The Bottom Line: The combination of light weight, outstanding display, Pentium and Centrino technologies, couple with the integrated wireless NIC make the Dell Latitude D600 sits head and shoulders above the rest.
vemartin's Full Review: Dell Latitude D600 PC Notebook
I recently started a new job as a Senior Systems Analyst running the Microsoft Exchange 2003 installation for a mid-sized Mid-West financial company. Fortunately for me the new job did not entail moving; indeed the morning commute is actually shorter! My job is made considerably more palatable because I was issued a Dell Latitude D600light weight notebook computer. This is in addition to my standard Dell Optiplex GX280 convertible desktop computer.
Right from the beginning I could tell I was going to like my new Latitude D600; it is small and light weight which makes it easy to carry day after day, as I will be required to do. In my new job work never stops, and working from home is expected. It helps to carry a notebook that will not put a dent in my shoulder or an ache in my back.
The Laptop
Make no mistake Latitude D600 is not a full feathered desktop replacement; the unit has limited processing power, and only sports (2) USB 2.0 ports, (1) PC Card slot and (1) 9-pin mini-din (keyboard/mouse) connection. True most modern pointing devices have standard USB connections, but plug one in and you are down to one USB connection. But for my use the Latitude D600 will do just fine.
Most of the laptop’s connections are aligned along the back of the unit and include (2) aforementioned USB connections; (1) 9-pin mini-din (keyboard/mouse) connection; (1) RJ-11 modem port; (1) RJ-45 Ethernet port; (1) printer port; (1) SVGA port and; (1) serial port. The power receptacle sits to the right of the serial port.
The right side of the slate gray Latitude D600 houses the DVD/CD-RW drive, while on the left is the lone PC Card slot. Underneath this slots sits the IrDA port and forward of both is the audio and microphone jacks, which can be removed to make way for an optional second hard drive.
The bottom of the unit houses the usual access panels: removable battery, hard drive, and memory; there are two user installable slots left open for the installation of additional memory. At the rear of the Latitude D600 is a 280-pin port for attaching the laptop to a port replicator, or expansion station.
Lift the top and you are greeted to minimalism at it finest. The matt black keyboard is well laid out with bright white keys that are easy to read. The lone control panel houses the power switch, speaker volume controls and speaker mute switch. LED indicators for cap/num lock can also be found here.
A now familiar nib/eraser head mouse control occupies the middle of the keyboard, and a touch pad is built into the wrist rest portion of the unit, along with large push buttons that act as left and right mouse controls.
The 14.1” SXGA Active Matrix LCD display also houses the antenna for the integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG 802.11b/g Ethernet chip (an Intel Centrino configuration).
First Impressions:
As I stated above, I like the Latitude D600. The unit is light weight, sturdy and performs quite well for a notebook with only a 1.6GHz processor under the hood. But the Pentium (4) M is known for its performance scores, besting some fully grown Pentium 4 processors operating at twice their clock speeds.
My unit came standard with 256MB of DDR SDRAM, but there is an additional 256MB installed in one of the user up-gradable slots on the bottom of the unit. The 40GB hard drive also delivers sterling performance, and is certainly adequate for the work I will be doing with the unit.
The best feature of the Latitude D600 is the SXGA display. The 14.1 inch screen is bright, crisp and clear. It is by far one of the best, if not the best LCD display I have ever used. With SXGA the screen can obtain a maximum resolution of 1400 x 1050, which is far too small for this size display, but hey its nice to know its there if need be.
Touch Pad
I have mixed feelings in general about touch-pads. While I like the feel and silky movement the touch-pad provides, a mouse is more fluid in motion and provide more control over the cursor. But the touchpad on the Latitude D600 is unlike those installed on other models I have heretofore used; there is no film to wear away under continued use. The pad is made of a material I can’t quite identify; it’s not medal, but it doesn’t feel like plastic either. But the cursor moves rather nicely when the pad is utilized.
But like most touch pads the slightest touch can have un-intended consequences. So I shut the touchpad off.
Battery
The standard battery is an 8-cell Lithium-Ion. I have tested the longevity of the battery, and it lasted about 3.0 hours. The combination of Pentium M and Centrino technologies are supposed to prolong battery life. Frankly I do not consider 3.5 hours a bad showing.
Weight & Size
The Latitude D600 measures 1.2 inches thick, 12.4 inches wide, and 10.1 inches deep, and it weighs in at an easy-to-carry 5.5 pounds. The unit fits easily into the standard sized carrying case; the power supply is thicker than the notebook!
Conclusions
I have used other thin and light weight notebook computers; the Latitude D600 is the best of breed thus far. The combination of light weight, outstanding display, Pentium and Centrino technologies, couple with the integrated wireless NIC make the Dell Latitude D600 sits head and shoulders above the rest.
Features and Specifications:
Processor: Intel Pentium (4) M Processor @ 1.6GHz
Screen: 14.1" SXGA Active Matrix (1400 x 1050 maximum resolution) display;
Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM @ 266Mhz, Max 2.0 GB; 2 user accessible memory sockets on system board;
Video Card: 32MB 4X AGP; ATI Mobility Radeon 9000;
Removable Storage: 8X/24X/24X/24X DVD/CD-RW multifunction drive;
Fixed Storage: User removable 40GB 5400 rpm hard drive;
NIC - Wired: Broadcom 570X Gigabit 10/100/1000 Ethernet;
NIC - Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG 802.11b/g
Modem: V.92/56K Modem;
Ports: 1x Parallel printer port; 2x USB 2.0 ports; 1x SVGA; 1x Type II PC Card (PCMCIA) slots; 1x headphone & microphone jacks; IrDA (Infrared);
Docking:280-pin connector for the Latitude D/Port-Family, Advanced Port Replicator, or D/Dock-Family Expansion station
OS: Windows XP Professional SP 2.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1300 Operating System: Windows Processor: Other Processor speed: over 1000 Screen Size: 14 inches RAM: More than 256 Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD Hard Drive (GB): Under 4
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