Now that I’ve had the notebook for a few weeks, I’ve had enough time to evaluate and write a review.
I’m always a little skeptical when I personally read reviews like this, when the reviewer is the owner of the product (not just on loan for the review.) Sometimes they are really good because you get the perspective of a “typical” user. On the other hand, the “typical” user doesn’t always have a lot to compare it to. With that in mind, I’ll do my best to write this from the perspective of a very picky geek user, because I’m probably not typical.
It may help to take a look at my “The Hunt for a New Laptop” post to understand some of my requirements when I purchases this laptop.
Configuration
Here’s the actual configuration I purchased. I just copied the relevant things directly from the invoice.
- Latitude D620, Intel Core Duo T2400, 1.83GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache, Dual Core
- 14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD for Latitude D620
- 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM for Dell Latitude Notebooks
- Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
- 80GB Hard Drive 9.5MM, 7200RPM for Dell Latitude DX20
- Standard Touchpad for Latitude D620
- No Floppy Drive for Latitude D-Family Notebooks
- Windows XP Professional, SP2 with media, for Latitude
- Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module for Latitude
- 65W AC Adapter for Latitude D-Family
- 8X DVD+/-RW with Roxio Creator Dell Edition Digital Media and Cyberlink Power DVD, for Latitude 120L
- Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) mini Card Latitude, Factory Install
- Resource CD w/ Diagnostics and Drivers for Latitude D620
- 6-Cell/56 WHr Primary Battery Latitude D620
- *Type 3 Contract – Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
- *Type 3 Contract – Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, 2 Year Extended
- *CompleteCare Accidental Damage Svc, Lat, 3Yr
- D/Port, Port Replicator for Latitude D-Family, Factory Tied
The only major hardwares feature I opted out of was the fingerprint reader on the touch pad and the integrated 3G data card. The fingerprint reader looks like a neat feature to toy around with, but for $100 I really don’t have a need for it. Same goes for the 3G card. It’s a cool feature for them to offer, but I have no desire to drop down the cash for the card or the serice fees for this.
In the picture you can see the actual laptop. I placed it next to my latest issue of Make: (which is a really cool magazine, BTW) I did this to give you a real sense of the size. The magazine is 8″x10″.
The actual weight of my configuration turned out to be about 5.4lbs.
yorkspace.com 
Hello,
Thank you very much for the review!!
I currently own a Latitude D610 and the one thing that REALLY frustrates me is the audio quality. It is not apparent when the built in speakers are used (probably because they are crappy to begin with) but the moment I plug in the headphone, I could hear a VERY audible hissing noise in the background. Even my low quality PDA (Tungsten E series) has no such problems.
Do you experience similar problems with the D 620?
Cheers
Kelvin,
I’ve used the headphone jack quite a lot on my D620 and I have not experienced the hissing noise.
I would guess that the built-in speakers are no better than the D610. I always have low expectations when it comes to laptop speakers.
Hi,
Nice review!! I was wondering a couple of things about the port replicator. Is it the D/Port Advanced Port Replicator? Have you connected external speakers to the port? If so, how does it sound? I have read somewhere that it is aweful sound from the dock. Also, how easy is it to release the computer from the dock?
Thanks in advance!
In Response to Robert:
Yes, it is the D/Port Advanced Port Replicator.
It is very easy to release the computer from the dock. The button on the
far right is actually more of a “lever” type thing. You push it down
about 3/4 of an inch and it releases and pushes the laptop up off the
mounting posts. It’s WAY better than the HP port replicator I’ve used.
As far as the audio quality, I was just going to post a simple answer, but it turned into another blog entry:
http://www.yorkspace.com/2006/06/49
Well I have the d620 and a BB 8700r and the sucker won’t detect the services on it. I can connect it to my HP nw8000 and some other persons sony erricson phone but not the BB. Strange and I can’t say I am too happy about that given the presence that BB has these days. BAD DELL!!!! tsk tsk.
Very nice review! , and i am happy to know that d620 has no hissing noise, because i am using d610 now with the really terrible hissing noise….. i may plan to buy one d620 🙂 thx
very nice review. thanks!
could you test the battery life with the wifi finder off? I’m wondering if that’ll make much of a difference.
In Response to Ken,
I believe that the WiFi finder does not have any impact on the battery. It only turns on when you slide the switch. Then, it is only on for a few seconds to indicate if a WiFi network is present or not.
Great review. I’m nearly ready to order a new 620, but I have one concern. On the Dell website, in the 620 forum there is a thread about the screens on these looking very grainy or fuzzy when compared to a 610 or other comparable Dell models. Have you noticed anything like this?
Thanks again for a well written review.
In Response to Jeff,
I haven’t noticed the fuzzy-ness, but I haven’t had the opportunity to set it next to a 610 to compare. Also, remember that they offer two different displays on the 620. I have the higher resolution one (1440×900).
I also have a 21″ Viewsonic LCD display, and I would say that the Viewsonic is sharper than the 620 display, but I don’t know if that helps.
I’ve certianly seen better laptop displays out there, but I’m no expert in this area to know what to look for.
If you want, you can send me an image. I’ll put it on my laptop and take an up-close picture with my digital camera. I’ve got a pretty good 4MP Canon Elph that takes nice macro shots.
I have just got a new D620 and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get sound through the headphones. I have plugged my earphones into the jack and sond continues to come through the built in speaker. I called Dell support and they came and changed the mother board but it made no difference. Any ideas would be gratefully recieved. Thanks
In Response to Ben,
I really don’t have any idea on that. I’m assuming you’ve tried multiple sets of headphones. But it sounds like you’ve got a bad machine. I would have thought that replacing the motherboard would fix that too… it looks like the headphone jack is directly mounted on the board.
You may want to try some of the Dell community forums on this one. Good luck.
Hi again,
I was wondering if this thing supports 1680×1050 resolultion through the dvi in the dock to an external lcd monitor. I have the nvidia quadro 110 video card on mine.
Thanks again!
Jason,
I have been hearing about posts saying that the D620 runs quite hot and has been starting to shutdown for no apparent reason (Apple MacBook with same processor does as well). Do you feel that the bottom is too hot to place on your lap? Has the D620 shutdown on you?
I’m evaluting a D620 for my company and so far I can concur with the comments about running hot… this is not something you want near your lap for very long!
Also the standard screen is appalling. Totally unusable if you sit with your back to a window even on full brightness. Nowhere near as good as the standard screen in my D600.
In Response Robert,
Yes, I was able to verify that the DVI does work through the docking port, and it does work at 1680×1050. However, I have the Intel 945 video chipset. To enable it for the Intel chip, select Control Panel->Display->Settings->Advanced->Intel Graphics->Graphics Properties.
When you have the DVI connected, it will show an additional “Digital Monitor” option under “Display Devices”
I would imagine that if it works for the Intel chipset, it should also work for the nVidia.
Hope that helps.
In Response to Everett:
I’ve used it quite a bit on my lap, and I never thought it was too hot. I’ve also never had it shut down on me either. However, I’ve never sat down with it to watch a movie or really taxed the processor with it on my lap. Typically , I’m just doing email or web browsing. I’ll sometimes do some PHP Eclipse development while sitting on the couch, and it’s never been a problem.
That’s just my experience, it sounds like “Pumbie” (comment above) would say otherwise.
If you order it with the 5400 RPM it will not overheat, but if you order the D620 with the 7200 it will overheat. This is a consistent repeatable pattern. I have my Desktop Support guys order all the Latitudes with 5400 RPM Drives.
Hi! I’ve just purchased d620 with a docking station. The left side of the bottom is becoming hot while working on docking station. Is it normal?
I just got a D620 and I concur with all of the comments about the screen, I think there is somthing wrong with it. Fuzzy graphics and poor resolution compared to my D600 really a step down , I am sending mine back its that bad in my opinion.
I also just go a new D620 with the standard WXGA and Intel video chip on board. I am not happy with the fuzzy screen texture and the limited settings options on the card. Also a big downer for me is no S-Video out on the machine. I don’t want to carry a doc everywere just for that. My other maching is a D600 and it hase the S-Video and a better ATI graphics card. I think the screen also looks better. I think both Dells run hot… I use them on my lap a lot and sweat! On the upside the Duo processer is great when running multiple applications ith a process like a virus scan going on in background. I’m Still undesided whether to send it back but I wonder if it would be an improvement if I got the WXGA+ and a better Graphic card?
Can anyone confirm whether the D620 on the D/port can drive (2) 20″ (1600×1200) monitors (one plugged into the RGB port, one into the DVI port).
Specifically for the one w/ the standard intel graphics chipset.
Thanks
Robert
Hi Ben,
I just got my new Dell Latitude 620 and I am facing the same problem with the headphones. Could you tell me if you managed to resolve your problem and if so what you did to fix it.
Thanks
Vanaja
Hi Vanaja,
I went to Dell’s website and downloaded the audio package drivers which were not installed for some reason and then it worked fine.
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=ie&l=en&s=gen&releaseid=R122161&formatcnt=1&libid=0&fileid=162467
“Can anyone confirm whether the D620 on the D/port can drive (2) 20″ (1600×1200) monitors (one plugged into the RGB port, one into the DVI port).”
I am also very interested in this feature (one LCD 20″ 1600×1200 and one LCD 17″ 1280×1024 for me…).
Can anyone confirm ?
I have 1x CRT 1024×768 (VGA) and 1x LCD 1280×1024 (DVI) running extended windows desktop at work when the 620 is docked, it runs great!.
IMHO the LCD panels on this model are rubbish. I have heaps of experience with D600/610/800/810 and it’s nowhere near as good as these models.
Rob.
Be careful of what you buy. GET SPECIFIC CONCRETE INFO ON ALL DELL PARTS
purchased a DEll 820 with 512mb video. I was specifically told that this was a dedicated 512mb card. Once I get it, I see the bios sees only 256 not 512 or 256 shared only 256.
Dell went through a number of problem solving trials.
Flash the bios
Reinstall video card software.
Claim that Windows overrides Bios and that what the motherboard sees doesn’t matter. Backed off when I asked about motherboards that can’t handle more than X number of Gigs of Ram or X number of gigs of HDD.
Pressure me into giving explicit descriptions of how performance was affected by only having 256 ram.
Set up tech call.
Cancel tech call, claim that 256mb is shared even though bios can’t read it…it is there.
Refuse return, told me I should have read specific documentation about how the motherboards work and the turbo memory. Told me I would need to pay for shiping and 15% restock.
Called Nvidia. Dell 820 is the only motherboard that can not read the additional 256 on the card. There is 256 shared, but the board used may not be able to see the card. LOTS OF COMPLAINTS TO NVIDIA.
Result…. Gave laptop to wife. Bought the remainder of the 15 laptops for the office here at the university from Toshiba. $2,290.00 *15.
Dell does everything to be obtuse and lie. They promised specific performance then treated me like I should know everything about their motherboards…which according to NVIDIA can’t even see the ram.
Our company uses Dell laptops (somebody in our company MUST be wined, dined and 69’ed on Dells expense) and for the last two years I’ve had a D600, even though my motherboard has broken twice, the dvd-rw twice and the battery has given up on me once one of it’s pros has always been a fairly decent screen.
Just got my brand new D620 and after looking at it for a couple of hours I returned it, even though everything is top notch on this machine the screen is just AWFUL, and the screen is the most important part IMHO! Not only did they steal ~10% of my desktop the screen is just fuzzy you feel drunk just by looking at it.
I hereby swear that the next time I’m hunting for a job one of the questions I’ll be asking from the company is wether they use Dell computers or not.
I currently have an Inspiron 8600. It’s been a rock solid machine; no problems or complaints.
I am purchasing a D620 through an employee purchase plan and have to make a decision: Keep the D620 for myself and give my daughter the 8600 or vice versa.
I won’t get the D620 for another month or so. Any thoughts on the matter? I know; tough decision to make, right?
Thanks,
R Pugh
Hey Randolph, Yeah it’s a tough call. I think it really comes down to usage. The D620 is a much more portable machine, being smaller and lighter. In general, the Latitude series also tends to be more durable since they are Dell’s “business line.” Overall the D620 will obviously be a better machine. If your daughter is a student, she’ll appreciate not lugging around the 8600. Just get a good laptop backpack! I’ve got one form Wenger Swiss Gear and I love it.
If you can, I would wait until you have the D620 in your hands before making the decision.
Good Luck!
I’ve been using a D620 for a couple of weeks now, just upgraded from an inspiron 8500 (thanks work! 😉
Personally I find the screen (the higher res one) to be fine, not as nice as my desktop one, but nicely crisp (could do with a bit more brightness mind). I’ve never noticed the brightness changing automatically either.
Using it mainly for web browsing etc, I’ve not noticed it getting much hotter than any other laptop.
The Dell docks are nice, all our laptop users here at work use them. Once you’ve used them for a little while connecting them becomes less of a guess, and not having to fumble around plugging in 20 cables when you sit down at your desk is handy.
The battery life isn’t as long as I’d like, but it’s as good as any other laptop I’ve ever had (which isn’t saying much).
Oh, and the LED that tells you the wireless is on is far too bright…
If you are just thinking about buying a D620 and haven’t pulled the
trigger yet, you may want to read this forum first:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=latit_video&message.id=21944
I have just configured my new D620 both with Windows XP Pro and OpenSuSE Linux. I do think it runs rather hot, although that is still bearable. What I find extremely disappointing, or even appalling as someone put it above, is the screen. I come from an inspiron 8200 which had a beautifully crisp and bright display, with a basically unlimited viewing angle.
Now I am sitting in from of a screen that changes when I just slightly move my head, and to clearly see the outer ends of the display I have to move my head over so the view is at 90 degrees. Seems the device is good enough for quickly writing an email in the plane, but for serious work I’ll have to return to my desktop. How could they do such a thing with a “professional” product.
I have a d620 that I got for school about a month ago. I use a 19″ Hanns G widescreen LCD that I connect to the DVI on the port replicator. At first, the docking was perfect and I had no problems, but lately every time I try to dock it, it won’t recognize the external LCD and I cannot switch it over via Fn+F8. It has progressively taken longer and longer (1 min at first to 30 min last week) to get it to recognize it, and finally last night it wouldn’t at all. I am using the Intel integrated graphics. Any ideas for a fix?
Got my Latitude 620 about a week ago. I concur that the screen is no good, even in the WXGA+. Per earlier comments the viewing angle is terrible. I was impressed with the new shell, it is much stiffer than old models and feels far more substantial. The functionality is good. However I have had to return mine due to poor construction. The screen framing was pulling away from the screen and the body of the machine was attached poorly.
Most of the comments on this machine have been spot on. We will see how well my replacement holds together.
Hi Thanks for the review. I’m about to buy the D620, however, I’ve come across a number of reviewers complaining about the quality of hte screen (haziness, grainy appearance). Have you had teh same experience with your machine?
thx
stefan
FYI, here’s the Google cache of the link that alesis provided above. Apparently the original message was removed.
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:InpOtNpojjEJ:forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message%3Fboard.id%3Dlatit_video%26message.id%3D21944&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9
Regarding Latitudes D620, I’ve had one for less than a month and have already had the mother board replaced, operating system crash, have gotten a replacement laptop, and now I have what seems to be a “hybernate” issue.
Has anyone experienced or tried………………
System Restore: After going back to a previous configuration (1st try), Windows constantly thinks it’s loading up new software when you start up an applicaton. A dialog box stating “Preparing to install” and stays up for about 3 minutes before you can do anything else. This also killed all functionality to all USB ports and DVD player (Dell couldn’t solve the problem so they replaced it)
Hybernate mode on Replacement laptop:
Lose power button functionality where you can’t even turn the laptop ON.
Definitely repeatable.
Steps to recreate condition:
1. Go to Start menu
2. click “shut down”
3. select “hybernate”
4. wait aprox. 3 minutes
5. power button will not function.
Just some problems I was upset and dissappointed about. Just in case you guys haven’t tried those scenarios yet. I’m returning the laptop disassocciating myself with Dell.
I purchased the 620 ocotber 25. Less than week later the motherboard had to be replaced. As of yesterday november 14, it has to be replaced again. Tech chat wasn’t willing to speculate what could be causing this problem. Would anyone care to speculate?
Has anyone tried running 3D graphic software on this D620? I’m an architect in Denver, and a fellow office mate bought this machine from Dell 2 months ago. But I run pretty heavy graphic software (Photoshop CS, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Revit, and SketchUp.) HIs machine seems to be running CAD just fine, I’m more concerned about the 3D software (SKetchUp and ArchiCAD. Revit’s just a dog that I’d soon remove from my software list!) I’m use to looking for an OpenGL video card in my computer specs. Just wondering if anyone out there is running any of these 3D software programs on this machine? It looks fantastic! I enjoy most of the machine specs — and his screen is very nice once you turn the screen display light up to max. levels. IMHO.
You might be happy to know that there IS a hardware disable key for the wireless. Slide the “wifi finder” switch away from you (to the very very light grey “0” position) and voila, same as clicking the taskbar icon.
I’ve had trouble with a docking port and the Dell Latitude 620. At first it worked OK. But then the port appeared to not recognize the keyboard, and the laser mouse did not light up. Actually, the port was recognizing the keyboard, but each keystroke took from 30 to 90 seconds to register on the external screen attached to the docking port. Makes for a very slow log-in.
Thanks a lot to Ben (comment of Aug. 3rd) ! I have the same problem with my D620 under Linux Ubuntu Edgy : internal speakers not muting when headphones are plugged. I am going to upgrade the BIOS and add the new driver as you said. Muriel
Well, I’d just ordered a Dell Latitude D620 2X2GHz 2GB RAM and the WXGA display instead of the WXGA+ display. I was particularly worried that people are complaining about the display quality on the D620. Now I’ve used it for a day or two and I think that its an excellent piece of work. The display, though at 1280 X 800, (which I do regret – could’ve done better considering today’s displays) does not have any other flaws. It is good enough for what I do. As far as the sound goes, Latitudes are corporate laptops – the Inspirons and the gaming laptops are more suited for the music savvy. I use the laptop with skype to make calls, and the speakers do the job, not to mention the excellent microphone. Overall, its a good pick…. If you’ve ever tried running the new Office 2003 on some other laptops that are out there, you’ll appreciate the Latitude D620 – Great choice if you are into office applications, web page authoring and some hardcore multitasking! Most of my work lies with Office 2003, Visual Studio 2005, Adobe Photoshop and numerous instances of Internet Explorer. I’d say go for it – just try to get a higher resolution display – the WXGA+ (1440 X 900) as opposed to just WXGA (1280 X 800).
And need I mention that the 9-cell battery takes me through at least 5-6 hours of operation without the need to charge. I have never seen a better laptop as far as power consumption goes. I used to have an Inspiron 600M.
Hi,
I connected my Imate JAMin with HP Laptop 2700t series by bluetooth mode without any problems. I can accept or deny the incoming calls in Laptop itself. Whereas when i connected my Imate JAMin with DELL Latitude 620, there are no such options like that. Moreover it is connected as a bridge whereas i can only send the files between laptop and Imate. Can anyone tell me how to get those applications?
Hi,
I was just reading some of the comments above, I have a question for whoevere can answer, I just got my D620 Lattitude a week ago, and there is some kind of beeping sound from the middle of the laptop or atleast it sounds like it is coming from the middle of the laptop, I have 2 DIMMS 2 gig ram, 100 gig HD, 2.16 GHZ duo core processor, intel wireless card, a bluetooth module in there as well, anyhow, has anyone heard of it or experienced it, or might know what could it be, I do have a gold contract with them but I don’t think they know what it is, basically told me to take the whole thing apart and try plugging em in one by one and see.
I wold really appreciate the help. (This is first time ever, I am using this method to find an answer and don’t even know how it works) Thanks
I have a D620 and everything works fine except it doesn’t detect my PS/2 3 button optical mouse. The keyboard and old decrepit rollerball mouse works fine but I want to use the mouse that I recently bought for my office desktop (which I replaced w/the laptop). I tried an online session w/Dell’s support people and was asking about changing the BIOS but they didn’t know what I was talking about.
Usman, it sounds like the highly annoying (maximum volume) system beep that’s bothering you. We put up with it for two days in our office before I was driven to find a fix.
– Make a right-click on the desktop icon “My Computer”, then click “Manage”.
– Click on “Device Manager”. Click on “View”-Menu then “Show hidden Devices”.
– Click on “Non-Plug and Play Drivers”. Then make a right-click on “Beep” and choose “disable”.
– After, you must reboot your notebook. Then a have no more beep.
I hope this brings you a bit more peace and quiet.
I am wondering how the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 will handle Autocad and Photoshop.. A good deal on a laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo T7200, 2 gigs of ram.. 17″ screen…The question is the video. My son is an architect major in school. The price $1199. Any input is appreciated
We have a bunch of the latitude 620’s at work and we all agree, the display (1440×900) is VERY poor quality. It’s not very bright, grainy and the colour contrast is bad. I’ve used a lot of laptops and this is one that I’ll only use connected up to an external dispaly – the lcd on it is that bad.
Also, as noted above the audio port hisses quite noticably. So don’t buy this if you are intending on listening to any music other than FM radio (where you won’t notice).
However, wireless range and speed on this are great.
Thank you for that fix Corey! We just got a few of these at work and the beeping was driving us crazy.
Thanks for the BEEP fix Corey!!!. Everyone at the office kept on looking at me whenever I missed a password….
Helpful hands-on review. I have been looking at the D620 since my D400 is getting a little long in the tooth. Like you, I use a port replicator (which will fit both computers, I believe) and a higher resolution LCD screen on my desk. I have long used a desktop and laptop computer because I need multiple screens, but dince the D400 will accomodate multiple screens in the port replicator (on VGA and one DVI), that problem has been solved. The question is, would you recommend this machine as a desktop replacement that is also light enough to carry every day? In the months since the review, have you had any durability issues (other than the bezel you mentioned)? Finally, i have read several rave reviews about the D620 battery life, but there are usually comments of readers that follow, reporting that the battery life is so-so. Has yours been good?
Thanks again for the great review.
Sorry if this is not the forum for this – I actually have an 820, but found some posts here that suggest that the video display is poor. That is what I have noticed with my 820 – certain graphics (like graphical web-text) are hard to read and the quick-launch icons are grainy at best. I was on the phone with Dell for 1 hour and we could not get it resolved. Any suggestions?
it seems some people are having issues with their headphones, but my problem is completly vice versa, i can hear sound through headphones only, but when i take the headphones out no sound comes out through the internal speakers
its getting really annoying having to always use headphones.
if someone could help me i would be greatfull, thank you.
I have te same problem with my Dell D620: no sound from internal speakers, it sounds only when i use headphones or dock on his docking station.
Mr. Fleck.
Same issue with my D820. Try Firefox. It works fine.
Do you have the Nvidia card option?
Same problem w/my D620. Internal speakers just quit working teh other day – for no good reason. I can hear sound very faintly w/slider to the max, but the external jack works fine. And yes, very annoying to have to use headphones all the time. Searched Dell’s website, couldn’t find a fix. Dunno what to do about it. Suggestion anyone? Thanx.
well im gona keep searching for some sort of solution for this.
il post it up here if i find something
please can you guys do the same, thanx
i reinstalled the sigmatel audio driver and its all working again, heres the link for the driver if you are running xp
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/downloads/en/downloads_splash?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~mode=popup&file=162467
if your not running xp then check dells website, they should have it.
finaly my audio is fixed
Hi David Patrelli, I too had a problem similar to your with the Dell D620. Sound thru Head Phones and No Sound through Internal Speakers. I Upgraded the BIOS to the latest Firmware Version [A07] and installed the Latest Audio Drivers too. But, Notebook works fine / there is sound thru Internal Speakers once I remove the Headphones from the Jack ONLY of i use the hibernate option. If i restart / shutdown the Notebook, the issue still persists. I have to install the Audio Drivers again and again. Can you try using the Headphones again and shutting down/restarting the Notebook and post the status? Thank You in advance.
Does anyone know how to access the bios before it asks for the password?
I bought a D620 used and would like to change the password. I didnt get
any user manuals with it, and sure could use some help. I went to Dell, but couldnt find what find what I needed. Also does anyone know what the
system utility does? Please email me at [address removed] for any info you can provide to me. I really appreciate the help.
Sherry
You can press F2 to enter the BIOS, probably after you enter the password.
Here’s the user manual.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/latd620/en/index.htm
Hi
I have recently bought D620 with resolution at 1280×800.
How diffrent they are I mean 1440×900 and 1280×800. Aside from more screen estate what other scores it has ? Better viewing angle ??? Have you compared them ???
thanks
Hey,
We’ve been deploying the D620’s in our office for a few months now and have been seeing a continuous problem with getting BSOD’s and svchose.exe memory errors. Have you had any of these issues on your D620? It seems a hotfix has fixed the memory error but our laptops are still blue screening. At Dell’s suggestion we have upgraded to the latest video driver and updated the BIOS with no luck. Not looking for a fix, just wondering if you (or anyone reading this) has seen this issue.
Thanks!
I recently got a D620 with Vista Enterprise, and the D-Port replicator so I can use an external monitor when at my desk.
Many times when I put the D620 into the D-Port it fails to detect the presence of the external monitor, which therefore remains blank. Initially this worked most of the time but over the past three weeks or so it has deteriorated to the point where it only works about 10% of the time. I have to remove the D620 from the D-Port and force it to shutdown, then put it back in the D-Port and reboot to get the video back.
From the intermittent nature of the problem I am wondering if it is hardware-related. Could it be that there is a switch that detects the lid being closed, which causes the machine to look for the external monitor?
I had blue screen just one time until now .
So, if you have the D620 with the Intel 945 graphics AND you hook a 22″ WS monitor to the dock replicator using a DVI cable, you can have the external display driven at its native resolution of 1680×1050?!
When I called Dell saying that I wanted to buy their E228WFP but only if it worked at the native resolution I was told (after minutes of searching) no luck.
Even with Powerstrip I can’t see such a resolution… however, I don’t have a WS monitor hooked up.
cannon_fodder:
I think this answers your question: I have a VIEWSONIC VX2025wm 20.1″ and have the Docking station hooked up with DVI to the monitor and I can drive it at the native resolution of my monitor, which also happens to be 1680×1050. I can even extend the desktop to the notebook screen as well. I have the Intel 945 graphics.
Problems experienced thus far:
External Monitor is not picked up often. I have to enable it when it is not.
External Monitor has limited refresh rate at 32bit colour. 1600*1200@60Hz bites. 16bit colour enables 85Hz@1600*1200.
Nvidia Control Panel app does not support resolutions greater then 1280*1024, whats up with that.
1440*900 screen is grainy and awfully restrictive
Blue Screen – Obviously immature driver support, Worrying for a laptop that is not sold anymore.
I wouldn’t buy this laptop for myself, or recommend it for others. My previous laptop a Dell D600, Didn’t have these problems, and could happily run the external monitor at 1600*1200@85Hz no problems. The Panel was a little dim, but @ 1400*1050 that was expected when it was released.
_CeRt_
To confirm the dual monitor issue…
I have a dual core D620 with 1GB ram and the Intel 945 driving two external LCDs via the D/Port.
Graphics Card: Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Video BIOS: 1264
LCD #1: Dell 17″, VGA, 1280×1024, 32bit color, 75hz
LCD #2: Dell 20″ Ultrasharp, DVI, 1600×1200, 32bit color, 60hz
how do you force the video input thru the dvi cable on monitor #2? I have the exact same setup as mau mentioned on june 27th at 12pm…..but i cannot get a signal at all on the 2nd monitor
😦
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I am using D820 and it has a nasty loud hum on and off. I have to touch the finger print sensor constantly as a ground to stop the hum. This doesn’t happen all the time and I have no idea what triggers it. I suspect that it has something to do with the heat, but I don’t for sure.
I have a Dell 620 and need to connect to a speaker system to amplify the wav files from my powerpoint and I also need to connect a microphone into the mic jack for my voice over. It doesn’t work. It seems that the Dell 620 audio board can’t mix the two signals at once! My last 3 Thinkpads have done this simple function for me for 12 years!
I re-installed the SigmaTel drivers and everything but no go for the mic input. It seems it only accepts the mic input when you are recording.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Mike
Hi David Patrelli, thanks for ur solution. I too faced the same problem – no sound in internal speakers. i reinstalled the audio driver. Now my speakers are working fine 🙂
Emil
Thanks for the great input. Can anyone tell me if the supplemental Bay batteries(used in the DVD slot) I have for my 610 will work in a 620. I’m also interest in any comments on battery life.
Hello,
Very nice entry about Latidude D620.
I am offered by a company to get some used Latitude D620. The specifications:
Centrio Duo, 1.66 GHz, 1GB Ram, Hard Drive Capacity 57 GB
And the quoted price is $550 each that is mostly used for 7 months.
I checked but this model is no longer produced and I could not get the original price.
Do you know the origional price?
Is it reasonable to buy at that $550.
Thanks a lot
The original price was about $1,500 without the warranty in April 2006 when they were first released.
Hi,
got problem with my d620, no sound from my dvd although i`ve got good picture,also sound from my internal speakers is very weak,can anyone help please,can any body tell me if d600 internal speakers will fit in d620,thank you.
I am having a problem with my dell latitude D610. It automatically powers down on its own. I will be in the middle of working on something or just surfing the net and it just shuts down. It’s not a battery issue becauze I’m always using my power cord and I’ve even tried a brand new battery and the issue still persists. Any ideas as to what is going on??
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Thank you!! David Patrelli
I had the same problem and after installing the Sigmatel now everything is working wonderfully.
AHUA
thanks for the review, i have a problem since i’ve got the laptop in nov 2006, the bluetooth is not working at all, the drivers and softwares are there but no bluetooth, though i see other d620 laptops with bluetooth….did anybody experience this problem?
Thanks for the BEEP fix Corey!!
This beep for Dell 620 was running me crazy! How designers forgot to make beep volume adjustments.. Thank again, Corey!
WOW, thanks for BEEP fix!!!!!!
it’s driving me crazy too….
I’ve been using my Dell 620 for two years now at work and at home. As a network guy I am in closets weekly using the laptop, in the office, all over the house etc – so it’s constantly in use.
This is such a terrific machine, much better than my Inspiron 5000 I had before. The size and weight are just right,
Working at a small college I see many many types of Laptops and deal with service. Our experience is Dell and Lenovo are at the top. We have tons of Gateways and I forget the model, but it’s very cheesy.
My ONLY complaint with this computer is that my internet radio is very hard to hear as the volume just seems too low.
Corey,
Thanks for providing the cure to the SYSTEM BEEP. I really appreciate it much!
Much Regards,
Tilley
Thank you for the beep solution.
It works.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the tutorial on disabling the beep, Corey.
Dear god. It hurts so much with earbuds in.
Having been designing and working with many different brands of computers and PCs since before the Dead Sea was still sick, I feel qualified to offer my humble opinion on current Dell products:
They suck. I’ve been a Dell user/purchaser since the 1990’s, and I can state quite emphatically that they’ve definitely gone downhill a bit more every year. In my professional circles, the joke is paraphrased “Dude, you been Delled!”
Having had a semblance of success with the Dell Latitude D600 from 2004-2006 – aside from running hot in the left palmrest, I thought this computer was pretty good. The sensitivity of the touchpad was adequate with virtually zero latency – important for me, since I do a lot of engineering work on the thing, can type over 90 wpm and, having flown helicopters and other aircraft, like to have a high degree of sensitivity at my fingertips, so I tend to set my touchpads into hypersensitive mode.
Ergo, having had some success with the Latitude D600 and thinking Dell might have been on track to redeem themselves, I STUPIDLY decided to buy into that Sheer Marketing Breakthrough and purchase a Dell Latitude D620 – thinking it would be 20 better than the D600!
What an India-Delta-Ten-Tango I was. Since I purchased this unit in 2007, I’ve had NOTHING but problems with it, to wit:
1. Two months into ownership, I had a battery failure. Fortunately, this one was BARELY into the recall cycle, so aside from the inconvenience, it was replaced by Dell. I only had to pay shipping to Puerto Rico, go figure.
2. Having FOUR USB ports available is a great feature of this PC; however, since day one I’d always had a problem with the bottom right port working intermittently, which I hypothesized (and was later proven) to be cold solder joints during the wave-soldering assembly of the motherboard. That problem was rectified in January 2009… more on that later.
3. In January 2008, the Alps Touch Pad gave up the ghost, so I had to have THAT replaced! In my humblest of estimations, I thought the Synaptics Touch Pad they used in the D600 was MUCH better than the Alps unit they used in the D620. There was virtually NO latency in the Synaptics, but the Alps in the D620 oesn’t respond nearly as quickly as the Synaptics in the D600 did. That’s untenable, considering the D600 is SUPPOSED to be running Dual Core processors!
4. In December 2008, the battery died AGAIN. This time, it was on my nickel to get it repaired.
5. The WiFi subfunction was always a bit flaky in operation.
6. In December 2008, the display finally decided to give up the ghost. When I first purchased this unit, there was always one pixel in the lower left portion of the screen that would NEVER change from black. I finally decided to get that replaced with the extended warranty. I had a guy come out, and during his investigation, found several other things that were ready to go south… so basically, I’ve had a new touchpad, new WiFi card, new display, new display back and front case, new top deck, AND new motherboard replaced!
Hadn’t finished the story…
So the motherboard is replaced, the bottom right USB works… and guess what, the audio just croaked! Go freakin’ figure. There’s audio on the headphone jack, but last week the speaker sound just went south. BTW, there is only ONE speaker in the D620, it is NOT stereo, but mono. So the problem isn’t the speaker, that’s been checked, and you can hear faint audio there. The problem is with the audio driver circuit on the motherboard, which appears to be a couple transistors in a push-pull configuration. Yeah, good luck repairing THAT without replacing the motherboard AGAIN, probably at a cost around $350 this time.
One more thing: the ergonomics of this computer leave a lot to be desired. Again, with the Latitude D600, while that was a bit heavier, the feel of where your hands rested on the palmrests was fine. In the D620, there’s a stylistic ridge around the front of it which cuts RIGHT INTO your wrists if you spend any time at all typing. Oh sure, it LOOKS great, and in todays MBA-encrusted, Sheer Marketing Breakthrough, Lipstick-on-a-pig corporate mentality, form is always much more important than either fit or (God forbid) function! Not only that, but the keys on the keyboard are much stiffer to press than on the D600, or on other computers of the same ilk; I certainly prefer a keyboard that’s more like touch-typing than those old Royal manual typewriters of yesteryear. But hey, it’s all about Maximizing Shareholder Value, isn’t it? I guess we shoulda seen this coming. It’s finally culminated in the fact that the symbol of the epitome of American opulence and arrogance – the Hummer (Hummel?) – is now Made in China, soon to be available at your local Wal-Mart.
The MBA degree… what a useless waste of paper. If leadership could be taught, all MBAs would be great leaders. And we know they are not. This serves only to prove that the two most-common elements in the universe remain hydrogen and stupidity.
Cheers all. Y’all be safe out there. QUESTION EVERYTHING.