What do you think about DELL LATITUDE D630?

Pros- Best battery life with flush fit battery, small and light, well put together magnesium case, standard 3 year regardless of configuration, matte display, even has a trackpoint.

Cons- I don't know, really have to reach for them. No third button for scrolling on trackpoint, keyboard good but not my favorite. Prefer black.

 

I agree with the comments Askarii's comments earlier. There really is much to like. To add, the thing is so darn STABLE. I can't seem to bring it down, even running synthtic torture test programs (CPU/MEM) in combination for lots of hours at a time.

As for the looks, business machines are usually boring to look at, but the true "beauty" comes out when you use them for years without a hitch. "Wow, it's been three years?"

Keyboard, screen, laptop's physical rigidity, and performance are light years ahead of the D600, which I still continue to use at work.

My D630 :

2.0 GHz processor
2.0 GB PNY (using hynix chips) memory
80 GB 5400 hard drive
1440 x 900 screen
NVIDIA 135m graphics
Vista Business

Other thoughts : This laptop already runs VERY cool, with the fan hardly kicking in. I wonder how cool and quiet the Penryns will be.

 

I was about to buy a Macbook Pro but found the D630 instead.

Pros:
BATTERY LIFE, I can get over 5 hours on a 9cell battery. It's definitely worth it!
BUILD. It's rock solid.
It stays relatively cool. My wrists stay comfortable as most of the heat is on the bottom of the laptop. I plan to buy a cooling pad for it but it's no biggy.
When I was researching for my first laptop one of the main concerns I had was the keyboard. And I love the D630's. It's definitely not a thinkpad but it's very nice to type on. I actually prefer it to my desktop's keyboard.
IT IS SILENT. The fan will come on from time to time but I actually have to listen for it or else I wouldn't notice it at all.
IT IS BLAZING FAST! Wow... it's all i can say lol. WOW.
WiFi catcher is awesome and does it's job.
I got the WXGA+ screen and I love it. Very Crisp. Although, you're going to have to calibrate the screen colors and contrasts. It's still nice.
The pointer is a good addition.
I'm attracted to business notebooks.. so I think this thing looks great. It's not your typical black business color.

Cons:
Screen could be richer with truer colors but I'm content.
I find that the Wifi catcher window freezes. But it's pretty rare. I just press control+alt+delete and run it back up again and it works fine.
No built in webcam.
Somewhat heavy.. maybe because of my 9cell battery. I use a book bag though so it doesn't bother me.
When I'm uploading a software the disk drive will start vibrating like crazy.. i was scared that my laptop would explode from the inside.. but it didn't. Anyone else have vibrating problems?? It only happened once when I was initially installing the Civilization4 game (which plays and works wonderfully, no heating problems or noise).

Bottom Line?
I'd definitely buy it again.

I'll post again when I can think of some more.

 

i've had my D630 for a bit longer than a month and i'll second most everything positive said about this notebook. great performance and very good ventilation - the only portion of the notebook with sustained heat during use is the hard drive, which is located on the lower left hand portion of the notebook (relative to actual computer use). it's hard to discern any heat on the palm rests during use, and the keyboard/trackpad/pointing stick are fantastic to use.

the magnesium case feels sturdy, and the construction itself feels like it should last for quite some time. my only caveat with Dell laptops (which probably holds true for all notebooks) are the hinges. my friend's 1505 laptop has a noticeably shaky/loose screen after less than a year's use. i'm hoping the D630 is more durable in this regard.

 

I got mine two weeks ago. It's a lemon. It only boots up successfully about 50% of the time, with a fresh install, and I suspect that the NVS 135M video card is to blame. Hopefully the replacement will work correctly. Reading this thread I am nervous about how long it will take to be replaced. I'd hate for the first two months of my warranty to cover waiting for a functioning computer to be delivered to me.

 

If you only had a year, I could see you point.

 

It seems that latitude d630 is a winner in terms of DURABILITY, BATTERY,COOLING SYSTEM (ventilation)...

For the one who has a problem...May be it is ok because it can be easily be replaced by dell because it is only 1-2weeks of used.
And also, maybe it is NVIDIA fault. I have an Nvidia on my old inspiron 5150
and it is very very HOT always...huhhhh?! until it dies...too bad for me.
im so angry at dell...it has no warranty anymore...but at the end, still i choose dell (Latitude).I love DELL!

What else?Please post more about latitude d630...
Especially others who bought already.

 

I am waiting for the damn thing to arrive.. the lcd delays are getting too old..

 

Please wait...your patience will be rewarded soon!
Good luck!

For others who has already a latitude d630 Please post some comments!thanks

 

I've been thrilled with mine in the 2 1/2 months I've owned it.