Question:
Dell 520 vs. Dell 620 vs Toshiba A105-4074
First off sorry for the long post but I wanted to put all the information I think everyone will need. I will be going to graduate school in the fall and need a laptop to get me through the 2 years. I have the specs for each at the end.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
Under $1000 I would prefer to spend closer to $800
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
will be taking laptop everyday to and from class
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Business related and school task. No gaming and probably some music task. ( I think I may be the last person without an Ipod but I may be breaking soon)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
will be taking laptop everyday to and from class
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
I would prefer a longer battery life, I will be doing some occasional travel. But can get by plugging in on a daily basis
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
No
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
U.S.A.
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
No preference
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
no preference
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
no
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
more than 2 years
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
doesn't matter would prefer more if I get an Ipod, but would possibly use external drive to avoid downfalls of digital music.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
No preference
Toshia A105-4074 $699.00
Processor Brand: Intel
Processor Class: Core Duo Processor
Processor Number: T2050
Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
Bus Speed: 533 MHz
Mobile Technology: Centrino
L2 Cache Size: 2 MB
System Chipset: Intel 945GM Express
Memory Speed: PC2-4200 (533MHz)
Installed Memory: 512 MB
Hard Drive Capacity: 120 GB
Drive Controllers: SATA-150
Rotational Speed: 5400 RPM
Optical Drives: Double Layer DVD+/-RW SuperMulti Drive:
Sound Support: 3D Audio
Video Chipset Brand: Intel
Video Chipset: Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
Shared Video RAM (Max): 128 MB
Resolution: 1280 x 800
Display Size: 15.4 in
Display Type: TruBrite Screen Technology
Port Connectors: Video:
1 x RGB (monitor) output
1 x S-Video output
Audio:
1 x Microphone input
1 x Headphone output
Data:
1 x i.LINK™ IEEE-1394
4 x USB v2.0
1 x RJ-45 LAN
1 x RJ-11 modem
Card Slots: 1 x Memory Stick
1 x Memory Stick Pro
1 x Secure Digital(SD)/MMC
1 x xD-Picture Card
1 x ExpressCard/34
1 x ExpressCard/54
1 x Type II / Type I CardBus
Network Support: Ethernet (10/100 Mbps)
Wireless Protocol: 802.11a
Modem Speed: 56 Kbps
Input Devices: Keyboard
Touchpad
Battery Life (average): 3.5 Hours
Installed Operating System: Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
75W external AC adapter
6-cell (4000mAh) rechargeable, removable Lithium-Ion battery pack
Height: 1.5 in
Width: 14.2 in
Depth: 10.5 in
Weight: 6.0 lbs
Limited Warranty: 1 Year (12 Months)
Latitude D620 $938.00
Intel® Core™ Duo T2300E (1.66GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Operating Systems Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
LCDs 14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCD Panel
Memory 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
Graphics Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Hard Drives 80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
Fingerprint Reader for Added Security Standard Touchpad
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
AC Adapter 65W A/C Adapter
Optical Drive - Modular 24X CD-ROM Drive
Wireless LAN (802.11) Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card
Resource CD No Resource CD
Batteries 6 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 3 Year Mail-In Economy Plan
Latitude D520 $738.00
Intel® Core™ Duo T2300E (1.66GHz) 667Mhz Dual Core
Operating Systems Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
LCDs 14.1 inch XGA LCD Panel
Memory 512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
Internal Keyboard Internal English Keyboard
Hard Drives 80GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
Floppy Drive No Floppy Drive
AC Adapter 65W A/C Adapter
Module Bay Devices 24X CD-ROM Drive
Wireless LAN (802.11) Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card
Resource CD No Resource CD
Batteries 6 Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Service 1 Year Mail-In Economy Plan
Onsite System Setup No Onsite System Setup
File System NTFS File System for all Operating Systems
The only real difference I can tell on the Dells is the Warenty and the monitor.
Thank you in advance, I appreciate everyones opinions.
Answer:
Re: Dell 520 vs. Dell 620 vs Toshiba A105-4074
Anyone?
bump
Answer:
Re: Dell 520 vs. Dell 620 vs Toshiba A105-4074
i would go with the dell d520. i forget which options it lacks compared to the d620, but it seems to have the best of two worlds...cheaper but good build quality.
Answer:
Re: Dell 520 vs. Dell 620 vs Toshiba A105-4074
I'd go with the Dell D620. The Toshiba Satellite series would be of lower build quality and the Dell Latitude series has a standard 3 year warranty, even at Dell Outlet.
You'll miss the card readers and Windows XP MCE, but considering it's for school/work use, I doubt that'll be a major point. The D620 vs D520 is probably a decision to go with a widescreen or not.
Personally I would try going through Dell Outlet for a Latitude. You can get a great deal and you'll still get a 3 year Next-Business Day warranty. Not to mention it would ship faster as the system was already built. I spent about $1000 on my D620 after coupon, tax, and handling (free shipping at the time).
The problem with shopping at Dell Outlet would be trying to find the specifications to your liking. Unfortunately the WXGA+ screens are hard to come by when I was looking at Dell Outlet (and so were the NVidia Quadro cards on the D620).
Answer:
Re: Dell 520 vs. Dell 620 vs Toshiba A105-4074
I second the Dell Outlet suggestion. You get the 3-year on-site warranty and can even throw in accident coverage for $170 or so. Under $1000 for a business-class machine with great coverage. You just need to keep checking to see what they have, then act fast.