jwoertz,

 

Thanks for your input.  I read all the posts about the poor screen on the D620 and was obviously concerned as I was planning a purchase this week for personal use.  I was very fortunate to borrow a D620 from work and compared it side by side next to my D600 that my company provided me two years ago.  Both laptops had the XGA+ configuration (WXGA+ for the D620) so a real good comparison.  I played with various settings, reviewed text, graphics, and movies.  Unfortunately, I have to strongly agree with the forum postings as the D620 screen was hard to read and grainy.  My D600 was sharp, the letters in documents were crisp, and the screen had even coloring.  White backgrounds on the D600 were smooth with minimal grain.  I also have a much wider vertical viewing angle on the D600.

 

I don't know the screen rev. on the D620 I borrowed nor do I care.  I will not be purchasing the D620 and go through the same aggravation that others have experienced.  I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity for this side by side testing.  Many thanks to all who provided feedback in the community forum, as it was very useful and saved me from dissapointment.  How unfortunate since I really liked the other properties of the laptop.  There is nothing else in the Dell laptop lineup that meets my needs so time to begin my research of other brands....

I'm having bad luck. Now I'm going on my second D520!  Heat related issues - this thing is burning up. The hard drive is running at a constand 81 degrees C. I hope the replacement is OK.

 

Anyway, the D820 is an AWESOME laptop. That would be my first choice if I had to do it all over again, even if it is a little large.

 

Best of luck....Jeff

jwoertz, how would you compare the D520 screen to the D600 or D610, if you have experience with them?  Do you have the 14" or 15" screen?  I did not want anything larger than a 14", but with the D520, I would have to step up to 15" to get the SXGA+ panel.  I am concerned that this will be too large and also bulkier/heavier than I wanted.

I have lots of experience with the whole Latitude series. To me, the screen on the D520 is the same as on the D510, D600 and D610.  I just opted for the standard 15" screen (XGA) on the D520 and it's been fine. Actually, a very refreshing change from the D620, which was both too small at its native resolution as well as too washed out. As far as the 15" screen being too large and heavier, it's not a factor. The laptop dimensions are still the same and I feel no difference in weight at all. lus you don't have that huge gap around the screen as with the 14" screen. Go for the 15" - you'll be fine.

Thanks again for your feedback.  Please let me know how your second D520 performs.  Is your leading heat candidate still the HD?  If so, do you and other posters still recommend the 5400RPM drives to reduce this effect?  How unfortunate if this is the case, as one has to sacrifice some speed in order to reduce heat.  Yet another design issue.  Spent some time looking at Lenova laptops today and was really impressed with the quality of build.  No screen issues with the 14.1" wide screen running WinXP Pro.

Yeah, I already purchased a new 160 GB 5400 RPM drive to use in it when the new one arrives!

 

Anyway, the ThinkPad T60 looks amazing. If the new D520 has problems, I'm getting a refund and buying a T60 instead.

 

Best of luck...

 

Jeff

Are you guaranteed a new unit as a replacement or a refurb?  Please do let me know if you achieved success with the replacement.   I would like to make a decision in the next couple of weeks and welcome your feedback.  Are you able to get 100% of your money back if not happy?  Is this a standard Dell feature if you take action within "x" days or do you have to purchase a certain warranty to take advantage of this?

Here's what I know so far....you have 21 days from the date of shipment to return a laptop. They will hit you with a restocking fee if there was no problem with the laptop. In my cases, I have been assured there will be no restocking fee because I purchased other laptops immediately and because there were actual problems with the units.

Please let me know how your second D520 performs.  Thanks.

Sent it back, cancelled the replacement order. Got a Lenovo ThinkPad T60. Amazing difference - work of art - totally happy!