Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
.... and 1 week ahead of schedule!
i've been playing with it all day and so far i am very impressed with it.
my config:
WXGA+ screen
1.66mhz centrino duo
1gb RAM
80 GB hd @ 7200 rpm
6-cell battery
fingerprint reader
my review:
excellent little notebook. i say little because i hadn't anticipated just how small a footprint it leaves. i've found the widescreen takes a little getting used to but is advantageous for a few reasons: more room for IM buddy lists, open explorer windows, etc. while leaving room for a full-width browser or word doc. i would strongly recommend the WXGA+ over the WXGA. from what i've read the WXGA lacks in brightness. the WXGA+ at the highest brightness still isn't so bright. but, it's enough for me and about 90% of other users out there. the viewing angles from left-right and up-down are not great either. you really need to be right in front of it to get a good picture.
the wi-fi catcher on the side works and is very cool. it does not, however, make a distinction between secured and unsecured wireless network availability. it would make sense to have the small LED catcher only show unsecured networks, as these are what you're commonly looking for in cafes.
you can shut wi-fi off quickly, too, with the same switch.
the fingerprint reader is basically useless. that didn't stop me from getting one, though. $50 extra for it. i'm hoping the technology catches on and more apps come up that support it. there's already a FireFox extension for it to store passwords. i haven't gotten that to work yet. it will freeze out windows login to intruders, if you're into that kind of thing.
7200 rpm HD makes a difference. i have never owned one so fast, so i tossed it in there to see how it would affect system performance. it's fast, folks. installing software is a breeze. as you probably know, one of the biggest bottlenecks in a computer is the HD speed. a 7200 rpm HS helps speed things up for sure.
the metal casing is very sturdy. feels solid to me. be warned, the inner pieces around the keyboard and screen are black plastic. still, doesn't bother me. it's kind of a cool look, frankly. case shuts with a nice click. metal clasp is not cheap as some have reported.
i opted for the 6-cell battery. so, my d620 is around 5 lbs. a little on the hefty side but sometimes you go with the laptop you have, not the laptop you want. i will say this: the 6-cell lasted a long time for me. i was installing software, rebooting, rebooting, rebooting, chatting on IM, developing a little java code, playing with a webcam, etc. i turned it on @ 7pm and it was rolling until 11pm+. it only was completely drained when i started watching a DVD. granted, this is the 1st use of the battery and it'll go down from here. my suggestion? go with the 6-cell. it lasts a lot longer than the 4-cell and won't stick-out of the front like a 9-cell.
there's virtually none of that "sign up for AOL" **** software preinstalled. thank goodness!
2 stickers on the front right. i want to peel them off but don't have the nerve
the machine did not come with a smartcard, but has a smartcard reader. where do you buy smartcards?
the mono speaker was suprisingly good. i'm not the kind of user who'll watch a lot of DVDs on this or expect it to crisply recreate Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but it has a nice sound to it. bass was good. not tinny at all. like i said, i was suprised by its performance, i'm not even sure where the thing is.
no heat issues whatsoever. i have been reading about heat issues but this runs no hotter than any other laptop i've used.
it operates whisper-quiet. the fan was on and i couldn't hear it unless i had my ear to the case.
I like it. if i could help design the next one i'd toss-in an SD reader and DVI-out port. otherwise, i can't complain. nice package, altogether, with a 3-year warentee! she's brand-new so time will be the ultimate test. i'll post again if anything serious comes up.
Dell d620 arrived today
Discussion in 'Dell' started by test, May 6, 2006.
