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REVIEW DELL LATITUDE D420 NOTEBOOK
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Minimalist. The Dell D420 is one of the smallest and most mobile notebooks of the current Dell product lines. In the contrary to its competitors, Dell equipped the D420 with a WXGA display, which clearly contributes to the overview on the 12 inch display. The U2500 Core Duo processors combines good performance and low energy demand.
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NOTEBOOK SPECIFICATIONS Dell D420 (Latitude) :: Processor Intel Core Duo U2500 1.2 GHz 2MB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB
CASE The D420 with the recognizable decent form and color design is representative for the Dell Inspiron business line. However, the word color is not really appropriate, you should rather call it gray levels. The purpose of this simple and durable design is to avoid too much diversity in companies in order to deliver new notebooks without stirring up enviousness. Unlike the bigger Latitude notebooks, this design does not let the clearly smaller D420 appear to be that heavy and bulky. The notebook is designed very slim, which leads to missing out of an internal optical drive. In order to be able to use this notebook also for DVD playback, Dell offers a variety of solutions: E.g., a number of docking options and notebook stands are available. An interesting alternative is the optional Media base, a docking station of notebook size, to which the bottom side of the notebook can be attached. Besides a DVD drive the Media base also provides you with additional ports like DVI, parallel and serial ports.
:: Mainboard Intel 945PM :: Memory 512 MB, DDR2 PC4200 (533 MHz) SDRAM, max. 2048MB, 1x512MB :: Graphics adapter Intel GMA 950 - 0 MB Chip/Clock rate: 166/400MHz :: Display 12.1 Zoll 16:10, 1280x800 pixel, WXGA TFT Display, glossy: no :: Harddisk 80GB 4200rpm Toshiba MK6008GAH :: Soundcard SigmaTel HD Audio
Media base
D420 attached to a Dell Media base
External DVD drive
Of course also the classic external DVD drive is available for the D420 and also included in the delivery. It can be attached to the notebook by a special USB connector called "powered USB" by Dell. Powered USB separates the energy supply from the data transfer.
:: Connections PCCard, Microphone, Headphones (Line Out), 4x USB 2.0, VGA-Out, Firewire, Kensington Lock, LAN, Modem
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:: Networking 802.11a/b/g Wireless Lan, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 56K/V.92 Modem, Bluetooth, Infrared, 3G HSDPA
Comparison of Graphic Cards Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List How much graphic memory makes sense? Notebook Processors Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist Notebook Purchase Consultation Notebook Hardware Guide DPI (Fineness) of Displays
SORTINGS OF EXTERNAL REVIEWS Sorting by manufacturer Sorting by display l Sorting by weight l Sorting by graphic card l Sorting by processor
Back to the workmanship: The D420 scores high, because of high-quality components and especially because of the quality of its case. Not only the haptics of :: Optical drive the magnesium case is wonderful, also its flexural rigidity and pressure resistance are excellent. At some parts you'll find uneven gaps, which somewhat :: Size diminish the high-quality appearance of this notebook. height x width x depth (in mm): 25x295x210 Even the display scores high regarding this aspect. Also here, the use of magnesium
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parts was worth it. Furthermore, a gentle Clamshell design was used, which is also known for having a positive impact on flexural rigidity.
RATINGS OF EXTERNAL REVIEWS
The display hinges are spaciously dimensioned compared to the compact size of the notebook. They are able to securely hold the display's position and do not allow any see-saw after adapting the position. The Latitude D420 has only one central transports hook, which keeps the display securely locked. Most of the notebook's ports are typical Dell at the back side. The available ports are limited to four USB ports, one of them an already mentioned "powered USB port". Furthermore, there is a VGA port at the back side. Should you require more ports, e.g, the optional Media base is available for the D420 (see above).
:: Weight 1.5 kg :: Battery 42 Wh (11.1V) lithium ions battery :: Price 1600 Euro
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:: Additional features SD Cardreader, external DVD drive, HSDPA prepared
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Total rating Rating - price/value Rating - performance Rating - features Rating - display Rating - mobility Rating - workmanship Rating - ergonomy Rating - emissions
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INPUT DEVICES The keyboard of this mite surprises by its spaciousness. The whole width of the notebook is used and therefore most of the keys are full-sized. Only the size of the Fkeys and the cursor keys were reduced. The D420 even has an enter key which extends over two rows.
and its decent business design.
However, the keyboard does not only score regarding its size, also typing feels alright. The single keys can be comfortably soft hit and the noise emissions are also alright. The touch pad/track point combination of this notebook could not totally convince. The touch pad is relatively small, and somewhat intractable in use. Alike is the reaction of the track point, whose plastic cap is not really ergonomically formed, and provides hardly any feedback to the finger. Of course it is yet possible to configure the sensibility of the track stick and the touch pad depending on the user's needs.
Also the workmanship is alright.
Because of the very small dimensions, there was hardly any space left for additional keys. Still, the right side of the D420 provides you with a shapely power switch and a key for deactivating the wireless function.
The flexural rigidity and pressure resistance are also alright.
Touch pad
Keyboard
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DISPLAY The ports of the D420 are typical Dell...
The non-reflecting 12 inch display surprises by a maximum resolution of 1280x800 pixels. This provides a good overview even at such a small area. At a fineness of 125 dpi the displayed contents are rather small, but, still well legible. The maximum brightness was measured at the top center region and is very good at 179.6 cd/m². Color Diagram Because of a heavy diminishing brightness at the bottom corners the illumination of the display is only 67.5%. These characteristics of illumination of the display panel is connected with the used LCD technology which lights the panel from the bottom and spreads the light through a special prism of the LCD construction to the top. The advantages of this technology are a higher brightness at the same energy demand and at the same time a reduction of the weight.
at the back side of the notebook. This avoids cable spaghetti at the sides.
The measurement diagram depicts the usual lowered blue color curve, which results in warmer colors, because red colors dominate.
153.5 cd/m² 130.8 cd/m² 121.2 cd/m²
179.6 cd/m² 159.4 cd/m² 144.4 cd/m²
149.6 cd/m² 138.5 cd/m² 134.9 cd/m²
Informations
Maximum: 179.6 cd/m² Average: 145.8 cd/m² Black: 0.9 cd/m² Contrast: 200:1
A special plus is that the D420 is prepared for mobile broadband Internet.
Distribution of brightness The black value of the display (minimum brightness) was 0.9 cd/m². So, the calculated maximum contrast is 200:1. This contrast ratio is yet sufficient, but not really outstanding. Because of the matt display and the good brightness the D420 should also be fit for outdoor usage. However, the main weakness of the display is its stability to the vantage point.
The keyboard uses the available space of the notebook to full capacity.
Quickly especially the weak vertical stability to the vantage point gets apparent. You can quickly observe the well-known darkening and whitening. While you might well cope with this weakness at the desktop, a mobile use on soft surfaces requires a permanent adjustment of the display's position.
The display's resolution of 1280x800 provides overview,...
Lenovo LaptopC
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PERFORMANCE The Dell Latitude D420 mainly aims at maximum mobility. This is not only observable because of its dimensions and weight. Also the hardware equipment contributes to this impression. E.g., a Core Duo U2500 processor, the energy-saving version of the Core Duo CPU, is used. Furthermore, the reviewed notebook was equipped with 512MB main memory. Up to 2GB are possible in this notebook.
...however, its illuminations and stability to the vantage point are clear weaknesses.
At a clock rate of 1.2GHz the processors only demands 9.5 Watt and is yet sufficiently powerful for basic applications. An integrated Intel GMA 950 video chip is responsible for graphics. Compared to the equipment of competitor notebooks, the weak hardware equipment of this notebook gets apparent. Still, we want to mention, that maximum performance was not the primary aim of the D420 and daily applications without high demands on calculation power should also not cause any problems. Even a Reaction Quake game was no problem for the Latitude. However, you should forget about intensive game sessions, the 12 inch Dell XPS M1210 with Core 2 Duo CPU and Geforce 7400 video card was designed for these demands.
The performance of the Intel Core Duo U2500 processor is sufficient for non-demanding applications.
Even the 60 GB hard disk, a Toshiba MK6008GAH, of the reviewed notebook did not score high compared to others. However, you should consider that this is a 1.8" hard disk with 4200 revs. The review uncovered low transfer rate and average access times (compared to 2.5", 5400 revs models). A 80GB version of the 1.8 inch hard disk is also available. Further information about the video card can be found here or in our comparison of mobile video cards. Detailed information about the Core Duo CPU can be found here. Please also look at our benchmark list of mobile processors or at our benchmark list of mobile video cards, in order to compare this notebook to other configurations.
Benchmark Comparison 3DMark
Benchmark Comparison PCMark
However, performance is clearly not the main purpose of the D420.
More important is the nearly utterly quiet operation.
3D Mark05 388 points
3DMark05 in comparison User Review Sony Vaio VGN-FZ11M (min)
The heating of the bottom side of up to 48°C is not so good.
2107
... User Review Sony Vaio VGN-FZ11M
2107
Review Sony Vaio TZ11XN Notebook
308
... Review Alienware Area-51 m9750 Notebook (max)
10256
The 42 Wh battery in combinations with energy-saving hardware equipment leads to an excellent battery runtime.
PCMark05 1942 points
PCMark05 in comparison Review Asus U1F Notebook (min)
2008
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PRO
Review Asus U1F Notebook
2008
+ Compact size and light
Review Sony Vaio TZ11XN Notebook
2094
+ Robust and high-quality materials
...
+ 4 USB ports
Review Apple MacBook Pro 15'' Notebook (Santa Rosa) (max)
5517
+ Spacious keyboard + Matt display with good resolution
Quake 3 Arena The average results of the timedemo demo1 were 72.6 frames per second (fps)
HD Tune: Toshiba MK6008GAH Benchmark Transfer Rate Minimum: 1.9 MB/sec Transfer Rate Maximum: 21.2 MB/sec Transfer Rate Average: 16.8 MB/sec Access Time: 19.2 ms Burst Rate: 54.7 MB/sec CPU Usage: 3.6%
+ Very low noise emissions + Passable battery runtime (9 cells battery) CONTRA - Moderate number of ports (except: USB) - Touch pad and track point need familiarization - Vertical stability to the vantage point of the display
- Moderate performance - Partly high temperature increase
EMISSIONS
SIMILAR NOTEBOOKS Loudness The emitted noises of the Dell Latitude D420 are pleasingly within reasonable ranges. During normal operation you will hardly recognize the notebook. With a noise of about 31.4 dB during idle mode this notebook is nearly completely silent.
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Only under load the fan gets apparent to the user. At higher demands the D420 noise emissions of 40 dB are possible and clearly recognizable.
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Temperature
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In turn to the rather decent fan, the notebook gets clearly warmer. Especially near the back at the bottom side and under load clear the temperature possibly increases to up to 48°C. This hot spot is at the left back corner at the bottom side (fan/CPU).
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Temperatures on the top Ball of hand max.: 30.2°C Top max.: 41.1°C Average: 34.4°C Hotspot:
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Temperatures on the bottom Bottom max.: 48.0°C Average: 31.3°C Hotspot:
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Room Temperature: 22.5°C
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Speakers The mono sound of the single speaker left above the keyboard is really not worth listening at. It's main usage is rather for simple audio warnings. Music sounds tinny and low. In order to enjoy music, we definitely recommend the use of a headset.
HP Compaq nc4400: Compact XGA subnotebook Toshiba Satellite U200: Highquality and elegant subnotebook Macbook 13" C2D: Design classic with powerful CPU, works now also under Windows Dell XPS M1210: Small, yet powerful Asus R1F: 13.3" Tablet PC with Core Duo CPU Sony Vaio VGN-C1: Colorful 12" Sub, also available with Geforce 7400 Toshiba Portege M400: Core Duo Tablet PC Samsung Q30: Small, light, cool design, but expensive Asus U5F: 12" Subnotebook, matt 1400x1050 pixels display Toshiba Liretto U100: Pentium M ULV 1.2Ghz, 7,2" TFT Toshiba Portege R200: Pentium M ULV, Intel GMA 900, 1.3 kg
PRICE COMPARISON Ciao Dell Latitude D420 RATING
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Dell Latitude D420 BATTERY RUNTIME Depending on the demanded performance, the D420's battery runtime with integrated 42Wh lithium ions battery is in between a minimum of 1.5h and a maximum of about 3.5h. Alternatively to the reviewed 6 cell battery also a 9 cell battery with a capacity of 66Wh is available, which should be capable of increasing to runtime by about 50%. Battery runtime Idle, min. brightness, no WLAN: 215 minutes Full-load, max brightness, WLAN: 100 minutes Internet surfing, adapted brightness, WLAN: minutes DVD, max brightness, no WLAN: minutes
Key: min:
25.0 / 34.3 / 41.1 Watt 64.2 / 72.0 Watt , med:
88%
Keyboard
86%
Mouse
82%
Connectivity
86%
Weight
94%
Battery
78%
Display
77%
Games Performance
43%
Application Performance 77%
Current consumption Idle Load
Workmanship
Temperature
55%
Noise
88%
Impression
88%
Average
79%
82%
, max:
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SUBNOTEBOOK * Weighted Average VERDICT
* Weighted Average Subnotebook: Workmanship 8%, Keyboard 10%, Mouse 10%, Connectivity 4%, Weight 16%, Battery 12%, Display 8%, Games Performance 2%, Application Performance 4%, Temperature 8%, Noise 8%, Impression 10%
The Dell Latitude D420 is a small and mobile secondary notebook, which mainly convinces by its high-quality and robust, but yet especially light case. Further pluses are the wide screen display, which provides overview by a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, and the low noise emissions. Even the keyboard is alright for a 12 inch notebook. All important keys have a reasonable size. However, you might need some time to get used to the touch pad and the track point.
Dell Latitude D420
Further informations on our rating sceme: here (in German).
The display scores high regarding its resolution and its non-reflecting surface. However, illumination and stability to the vantage point of the panel are not really good. If you are not eager for somebody else looking at your display, this property might also be a plus. Even the performance is rather moderate. However, the main design aspects of this notebook were a long battery runtime, low weight and small dimensions. Daily demands like Internet or Mail and light office applications should yet hardly cause any problems for the D420. While the noise emissions are low, the notebook clearly gets warmer. Especially for a subnotebook, surface temperatures of up to 48°C cannot be neglected. This notebook only comes with a single speaker. So, mono sound at its best is guaranteed... ;-) Nevertheless, this aspect is not really important for business notebooks, and, furthermore, you are lucky to use a headset. The battery runtime of up to 3.5 hours with the 6 cell battery is alright. If you intend to use this notebook mobile, you should still consider the 9 cell battery instead, which is able to provide you with a runtime of up to 5 hours in practice, with optimized energy settings even longer.
> Notebook & Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Archive of our own reviews > Review Dell Latitude D420 Notebook
Author: J. Simon Leitner, 2007-04-30 (Update: 2010-02-10)
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