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"Go for the cheap, receive what you've paid for" on by TheUnixMan
Pros: price/features ratio
Cons: cheap plastic looks, flimsy keyboard, hot handrest
Summary: Let's go for the cons:
1-You've read already: the left handrest goes too hot and it feels VERY uncomfortable even with a 4200rpm HD 2- Depending on the colors used for the background, the screen shows several little spots, it's a flaw and I don't know if there is a fix for this. It is also a little uneven in brightness (this is for the 1400x1050 screen) 4- The standard power charger is TOO heavy and BIG. 5- The all-plastic case is poorly designed, the speaker grilles are ridiculous. 6- The worst apeakers I've found in notebooks, the loudest volume is still too low. 7- the "security" screw for the optical drive does not secure anything, just unscrew it and your optical drive is gone. 8- short battery life, even for the 6-cell 9- the black mouse buttons are cheap plastic with an irritating loud "click" 10- it needs 8 small rubber dots to prevent the screen to touch the keyboard when closed. I consider this a bad design and it adds to the notebook's height.
Now the good points:
1- After a lot of search, the best features for the price paid for a well known brand 2- 1400x1050 screen is great, you can see a lot of information in a small 14" screen; it is also very sharp 3- good wireless reception. 4- It's a dicontinued model at this point, I hope the new models does have a better design 5- very silent even with the fan running. 6- s-video out works well, you can use a s-video to RCA cable and it works with TVs without s-video in.
Overall:
I can't complain with Dell because I knew I was paying for the features instead of good design. My dream notebook at the time was the T42 (now it's the T43); IBM is better in every feature I listed above. If you can afford IBM's price, don't think twice, even if you don't fall in love with IBM's "all-black" design. -
"Don't bother" on by WhoNeedsRunways
Pros: Modular bay
Cons: Just read below
Summary: I got this for school from the university bookstore. Problematic from day 1, but nothing that was just too much until last month. Listed below are my main problems with it.
-Gets too hot to the left of the touchpad (40+ degrees Celsius).
-Loves to kill hard drives. One failed less than three weeks ago. Put in a new one, that one failed 2 days later. Many reports of similar problem.
-Flimsy keyboard, not hard to break the keys.
-DVD-RW drive rattles from time to time.
Don't buy this one. You're asking for trouble. -
"A real let down." on by ajhajj
Pros: It performs most standard functions required of a laptop.
Cons: Poor design choice for heat dissapation.
Summary: I received the D600 at work after joining a new company. Previously I had worked with various IBM ThinkPad models. This model from Dell makes for a very poor comparison.
I've found the sound control switches to be quirky. Only the mute button really seams to have any effect. Also what were the folks at Dell thinking when they decided that the hot air outlet should be on the bottom of the laptop. These things are called lap-tops for a reason!! The air coming out of the D600 can get quite hot. This is an uncomfortable prospect to say the least if you're planning to work with the computer on your lap for any extended period of time. -
"Poorly constructed to fall apart" on by mikesonline
Pros: Nice integration and easy to maintain
Cons: Will not hold up if used as a true portable
Summary: I agree, this laptop, while nifty and portable is really cheap and mine started falling apart within a few months of ownership. 6 months later the keys starting falling off, the case broke, the battery compartment cracked and I had to duct tape the battery in! Then the screen went out all in under one year. I'd avoid it unless you use it as a desktop with a port replicator, this laptop and its power supply, which died 8 months later, will not stand up to portable use.
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"Falling apart already" on by cmanson13
Pros: Fast with good screen and long battery life
Cons: Lots of hardware failures
Summary: After 3 motherboards and a few other problems, I have to say the the overall design of this laptop is not very good. It is fast and easy to use when its not crashing or needing another hardware fix. The placement of the drive puts a large heat source under the left wrist and causes joint pain after just a few minutes of usage. This is the 3rd laptop I've owned, and the best for driver installs, but by far the worst on hardware failures. If I was the only one in my department with a lemon I wouldn't have written this review. Since almost everyone in my department has had at least one failure I must spread the news.
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