I went for a D630 this evening, here's why...

Because I will get it sooner than m1330. Because it was about 500 CHEAPER. Because I have seen threads that say it runs cool and quiet AND has a nice bright screen.

As was mentioned in a thread here, and I agree, true BEAUTY comes after 2.5 years and I realize that I have not had any problems of any type, and that is a true business class machine.

I also realized that I really will not be in the coffee shop showing off the machine and whatever the color of the week happens to be.

I was able to get the FULL 3 year warranty, which I believe is the best way to "futureproof" my investment. I was also able to get the 4MB cache chip, SWEET.

I opted for the built in graphics, because if I ever DID take up gaming, I would play on my desktop with 2 20 inch monitors.

I do surfing, dreamweaver, e-mail, and minor photo retouching like for web sites. So, I figure my machine will run longer and cooler, I hope.

I got only the 80GB 5400 drive as I plan on getting a SSD as soon as possible.

I also got 1 GB RAM in one chip, figuring I will get 4GB on eBay or the RAM DEALS here for way less than the 700 DELL wanted to rip me off for.

As an aside, I saw the very first 64GB SSD on ebay last night. And you know the price will come down.

So, unless I cancel this order, I will really be looking forward to getting this unit and seeing how it runs.

Thanks, Dave

 

sounds like you thought this out all the way through. the d630 is a fine laptop and i'm sure you'll be happy with it.

 

Congratulations, you will like it. I took the similar approach with the memory and hard drive, although I am still waiting for the PMR hard drives to reach the 300+ range, or whatever is available in a year or two. The 80GB is fine, although I do want to see for myself the supposed/alleged (maybe subtle?) gains of PMR, and a really dense hard drive platter.

Nowadays having lots of memory is a good idea, especially for future-proofing like you mentioned. One note on disassembly - D600/D610 hinge covers came off up and away from you, the D630 comes off up and towards you. Unfortunately without illustrations, that is almost impossible to describe. In any case, take it easy, and i'm sure thyou'll be fine. Not sure about the D620 - never took it apart before sending it off to my niece.

Congratulations again to another (soon) D630 owner.

Regards,
Paolo

 

Thanks, I am quite excited. I too want to try a Perpendicular recorded hard drive to see if it is faster.

I also want to check with Dell and make sure they fill the hard to reach slot for the 1 GB I ordered. So I can cheap out and just throw another cheaper one in the easy to reach slot. this assumes that there are 2 places where the RAM goes, as there are in many notebooks. Now, on second thought, maybe I should just get it with 2 GB and not have to be opening it up and putting in mismatched RAM upon delivery Why oh why does Dell charge so DARN much for RAM???

Dave

 

Stick with your ebay, newegg or other store idea for the RAM. When you decide to upgrade, you get that peace of mind that the modules you put in truly are indeed matched pairs (design, brand, specs, characteristics, etc.). No biggie in most cases, but even a little doubt is sometimes enough to ruin your computing experience, "Are they really matched pairs?". I know, i'm a nut.

95% of the memory change process is the hinge cover, at least on the D630. After you do it the first time, it will make sense in case you want to get back in there in the future. If you're keeping the computer more than 3 years, it's also a good idea to know how to get in there as I learned with my D600. The fan assembly gets really cruddy with dust after regular use, and removing the keyboard is the best way to get the fan blades like new again. Nothing a basting brush and air spray can't take care of.

Long post. Just excited to share as much as I can to another future D630 owner.

 

Thanks for the info. I am glad to see others are as fanatical as I am I hope it ships soon. With exceptions being the m1330, of course, any Dell I have recommended for a client has come always before the ship date, sometimes amazingly fast.

Having the attention span of a ferret with ADD, I of course bought 2 domain names for the m1330, hoping to MONETIZE them with Google Adsense and make a fortune. Now, I will have to pony up for www.delld630.com, or will just say goodnight to the $50 in domain and hosting fees as yet another million dollar idea bites the proverbial dust

Dell please ship quickly so I can have an outlet for my ferret like brain Thanks, Dave

 

Smart move.

Bigger display, cooler, wxga+ over wxga, matte over glossy, 3 year standard, and you get it sooner.

Congrats.

 

Actually, I did not order wxga+ because of my old eyes. I just hate small crap on the screen. My dad, who is a MAC fanboy, has a 30 inch screen and I cannot even surf on the damn thing everything is so small

Also, it did say would delay shipment So, I figured I would take a chance. I guess if it is a deal killer once I get it, I can swap it with Dell. Although I hate to do that unless absolutely have to.

At some point, no matter what laptop one gets, one has to say, OK, enough, it is good enough, LET"S GET TO WORK WITH THE DAMN THING AND EARN ENOUGH TO PAY THE CREDIT CARD OFF

Dave