D520 or D620 Or 6400 or 640M

Hello Everyone,
I am a programmer in VB/SQLServer/PHp/Mysql and little bit of web desiging, Photoshop etc.
I wanted to buy a laptop and my budget in around 1150 USD.
I have sorted the following
D520
D620
6400
640M

I wanted 2Ghz and above 512Mb of RAm.

I wanted to know, which laptop is best for you. also if you have laptops from any other brand pls tell me. It should be withing the budget
Regards
Ajay

 

First, you could fill out the FAQ in order to get more adequate suggestions.

Second, you could look at the HP business lines ( nc6400 -14.1" and nx7400 -15.4") if you want something better than Dell.

Otherwise, Latitude is Dell's business lines, which is of course better than the Inspiron budget lines.

 

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
1250 USD

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Programming - VB/SQ</PHP/Mysql, Photoschop, Dreamweaver.

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Yes

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No Games

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Preference - Dell, Toshiba, lenova, HP, Sony in order

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4 Hours

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Yes

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
USA

Screen Specifics

10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Standard

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Any

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Life Long

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
Above 60GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW
drive?
DVD RW
17) WOuld prefer Core 2 duo - 1gb ram, 2ghz speed

 

If you prefer a standard screen, you could look at the ThinkPad R series which offers very good quality and a top-notch keyboard. You could probably get a T series as well if you can live without the 2.0GHz. They are a bit thinner and lighter. I personally would shy away from the Inspirons. The D620 is a well built machine. There has been some debate about the quality of the screens on them. If you plan to carry this regularly, I would stick to the 14", but that's me.

 

If you want more portability over screen size, I'd go for the D620, mine is about 2.1 - 2.2kg. From using D505s the D520 will be slightly too heavy for constant mobility, but nothing unmanagable; I'm also sure (or hopeful) that the D520 should be lighter than the D505, so it shouldn't be too bad. It does come with the 4:3 screen as well if you prefer that. D620 however has lots of other things e.g. option for dedicated graphics.

Lenovos are an option of course, but you have to pay a premium for their ruggedness. My D620 feels pretty solid and is excellent apart from the screen which is mediocre and the battery life with dedicated graphics and standard 6-cell battery, it could be better... for some reason I steer away from HP computers, I dunno why but I do, however they might fit the bill perfectly in this situation.

 

I would recommend the HP nc6400, which is a great notebook in terms of quality and support.

And, HP business line is better than Dell business line in my opinion.

Edit:
Check out the ThinkPad z61t, another great opition.

 

Given your budget, the only one of those you can get with four hours of battery life, the 2GHz Core 2 Duo and 80GB hard drive would be the ThinkPad R. The Dell Outlet Store sometimes has good deals.

 

You might save money if you get a lower clocked CPU, I don't think that you need a 2GHz CPU...

PS: if a mod move this thread to a more appropriate section, it would be great...

 

Hello Everyone
Thanks for your response. So nobody is recommending the Inspiron series.
So now what the major difference between d620 and D520. I am seriously considering d520 in Dell Brand. Does it have any major problem or flaws.
I still have to conider Hp and Lenovo series.
Ajay

 

Inspirons are fine for consumer-orientated use, but if you need reliability and less weight then Latitudes are better. The Inspirons also look tacky IMO (well except the 1300 which is a budget machine) and not as well built as Latitudes, they also come with a load of crudware pre-installed onto the system which Latitudes don't (although mine did come with McAfee pre-installed, it was easier to uninstall it).

D620 vs D520? Well, the major difference for your needs is the fact the D620 is a 14.1" Widescreen (at WXGA or WXGA+ resolutions) whereas the D520 uses the Standard aspect ratio on either 14.1" or 15.0" screens (at XGA or SXGA resolutions). Seeing as you said you prefer Standard aspect ratios, the D520 is probably for you, and as you don't play games then the dedicated graphics option on the D620 won't interest you. The only benefits of the D620 over the D520 otherwise are it weighs less, is smaller and has the ability to have a 9-Cell battery - probably key if you want 4 hours on the one battery, unless using the Media Bay for another 6-Cell battery isn't a problem. Other little differences are the inclusion of a trackstick on the D620 and the option for internal biometric security.

I'd go with the D520.