like all Latitudes, the D600 has both a built-in modem and ethernet port. The Ethernet has been upgraded to 10/100/1000 (for you lucky people with Gigabit ethernet). The D600 also has USB 2.0, a fast speed improvement over USB 1.0. Your old USB devices will work fine with it, but high I/O USB devices (external hard drive, CDRW, DVD, camera, etc.) will really scream - IF they are USB 2.0. I would recommend against buying any USB storage devices that aren't USB 2.0 today. For the wireless users out there, you can purchase the D600 with built-in wireless lan. Be sure it complies with whatever your wireless standard (at work or home). It should work with most, but in the unlikely event it doesn't, you can use a PC-Card.
Storage:
You can get hard drives 20 - 60 GB large, which should be more than you need. Optical drive options include CD, DVD, CDRW, CDRW/DVD combo, and recently DVD+RW. Remember that DVD+RW still isn't standardized, so there is a chance that DVDs you burn on this (or any other DVD+RW device) might not work. If you are only going to use it with this computer, go for it. I'm personally holding out until a standard gets finalized...whenever that happens. Note that floppy disk drives, though available, are no longer standard. I'd skip the floppy and spend the money on solid state USB memory (looks like a key fob).
PC-Card Note:
The D600 and its D-series brethren have only one Type II PC Slot. This means if you have any thick Type III cards, you can't use them. At first, only one card slot may seem too limited, but with USB 2.0 available, which is much faster than the PC-Card interface, it shouldn't be a problem. Just be aware if you ever use more than one PC-Card.
Misc.
Dell finally has dedicated volume/mute buttons. Instead of madly fiddling around with a Function-Fkey combination to turn down/mute that startup sound or movie, there are dedicated buttons just inside the lid. Small thing, but I really like it.
There is a SmartCard reader for security; I have no experience with these, but it may prove interesting to those folks concerned about the security of their data.
I've never been impressed with the standard carrying case from Dell. You should pick out one with good cushioning or space between the laptop and the carrying case wall. One drop on the corner of the carrying case will convince you, trust me. Cases I've seen with good protection are from Targus and Case Logic. Skip Dell's cheap case. If you are a road warrior and/or have a history of abusing laptops, consider the CompleteCare warranty, which covers accidental damage (even broken screens, which are costly and not covered by the normal warranty).
Compatibility Note to those with existing C-series Latitudes or any non-current Inspirons: you cannot use the old docks, port replicators, or media bay drives in the new D-series. No biggie for most of you, but just in case...
Summary:
The D600 is a great laptop. Fast, long battery life, durable, and features that will meet most of your needs. I didn't say this before, but it also looks great.
Those who want a really large and/or high-end display may want to look at the bigger, heavier D800. Those who want something really light and are willing to sacrifice display and keyboard size, look at the D400. But I'd estimate 80-90% of laptop users will be very satisfied with the D600.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
tl098711
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 5 members
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