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Entered CNET Catalog: 05/10/2007
SKU: blcwj1s
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Dell Latitude D630 is designed to deliver an outstanding mix of performance, graphics and mobility — all packed into a compact, lightweight box. This full-featured mainstream notebook enhances the previous-generation Latitude D620 with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and new levels of customization.Product summary
The good: Strong performance; long-lived nine-cell battery; sturdy construction; bright display; comfortable keyboard; corporate-level security, including smart card reader; WWAN available as an option; lengthy three-year warranty.
The bad: Somewhat heavy for a thin-and-light notebook; native screen resolution makes icons and text look small; fingerprint reader decreases mouse button size.
The bottom line: Corporate users can't go wrong with the Dell Latitude D630, which integrates Intel's latest mobile platform with a business-friendly feature set and lengthy extended battery.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: Yes
- Reviewed on: 05/24/2007
It can be difficult for gadget fiends accustomed to flashing lights to get excited about a comparatively ho-hum business laptop. But the more time we spent with the Dell Latitude D630, the more excited we got. Within its slim and sturdy case (Dell calls it "Road Ready"), the Latitude D630 houses Intel's latest Centrino platform. Those new components (and its optional nine-cell battery) helped our Latitude D630 review unit post impressive performance scores as well as the longest battery life we've seen in a thin-and-light. And the laptop incorporates a thorough set of features for business--including corporate-level security measures and optional WWAN--for a lower price than its competitors such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T61. It's enough to tempt even longtime ThinkPad users to make the switch; businesses can't go wrong choosing the Dell Latitude D630.
| Price as reviewed/starting price | $1,913 / $899 |
| Processor | 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel GM965 Express |
| Memory | 2GB of 667MHz |
| Hard drive | 120GB at 5,400rpm |
| Graphics | Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (integrated) |
| Operating system | Windows XP Professional |
| Dimensions (LWH) | 13.3 x 9.3 (10.3 with extended battery) x 1.3 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 14.1 inches |
| System weight/weight with AC adapter | 5.8 / 6.7 pounds |
| Category | thin-and-light |
We like the subdued design of the Dell Latitude D630; its gray exterior and black interior will fit into even the most buttoned-up corporate environments. More important, the laptop's magnesium alloy case brings an extra sturdiness that you don't see on consumer laptops, and its display hinges are reinforced for the long haul. With its standard battery, the Latitude D630 weighs 5.1 pounds, but our review unit included an extended battery that brought its weight up to 5.8 pounds. That's near the outer limit for a thin-and-light, though just 0.4 pound heavier than the Lenovo ThinkPad T61. With its AC adapter, the Dell hits the road at 6.7 pounds, which is manageable for travel but not something we'd want to carry with us every day.
The Latitude D630's 14.1-inch wide-screen display is remarkably bright (223 cd/m^2 in our Labs measurement). Its 1,440x900 native resolution is as sharp as some desktop replacements', which unfortunately can make text and icons appear small. The screen's matte finish makes it a winner for typical office productivity work, though, and its wide aspect ratio lets you comfortably work with two to three windows open side-by-side. Missing above the display are a Webcam and microphone, both of which can be found on competitors' systems, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad R61. It's not a great loss unless you find yourself frequently engaging in Web conferences.
In a world where manufacturers regularly adjust key width and placement to fit the width of their laptops, we appreciate the Dell Latitude D630's standard keyboard, which is quite comfortable for pounding out e-mails and Word documents. If you don't like the nubby, flat-headed pointing stick (not unlike that found on a ThinkPad) with two dedicated mouse buttons below the spacebar, you can use the wide, rectangular touch pad, which has its own activation buttons on the wrist rest. If you opt for biometric security (as we did on our system), Dell squeezes a fingerprint reader between the touch pad's buttons; we appreciate the added security but wish the buttons were a bit larger. Above the keyboard sit all the media controls you'll need on a business laptop: volume up, volume down, and mute. For a business system, the Latitude D630 has some pretty nice speakers; though the sound became muddled at high volumes, sound in the lower three-quarters of the volume range was full and balanced.
| Dell Latitude D630 | Average for thin-and-light category | |
| Video | VGA-out | VGA-out, S-video |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 4 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, serial, smart card reader | 3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, multiformat memory card reader |
| Expansion | PC Card (ExpressCard with adapter) | PC Card or ExpressCard |
| Networking | modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/g/draft-n Wi-Fi,optional Bluetooth ($29), optional WWAN | modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth, optional WWAN |
| Optical drive | DVD burner | DVD burner |
The Dell Latitude D630 includes most of the ports and connections we'd expect on a thin-and-light, plus a few extras. Though it lacks S-video-out and a multiformat card reader (neither of which is essential to business), the Latitude D630 does add one more USB port than average, plus a serial port for use with older, specialized peripherals. In addition, the Latitude D630 piles on corporate-level security measures, including not only a fingerprint reader but also a Trusted Platform Module. Another feature of note is the Latitude D630's Wi-Fi On/Off switch, which incorporates a Wi-Fi finder. Sliding the switch past the On position lets you test for nearby Wi-Fi networks, whether you're booted up or powered down--you don't even have to turn your system on to find a network.
The $1,913 Dell Latitude D630 we tested was built on Intel's hot-off-the-presses Centrino Duo platform. It also runs Windows XP, the better to help enterprise users who haven't yet made the switch to Vista (though Windows Vista Business is available at no extra cost). We certainly have no complaints about its performance. On CNET Labs' application benchmarks, the Latitude D630 showed modest gains over a Lenovo 3000 V100 running Windows Vista Business on Intel's previous-generation Centrino platform, and the Dell vied for dominance with a similarly configured (though Vista-based) Lenovo ThinkPad T61. Most notably for business users, the Latitude D630 bested its competitors on our Office productivity module, which measures the computer's ability to multitask with Microsoft Office applications.
Our Dell Latitude D630 included a nine-cell battery that extends one inch in front of the machine (a bit awkward, considering batteries usually extend off the back); a six-cell battery is available and would knock $29 off the price. The extended battery served the Latitude well in our taxing DVD battery-drain test, where it held out for 4 hours, 45 minutes, the longest life we've seen (to date) for a thin-and-light. The Latitude ATG D620, which also included the extended battery but was built on Intel's previous-generation platform, fell off 50 minutes before the D630, while none of the competitors' laptops we tested--which had smaller, six-cell batteries--last much more than two and a half hours. If you can stand the extra weight and depth, the D630's extended battery is well worth it, especially if your work involves a lot of time on planes and other locations away from a power outlet.
Dell's baseline warranty lasts for three years--once the standard among corporate laptops but now somewhat rare; its inclusion of next-business-day, onsite service is further beyond the business norm. Of course, toll-free, 24-7 tech support is also part of the term. In addition, you can attempt to troubleshoot your own issues using various features on the great Dell support Web site, which provides FAQs, troubleshooting tips, real-time chats with a support representative, and a user forum.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations:
Dell Latitude D630
Windows Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 384MB Mobile Intel 965GM Express; 120GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
HP Compaq 6515b
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.2GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile TL-64; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon Xpress 1270; 120GB Toshiba 5,400rpm SATA/150
Lenovo Thinkpad T61
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 128MB Mobile Intel 965GM Express; 100GB Seagate 7,200rpm
Lenovo 3000 V100
Windows Vista Business Edition; 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 32MB Mobile Intel Express 945GM ; 100GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 User Rating: 
8/10
Solid after a year of heavy use
Pros: Good build, no hardware issues, doesn't get too hot, reliable, great battery life
Cons: I dunno, maybe a little boring to look at. I could always use more power.
User Rating: 
3/10
You seriously like this piece of garbage
Pros: Switch on side for wireless
Cons: Small screen, slow chipset, CD Burner, heavy
User Rating: 
6/10
Like the computer, but has a few detractors
Pros: Multitasks great
Sturdy, solid feeling case
Bright crisp screen
Cons: no S-Video (??) nVidia driver and software has "TV" out function but can't get it to work
Mono speaker.
No mic
No cam
Poorer game performance than I'd hoped. Yea, not a gaming computer, but I got the board with the nVidia and expected a little more.
And not being able to out to a TV is frustrating. The nVideo fully supports it in their drivers, but it just doesn't put anything out from the port. I know others have had this problem, so if anyone has a solution, please let me know.
Overall I'm happy with it. I knew what I was getting into with the lack of features but after using it for awhile and being a little unhappy with the gaming performance, I realize now, for my needs I should of gotten something different to be 100% content. I may sell this and get an Acer or Asus with my next purchase.
User Rating: 
10/10
Best laptop I've ever had. A real workhorse.
Pros: Lots of power, very reliable, can have 75 windows open at a time and it does not mind.
Cons: No Screen Camera.
User Rating: 6/10
Okay but not worth the price
Pros: Very skinney! Made for business
Cons: Was pretty slow even with 2GB Ram, I ordered with Vista Business and got XP Pro, but on the bottom of my laptop their was a Vista key so I gave them a call and got the OS cd.
User Rating: 
9/10
Somewhat please.
Pros: + Overall it's a great computer.
+ Good screen
+ Fast enough to do the basics (simple programming, emailing, etc. etc. etc.)
Cons: - Some hardware problems. Battery only lasted 6 months before needing a replacement
- Just a tad heavy but nothing too drastic.
- Seen a lot of low hard drive life in this particular model from the manufacturer.
Good laptop for its price.
User Rating: 
1/10
machine should not be allowed to have vista on it
Pros: built to take abuse
Cons: corp gave me this laptop with vista installed. after a few months, machine is slower than my old single pentium laptop with xp. need to use ccleaner and defrag almost on a daily basis. heavy compared to other computers @!#$@!$%^$^&
User Rating: 
4/10
Not what it's cracked up to be.
Pros: Easy to use keyboard
Nubbin (the little pointer stick between "g" and "h")
Cons: Keys frequently fall off
Screen very liable to break when dropped even from short heights
Computer overheats beyond reason
Very slow for anything besides a word processor
For example, Dell claims that these computers are rugged, but use shows them to be anything but.
SEVEN keys have fallen off of my keyboard while I typed in the 5 months that I have had it, though I was able to put most of them back on, I now lack a left shift key. A friend of mine is missing her "backspace" and "enter" keys.
TWO of my friends have dropped their computers from heights less than 3 feet and the screens were completely wrecked.
THREE times a day does my computer overheat within an hour of being turned on while sitting on my desk. It overheats even more frequently if it sits on anything cloth. This is probably a mix of it's very short rubber legs and the fact that the fan clicks if I move the computer above a 30 degree angle. The fan never runs quietly (aka, it's loud enough to keep my roommate from sleeping.)
It's also good that Dell offers XP for this laptop since it can't manage Vista (I finally gave up on how slow it was with Vista and installed Linux)
So, overall, these computers are generally junk, which I could understand for a less expensive laptop, but for $1000, I would expect it to not fall apart.
PS-Alll of those handy features that CNET talks about like the finger print scanner and the card reader do not come on the base model.
PPS-I am currently typing faster than the computer. It was still on "typing" when I finished writing "computer".
User Rating: 10/10
Good laptop
Pros: Love how it runs windows vista relly good.
Cons: I relly do not have any
User Rating: 10/10
What an IMPRESSIVE... first impression
Pros: - Reliable Battery Life (4 hours running multiple programs)
- Decent Integrated Graphics
- Solid build quality, you can truck it on the Road!
- XP SP3 available, Vista is so weak sauce...
- Overall... Outperforms some desktops out there!
Cons: - Too many hater reviews touting the overpriced and underperforming Lenovo T-61!
- How can you call the extended battery an awkward chin... of an afterthought... Using it as a wrist rest is an evolution to laptops... honestly...
The Dell D630 is my first laptop and what an impression it has left on me. I am a PC builder who has NEVER considered once to buy a laptop. I had a fear that I would be wasting my money because of the gap in performance that I presumed would be there. WOW I was wrong to assume that with the D630.
My desktop:
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 65W Dual Core Black Box edition (Beast...)
- ASUS M2N-E Nvidia 570 SLI AMD Motherboard
- 4 gigs Kingston Hyper X DDR2 800
- (2x) XFX 8800 GT 512MB Zalman cooled
(My desktops a gaming beast...BEWARE)
My Dell Lattitude D630
- Inter Dual Core X7500 running at 2.4 ghz
- 2 gigs DDR2 800
- Nvidia integrated graphics X135
(The laptop performs comparable to my desktop application wise, and decent too for some of my games...)
Set up was a breeze, thanks to XP SP3...yes Vista does suck... and the laptop was up and running after I fully discharged the battery and recharged for 7 hours. I have buddies with other laptops, Powerbook, Lenovo T61 and even a Dell XPS but neither one could keep up with the D630 on benchmarks. To top it off the D630 price point is almost a full grand less! what a deal. I was lucky to buy mine new off a buddy who does IT infrastructure, he had a spare as a part of his signing bonus.
In the future I will be using this laptop in conjunction with my IT classes, seriously every IT techie I've spoken to had nothing but high praises for the functionality and relevance of the D630 for IT workloads, and it comes with a Parrallel port (alas a dying breed)
IF YOU WANT A NO NONSENSE LAPTOP TO HANDLE ALL OF YOUR MULTITASKING WITH NO COMPROMISE IN PERFORMANCE, this is the laptop for you.
SORRY MACBOOK AND POWER BOOK USERS, YOU NO LONGER HAVE A HOLD IN THE VIDEO AND MEDIA EDITING DEPT. I RUN ADOBE CS3 FASTER THAN YOU DO, CONVERTING RAW TO MONO TAKES A SNAP OF A FINGER.
!!!DONT SETTLE FOR LESS AND PAY MORE!!! UNLESS ALL THE BLINKING LIGHTS MAKE YOU SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT.
My Name is Mark and I'm a PC...
User Rating: 9/10
Solid choice for business laptop
Pros: Good performance (especially with 7200 rpm drives)
Solid battery life
Decent screen
Cons: Replacement batteries expensive and only last 12 months in realistic consulting use
A couple of hard drive failures (2 in 50)
User Rating: 8/10
almost perfect
Pros: Light weight, really fast, integrates well with docking station, battery longevity is incredible, everything I wanted in a laptop.
Cons: Lack of media card reader, wierd battery "chin" bar, lack of availability of a discrete video card, potential mobo limitation of RAM use,
User Rating: 8/10
Pleasantly Suprised!
Pros: Great screen, solid construction, good and reliable customer service.
Cons: Slightly heavy and clunky (not too much)
I almost returned this laptop out of the box because I was so disappointed with the screen--the colors looked dull and washed out. But after adjusting the screen settings, it actually looks fantastic, far better than I expected. The screen by the way is the higher resolution with 1440 * 900. In addition, the keyboard is ok, something which I was worried about after finding the keyboard on the XPS 1330 to be cramped and flimsy. As the other laptop reviews on this site point out, the D630 seems like a very solid, well built laptop, and the battery life is excellent. I get about four hours (with the six cell battery) on a single charge. There is no need to worry about the additional drain of a graphics card, because this shuts off automatically when the computer is unplugged (of course this setting can be changed). Usefully, the graphics card also lets you hook this up to a monitor and extend your screen (as opposed to a mirror). Another key factor in selecting this computer was support for XP. Dell more than any other company, perhaps except Lenovo (which has other problems), seems to make XP available.
Cons
The computer, even with the six cell battery, is a bit heavier and clunkier (though I do not want to overstate this) than I would expect from a laptop of this size. I also would like Dell to offer a bigger hard drive for this computer. The Vosto right now offers a 250GB hard drive, and the largest for this model is 160GB, and this cost is high because of a higher speed and free fall sensor.
Additional Thoughts
Perhaps better than the computer itself has been the service. I swore off Dell many years ago after a terrible experience with customer service. I recently, however, returned after being pleasantly surprised with the service on a relatively small purchase. I found the customer service agents to be exceptionally good. I have noticed in their emails, they write they have taken ownership of the problem. And I believe this to be the case. Finally, someone at Dell is taking ownership over the problems! As I noted above, I was initially unhappy with my laptop screen and immediately had my feelings about the customer service validated upon contacting them. The customer service agent was very helpful and applied no pressure to get me to keep the computer. Quite the opposite. In the end, furthermore, the screen turned out to be the best thing about the computer.
In terms of other companies, I have had negative experiences with Toshiba, and I have heard horror stories about Lenovo. I am tempted to say that Dell is the best of a bunch of bad options. But now I would say that Dell is not a bad choice at all. The customer service plan I got as an educational purchase through my university is a great deal with 24 hour at-your-door service for three years. Someone wrote in another review "good computer, better service." While there may be sexier computers out there, at this point I need something reliable and service that I can count on. Dell seems to fit this bill.
User Rating: 9/10
Very strong performance, even better support!
Pros: Fast. Lots of Features. Long battery life. Dell Support.
Cons: 9-Cell Battery Location
Let me say that I should have known better, but I got a great deal on a D620 with a 256 MB nVidea card, 2 MB of RAM and lots of other goodies. From the moment I fired up the D620 I experienced what I call my blue screen video nightmare.
After a month of calling tech support, sending the machine back for a new system board, and a new hard drive and battery the problem remained. Even reformatting the HD and a clean OS reinstall didn't help.
Dell gave me the option of sending the unit back again or a replacement unit. I opted to replace the machine. A week later I received my replacement computer and got a surprise.
Instead of another D620 they replaced the refurbed machine with a NEW D630 which cost about $350.00 more. It did not have the nVidea card so I was skeptical, but Dell Support assured me I would be happy with the integrated video performance. The new machine ran circles around the D620 and the video was smoother than the D620!
Although I was not initially happy with my purchase, Dell Support did everything they could to satisfy me and then replaced the machine with a better one. I am totally sold on Dell products and it's great to know that they really stand behind the product they sell. Even though I am being given the Lenovo T61 I will be using my Dell D630 as my main machine.
User Rating: 10/10
A perfect laptop! Better: a perfect laptop with an excelent price!
Pros: Almost, no... absolutely everything!
Cons: I found no problem with the notebook until now...
I will make a small and fast comment about the product: it's perfect! I said that lots of times and I will say it again: perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect. Do I need to say more?
User Rating: 4/10
Lots of Potential--Risky Buy!!
Pros: Great battery life.
Cons: Have had trouble since day one.
When I called Dell, I was transfered to a department SPECIFICALLY FOR D630 ISSUES. Apparently, I'm not the only one having issues. It was quite an ordeal sending my laptop in to have it repaired (takes up to a month!) and now that I have it back, I'm experiencing a new problem: my brand-new Vista often crashes and takes a while to reboot.
Bottom line: Nifty idea. Not worth the pain.
User Rating: 9/10
Wouldn't buy anything else but Dell D series for work
Pros: Solid build, great screen, super fast, very quiet, excellent battery life
Cons: Native screen resolution on these new wide screens taxes old eyes, a bit heavy (trade-off on battery life)
Dell's service in the past - on the very odd occassion I've needed, it has been superior to that of any of colleagues' "big brand" notebooks, and oddly enough, they seem to need repair services more frequently !
12/10 from this strictly (and fussy) business user.
User Rating: 
7/10
Nice desktop replacement
Pros: Full size keyboard, widescreen
Cons: Heavy, very heavy
User Rating: 8/10
Durable Machine
Pros: Screen, upto date hardware, features, durability
Cons: Weight - too heavy for its size..
I was disappointed at the replacement as well, I was still getting eye strain - until I went into the Nvidia control panel and manually adjusted the settings. After that the screen was very good.
Screen:
1280x800
Matte Finish
Brightness - very good
Keyboard:
-No flex around edges
-Minor flex toward the center
-Pointing devices work well, but center pointing stick is redundant and gets in the way.
-Touch typing is very easy and almost enjoyable.
-"girth" of machine makes it difficult to continuously type without getting strain in the forearms.
Video Card:
Adequate, seems to speeds thing along - nothing to write home to mom about, though.
Ports
USB, Firewire, PCi exp, etc...
Some are awkwardly placed.
Wifi
Nice setup, although the listed benefits of dell 5100 "capture card" are somewhat overstated.
Bluetooth
Not tested.
DVD RW/CD RW
Not tested.
Construction:
Solid construction, 0 flex on the back the screen. Laptop feels tight and doesn't have a loose plastic feel. This is a big accomplishment - especially for dell.
Overall: would buy this again and again if they just made it 1-1.5 pounds lighter. 8
User Rating: 9/10
A great product made even better
Pros: Powerful and sturdy
Cons: touchpad keys not necessary
User Rating: 9/10
Fast and feature packed!
Pros: Good performance to weight ratio.
Cons: None yet (fingers crossed)
User Rating: 8/10
Finally, a computer that boots quickly
Pros: fast power on to use
Cons: none so far
User Rating: 9/10
Latitude D630 is a Fine Product Period
Pros: Quality Finish, Slim and Tough Book
Cons: No Web Camera
User Rating: 10/10
Best Laptop in the Business Class
Pros: Battery Life, Mobility, Weight, Style
Cons: None that I can think of
User Rating: 9/10
Buy this instead of an Inspiron!
Pros: fast, lightweight, perfect for school or business
Cons: looks 9cell battery sticks out the front
User Rating: 6/10
A Good option for business users, easy to use
Pros: cheap,easy to use,good compoents
Cons: hefty for size,Hard-drive is slow
User Rating: 6/10
Battery life is horrible
Pros: Powerful no frills buiseness machine
Cons: plan on replaceing the battery every 6-8 months
User Rating: 9/10
ThinkPad power for less, and a little more style
Pros: The best value in its class, great battery, really stylish appearance.
Cons: Having a smart card reader and biometric security at the same time isn't really practical. And a webcam or media card reader would be a plus.
User Rating: 3/10
not a road warrior's tool, yet lacks features for others
Pros: battery life
Cons: too many, read on for details
-you call this a keyboard? still haven't learned from IBM/HP all these years?
-dedicated scroll button (with IBM/Lenovo's, there's a dedicated scroll button in between the two track point buttons, so I can browse any corners of a document, website, PDF without taking my fingers off the keyboard typing position).
-awful sound, mono speaker, sound controls hard to press, volume adjustment varies way too much with each press of the button. i know it's a business product, but this kind of quality is unacceptable considering other manufacturers offer better controls and/or sound quality
-screen viewing angle is very limited from side to side, awful from top to bottom
-pointing stick buttons very hard to press, making navigating difficult compared to HP/IBM
-docking station is idiotic, requiring first pressing the "undock" button before undocking
-docking station is idiotic, requiring first to remove the laptop lock before the undocking button can be pressed to undock the laptop (i have to run to meetings with my laptop several times a day at very short notices, how many times a day does Dell think I should lock and unlock my docking station)
-no dedicated video RAM? i need all the system RAM i can get (already at 2G's), and the shared memory is competing with the system RAM and i don't have control over how much system memory video will eat up!
-much heavier and bulkier than Lenovo T series and HP NC series while not offering more impact resisting technology like lenovo's HD impact protection
-no built in mic
-all buttons are recessed, making them very hard to press
-only had it for 4 days and the cpu cooling fan is already starting to splutter slightly
-wi-fi on/off switch easily activated accidentally when taking up the machine, i guess they are trying to make up for all the other buttons being so hard to press
-even for a dell business class product it looks bulky, heavy, unappealing and completely understated. dell used to make better looking products before!
-where are the business features such as data encryption?
bottom line:
-dell calls this a business product?? just because a laptop is stripped of decent multimedia features does not automatically qualify it as a business product. a business product has to offer something for its intended target user. since it's a dell, i didn't expect it to outdo its competitors in features, but i was hoping at least it would try and keep up with its competitors in some aspects. well, it didn't and that's been dell's way.
-road warriors, find something else that can actually do the job, looks better, and lighter to carry around
-other users: there are other laptops at this price range that can do a whole lot more.
User Rating: 8/10
Great, but Dell must get rid of the pointing stick
Pros: Great balance of weight, screen size, keyboard layout, audio, video, processing power/speed, memory, and durability (I travel all the time with it).
Cons: Dell must make the pointing stick optional. I would rate it a 9 or 10 without it.
Cons? Can you guess? How many of you have had ?pointing stick rage,? when you are typing fast, and your finger hits that tiny porcupine/cactus in the middle of your keyboard? It?s unbelievably taxing. It?s like going out to play in your yard and stepping in a surprise that your dog left there for you. And it?s embarrassing to think that a serious company like Dell doesn?t offer you the option to order the computer without it. All it would take would be to spend 25 cents producing B, G and H keys that cover it up. But apparently, the corporate good soldiers at Dell are focused on the lowest 1% of their target audience. Are the suits at Dell still stuck back in 1993? The rest of us have moved on from the pointing stick.
Somebody at Dell could really earn themselves a promotion by offering this computer without the pointing stick. They could leave the pointing stick buttons below the space bar ? they?re not in the way. As for the pointing stick, please make it go away.
User Rating: 6/10
Not even close to Thinkpad!
Pros: Exceptional battery life, large screen
Cons: Numerous quircks, heavy
User Rating: 6/10
Nice Machine
Pros: Hardware Works
Cons: Gold Tech Support Lacking. Battery Removal is difficult
User Rating: 9/10
Very good notebook!
Pros: Light, 14.1 LCD screen.
Cons: Missing Multicard-reader and web-camera.
Specs I got is a 1.8Ghz, 2gig, 120GB HDD, second 80GB HDD, 9-Cell batt. Comes with a DVD+-RW, bluetooth and lotsa of stuffs with it.
The only cons I have is with the price, should come with a multicard reader and a web-camera.
Go buy this!!
User Rating: 9/10
A Wonderful Value
Pros: Fast, Sturdy With A Great Support System
Cons: Fingerprint Reader Software Is Not Quite Up To Par.
User Rating: 8/10
great pc, BUT battery does NOT last long
Pros: quick processing, handles multiple programs at one time
Cons: battery life. the battery does not live up to its promise
User Rating: 
2/10
garbage. try IBM
Pros: decent look,
Cons: graphics, size. weight
User Rating: 9/10
D630 is a very fine laptop from Dell, No wonder its the Editors Choice.
Pros: Strong Build, Great battery backup, very nice keyboard, Does not gets heated up, good sound output for a business laptop
Cons: I did'nt find any so far.
User Rating: 9/10
Excellent Notebook!
Pros: Nice features with compact size. Has a great screen resolution.
Cons: Why does the 9 cell battery have to stick out in the front? Other notebook manufacturers have made long live batteries that are more compact and fit flush with the laptop.
I also love the security features and the fact that this model does not preloaded with a lot of unwanted software. I would recommend upgrading the Intel PROSet Wireless card and also getting the Bluetooth.
If you're looking for a thin and light notebook for home or business that?s with great security and is portable you can't go wrong with the Dell D630.
User Rating: 8/10
Law School Power House
Pros: Powerful and stable, runs dual monitors without issue
Cons: Problems undocking and returning from hibernation. (Vista Issues)
User Rating: 9/10
Very nice!
Pros: Ambient light sensor; Silent
Cons: No integrated memory card reader; No integrated webcam
It's resistant and has a nice simple looking.
Something I find very cool and useful is the Ambient Light Sensor. It adjusts the brightness of the LCD display automatically accordingly to the ambient light(dah!).
It can't hardly be heard running. Very silent.
Someting that I think that should be integrated is the webcam and card reader.
For example the entry for the security card could be replaced for a card read, at least on the machines that come with Digital Print Reader (like mine).
Bottom line: I would buy it again.
By security card, I meant smart card reader.
Sorry.
User Rating: 7/10
Nice but still not a Thinkpad
Pros: Battery, runs cool, fast, nice looking, quick delivery
Cons: Keyboard, Weight, Touchpad and Track Stick
User Rating: 9/10
Well-built, great performance & battery life!
Pros: Built like tank; blazing speed; great battery life; nice features.
Cons: A bit heavy, especially with the bay battery installed; poor speaker.
This unit multi-tasks like nobody's business. It is very well-built -- I can travel with it with confidence. Nice firm keyboard. Crisp display. Fast (for Vista) boot & load times. Pointing stick and touchpad together is a welcome luxury, and both are well executed.
On the down side, the unit is heavy for a thin-and-light notebook, especially with the optional bay battery installed. However, what a thoughtful feature to be able to press a button, pull out your DVD drive and pop in an additional battery! The extra weight is an acceptable trade off. In first using the battery, I noticed that Dell neglected to include the bay locking screw on my unit. Dell quickly sent out replacements, but they were the wrong screws. The day after I advised them of this, they've already shipped new ones. Very good and fast response to a minor issue -- touche', Dell!
I am thus far very happy with this machine and with Dell's service on it (not so happy with my Inspiron, but the Latitude line is another animal). I would not hesitate to compare the D630 favorably to the Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad series!
User Rating: 7/10
Lab Review not subjective
Pros: not a bad pc
Cons: eh, it's a dell
User Rating: 9/10
Light, Blazing, and Darn Near Perfect
Pros: Light weight, really fast, integrates well with docking station, battery longevity is incredible, everything I wanted in a laptop.
Cons: Lack of media card reader, wierd battery "chin" bar, lack of availability of a discrete video card, potential mobo limitation of RAM use, not solar powered, not made of soy and corn plastics?
A little more about the few real negative comments. The chin bar is, well, what is it? It adds about 3/4 inch to the depth of the footprint, which prevents it from being used in a bag for 13 inch laptops. It doesn't feel fragile, but does add a measure of unwieldy-ness to an otherwise elegant build. RAM? With the newly released Santa Rosa chipset from Intel, there is some realized promise of faster startups, cooler running, and more energy efficient laptops. The one "issue" I have experienced with the Dell implementation of this chipset is the (seeming) inability to specify how RAM (in addition to 2GB) is allocated. Running a well know command line (BCDEDIT...) does not work on this computer. The computer recognizes the additional 2GB RAM, but Photoshop CS3 does not "see" more than 1.7GB. I have been told this is a likely motherboard limitation that other currently available Santa Rosa laptops running Vista can take advantage of. Those are really the only negatives I have found.
I use this laptop for digital imaging applications; primarily Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe LightRoom. The laptop is used on the desktop setting by connecting to the appropriate Dell D/Dock which is connected to a Dell Ultrasharp 24 (2407WFP), a Lacie Big Disk Triple (via USB2), a Dell BlueTooth keyboard and mouse, and Linksys WRT350N router. While working with imaging apps, it is used with the Wacom Intuos3 6X11 pen tablet.
It runs imaging apps blazingly fast, rendering 1:1 previews in LightRoom virtually instantly when on the resident hd, and nearly as quickly when on the external drive. Watching DVDs for 2 hour stretches makes only a maginal dent in the nine cell batter, and they run very smoothly - even with the standard Intel graphics solution. Watching DVDs and internet video content on this laptop is a much more fluid experience than with our Dell XPS M1710 at nearly $1000 less.
In short, the only issues I have with this device are cosmetic (chin) and theoretical (PS can't use all the available RAM - but it still smokes in all the real use I've thrown at it over the past two weeks). This is a great device if you want the fastest chipset from Dell and are turned off by the "gamer" look of the XPS series - which oddly still isn't available with the most up to date chips (as of 6/19/2007).
The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is that I assume there is no perfect computer for anyone. This one, with this build, is as near to it as I can imagine for my needs.
Super Highly Recommended.
There reall
User Rating: 8/10
Testing the system
Pros: Please ignore
Cons: Don't matter
User Rating: 9/10
So far so good
Pros: Keyboard, networking ability, general look & feel
Cons: Slightly heavy
User Rating: 9/10
Amazing System
Pros: Sturdy, Powerful, Sleek
Cons: A tad on the heavy side (if 6 lbs is heavy for you)
User Rating: 9/10
Very satisfied with the purchase
Pros: Battery Life
Cons: Slightly heavier than the Thinkpad T61
User Rating: 9/10
A new Dell fan!!!
Pros: Awesome specs and performance for price & strong feel. Great battery life.
Cons: A bit heavy with exteneded battery
User Rating: 10/10
Thinkpad to Dell
Pros: Great look and performance - solid feel
Cons: Extended battery sticks out the front (that why i didnt get)
User Rating: 
5/10
Priced model not same configuration as reviewed model
Pros: I had good expereince with Dell years ago
Cons: Priced configuration needs upgrade
User Rating: 1/10
I won't buy another Dell.
Pros: Don't want it!
Cons: They don't stand behind there warranty.
User Rating: 1/10
Horrible Piece of Garbage
Pros: Can't think of any
Cons: See my review
Also the extended life battery sticks out the front, basically making the notebook awkward and clumsy and an odd fit in the travel case.
Do yourself a favor and get an IBM Thinkpad (the gold standard of Corporate laptops). I wish my company would smarten up and let me get them instead.
User Rating: 9/10
Quietly impressive
Pros: Sturdy, Reliable, Great Keyboard, Nice Matte Screen
Cons: 3D Graphics limited, sound is typically poor
I suppose what I was trying to say is that I was initially underwhelmed by the machine since it didn't overwhelm me with goodness but one day when I noticed that I had a ridiculous number of programs running simultaneously, including a video edit of a product demo, well I noticed that I had nothing to notice...that is, the D630 simply plugged along and did it's thing. Quietly impressive.
And as an addendum - my sons recently got new MacBooks - which do tend to leap out and proclaim just how elegant and smooth they are - and I've enjoyed piddling around with them, but when I go back to my boring little Dell, I don't miss the MacBook. I guess that's a good endorsement.
User Rating: 9/10
replaces desktop for business, Drives 3 screens without breaking a sweat using Matrox Triple head
Pros: For business, it has everything, misses out nothing
Cons: Only cons come from XP problems of Vista Wobbles
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