Dell Latitude D820 with Core 2 Duo reviewed

Somehow those good ol' boys down in Texas got sneaky on us -- while we were busy getting ready for Labor Day, Dell went and updated the Latitude, Inspiron, and XPS series with Core 2 Duo chips. Laptop took the new bumped Dell Latitude D820 for a spin and wasn't dissappointed. This spiffy new laptop topped the charts on the magazine's MobileMark 2005 test with an all-time high score of 308. Further tests showed that the Core 2 Duo scored high marks when processing more information at a time, such as running a virus scan while ripping a CD: the Core 2 Duo machine scanned 15,446 items and ripped the CD in 8 minutes 32 seconds while the Core Duo scanned 2,579 items and ripped the same CD in 6 minutes 36 seconds. We're still waiting to see if Apple will follow Dell's lead -- maybe that's what's happening next week in San Francisco?

[skype_fan @ Sep 6th 2006 3:39PM]

The reviewers should nowadays focus more on how long it takes to make eggs sunny side up with these dell machines, or at least how powerful the battery explosion is. How many of these Dell machines do I need to blow up an ATM and make it look like an accident :D, hahaha
Dell, performance that blows in your face, hahaha

[Jon @ Sep 6th 2006 3:49PM]

So does it explode as good as the rest?

[Xophonic @ Sep 6th 2006 4:00PM]

I think its time to rethink the case design. Dells look like they come from time machines. By better case design I don't mean faceplate with skulls, so don't even think about it dell.

[Raider @ Sep 6th 2006 4:08PM]

Dell Lagitude, because it looks like late 90's hardware.

Alas, I love eye-candy. Maybe I need a carbon-fiber Vaio or maybe a MacBook (Pro).

[chris @ Sep 6th 2006 4:09PM]

A/V and cd/dvd ripping are HDD intensive tasks. my little old amdx2 3800+ can rip 3 dvd's at once to it's SATA-1 disk without breaking a sweat, add 2 dvd to divx encodings and now it works hard, but keeps up. one a/v and one dvd rip ain't jack compaired to 2 cpu hogs and 5 IO processes. (granted, this is a desktop, but it's not a high end one)

so given that A/V is disk intensive, what's the difference in disks? does the new model have perp? maybe just 7200 vs 4800/5200 rpms? ata6 vs sata? sata2? what about memory bus differences? there's no way the CPU alone made that big a difference.

what a waste of a review. call me when Ars puts it through the real wringer.

[Andrew @ Sep 6th 2006 4:13PM]

Myabe the performance is good, but it's so dang ugly it's not worth the money.

[xpherion @ Sep 6th 2006 4:18PM]

@skype_fan

fry your behind on your beloved apple.

get a life

[alex @ Sep 6th 2006 4:19PM]

one look at it and i think i threw up in my mouth a little.

[Alek @ Sep 6th 2006 4:31PM]

Hooray for the most useless piece of stats today. Next, which one falls from a 10-story building quicker.

[jjd @ Sep 6th 2006 4:38PM]

So the core 2 duo machine was 25% slower at ripping CDs than the core duo machine?

[glacia00 @ Sep 6th 2006 5:17PM]

Xophonic, Raider, Andrew etc.

Does it really have to be said every time there is a story about a Dell Latitude that it's a business machine? If you really want a notebook in flaming pink there are certainly places you can all get one...

[Gr1zz @ Sep 6th 2006 6:06PM]

I have a dual core D820, to comment on the design, it is acutually really nice. If you look real close you can see the finish has a metalflake glitter to it just like my wifes thinkpad. In fact I would pick this laptop over many other because i know from experience it is very scratch resistant and how good the screen looks is all you should really care about (not some bling led lights).

[Xophonic @ Sep 6th 2006 6:18PM]

Flamglacia00:

Flaming Pink? I'm not saying it needs to look like its from Back to the Future. I'm just saying that when you get into the high end its nice to see a little style in the case design. The VAIO and Apple lappys with similar specs and price are alot more attractive. Sure its whats inside that really counts but when you can have the best of both worlds at a resonable price why not go for it. Are you saying that if I presented you with 2 laptops that were identical in all ways other than one looking clunky and old school and one looking sleek and sexy you would take the ugly just so you would look like you don't care about asthetics? Even if its for business I would want to look like I have something new and attractive.

[Woody @ Sep 6th 2006 6:43PM]

Xophobic... the problem is that they're not the same. Ever try to get a Sony fixed in 4 hours? How about upgrading one of those custom hard drives they used a while back? It's a business laptop, not a fashion accessory. I support Dells, Sonys, IBMs, and a handful of others, and the Dell are generally the easiest to deal with.

[glacia00 @ Sep 6th 2006 6:44PM]

Xophonic
"Are you saying that if I presented you with 2 laptops that were identical in all ways other than one looking clunky and old school and one looking sleek and sexy"

It's clear that you're still missing the point of a business machine. There are thousands of businesses that buy computers litterally thousands at a time. I've worked for half a dozen of those companies myself.

I'll present you with a much more realistic business scenario. An IT manager needs to buy 3000 notebooks with X options. (S)he can get a solid machine that looks professional and meets all specs or (s)he can spend $100 more for a little flash of color or (s)he can spend $300 more and get what Xophonic thinks is sexy.

Now explain to the VP of finance why (s)he should spend the extra $300,000 for the flash of color much less the extra $900,000 for what Xophonic thinks is sexy. Add to that the fact that Dell cuts some very nice quantity pricing and tradein deals and the difference will likely get even wider.

[Gr1zz @ Sep 6th 2006 7:26PM]

Plus in the enviroment i work in, you do not brag! The moment someone realises your buying new laptops that come in a choice of colors the more likely their going to identify your budget could be better spent elsewhere.

Alienware has GSA pricing, but you just got to say "No thanks", bringing that laptop to a meeting is going to start a fight.

[alex @ Sep 6th 2006 9:58PM]

i understand this is a business laptop, i was just commenting on its design. i'm in a creative field and judge things based on their looks first, as that is often what sells. I know that in my field (architecture) a dramatic view of the building or interior shot can sell it to the client more than a structured floorplan which they may or may not understand.

i think its a shame that things can't look pretty as well as function like business machines. wouldn't it be nice to go to a presentation and, before starting, have your clients say "wow, thats a nice computer" ?

[Matt @ Sep 6th 2006 11:58PM]

While a Sony or Apple may look nice, I haven't heard anything fantastic about their support or warranty policies. Do either of them even have anything like Dell's CompleteCare policy that covers accidental damage with no questions asked?

A working computer is much nicer than a broken computer that costs hundreds to fix.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my iMac G5, but given Dell's ruggedness and corresponding available warranties, I'm having a hard time convincing myself to buy an Apple notebook for personal use.

[glacia00 @ Sep 7th 2006 12:32AM]

"based on their looks first, as that is often what sells."

I'm starting to understand why people aren't getting this. When I go to a presentation I'm neither selling nor buying the computer. I'm selling my ideas or buying someone elses. The computer is just a tool and should stay out of the way of the product.

"wouldn't it be nice to go to a presentation and, before starting, have your clients say "wow, thats a nice computer" ?"

No. It would be like them saying "wow, that's a nice number 2 pencil." I don't care what computer they use I would think I was wasting my time if they noticed mine.

[JerkyChew @ Sep 7th 2006 8:57AM]

No mention of the video card, huh? I was checking these out today as a replacement to my D610, and I was bummed that the only video option is the nv Quadro, a card I can't find any real information on. Anybody know how the Quadros compare to the GeForce / Radeon cards? I'd like to get another dell, but with the Inspirons not having a pointing stick, the Precisions being rediculously pricey, and now the Latitudes having nerfed video, I may have to look into another brand. Damn shame.

[skarl @ Sep 18th 2006 3:33PM]

Regarding the quadro card.. dun buy this machine if ur worrying bout the card.. if u want a good card, wait till next year, when the windows vista and corresponding 64-bit cards come out. They will be much more efficient considering the new shader engine and directX 10.

[Shady @ Sep 8th 2006 3:51PM]

@skype_fan

YOU ARE SO FUNNY!

Well, not really.

[skarl @ Sep 18th 2006 3:28PM]

Regarding the quadro card.. dun buy this machine if ur worrying bout the card.. if u want a good card, wait till next year, when the windows vista and corresponding 64-bit cards come out. They will be much more efficient considering the new shader engine and directX 10.

[Ander @ Jan 25th 2007 11:27AM]

"i think its a shame that things can't look pretty as well as function like business machines."

A business machine is form and function. It just isn't a pretty form. It's an understated look like a black picture frame. But it's also a budget item. There are businesses where they clearly want to show off how much cash they can burn and I've seen a lot of their pretty equipment auctioned off when they go under.

I run an engineering department in Silicon Valley and approve purchases every day for my department and we're pretty liberal with approvals. But in the 12 years I've been doing this I've twice had requests for a non-standard machine. By standard I mean our bulk purchased machines. And even in those 2 cases we were able to accommodate one of them. Unfortunately the other would not run the software the engineer needed and it had to be denied.

Business machines are like any other office equipment. It's a tool for business.