D620 v D820 Specs

Hi all,

I am looking for some assistance. I am in the process of purchasing a dell latitude laptop. I have configured 2 specs. Details of such are in the attached word document. I would be extremly gratefull if I could get feedback on them.

The laptop I require will be used for general work (email, internet etc), some web & s/w development. I will be transporting it too and from work etc.

Currently I am leaning towards the D620, mainly because its lighter and that bit smaller but still undecided.

I do not see much benefit in the 15.4 inch screen compared to the 14 inch, am I wrong?

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General Usage

What will you be using the notebook mainly for? Will you be using it to play games? Will you be using it for word processing / general productivity? etc. - General Productivity/Web & Software Development

Are you looking more at a very small notebook, a standard notebook, or a large desktop replacement? - standard notebook

Will you be carrying the notebook around a lot or be keeping it stationary most of the time? - I will be carrying it around in a back pack most days

How important is battery life to you? - Kinda Important

How long do you intend on using this laptop? - 2+ years

Features

Do you need lots of hard drive space? - No 40GB

Will you be burning DVD's or just CD's? - Burning both DVD's and CD's

Do you tend to work with a lot of applications at once? - Dont intend to but would like to be able to

Graphics & Display

How big would you like your screen to be? Do you care if it's widescreen or not? - would prefer a wide screen as it seems its the way laptops are going.

Are you willing to pay more for premium screens enhanced by XBRITE, Crystal View, or Bright View? (Go to the bottom of this post for an explanation) - Maybe, depend if the rest of the laptops specs suit

(If applicable) Will you be playing casual games or the latest games?

(If applicable) Will you be doing work in a 3D modeling program like 3D Studio Max or Maya?

Miscellaneous

Do you care if your notebook looks good or not? - moderately bothered by this

Are there particular brands you prefer or won't buy from? - Prefer to buy from Dell or Apple

How much are you willing to pay for this notebook? - Max €1800

Are there particular models you have already looked at? - Dell D620, Dell D820 & Apple MacBook Pro

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Any help would be great.

Thanks.

 

I don't mind giving feedback but I don't download files off of the internet. Do you mind just pasting the info in a message?

I debated between the 820 and 620 but considering I had the 6000, I was turned off by the size and weight. The 6000 barely fit on an airplane tray table and with a spare battery, power cord plus the 9 cell battery, I carried around 9-10 lbs.

I love the D620 for its size and with Nvidia graphics the brightness rivals that of glossy screens since all parameters of the screen can be adjusted.

Battery life is excellent and if you get a lower processor speed, it will run at a lower temperature; which would translate to even better battery life than mine (5-6 hours with wifi on and intensity set at 80% on 2 Ghz).

I don't game so I don't know how well it works for that.

 

The 14" D620 is much easier to carry around. For the special demands and environment of student life the D620 would be a perfect compromise, I would think. I algree also with last post: perhpas ypu could place your comparative specs on a post itself?

 

What you get on D820 is a higher screen resolution options, a little bit better video card, and a expresscard.
If you don't need any of these go for D620.

 

Thanks for everyones help. The following are both specs

Latitude D620 ESSENTIAL PLUS (L05621a)
Excl VAT: € 1,603.00
Processors
D620 with Intel® Core™ Duo T2500 (2.0GHz) with Integrated Intel GMA 950
Microsoft Operating System
Genuine Windows® XP Professional (Service Pack 2) WITH Media using NTFS
Memory
1GB 533MHz DDR2 Memory (2 x 512MB)
Keyboard
UK/Irish - Dual Pointing Internal Keyboard
Hard Drive
80GB serial ATA HDD 5400RPM
Modem
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
CD/DVD Drives
8 X DVD+/-RW Drive with Decoder Software
Wireless Local Area Networking
Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) Dual Core
Shipping Documents
UK/Irish - D620 Ship Accessories with Power Cord
Gedis Bundle Reference
L05621a - D620 ESSENTIAL PLUS May
Standard Warranty
3Y NBD International (Next Business Day) On-site (incl. e-Learning Pack)
Protect It with CompleteCare
No Complete Care
AntiVirus & Security Software
McAfee Security V7.0 15 Month
Power Supply
65W standard D/Family AC Adapter
PalmRest
Palmrest with UPEK® fingerprint reader & touchpad
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Card
Business Support
No Business Support Required
Order Information
Latitude Order - Ireland
Primary Battery
6 Cell Primary Battery (56 WHr) for extended battery life
Carrying Cases
Dell BackPack
Dell System Media Kit
Resource CD for D620
Futuristic
Information SKU - Futuristic Order Flag
LCD
14.1" WXGA+ LCD Screen (1440 X 900 resolution)


Latitude D820 ESSENTIAL (L05821)
Excl VAT: € 1,692.00
Base
D820 with Intel® Core™ Duo T2500 (2.0GHz) with Integrated Intel GMA 950
Microsoft Operating System
Genuine Windows® XP Professional (Service Pack 2) WITH Media using NTFS
Memory
1GB 533MHz DDR2 Memory (2 x 512MB)
Keyboard
UK/Irish - Dual Pointing Internal Keyboard
Hard Drive
80GB serial ATA HDD 5400RPM
Modem
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
CD/DVD Drives
8 X DVD+/-RW Drive with Decoder Software
Wireless Local Area Networking
Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps) Dual Core
Shipping Documents
UK/Irish - D820 Ship Accessories with Power Cord
Gedis Bundle Reference
L05821 - D820 ESSENTIAL May
Standard Warranty
3Y NBD International (Next Business Day) On-site (incl. e-Learning Pack)
Protect It with CompleteCare
No Complete Care
AntiVirus & Security Software
McAfee Security V7.0 15 Month
Power Supply
European - 90W AC Adapter
PalmRest
PalmRest with Fingerprint Reader
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Card
Business Support
No Business Support Required
Order Information
Latitude Order - Ireland
Primary Battery
9 Cell 85WHr LI-ION Primary Battery Extended Life
Carrying Cases
Dicota Executive Style (Black) - Not compatible with 17" + screen notebooks
Dell System Media Kit
D820 Resource CD
Futuristic
Information SKU - Futuristic Order Flag
LCD
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) LCD Screen

 

Thanks for specs!
Hardly any difference in specs or price. So it depends on whther you want to carry around a 14" or a 15" notebook. That's all there is to it. When you are using the computer, a bigger screen size is always better; when you are out carrying it, a lighter & smaller notebook is always better. But between these two it is a matter of 10% dif in each case. I would still go for the 14" if you have a lot of carrying, but the 15" would still be OK, espec with a backpack rather than a bag.

 

With the 15" your resolution is better.

It's easier to carry a 14" anywhere you go. If you aren't going to carry it everywhere you go, get the 15". If you travel and carry it all over the place, 14".

Whatever you do, get the NVIDIA which allows you to make the screen brighter and it does make a difference.

 

Thanks for everyones help. I think i'm leaning towards the D820. Will the fact it has 9 cell battery as oppose to a 6 cell mean the laptop will be haviour and extend out the back of the laptop?