Latitude D630 vs. E6400

I keep waiting to order my E6400 until all these problems I keep hearing about get resolved. However, it doesn't seem to end. Would I be better off just ordering a D630 and be done with it? These will be discontinued at the end of the year. Right now, it looks like I can save around $300-400 when I configure the D630 similarly. Of course, the D630 doesn't have webcam, maxes out at 4 GB RAM, has a mono speaker, and so forth. But aside from this, isn't it a much more well-tuned machine?

Are the problems I keep hearing about overblown? Will the D630 have its own share of problems?

Is going backwards to the D series a wise choice?

 

Usually every first revision of a product will have issues. Because it's a business notebook (business sales are probably Dell's bread and butter) I would imagine they'd be more motivated to fix these issues than if it were a consumer line. Also, if it's true that the D series latitude is being discontinued by the end of this year, that's even more reason to fix their new lineup.
It really depends on your needs, but I would personally go with the D630 if you don't mind the limitations you already mentioned. The mono speaker can be fixed by headphones, so I don't think that's a big deal. Everything else aside, it's been around longer, and had time for it's kinks to get worked out, just as the E series will eventually too (probably when the F series is released? ).

 

I'll let the E series owners talk about their systems, but as for the D630-It's been the most reliable computer I've ever owned. Period.

No problems at all hardware wise, save from getting a defective battery that lost all of it's charge keeping capacity shortly after I bought the computer. A quick chat with Dell online and a new battery was sent out in exchange for my defective one, very painless. Vista Business runs smoothly W/ 2 GB of RAM and Aero enabled. The mono speaker can be a drag to many people, but I actually think it's pretty decent. It's on the front edge of the laptop where your left hand would be when typing. Also, since it's a business system, I'm pretty sure that D-series parts and add-ons will be around for quite some time. Hopefully some E-series owners will share their thoughts...

 

If its not too plate i konw i have came into the thread late.I recommend the D630 if your gonna get this model from Dell. Now I have heard from some people that the mono speaker is lacking in sound quality, personally i have never had a problem with the sound on the mono speaker. you really can't tell its a mono, the sound quality is decent and sounds pretty clean. if you do get the D630, you will want the extended battery. When I got my D630, i didn't get the extended battery, the life on non extended battery is about 2 or less hours, Other than that for a business laptop, i find it great.

 

From what I have read, even the inferior of the screens on the E6400 is better than the D630 screen.

The DVD burner is now a non-issue.

I'm really not sure what else there is, there haven't been any widespread complaints of locking up with the E6400 (that was the Precision M4400).

It is lighter, and the battery life of the E6400 with the standard battery is comparable to the D630 with the 9-cell. There hasn't been any issues with the build posted in a while.

The only other thing is the audio issue (which is only an issue in Windows XP).

Greg

 

I also forgot to mention that the D630 did have its problems. I had to have my D630 mobo replaced because of a known issue with weak die/packaging material set, this cause my computer to get extremely hot and then distort the screen.

if you want the link to the support page for this problem let me know ( i do not have 15 posts yet so i can't post url yet :\)

as far as I am concerned they state to have updated this and fixed it, my Coworker recently bought the D630 about a week ago; she had the same problem. So they are still in circulation so make sure you look into that.

 

That was with the nVidia graphics? right?

 

Greg,

So all the negative criticism of the E6400 screen is unfounded? I did hear that they are starting to incorporate MacBook Pro screens in the E6500--I wonder if they've started to upgrade the screens in the E6400.

If the battery life and weight are really that different from the D630, I'd be tempted to try the E6400.

I do like the fact that the D630 has rounded edges--the sharp corners on the E6400 don't seem to bode well for a comfortable palm rest.

Ah...decisions, decisions....

 

Yea Booboo that was with the nVida graphics.

 

I had a D630 for awhile before I went to an E6400. The D630 IMO is the best laptop EVER if you're talking about durability and stability. I can't remember ever having an issue with it and I ran it as my only laptop for work and personal use. I had a D/Dock at work with a PCI Video card (ATI X700 series) and was easily able to expand my video across 4 screens (3 22" Acer 2216W's and the laptop screen itself) with little to no effort in setup. Then I would bring it home and dock it in another D/Dock with one Viewsonic N2750W connected (and a different Microsoft wireless desktop) and it would always work with no issues. The integrated bluetooth and verizon card always worked. I can't really say anything negative about it (OTHER than a heat issue...it did have issues moving air at times.)

I went to the E6400 for the support of 8GB of RAM. Some of the other features the D630 doesn't have (like the backlit keyboard and the LED screen) are nice reasons to upgrade as well. The one main difference is I just can't possibly see how this series will hold up as well physically vs the D630. It just doesn't seem to be nearly as durable. I know we get the benefit of the lighter laptop but I have a lot of install, service and project management guys that use these in the field (sometimes in/on construction sites) and this new series just doesn't seem like it's going to cut it.

The other huge loss for us is the DB9 port is gone from the new line. The D630 had it and we use it a lot for talking to old A/V systems and gear. The good thing is we bought quite a few of the D630's before the E came out so we have them under warranty for years.

IMO you can't go wrong with a D630 but if you want some of the new (and cool) features the D's don't have I'd get the E.