My New Latitude D820 (long awaited review)

My New Latitude D820

Just a warning to everyone reading this, I managed to catch a nasty cold/flu somehow 3 days ago, hopefully I won't pass it on to any of you by opening and reading this. I'm anything but feeling like my normal self right now and just down right miserable. If it wasn't for having a brand new laptop to be playing with I'd be in bed right now.

Well, I ordered the new Dell Latitude D820 after a lot of consideration and thought in looking at all my other options available to me out there. On paper it certainly seemed like a sure hit with a perfect balance of power, quality and price. Everything I was looking for and at the price I wanted to pay, even though, price meant little to me, not that I'm rich by any means, I was just willing to pay what it cost to get the exact new laptop I wanted. The Latitude CS that this new one is replacing served me very well for the past 6 years I've owned it, so I knew enough to at least be religious in my thinking that the next one I bought should hold out just as well for me, and I plan to use it for another at least 4-6 years before updating again. Choosing the right one became a mission of high importance for me so my selection before the purchase was very carefully made, backed by weeks of research and years of computer user experience and building my own systems. This coupled by what I read from everyone else, both new inexperienced users and fellow self proclaimed experts.

So if you want the short initial review from me on the Dell Latitude D820 I'll give it to you straight up. 100% satisfaction is all I really need to say and no need for anyone to read on if that's all they were looking for. For those of you wishing to know more, read on though.

I'm going to cover more than just this Laptop though, I think there's more to it than just the laptop itself, and in reading here and other places there are alot of additional questions people have that your normal review doesn't cover.



Shopping:
I'm going to start with the shopping experience first because that technically is where I started with all this. When I decided it was time I needed to replace my old trustworthy laptop I loved for so many years with a new one I had no preconceptions about any particular brand or model before hand. My goal was to seek out and find what I thought would be the best laptop out there for me. As most I started by looking at all my available options out there online, beginning by reading all the reviews (ironicly there were'nt very many published reviews on the model I ended up with). I tend to ignore "professional" reviews from companies and magazines that get supported by paid advertisement for the same items they are reviewing. Been around on the Internet as well enough years that you can also easily spot the dumb user responses fairly easy as well and quickly write off most of these. These are the ones that review something with opening lines like "I never got my $50 mail in rebate, and no one there is helping me, and this thing is a piece of sheeit", yea well, most of you know the type, the ones that have self induced issues yet think the problem lies in the blame of anyone but their own self induced ignorance and if they scream and shout loud enough then certainly the rest of the poor souls in the world will hear them and be saved from also suffering from self induced ignorance.

I went into all the local electronics shops just to get some hands on touch and feel of what was out on the store shelves. Glad I'm not just your average moron, or one of those sales reps on the floor would have had me walking out of there with what ever system it was they needed to get moved off the floor that day under total disregard of what I was actually after. I didn't find a single on the floor sales rep anywhere I went that could answer a single one of my questions while looking at the systems they were supposed to be selling. We're talking simple things, like what type of graphics chip is in it type of stuff. By the time they had gone back looking for an answer and returned to tell me they didn't know, I'd already pulled up the device manager and looked for myself, moved on to looking at a different one. For the absolute total moron, going to a store and just buying whats on the shelf from a sales rep who's 1 degree of a percent smarter about it than you are, this is likely your way to go. Then when you hose it up from your own self induced ignorance and start screaming about how bad it is at every site on the internet your AOL account can find, the rest of us will know to stay away from such sites frequented by you and your fellow AOL users.

My Dell online shopping experience was perfect for me though, and I don't know how well that works for the rest of the world, it's been so many years ago when I didn't know anything about this stuff that I can't even remember what it was like. For me though, already knowing what I expected and what everything I was looking at on a spec sheet means, it was perfect for me. It looked like Dell did a pretty good job of offering preconfigured options though to meet your average persons needs and what ever their criteria might be. I found shopping for a new laptop on the Dell website ranked at least double in what I experienced on the other manufacturers web site. The options, additional info, and various configurations available were clearly put together by someone who knew what they were doing, not just trying to market what they had. The Dell website had the most information and at the same time was the easiest to navigate around in.

I could keep going on about how my Dell experience was above and beyond, but there's so much more I want to cover here so I'll need to move on. Unlike most reviews, where a person gets handed a laptop and asked to review it, the person is also immediately partial to not offending anyone because that's a potential advertiseing client of theirs, I wanted to take a different approach in this review. Even private reviews from regular people I read mis an important aspect of the review process I think would be benificial to others. I don't want to just tell you what I think of the laptop I put together for me, but why and what I was expecting from each choice I made and why I made that choice where applicable. After all, I'm reviewing a laptop not just handed to me, but one instead with specific hardware options I selected, this puts me in a position of responsibility for my selections. Any laptop is only going to be as good as the parts you select for it and what you were willing to pay for those parts going into it.

Lets look first at not why I didn't select 1 of the many other laptop options available out there, but instead what I did select and then I'll explain why these were important options to me and how I made that choice where applicable. To the inexperienced enthusiast just begining to embark on their own many year voyage maybe some of this information will help them in getting pointed in the right direction. Understand, I've been around in this stuff going back to the days of the 386's, the Commador 64's and I've never purchased a pre built desktop PC in my life, always built my own from hand selected shelf bought parts and put them together myself. This goes back to the days when there were no schools to teach you this stuff, and it was highly unlikely you'd have a friend or anyone else to answer your questions. You had to learn 100% on your own and you did so by reading, lots of reading.

Does that date me? Probably, I'm at that age where I could be found the next morning when you woke up with either your 40 year old mom or 17 year old younger sister. I like to get off work and take a nap, yet still race Motocross on the weekends.

Anyhow, here's what I went with and the why's...

Dell:
Lots of reasons, great company, great support, information packed feature rich web site complete with multiple types of support options, great prices, great options, I could go on and on. Should probably toss United Parcial Service, UPS, in here as well, they run the tightest ship in the shipping business you know. I used the UPS 3-5 day ground shipping option. My package left Dell in Austin Texas at about 10AM Wednesday morning, before I even had a tracking number the package was scanned in and loaded on the delivery truck here in Northern Nevada by 9:30PM that same night. Had it in my hands by 10AM the next day, despite being labeled and sent UPS Ground. Anything I've ever ordered from Dell has always arrived the next day, why? I don't know but I'm certainly not complaining.

Latitude D820:
Number 1, quality, look at the specs compaired to the quality specs of anything else compairable out there, quality meets or exceeds. Business system, extensively tested for reliability in both hardware options and build quality. Longest standard no additional cost warranty, 3 years compaired to either 90 days or 1 year standard everywhere else. The case isn't just cheap plastic, its a magnesium-alloy casing with metal clasp's, metal hinge. This thing is built solid and you feel it the moment you pull it out of the box. As well as NO preinstalled garbage ware which was a big one to me. I could wipe a drive and zero fill it, then perform a clean install on my own in my sleep but it's not the way I want to spend my free time so getting a new system without all that added on garbage forced down my throat was huge to me. Some people mentioned they bought a Latitude and it had less garbage ware on it. This thing came with NO garbage ware on it at all, the only preinstalled software was the bare minimum required to support my hardware options. No Google desktop, AOL or anything else, any less installed on it and my hardware options wouldn't work. The software that was installed for my hardware could be easily uninstalled and what ever other software I have and would rather be using I could easily then use instead. I'm satisfied with the software choices made though for my hardware support. Here's a screen shot from the add remove software window with this fresh out of the box and nothing changed yet by me other than some basic windows settings which didn't affect what you see here...

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Intel Core Duo T2500, 2.00GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache, Dual Core:
I've had high dollar mother boards I've spent alot of money on in the past that supported dual processors and the performance I've experienced from them was always unmatched. The chance to finally be able to get a dual processor laptop was an option I certainly had no intention of considering anything else over. Alot of the other systems out there were still trying to push off the new, but still last generation basic Pentium M processors. I had to have the new DUO processor or nothing. While I do have AMD systems, I've still always favored the Pentium Processors. Device Manager in Windows on my new laptop now shows 2 seperate 2GHz Intel Processors there. From a user stand point using it, it's done more than met my expectations, the performance has exceeded what I thought it was going to run like and I expected it to kick pretty good. I haven't been able to toss enough at it yet to make it even think about slowing down. If I never knew there was a such thing as a Windows hour glass before now, I wouldn't know what people were talking about when they mentioned such a thing. I considerd one processor speed down, the T2400, but the price really wasn't that much more to go up to the 2GHz processor so I went for it. I couldn't justify the $300 expense to go up even one size faster with the T2600 option though. I have no regrets in making that choice, though I'm sure had I of opted one speed lower for the T2400 I would have been spending the next 2 years thinking I should have just caughed up the little bit of extra money and got the 2GHz processor.


15.4 inch Wide Screen WUXGA LCD:
I don't have much to compare this too or base my thoughts on. I went with this option after having too many desktop LCD and laptop LCD screens that were too dim for my liking and made me always prefer the older CRT type monitors myself despite how new and cool the LCD monitors I have looked from a cosmetic point. I don't know what I would have ended up with had I selected the cheaper options because I have nothing to compare to. Running this screen at the native resolution of 1920X1200 rocks. I remember the day when we thought 800X600 was the sheet. When we first seen 1024X768 resolutions everything looked so insanely small that you just thought how could anyone ever get use to that. It didn't take long and once you did get use to it, anything bigger just looked huge and goofy. It took about every bit of 5 minutes for me to get use to this 1920X1200 resolution, if even that long. It took me about 5 minutes to go back on my desk top computers and now look at the what I thought was perfect and normal resolutions of 1024X768 on them to now not even like using them because they look so big and goofy to me already.

The wide screen thing is another story, it's not about getting use to it, but more so learning or figuring out how to use it. If you've had a standard screen before and suddenly get a wide screen tossed at you, your not going to like it right away, at all. If you attempt to use it in the same way you've used other screens your really going to find you hate it and it doesn't work for you. Give it a chance though and soon you'll figure out on your own what makes it better. Old School ways of opening a single web page in full screen mode no longer apply. Restore Down your Windows from the maximized setting then reshape them to a size you like. It works perfectly. As you open new windows they'll slightly stack and overlap each other, making switching between multiple windows even easier. Not to mention you now have a full mile of task bar space down below so having many windows open never over crowds what you have readily accessable down there.

I find the WUXGA screen to be perfect for me as well, no glare and as brite as many CRT monitors. The Latitude D820 also comes with an ambient light sensor built into the bottom of the screen that automaticly adjusts your screen brightness based on the amount of light in the room. I turned it on long enough to check it out in the day time and with out changing the adjustment levels on it (which are user configurable via a software slider) found the default settings made my screen too dim for my likeing so I just turned it off and set the screen for maximum brightness on both power cord and battery options. Too many other settings for me to get adjusted just in Windows right now to spend time on that at the moment. It's a feature I'll get back to and configure later, or leave off, who knows. The paranoid types may not like this, the sensor looks like a small 1/4"X1/4" camera lens built into the bottom of the screen. I can see this opening the door to knew conspiracy theories on how big brother is using it to watch you while your typing, gone are the days of black helicopters and white unmarked vans. If it freaks you out, put a piece of tape over it, but don't forget, Santa Clause can still always see you, he see's you when your sleeping, he see's you when your awake, he knows if you've been good or bad. So if big brother really wanted to monitor you even the piece of tape isn't going to help, they'd just hand Santa a court order requiring him to release all the information he has on you like they recently did to google.


1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 1 DIMM:
This was a selection people need to pay more attention to when choosing their options. I'll start with the 1 Gig of Memory part. Guess what, in your Windows Operating system even if your mother board can handle 4 full Gigs or more of memory, your basic Windows operating system can't and won't use it. Some people use to put 512Mb of memory into their Windows 98 systems thinking they'd be getting more out of their system. Windows 98 would never use even half of that available memory no matter how hard you pushed it just like Windows XP and Windows 2K would never use more than 512Mb of memory while operating. So why you may ask did I go with one full gig? Many reasons, mainly I bought this system for OS (Operating System) upgrade potential. With windows Vista around the corner, Microsofts next great OS, it'll use the full Gig of memory. I also went with a video card that has 256Mb of onboard memory and 256 Mb of shared. So if I went with just 512Mb of RAM my video card and my XP operating system would be fighting over what was available. Going with a full gig allowed for future abilites and left plenty for the operating system and graphics card to use.

The 667MHz speed memory was a no brainer as well, use the max speed memory your motherboard is capable of and add the one extra little piece to the stack on having a truly faster system. We all hate seeing the hour glass.

1 DIMM was chosen for a reason as well, it allows me once Vista gets released to add another Gig of memory that will be used without having to pay high prices for it now. I'm glad I made that choice now even more so than ever because had I not, I'd have to change out both DIMM's in order to add more memory and the one thing about the D820 I don't like is DIMM slot A requires you to completely remove the keyboard to change it out. So by choosing a single DIMM (a $10 upgrade option from 1Gig 2DIMM's) your first Gig of memory gets put in under the keyboard at the factory. For you to add another Gig later only requires removing a small cover on the bottom and poping the second DIMM into DIMM slot B under there. Adding additional memory this way is cheaper and easy to do, as long as you planned for it correctly.

Sorry, I'm not wanting to remove my keyboard just to check what brand the memory used is even though I am curious. Besides I'm sure in true Dell fashion they've in the least placed a sticker over the top of it saying Dell and removing the sticker to see what name is hidden underneath will void the lifetime warranty this memory comes with.


512MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache:
I went with the best graphics card available for this model because even if you don't play games, ever since Windows XP came to be even the basic OS has become graphics intensive. I also wanted to take full advantage of the new PCIe port technology. Windows Vista is expected to be even more so and it's going to require as much graphics ability as your going to be able to toss at it. In typical fashion though, a rose by any other name still smells the same as they say, and while NVIDIA Quadro NVS may be a name that appeals better to the business crowds, it also shouldn't scare off the Gaming crowd from selecting it as an option. This is actually the NVIDIA geForce GO 7400 chipset and drivers as you can clearly see in this screen shot from my device manager...

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While not being a gaymer myself, I don't have any games on hand to load and test this with other than the original version of Quake which I'm sure is still around here somewhere. I'm sure this thing will play games just fine though, maybe next week I'll download and try the trial version of Ages of Empire III. Not sure why anyone would buy a laptop to play games on anyhow. If games are your thing, then build yourself a power monster desktop PC to play them on. Watching any form of video on it sure looks great, from short clips found on my favorite midget porn web sites to full feature DVD's. It's certainly time to pack up the 12" black and white TV I got for my 5th birthday and move it into the attic to pass along to my own kid someday.



Audio:
No audio options, but did have some comments that could be made here. I also ordered wireless Bluetooth headphones online today. Not that I find anything wrong with the 2 built in stereo sound speakers on the D820. I just want to be able to hear the audio from my favorite jap scat clips in a full cinematic experience without waking the entire house and without getting tangled up in cords. I actually find the built in speakers to be of pretty good sound quality for laptop speakers despite not having a major brand logo on them like Harmon Kardon, which is a joke anyhow, their little tiny laptop speakers, no matter what brand you put on them they are still going to be little tiny laptop speakers. Positioning of the speakers is perfect for better sound delivery as well by being on either side of the keyboard. I also have a brand new Dell B130 laptop that has the speakers in the front of the laptop and find that on that one with the speakers positioned there I have to crank the volume all the way up while watching movies and still find it hard to hear. Its using Intels HDA, next evolution up from the old AC97 audio, and this is controlled by Sigma Tel High Definition Audio Codecs. Granted it's likely not on par with say a a high end Creative Audigy card, but still for laptop sound 24-Bit resolution and 192 kHz sample rates and a 104 dB SNR in normal mode or the output can be increased to 107 dB SNR in AudioUltra mode. No true audiophile would ever listen to anything other than system sounds though on any either on board or highest priced seperate sound card plugged directly into the main board either by a PCI or PCMCIA slot. They would be after instead completely external hardware which would allow you to isolate the sound card from internal elctronic noise and interference.



80GB Hard Drive 9.5MM, 7200 RPM:
80GB of storage is plenty for me, I have a network server I can store and archive huge amounts of data on then just transfer it around as needed. Even still, I've been installing all the software I use and data files I want on hand over to this thing for the past 3 days now and in my drive properties pie chart the used space still only looks like a knifes width slice cut into the pie.

Early generation 7200 RPM drives I've had use to sing a little while running. Nothing as bad as the early generation 48X CD ROM Drives that use to literaly sound like a DC10 revving up for take off and literaly shook the walls on your house while running. The new generation of 7200 RPM hard drives are completely silent. The speed benefit is certainly noticed when your installing new software that contain large volumes of data that has to write to the drive like Office 2003 Pro and the likes. Transfering huge amounts of data files over to this new system allowed it all to write to the disk at such a fast rate it leaves you feeling like no way, it can't be done already? Once you get spoiled by the 7200 and faster RPM hard drives there's just no turning back to 5400 and slower. Maybe my hearing isn't what it use to be, but even when writting large amounts of data to the drive I could lay my ear on the keyboard and found the 7200RPM makes no more noise than a USB Flash Drive does when writting to its memory card, completely silent. This also turns out to be a Hitachi Hard Drive which I'm very happy about, I've always had good luck using Hitachi drives over the years and find them to be of great quality and high reliability.


Touchpad with UPEK fingerprintreader:
I haven't set this finger print reader up yet or tried it, that's in my plans for later this afternoon, but I'm certainly looking forward to having it not so much as an added layer of security, but as a security convience item. Dell installs Wave Systems Embassy Trust Suite software to manage it and I have been looking over their documentation, looks pretty interesting. The finger print swipe can be used according to the documentation for logging in to Windows, my password protectable hard drive, and even into programs and web sites. I'll report more on it later after I've had a chance to play with it if there's anything I find I don't like about it, otherwise assume I loved it.

The touchpad is for the most part your normal touchpad just like any other laptop, I read a review somewhere else where the reviewer criticised that with the fingerprint reader option the buttons for the touchpad were too small. I don't get that at all, what is the guy using his foot to press the touchpad buttons? I have big hands, if I lay my hand on the left edge of a std keyboard the width of my hand not counting the thumb extends all the way to the edge of the G key on the keyboard and I don't see the touch pad buttons as being too small, I'd say they are perfect.

I'm not a big fan of the touchpads anyhow, never have been, you could crank up the speed fast enough on a few older touchpads where I didn't find them slow and annoying to use, one thing I've noticed on all new laptops despite the brand or model, even with the touchpad set to the highest speeds possible they are still too slow for me. I like to be able to controll my curser on the entire screen from a touchpad without the need of lifting and repositioning my finger to get the rest of the way up or down the actual screen. I don't like even the feature of once I get to the edge of my touchpad I could just hold my finger there for the movement to continue, but even that feels unnatural to me.

For non touchpad fan people like myself we're in luck because the Latitude D820 also comes with the old fashioned keyboard stick control, which has it's own left and right mouse buttons at the top of the traditional touchpad. A left click can also be achieved by a light tap (not a push) on the tip of the stick. The tap and stick movemnt is all user configurable in your Windows mouse options screen. For people who like right now fast curser movement like I do, unlike the touchpad, your in luck because you can really crank up the speed on the stick control options. Even I who typicaly max these settings to the fastest found the fastest setting in the stick control to be insanely fast. To the point where the curser was so fast it seemed wildly out of control and left me with concerns that it may fly off the screen and put someones eye out. I like having that buffer of not having to have a setting maxed out for me to find that happy place in using it, with room to still be able to adjust up or down.



Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module:
This was a must have essential item for me, built in bluetooth was in large part a main reason I dumped my old laptop and decided to update. Mainly because I also have a Verizon XV6700 phone PDA device with Verizons EVDO wireless broadband internet access. Now I can use the phone as a bluetooth modem for internet access anywhere on my laptop with no cables to plug in and no need to find a WiFi hotspot. The built in Verizon EVDO card was an available option with the business systems but I didn't want this which would require me to pay for an additional service from Verizon for it's use, as well as requiring you to purchase a Verizon voice plan even though the device is not voice capable. I can do all this still under a single plan with my XV6700 and still also be able to use the cellular voice plan I'm paying for anyhow. The entire XV6700 is also only priced at a bout $100 more than the built in EVDO card option so making that choice of a way to go was a no brainer.

I also ordered today a wireless bluetooth optical mouse that I'm looking forward to getting in place of the use of my touchpad and even the stick control. I have a wireless USB optical mouse plugged into it right now. While I don't have a cord there is still that USB reciever that plugs into the side of the laptop, with the bluetooth mouse I'll be able to do away with that. I think it just makes for easier navigation on any laptop using a mouse, especialy on these wider higher resolution screens where moving the cursor from one side to the other feels like the length of a football field and leaves you tired and out of breath once done. There's also a small blue led lit BlueTooth symbol on the right side hinge that alerts you your bluetooth is on and is clearly visible with the lid either opened or closed. Next to it from right to left are the WiFi indicator light, the battery light, the hard drive light, and the power status light.


Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN (802.11g,54Mbps) Mini Card:
Pretty typical internal WiFi capabilities here. I didn't go with the more expensive 802.11a/b/g card because even though the additional cost was nominal, it was still a waste since NO one uses 802.11a anymore, even when people were using it, it was very short lived. The 802.11g card will support older 802.11b connections which some people who haven't moved up to 802.11g yet may still actually be using. Range ofcourse is a relative term and has more to do with the environment your using it in than anything so no need to comment on range, other than it seems to be exactly the same as other wireless cards I own and use. No real issues other than that to report on.

It does however have a really cool feature I like built into the laptop on the left side, it's a Wifi signal finder configured into a built in slider switch. Slide the switch all the way back and it turns off both your WiFi card and your Bluetooth card which is a great way to kill those devices from using system resources or power if your not using them at the time. Slide the switch to the middle and it turns your wireless abilities on for you. Slide the switch all the way forward, and even with the laptop powered off, it acts as a wireless signal and signal strength finder. The faster the green led flashes the stronger your signal. A certain must have if traveling. I can't tell you the number of Hotels I've stayed at who claimed wireless internet available only to find once in the room, unpacked and set up, the WiFi there is down, of course no one on site is bright enough to look into fixing it and they won't let you touch it to get it working so your SOL or pack up and find another Hotel. With this feature at least, you can check and make sure there is an actual WiFi signal present before you even get out of your car to check in, no signal, keep on driving.



10/100/1000 Ethernet and Voice/Fax/Data Modem:
I'm actually tethered to a CAT5 cable using a GbE connection into my local Network right now. Since I'm setting this thing up and dumping loads of large file size data over to this new machine the much faster than wireless connection is being prefered by me for doing this. It works, not sure what else I can comment on here. I have no way to check the modem being as how I don't think we have a phone line running to our house that I know of. With cable TV, Wireless Broadband Internet and Cable Internet, not to mention a house full of cell phones it's likely this laptop will go it's entire life without my knowing if the onboard modem ever actually worked on it or not. I'm not going to loose any sleep wondering about it, I can't remember the last time I used HyperTerminal, and it's been so long since I've used DUN I'm not even sure I remember how if I had to save my life. There's probably people reading this who are young enough and been using computers all their short lives that don't even know what HyperTerminal or Dial Up Networking even is, and that's a good thing.



24X CDRW/DVD with Cyberlink Power DVD:
Maybe not an option most would choose thinking they needed the latest and greatest DVD burning abilities but for me this was a working option. I have a Windows 2000 Server I use for Data storage amongst other things so large volume abilities to store data like DVD burning isn't a need I have. I bought a 50 pack of CD-R's all the way back when the 700Mb CD's were the newest and latest greatest thing. In all this time I've likely only used 10 of them. I likely would have went with a more expensive option here had the DVD burner options available also came with LightScribe so I could burn the labels right onto the CD instead of using my old school traditional method of a black sharpie marker. Lining up and printing labels out of the printer is too much hassle. Just being able to play a DVD when I want was also enough option for me. SHould I ever in the future find a need to burn DVD's then I can always buy an additional module. Push the button, pop the old one out, pop the new one in. If Dell comes up with the lightscribe module that will fit this model in the future I'll probably go ahead and buy it. Till then, just having the ability to create a bootable CD for emergency situations is good enough for me.



90W AC Adapter:
This was a standard option for this model. Not much to mention here other than it is a wattage grade up from the standard AC adapter coming with most other systems. I do like the shape of the transformer and bridge rectifier housing. It allows you to neatly wrap the cords around it then also has a rubber strap attached to it to hold the cords in place. Didn't measure the cord, but I certainly have a good 8-10 feet of reach from it.


9-Cell/85 WHr Primary Battery:
I went with the higher capacity battery option and while I rarely ever use battery power myself, it's always nice to have as much available as possible when you do need it. Unlike the D620, the higher capacity battery on this model is the same size as the smaller capacity battery so both batteries fit the same, flush and clean when inserted. The D620 larger capacity battery sticks an extra inch out the front of the laptop when it's inserted, this was a turn off for me and a reason why I didn't go with the D620 instead of the D820. I haven't ran the battery down yet to see what kind of life I get with all my settings maxed out like I like them being. The battery doesn't say "9 Cell" anywhere on it, instead it says "85WHr" for those wanting to check and see which battery they got. 85WHr is the 9 cell battery for this model. Someone else asked before about the battery warranty, it's 1 year, basic manufacturing defect type warranty on the battery even with the generic 3 year system warranty according to the small print I'm reading in the book.



Software:
I already have all the software I use and want so there wasn't a need for me to order anything additional there, besides you can find software sold seperately considerably cheaper than what Dell sells it to you for and get non OEM versions of it while doing so.

I did go with Windows XP Professional, SP2 with media. The "with media" is the important option you don't want to overlook or miss when making your own order. No, with media doesn't mean it comes with that stupid "Media Center Addition" recycling of XP Home built into it. In means it comes with the Windows Operating System Installation CD. In the business systems it's not any additional charge for it like the Home systems charge, but it is an option you have to select when ordering your system that isn't checked by default. Of everything in this experience this was the one thing I could find to be dissapointed in (ok, I had to find something bad, this is reaching a little, but at least it's something). I was expecting an actual Microsoft logo'd WinXP Pro CD that said OEM on it like you use to get. Instead while I still got the same files, it's just an ugly green homemade looking CD that looks like the label was printed on an ink jet printer and stuck on. XP Pro was the only choice I'd consider, XP Home or it's step sister MCE aren't even a considerable option for me. I'm a full time user of the additional security, functionality, and reliability of the Pro version of the OS.

I also made sure to check the box for the $0 option to have the Resource CD w/ Diagnostics and Drivers sent. This does not contain your Operating System Installation files, see note above on that. It does contain all your needed hardware drivers and the never needed diagnostic software. I read a comment from someone else on another site where they were complaing that after doing a new install Dell doesn't send you the DVD software needed to use your DVD drive. They certainly sent me the DVD software CD on a seperate disk and it wasn't even an option I had to check off to get that I know of, unless it was included in with option to have the Drivers disk sent.

The "Product Information Guide" was another free option I went ahead and checked just to see what it was. I was expecting a printed manual of some type in ordering it. What it is is a waste though, little need to worry if you forgot to order it. It's basicly a cheaply printed ink jet looking book on what feels like news print paper and all it contains is all that fine print hoopla NOBODY ever reads anyhow. No usuable information in there at all.

CD Burning software is just using the built in CD burning software of Windows XP, which is actually in reality ROXIO, which is what I'd be using anyhow even if WinXP didn't come with it built in already. I imagine if you ordered a DVD burner you'd likely get something else and the CD for it would also come with the drivers pack.



Conclusion:
Yes finaly, trust me, I'm getting sick of typing all this and thinking about it, I'll just add some personal impression and brief comments about this model. Every aspect as far as cosmetics, look and feel on this laptop screams quality. Nothing about it looks, feels, or implies cheaply built. Also unlike the XPS model,it doesn't have flashy lights all over that scream look at me, I'm starving for attention and I'm also so l33t, bet you wish you were me don't you? It's a clean design with a very professional matter of fact look about it that allows people to figure out just how l33t you actually are without your attempts to tell them yourself.

It was I must admit everything I was expecting and then some, I'm very satisfied with the Dell D820 Laptop and have absolutely no complaints, other than I wanted an official looking Windows Installation CD even if it said OEM on it, no big deal, the CD will get stuffed in the drawer with all my other long forgotten CD's. The files have been copied over to my server so if I ever did have to do a reinstall I'd just boot it into my Network and do it from there like I always do.

As far as weight, I imagine someone out there will consider it heavy. Personal I think it has just enough weight to it to feel like a solid quality product. It cracks me up to read "profesional" reviews where they state comments like "such and such model weighs in at 3 grams heavier than other models we've tested so we don't consider it a very viable model for portability". That's the most pathetic excuse for cheap quality marketing I've ever heard and you see it over and over again. Maybe I'm old school, but I'm still a firm believer in unless it's built out of some bullet proof ultra light weight carbon fiber type space age polymer which has yet to be invented, then the lighter it is, the cheaper it's been built and the less durable it's going to be. Mobility isn't about carrying an extra 3 grams around, it's about having something built well enough to be able to survive being carried around.

And if 3 grams, 3 ounces, or even 3 pounds of additional weight on a 2 pound item means it's going to be difficult for you to carry around with you then let me offer you up a suggestion, you need to spend less time indoors on the computer and more time outdoors getting some exercise.

As far as heat goes, when plugged into the power cord, every setting maxed out and under heavy constant use for almost 3 straight days by me now, while burning the processor in, nothing on the top or 4 sides of it feel to be any different in temperature than the actual ambient air temprature of the room I'm using it in. On the bottom, in the dead center where the slotted cover is for the additional DIMM slot is the only area I notice any warmth from. It's warm, as in you can sense a temperature difference in that immediate area, not as in there's a fear of being permanently damaged by coming in contact with it. I can hold my wrist on that single 3 inch diameter spot while experiencing no discomfort at all.

As far as noise goes, it does have me concerned. Concerned that maybe I need to go get my hearing checked because I don't hear any noise at all coming out of it. Not from the CD burner while running or burning, not from the Hard Drive when I clearly know both are running and not from any fans. If it wasn't for the fact that you can clearly see the thing is turned on, you'd think it was completely powered off if all you had was the sound to go by as an indicator.

That will conclude my preliminary review, should anything new pop up over the course of the next several weeks, months or years I'll be sure to submit an update on such matters at that time accordingly or at my earliest possibly convienence, which ever may come first.

 

Great read, well formed and excellently written. Thanks!

I also recommend you guys read his other post on Windows Live OneCare, you can find that here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=51654

 

Yea I probably should have made my screenshots a little bigger. It's so hard to judge how huge something might show up on a lower resolution screen someone else might be using that I was afraid if I didn't shrink them down I'd cause someone elses monitor to explode. I also started to write it with the intent of going back and editing it in half of whats actually there now, but then decided to just dump it all out there and make it easy for people to find the parts they might have a specific interest in.

 

Excellent write up. Thanks.

 

good review, good insights, good explanations
thanks

 

Absolutely excellent review. This is the kind of information I've been looking for since there are so few reviews out there on the 820. You've configured your 820 very similarly to how I intend to outfit mine, although you've convinced me to go with a few upgrades (e.g., graphics card, faster hard drive). I really agree with you regarding the Dell website and being able to configure the computer the way you want it. Of all the manufacturers out there, the Dell site is definitely the most user friendly. I was also considering a Thinkpad but got really frustrated with the Lenovo site as the Dual Core was not available in the larger models (only Pentium M) and the customer was really limited in what the could choose options on. Thanks again for the information.

 

I received my D820 a couple of days ago and also like it a lot. I'm curious if anyone else has noticed that the battery (I have the 6 cell) does not fit perfectly snugly inside its compartment, or if this is specific to my machine. Mine jiggles a little, which I find odd.

 

My battery seems to fit in there just fine. If I push moderately hard on it I can get it to move in just ever so slightly, but it doesn't really just freely jiggle. That doesn't sound like anything a strip of duct tape across the bottom and around the keyboard couldn't fix though.

 

Thanks. I didn't have any duct tape lying around, but I found another equally low tech solution -- a little folded piece of paper stuck in the side of the battery compartment makes it fit just the way it should.

 

I should have added in all that that I got this system for what I felt to be a fair price of $2034.99 total with tax and everything. This was because of a considerable discount Dell was having at the time like $400 off I think and several great free upgrades they offered that would have put the real price up closer to about $2800-$3000 and I'm not sure I would have wanted to pay that much for it. If it wasn't for the great price I'd probably be on an E1505 right now instead for a lot less than $2800. That or I would have waited till another deal on this one came around, which they always do.

 

Good review. Shame about no pics .

 

Great review. The professional reviews have all the same info

and this review is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

In addition, I also want to hear about light leakage.

 

sounds like a quality notebook, you said you have quite a bit of experience, just wondering if you can elaborate on how that nvs120m runs... i need something reliable for 3D work but just dont have the cash for a dell/m65! this has everything but the quadro fx 350m graphics card

 

Great review. A nice way to start my day! Nice that you took the time and had the courage to write at length. So many reviews are space-limited. Good to get some positivity on WUXGA screens. Most of all I liked your musings on shopping, and decision-making on components. The Latitudes are a great line to go for. I have had a gpu-enhanced Precision M70 for a year now, and loved it every second. Classy machines that just do what is asked of them without a murmer.

 

Cool review, I just regret that I haven't read it before I ordered this gadget with 1GB 2DIMMs. I thought it would be faster due to dual channel and it will be enough, even for the future, but I'm not quite sure anymore.
Anyway, what I miss in this review is something more about screen. You wrote somewhere that you want to review if the screen flickers but I haven't seen it there.
I'm concerned about the quality, because my fellow owns a D610 and the screen is everything but sharp. I don't mind if it's a bit dimmer but the sharpness matters. Even my "value" E196 Flat Panel is far superior to D610.
Can you also tell about how responsive is the screen? Do you see blurring in the movies?

But I think I will be old and grey till my D820 gets to me.

philsenn> I guess the nvs120m will be pretty much the same as the fx350m except of 3D modelling software certification. Not quite sure how or if this will impact the performance with CAD or similar apps.

By the way, I found pretty much useful info in this review, cheers

 

Someone else had just submitted some very good pics on this same model last week, that's why I didn't put any in but instead put up some screen shots of the stuff I felt you wouldn't be able to see until you had one in your hands. Stuff I know I would have liked seeing before buying just out of curiosity, it of course was the first stuff I went after to look at as soon as I got it. By your request though, I will go back in either later tonight or tomorrow and put some pictures in. My batteries are dead in my digital camera right now, so I have them recharging.

On light leakage I don't see any when I have a solid black screen up, the entire screen looks to be an even shade of black all the way around it. WHich is kind of odd to me because if I place my face pressed up against the screen, there is a spot about 2 inches tall starting at the bottom left corner and going up where the cover meets the screen that I can see light from, about the width of maybe just under a light weight paper. The bottom and the rest of the way around seal up tight. Though I don't see it affecting anything on the screen, I can't tell it's there without like I said, pressing my face up tight to the screen and actually looking for it.

I haven't really pushed the video card to any limits, not much of what I do is going to do that, alot of scripting in notepad and command line work mainly. Probably the hardest I've pushed it is running PC Anywhere connected to another computer and in one window while running FreeBSD in a different window via VMWare then having my 10 or so usual browser windows open all at the same time. I could easily drag the different windows around the screen with no lags or jitters in any of them. I don't have any CAD or 3D software I use to try, but considering the specs on this graphics card compaired to what else is out there I don't see why you'd have any problems at least getting it done.

I do have a desktop PC with a much more expensive Geforce 7800GTX in it and for what I do I don't notice any difference between the 2 cards to justify how much more I paid for the desktop card, actually, as far as text, images, video and that kind of stuff, I think this one does a nicer job when plugged into the same monitor for comparison. As far as just telling you it will work fine, without actually trying it myself, I'd be hesatint to say.

I do have another update of something I noticed while playing around on it some more last night. This pertains to the built in WiFI signal locator switch on the left side. While the laptop is powered off, the green LED is an indicator of a signal presence and its strength. However, when the laptop is up and running the green LED doesn't come on at all, even if the switch is moved over to the locate signal position. I thought it was broke at first until I started playing around with it to figure out what was going on.

A little more history is in order here first I suppose. I'm one of those guys that absolutely HATES unneccisary programs running down there on my task bar by the clock. It just drives me nuts having those there for no reason so I remove all but the ones I do regularly use like the network indicators, Power Indicator (because I sometimes come unknowingly unplugged and like to know when it happens), anyhow, just the raw basics that should be down there. The "Dell Quickset" was one app they had autostarting and parking down there and it didn't meet my list of strict tolerances for allowable apps running down there and needless to say, it's gone.

What I discovered is, if you don't have the Dell Quickset app running as a background process the WiFi signal locator switch doesn't do anything if your booted up into Windows. If you start up the Dell Quickset app though and just have it in the system tray running, then switch the switch, rather than using the LED it instead brings you up a small window showing you your available WiFi options with a bar displaying the signal strength...

​

Another thing of interest to me, was that this built in WiFi card in the D820 seems to be pulling in a signal even better than 2 desktop PC's I have here with external WiFi antenna's coming off the back of the PCI card, and 2 laptops that have the WiFi cards plugged into the PCMCIA slot on them. None of these other computers are locating that second Network you see in the screen shot above which is obviously coming from a nieghbor around here somewhere. It's also picking it up pretty good considering half the bars are filled for it.

 

H@lub,
There is something about this screen I hate and it's not screen flickers, of which I see none.

I hate this screen because it makes me want to haul all my other monitors and my TV out to the curb on trash day. There is absolutely nothing about this screen I don't like, and the more I use it the more I'm liking it, everything on it is crisp and clean and I'm still only running at all the default settings it came set up at.

That's still a tough subject to base your own thoughts off of though, what one person likes may not be the same for another. WHile looking at all the other displays in the store though, this display certainly gets my vote as being my favorite. Don't tell Dell this, but I would have been willing to pay twice what they were charging for this screen upgrade if I knew it was going to look this good once I got it.

 

You mentioned that you got 1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 1 DIMM. However, when customizing a D820, I don't see this as an available option. Am I retarded?

 

Great review and great timing for me. I am trying to make a decision on a laptop for my daughter. She has about a year left in interior design school and will use Auto Cad. I want a laptop that is durable, dependable, and upgradable. basically everything you write about the D820. I am interested in your LCD and if I should make the upgrade for her.

I have edited the D820 and think I am about there but wish you would take a look and advise. In regard to the wireless capability, I do not totally understand which way to go. Also, I think I need a wireless router to feed off her desktop when she is at home.

Again, your review was very helpful and straightforward. Your time and effort are both appreciated. I have replaced parts on my Dell and upgraded memory myself but I haven't kept up with alot of this new technology and feel lost.

This is the current config:

Latitude D820 Intel® Core™ Duo T2300 (1.67GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Operating Systems Genuine Windows® XP Professional, SP2, with media
LCDs 15.4 inch Wide Screen WSXGA+ LCD Panel
Memory 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
Graphics 512MB NVIDIA® Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache™
Hard Drives 100GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 7200RPM
Fingerprint Reader for Added Security Fingerprint Reader Touchpad
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
Bluetooth Dell Wireless® 350 Bluetooth Module
AC Adapter 90W A/C Adapter
Optical Drive - Modular 24X CD-ROM Drive
Wireless LAN (802.11) Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card
Resource CD Resource CD - Contains Diagnostics and Drivers
Batteries 9 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 3 Year On-site Economy Plan

 

Excellent review. Thank you.

One question....does the D820 (or D620) have a scroll function on the touchpad? It clearly doesn't have the scroll button a la Thinkpad. I can't seem to find an answer.

 

CURSE ME for doubting you!

I just had to go look for myself, you appear to be right, they've changed the options, see I warned you that was going to happen, you were hoping the options would change and get better/cheaper. With Memory being the commodity it is, I'd guess they ran out and haven't found a good deal on more, or they ran out and are now trying to get rid of the other stuff that no one is buying and is stock pileing up.

From this page..
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/latit_d820?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

When I ordered mine I just started with that base system and selected my upgrades from there, and it was an option at that time. I notice now though, depending on which system you start with under the D820's, either the "Good" - "Better" - "Best" they have different memory options and prices for the same exact memory options vary between them.

Now wait a minute, they can't be out of 1Gig single DIMMs of the DDR2 667 memory, otherwise how would they be able to offer this option under the "Good" system options...

2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS [add $329

Or the same option but under what they consider the "Best" system options...

2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMMS [add $230

(Same RAM, $100 cheaper though with these options)

Obviously, they do have still the single DIMM 1Gb DDR2 667 memory, it's just no longer an option on the web site. I have read where people have phoned in their orders they claim to of been able to order options not listed on the web site.

Otherwise I'd suggest under the Good system options to go with the 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM [Included in Price] then plan on poping that keyboard off to replace both DIMMs once you get it with the single 1Gb's bought elsewhere for much cheaper. That, or just buy your full 2 Gb's of wanted memory now in that 2 DIMM package they do offer. That's an over $300 upgrade option though, you can buy the same thing yourself elsewhere for about half that price and either pocket the savings, or add it on in additional upgrades.

That blows for you either way though, because I know you had plans centered around this very subject. I don't know what the word for it is in English, but I know in Chinese it's "FukDat".

 

That's really a personal preference thing there and I really can't tell you what you or she would or wouldn't like, other than I like mine.

Wireless networking is certainly an easy way to go and it's easy to set up, it's certainly something you'll want to have built into any new laptop you buy, if you think your going to use it or not, you should still get it built in, it's the same price or cheaper than buying a seperate card for doing it later, and those PCMCIA cards get damaged very easily while moving around.

For you to set up a Wireless connection between the laptop and the home computer you'd need the wireless router you mention, and a wireless card to plug into the desktop computer at home. Most wireless router packages will come with the card for the desktop PC. Note though, these cards called PCI Slot cards would require you removing the cover of the desktop computer and physically plugging the card into the slot on the computer mother board. It's pretty fool proof to do and almost impossible to do anything wrong while doing it, but it still would need to be done and some people just freak out about doing such things.

There are other options though that don't require opening the desktop PC up at all, you can get many variations of "external" wireless adapters that just plug into the USB port on the outside of the desktop (providing your desktop PC has USB ports, most all do).

There are many brands and various prices for Wireless routers and equipment out there, don't be misled into thinking you need the most expensive one on the shelf, you can go into WalMart and just buy the cheapest one they sell, usualy about $49 for the router, $20 for the PCI type card, or about $20-$30 for the USB adapter if you go that route instead of the PCI card option. So for about $70-$80 you could have everything you need for a home network to be up and running.

Another option you could look at since your only wanting to connect a single laptop to a single desktop PC is just a good old fashioned Direct Connection or refered to as DCC (Direct Cable Connection). All this would require you to buy is a single cable.

The type of cable will depend on what kind of ports you have on the back of the desktop PC, if it has a built in networking card on it already with an "RJ45" port (or plug/socket) (these look like the plug from your phone would plug into them, but just a little bit wider) you can use the best method, this would require your buying a "CAT5 CROSSOVER Cable" and just plugging it into both computers, no other hardware required.

You have to make sure it's a "Cross Over" cable though or it won't work. Standard blue CAT5 networking cables you see at your electronics stores are NOT cross over cables, these are "Straight Thru" cables, not what you want. Ask specificly for a cross over cable, then read the package and make sure thats what the moron salesman gave you.

No RJ45 network port on the back of the desktop? Then you'd want to do a DCC with the serial ports, your desktop computer almost certainly has a Serial port, the new Dell Latitudes oddly have a serial port on them (must be a lot of network admins buying this model as well). Again though, you'll need a special Serial cable called, you guessed it, a Cross Over Serial Cable, and again, not the common Serial cable your going to find, so you'd need to specificly look for the Cross Over cable to do it this way.

That would probably work just fine for you, if I could myself though, I'd consider going up maybe to the T2400 processor as a minimum. With the Video card you selected your also going to want to add at a minimum another one of those 512Mb DIMM's after you get the laptop for a total of 1Gb of RAM, only a single 512Mb isn't going to be enough RAM (Memory) while using that video card and for wanting to run CAD software on the computer. That's cheap and easy for anyone to fix though after you get the laptop.

The touchpad and the stick control both have the ability to turn on or off the scroll function in their settings. The touchpad allows you to custom set what you want each of the 4 corners to do. Its, the touch pad, the stick, and all 4 buttons are very user configurable with so many options some are even new to me, but to just answer your question, yes you can use touchpad or stick to scroll in addition to there normal functions.

 

This is a really weird thing, I’m convinced this option is still available and it’s only cut out from the web store because of some marketing reasons. I suggest you call Dell and ask for it.
However, it’s still possible for the UK web store, so I probably change this as my order hasn’t still reached the production stage and the price is the same.
I've been told it will last about a month till it gets to me
By the way, my option 2x512 667MHz isn’t on the web either. (UK)

Esoterica,
I’m pretty happy about the screen, which was my only one major reason to go for e1505/6400. Ok, that and the price, but I’m glad I chose the Latitude. Indeed, it looks like Dell has improved the screens over Dx10 series. I’ve friends with the D610 and D810, both with SXGA+ option, and they say the 810 has a noticeably better screen that the 610. But anyhow, I’m no longer worried about the screen of my new lappy. Cheers.

 

Great. Thanks.

 

Hi!
Great review . My son is looking for a laptop for his last year (I hope) or two in college (engineering and GIS/AutoCAD). He was looking at both the D820 and M65. From what we have read, these are almost identical machines except for the video card.

Are we correct on the assumption that both machines are the same except for the video cards?

Did you ever consider the M65 instead of the D820?

Are there any reviews, such as yours, for the M65?

Thanks

 

It's cheaper for the "Best" system because you're upgrading from the 1 GB of RAM it starts with, where the "Good" system starts with 512MB. It's the same price, but in the "Good" system you have to pay to upgrade to the 1 GB first.

Yea, like I said, my luck sucks. Oh well, I'm sure it'll change more by July

 

Esoterica, thanks for the review. I'm surprised that yours didn't come pre-installed with Google Desktop as mine did. I'd like to echo the superlatives that you let flow with great frequency about the D820 - love the speed, screen, features, absence of bloat (except google desktop, although I do use it), and Dell order process. Highly recommended. The biometric login is pretty cool as well.

 

When I called Dell today to ask a few questions, I was told I could not buy the Latitude D820 without a business tax id number. Has anyone heard anything about this?

 

Why not just going with the online ordering process?
In fact, esoterica answered my related question in detail in another thread, which you can find by searching by name (either " kyeongsoo" or " esoterica").

 

does the D820 have the media direct capability like the E1505? I'm really leaning towards the D820 but I really like the idea of the media direct

 

That's BS, I don't own or have a business, let alone a tax ID number. When filling out my order there was one box that asked only for the name of your business, in which case I made up a name. There are no Federal or International laws which state what type of laptop you can buy if you are or are not a business owner, think about how stupid that sounds.

The D820 does NOT have the media direct buttons on it. Are you looking for a laptop or a DVD player? You can buy a DVD player which lets you play media directly on your TV for about $39.00, so if your looking for a media player your better off just buying the $39 DVD player and plugging it into your TV.

Ok, I have some pictures, mind you, I'm certainly no photographer, I bought my digital camera also because it was the smallest digital camera available at the time and can be easily carried in my pants pocket (which sometimes creates pictures none of you will ever be able to see without paying a fee first). There was someone else who recently posted some very nice pics of the D820, so if you want to see nice pics do a search.

Most of these are self explanatory, well except maybe that last one, it wasn't a shot taken by a camera, just a screen shot of my windows desktop. Me and that desktop go all the way back to the very first day Windows 95 was released and I've been using the same desktop wallpaper ever since, it's brought me good luck, just wish I could someday hook up with that crazy swinger couple.

 

Good comprehensive review! Now all you need are some pics of the unit itself.

edit: Nevermind.. just saw your last post lol.

 

Are you a student? The D820 is listed on the "Government Healthcare and Education" section. Shouldn't have a major problem getting it if you are.

 

I've posted this 100 times already it seems. Listen carefully one more time....

YOU DO NOT NEED TO OWN, OR FOR THAT MATTER EVEN BE EMPLOYED BY A BUSINESS TO BUY A SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEM FROM DELL!

When ordering you will be confronted by a single box that asks for the name of your business ONLY. You can fill in any name you like in this box, even the name of the business you actually work for if that makes you fell better. If you don't know what to fill in for the box that asks for the name of your business then feel free to select one of the following prenamed businesses I'll provide for you...

Hewlet Packard (let Dell think they are selling a laptop to HP)
Pimp Local 782 (Buy Union Made products)
Smith Jones Drug Cartel Of Eastern Canada (USA Offices)
Beech Where's My Money (non unionized Pimp services)
Get A friggin Clue (anyone still asking about having to own a business)

Anyhow, more time to spend on this thing has brought forth some updates I'd like to share. I have a big one on the Biometric fingerprint hardware and software I'll devote to a new post here of it's own.

Also, some features of this system have to be turned on in the BIOS settings and the defaults from Dell leave them turned off. There are alot of good BIOS options on this system you'll discover on your own, I'll leave those for you to discover on your own. However I do need to add, I mentioned I could hear no hard drive noise what so ever, turns out there's an option in the BIOS that is not set to "Performance" by default which runs your hard drive only fast enough to not make any noise.

I've swithced the BIOS setting over to full "Performance" forthe hard drive and while not noticing any significant performance gains, I did notice if you carefully listen, and i do mean carefully, with this option set to performance you'll hear that usual click sound of data writting to the hard drive, ever so faintly.

There is a great ability on this system to turn and tune alot of what you want the system to be like within the BIOS settings, quiet, battery saving, or not carrying max me out, this can all be further fine tuned with in the BIOS settings.

 

You can set the pad for horizontal and vertical scrolling.

 

Great review, l just spent way too much time reading all of it though