Leaning toward D630 over T61

Hello everyone -- I am finally coming around about the benefits of the Dell.

I had a T61 15" on order, but I am starting to think the battery and size of the D630 would be better, as I head into college. Everyone seems to agree 14" is the way to go for portability, and the delay for a 14" T61 with the good screen removes it as an option.

Meanwhile, I plan to use the 6-cell flush battery and the 6-cell in the media bay -- Even with the Quadro 135m it sounds like I can get a lot of life out of that, no?

My only remaining concern is Dell service, and the keyboard. Can anyone provide insight on the quality of the Dell warranty and CompleteCare service, and the quality of the keyboard. Thanks!

-- Brian

 

I thought the keyboard on the D620 I has was very good.

 

I took a look at a D620 at a Dell Kiosk. As I was typing on it, I felt that they keyboard/plastics of the case very closely resembled my Dell Insipron 8600 (which is a 2 year old model!)

I was so surprised that a business class notebook would feel and type like a consumer class notebook. It was hard to imagine that the feel and quality of the build was similar! Ugh.. If the D630 keyboard/quality of plastics is anywhere close to the D620, then what the heck is Dell thinking!

Still waiting on my local Dell Kiosk to display a D630, in the mean time, considering a thinkpad T series (I use a T43 and T41) vs. a D620... the T series is greatly superior to it in keyboard quality and overall build. The D620 plastics are inferior to T series plastics.

Actually, I was also considering the D630 over the T61. I like the centered screen, keyboard layout (FN key not switched with CTRL), and it was a simple, neat looking notebook just like the T61. It's also very competitively priced.

However, I the T61 is slimmer and lighter (and you can probably lift the notebook with one hand at the corner without worrying about flexing the entire chasis). It's ultrabay battery is only 3 cell, indicating the fact that it is thinner.

If battery life is the biggest concern you have, the the D630 would be a better choice. But if you're looking for solid build quality, a T61 is definately worth the wait.

 

I think the all aluminum magnesium alloy case on the D630 is just as strong as the T61 case. I heard the T61 does have a slightly better keyboard, but the D630's keyboard is good enough for me.

 

Wow, -- that is a great bit of information for me. Thank you both very much! It is rewarding to hear about a hands-on of the Dell keyboard. I really do want a great keyboard.

If I go with the T61, I plan to use the Ultrabay battery and the 6-cell, so it is flush. Does it drain the Ultrabay first, by any chance, so I can keep main battery full to watch a dvd later? Any idea how much battery life on the 6-Cell, 3-Cell combination solution with the Quadro 140m?

Finally, do you think the 15" is the way to go on the T61 -- the WXGA+ Screen is backordered on the 14", so I don't have much choice. It seems to me I will have many other heavy things (like books) to worry about rather than an extra pound on the laptop, and in exchange, I get more screen size, and more batteries, right?

Thanks so much!

--Brian

 

I do not think Dell kiosks sell Latitude laptops.

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=ca&cs=cadhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

Can't comment on the strength of the case of the D630/D620 (did the D620 also use the same materials for the case?), but the feel of the laptop is very cheap IMO. Have you ever seen laptops with those oily palm rest stains? Or if you own an MX500/510/518 mouse and you take a look at the thumb grip after using it for awhile? ... The surface feels smooth, cheap, and gets those oily stains after awhile.

The T series laptops, on the other hand, have a rough like surface. They look and feel (IMO) alot better than these type of Dell laptops. And, they don't produce those oily palm rests after awhile. Good to last for a long time. My i8600?.. well.. lets just say.. I had to get Dell to change all the plastics - but those oily palm rests are begining to show again.

FYI, the 6 cell battery in the T61 does not fit flush with the laptop. It sticks out the back. From the Tabook, it's quoted that the 6 cell + 3 cell ultrabay will give you a little more than 5 hours. So expect actual times to be closer to 4 hours with brightness/wireless/hdd activies kept in mind.

If you want more "screen size" make sure you get a WSXGA+ or WUXGA (T61p) screen with a 15" laptop.

Personally, I'll be going back to college as well, and a 15.4" laptop is just too big to carry around to class, library, and back home. I'll be settling for a 14" this time and will wait for the T61's WXGA+ screen as I think it'll be worth it. I heard that the D630's WXGA+ screen is also delayed a couple of weeks.

 

Square One location has a D620 as of last week. Have not had time to check this week. Don't these kiosks sell everything? All they do is go to their website and order it straight from there anyway.

 

That could be an exception. Usually Dell Kiosks only sell laptops form the Home User side of Dell.

 

Thanks everyone -- When I was talking about the 6-cell being flush, I meant the 15.4" -- Sorry about the confusion.

Unfortunately, I can't wait for the screens for the 14", so my choices are limited to T61 15.4 and D830. Someone else pointed out that the 14" T61 plus the extended battery makes the unit about as long as the 15.4 anyway -- Interesting point.

 

For equivalent configs, the T61P came out to be cheaper for me than D830, with the 20% off stackable promotions on top of the lenovo sale.

 

I'm a ThinkPad fan as much as anyone else, but I recognize there are other good notebooks out there. Needs and value play a large role as well. The D620 which from what I've gathered is the same as the D630 construction wise, though I haven't seen the D630 yet. I really liked the D620 I had. It was sturdy and had a good keyboard. The keyboard is not as good as a ThinkPads, but who else's is anyway? It is a bit heavier and thicker than the T61, but so what. That doesn't make it bad. The screen on the unit I had was very poor. So I returned it. It sounds like they upped the brightness on the D630 which was fairly dim in my opinion. You might want to check out the Dell forum on the screen quality of the new D630s. Some here have complained the T61s screen as well. Dell has about the best return policy right now, better than Lenovo. Good Luck.

 

Can't comment on the quality of the warranty, but the D610, D620 and D630 keyboards are certainly more than enough.

I also still have my D600 from work, and aside from the (very) cheap feeling/sounding of the keys, it's actually lasted me since February of 2005, banging on it day in, day out. Still works fine.

 

Thank you all.

Zaz -- I thought Dell's policy was about the same as Lenovo -- Once it's opened, you pay 15% restocking fee, 21 day limit. Am I wrong?

Yes, I am feeling that the 15" offers more, with the larger screen, and more batteries. As someone pointed out, if you choose the extended battery with the D630 or T61 14", you will have about as long a system anyway, without the better screen.

--Brian

 

just got my d630 today and i love it its perfect. excellent battery life and keyboard is great
superbright screen that i love. i have wxga+. couldn't be happier with puirchase

 

oh ya
dell service when it comes to complete care is second to none. latitude service is generally great.

 

I've had a D630 for over a month now as my personal machine. Some points that might help Smirch with his decision:

- The keyboard is comfortable to type on for long periods, and has zero flex. I use a T-Series Thinkpad in the office, and the Thinkpad keyboard is definitely a little more comfortable. However, the Thinkpad has the 'Ctrl' key in the wrong place, which is a big issue for me. This single issue is enough for me to prefer the D630 keyboard overall.

- The D630 build quality is good. There is zero 'creaking'. It feels very solid.

- The screen is very bright. Much brighter than all the Thinkpads I've used.

 

I thought it was no questions asked, but perhaps I've been misguided. I know when I returned my D620 I paid no fees, but I did convince them the screen was defective. I know the new Vostros are 30 day no questions.

 

Until August 1st Dell now offers 20%-25% coupons on all models.

EDIT: It only applies to Small Business models. Precision, Vostro and Latitude

 

I tried the coupon, but it says it has "already been redeemed" -- hmmmm...