Latitude D820 - first impressions

I just received my D820 via UPS Ground yesterday, and have been putting it through the paces. As this is my first laptop (I've used many others in the past, but I've owned nothing besides desktops), this review won't be a be-all, end-all final conclusion on the D820, but I would like to share my thoughts for anyone considering this laptop. So without further adu...

Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0 Ghz processor
2.0 GB-667 RAM
120 GB 5400 RPM hard drive
Nvidia Quadro NVS 120m
Bluetooth Module for Vista
Intel 3945 Wifi card
CD RW/DVD drive
WSXGA+ screen
9 cell battery
Windows Vista Business
3 year mail-in warranty

Reasons for Buying:
I'll be a college freshman this summer and will be needing a laptop that can, ideally, last through 4 years of school. I immediately dismissed consumer grade notebooks, as build quality is very important to me. I'm also attracted to the sleek, sophisticated design of business machines. With that in mind, I narrowed my search down to the HP nc8430 and the D820. Although the HP comes with a superior graphics card (for gaming, anyway), I decided that battery life was also a big concern, so I could settle for a lesser video card and fewer gaming breaks. The kicker that led me to the Dell was the sale ($400 at the time) on new Latitudes. Even if Dell is clearing out the old D820s to make room for the new D830s (and the Santa Rosa chips), my student budget demanded that I pay closer attention to this sale. It was, after all, a really good deal.

Experience with Dell:
Having had the laptop for slightly over 24 hours, I've had no need to contact customer service. With that said, however, I did e-mail my sales associate about the promotional discounts applied to my order. At the time I placed the order, the sale was $400. Immediately afterwards, it jumped to $500. I received a prompt reply letting me know that I would receive the extra $100 in savings. Very nice. On another positive note, the order was confirmed 24 hours after being placed and fully assembled 24 hours after that. It arrived in 2 days, despite my selection of 3-5 day UPS ground (which was also free). All of this was much faster than the Dell estimated time line.

Hardware:
I haven't done anything very CPU-intensive, but in everyday computing the D820 is very fast. As expected, it is very efficient at running multiple applications with no slow down. The CPU/memory combination (combined with Vista's new resourcing of memory) can chug through anything without delay. I have not had a chance to use bluetooth. The Intel wireless card is very speedy (took me a matter of seconds each to download several apps - from Firefox to Webshots). I'm glad I chose it over the standard Dell cards, as I've heard it gets superior signal strength. I haven't played any games (not much of a PC gamer), but the Nvidia 120 breezes through anything Vista can throw at it (for those worried about Aero performance, don't be). This combination of hardware should be ready to get me through the next 4 years of college. I admit that I was getting a little antsy to purchase the laptop, but I don't believe the Santa Rosa updates would have a significant impact on my computing - and the sale was just too much to pass up.

Software:
The D820 came with very, very little pre-installed software. Basically, I have Vista (and the apps it comes with), Cyberlink PowerDVD, a few Dell utilities, and Google Desktop. Despite previous reports, Vista has been completely agreeable thus far. I've been personalizing, changing, and generally just playing with all the settings and options - so far so good. It does seem to run slightly slower than XP at times, but I'm sure speed will improve as drivers are updated.

Build:
The build is very solid. Made out of magnesium alloy with steel hinges, I can't ask for much more. I have not found any flex or defects with the parts or body. I like that Dell included both a touchpad and a pointing stick. Having somewhat large hands, I also appreciate the robust keyboard. The keys are firm and responsive. The laptop itself weighs a little over 6 pounds, but it feels almost lighter than I expected. Certainly not a terrible burden to lug around a campus, as I intend to do.

Screen:
This seems to be a special area of concern for many latitude owners. My screen, while not perfect, is much better than what some people have reported. I selected the WSXGA+ resolution, a good balance between real estate and text size. Everything is very clean and clear- no dullness, graininess, blurry text, etc. There is a little light leakage at the bottom, not noticeable during everyday computing. As others have mentioned, the ambient light sensor makes the screen a little too dark, so I turned it off.

Battery:
As battery life is a big concern for me, I opted for the 9 cell battery. In power saver mode (which turns off some of the Vista eye candy), it gets a bit over 5 hours of standard computing. Enough said.

Heat and Noise:
The laptop gets warm in the back and on the near left corner. As far as I've used it, the heat is certainly bearable on one's lap (assuming you're wearing pants...). Generally speaking, the latitude is very quiet. The fan comes on when needed, but not so much as to be a distraction.

Conclusion:
I'm very impressed with both Dell and the Latitude. Dell responding to my sales inquiry so quickly (and giving me an extra $100 off) was refreshing. The timespan between order and arrival was fast. I love the rugged build and sleek design of the latitude. The hardware is fast and efficient and should keep me going for the next 4 years. I'm certainly enjoying Vista so far, as it adds a lot of convenience and security (compared to XP), and the eye candy is nice. I would have liked a slightly better video card (perhaps an option for a true gaming card? Maybe a 7400 to match up against the 120m?), but I look forward to seeing what this card can do in terms of gaming. I don't expect the world, but a good game of Half Life 2 never hurt. The reported screen problems with the Latitudes apparently didn't make it on to mime, as it suffers from nothing except very slight leakage. The battery life is a big plus. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and would do it again in a heartbeat. And at a total price (including tax) of about $1640, it was one heck of a bargain.

 

Does the batter stick out in the front, or in the rear?

Nice review, thank you.

 

nope, the battery is flush with the body

 

Interesting review - Thanks - one question though about brightness: do you feel its sufficiently bright with the light sensor turned off? My wife has an older (Govt) D800 and it has a really dim LCD. Thanks...

 

I loved my D820. But don't try using the firewire interface, because it's badly implemented.

 

sorry, I meant to ask if the 9 cell extended battery sticks out in the front or does it stick out in the rear?

thanks a lot.

 

Its a 15.4" unit, at the size large capacity batteries will fit flush with the machine.

 

No kidding, why cant dell use the proper size firewire port like apple does, instead of that crappy lil 4pin one

 

ok just making sure. I canceled an order yesterday because for some reason I thought the battery stuck out the front. But that must be the D620 and D420's.

thanks

 

I find the screen to be plenty bright for my needs, whether on battery or plugged in. Again, the ambient light sensor makes things a bit too dark for my liking, but with it off you should be just fine

 

man, the screen resolution is really impressive. I guess it's suitable for a business laptop to open several documents at once.

 

Folks, i really need some advice, please. Two days ago I bought a D620 (core 2 duo T7200, 1 Gb ram, HD 80 Gb @7200) and a few hours later I cancelled the order, because:
1) it doesen't have firewire, and I want this notebook for work (word processing), and especially for music production, so i really need that firewire port for the external soundcard.
2) I read lots and lots of really bad comments about its screen; that's too blurry, cloudy, dark, bad angles view, etc.. and most people returned it or said they would never buy again from Dell untill they solve this issue.
So, I just had to cancel the order. And since I already had paid, the salesrep offered me to buy the D820 instead (same specs. as D620), which has firewire, and for a little extra money. I really don't know what to do!! Generally, I need a very powerful and fast machine to run all the applications i need in music production+firewire+a good widescreen. I'm thinking of the Inspiron 6400 also, but i like the more rugged built of the D820 and other things.
Please give me your inputs about the D820.. does it have a better screen, compared to the D620?? any cons I should be aware of?
I really appreciate your help, thanks in advance.
Have a good weekend!

 

What was the final price (excluding tax) ?

 

cviehman, you got a great deal on the notebook. What was your subtotal before taxes, shipping charges, and recycling fees?

I just received my notebook last week, basically the same specs, except i only ordered the notebook with a 5,400rpm 80gb HDD. My grand total came out to about $1,736. Your price is about $100 less then what i paid and you have a larger capacity harddrive to boot.