Dell Latitude D600

Products Reviewed

Dell Latitude D600
Dell Latitude D600 Notebook Computer (Dell-D600CNET) $218.99(When Rated)

Carla ThorntonArtwork by: Rick Rizner, John GoddardDell Latitude D600Dell's midline business notebook with a moonlight-silver case is pleasingly slim, well equipped, and, at 5.5 pounds (not including the power adapter), relatively light. For security, it has a Smart Card reader above the notebook's PC Card slot, and its dual pointing devices accommodate both the touchpad and the eraserhead camps of portable users. If you intend to make frequent use of its multipurpose bay (swapping an optical drive, second battery, or second hard drive), you'll be pleased with the Latitude's new spring-loaded tab release built into each multipurpose-bay device. You no longer need to turn the notebook over and fumble with a small, often sticky release latch every time you swap out a device. Also invaluable: the battery pack's external gauge, which lets you check battery life without turning on the notebook. The D600 we saw had both memory slots filled (each with a 256MB DIMM). To upgrade later, you would have to discard one module. (A single 512MB DIMM costs an extra $80.) Like many other notebooks with the new Pentium M processor, you can buy the D600 with the Intel Pro/Wireless 802.11b Mini-PCI card (an Intel Centrino configuration), or opt for a non-Intel wireless card. According to Intel, the full-Monty Centrino is optimized to better balance battery life and performance. Although some Pentium M-equipped notebooks we've seen have lasted 5 or 6 hours on one battery charge (a Toshiba Tecra S1, for example), our review machine did not; still, its run time of 3.5 hours is better than that of most notebooks we've tested. There is an advantage to choosing a Dell wireless adapter: While Intel's adapter provides 802.11b Wi-Fi, Dell's TrueMobile wireless cards equip you with multiple standards.

The speed of our 1.6-GHz review unit was close to that of other 1.6-GHz Pentium M-equipped notebooks we've tested. The D600's PC WorldBench 4 score of 122 was only three points behind Toshiba's Tecra S1 and two points shy of the IBM ThinkPad T40.

Leaning more toward legacy than leading edge, the D600's ports include parallel, serial, and gigabit networking, plus a docking connection on the bottom. If you want FireWire, you'll have to purchase a D800 model.

The keyboard is a bit springy but well laid out. The touchpad and eraserhead each responded smoothly, as did their mouse buttons. The volume controls above the keyboard work smoothly. The D600's print documentation is thorough and includes a four-color setup poster, but the machine has no on-screen manual.

A solid choice for the conservative business set, the Latitude D600 is fast, modestly priced, and offers a no-nonsense, security-conscious design.