Anyone else here own a Latitude D630? ***PIC***

[Temetka]

I was just curious how many (if any) other Thinkpadders also own a Latitude D630. If so what are your thoughts and feelings about it? I have owned many laptops over my life time and professed love for some of them. My T41P, X41T, E6500 and M4400 come to mind. But this little D630 is [censored] near perfect considering it's age. Right now it's running Linux Mint 17 and is very, very snappy. I take it to work with me, use it at home all the time and so on. Sometimes I have to take my M4400 with me or my T410 because I need a little more CPU power, but those days are exceedingly rare. The days I am without my D630, I honestly feel like part of me is missing. Weird, maybe. But it's size is perfect, it's keyboard is simply amazing and I love the color scheme.

Considering that this machine only has a T7300, some might consider it to be old. But it runs the heck out of youtube, e-mail, and various forums. Plus it plays strategy games very well. Right now I am playing Battle for Wesnoth. Awesome RTS game. Oh and I can still run it for about 4 hours off of it's used battery in my lap without it EVER heating up. I did of course blow out the cooling system and replace the TIM with a fresh coat of AS5. Even fully stressed I can't get the CPU to go much above 70-72 celcius.

Sadly I don't feel the same way about my T410 and am considering selling it to finance a few choice upgrades for my baby. I am still amazed that an "old" Core2Duo system with Intel graphics could just make me feel sooo at home, but that is exactly how it is. If I were forced to dump all my computers and only have 1, it would hands down be this D630. I wouldn't even have to think about it. My only regrets with this machine are that I didn't buy it when it was brand new and thus be able to enjoy it's sheer awesomeness from the day it left the factory and someday tech will force me to move to a newer machine. When that day ccomes I will be very sad.

Even if you don't have one of these wonderful little machines, feel free to chime in with your thoughts, nostalgia, etc. about your favorite computer.

Here's my latest screenshot of this beast:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/ ... 63640d.png

Mod edit: picture too large! Changed into link. Please read Forum Rules, section 5!

[ideal-pc]

I used to have a D630. Had to get shot of it in the end as the hinges broke, the whole assembly just sheared off & the case was cracked at the back. Personally I think someone dropped it but nobody owned up!! I agree they were nice machines but I never did like the colour scheme, that grey always seemed very dull somehow to me. I currently have a T420 & an X220. I like both machines very much although do get irritated by the left click not always functioning properly on the bottom of the touchpad (buttons built in, urgh). My T420 is a great machine & powers through most things I throw at it

[Tasurinchi]

I had a work issued D630 for about 3 years. It was okay, but not more than that. Build quality was inferior to the Thinkpads, the keyboard flexed, the LCD bezel was kind of loose, the power-on button peeled, (the touchpad too to a certain degree), the keyboard was so-so...

Screen was nice (WXGA+) and overall it run cool (Intel graphs)

[Norway Pad]

My wife used to have a 830, which I think is the same machine, except in 15.4" form factor(?) She loved that machine, and she used it for home, travel and work for 4-5 years. Which meant an awful lot of dragging around. I remember the paint on the on-off and volume buttons peeled, and some keyboard flex, as Tasurinchi says. Otherwise it seemed sturdy enough. Eventually the graphics failed, which we assume was the Nvidia disease, as this machine was from that same era as the failing T61s. Since she liked this machine so much, and had many fond memories from places she traveled with it, I secretly bought a new motherboard and restored it for her last year.

[pianowizard]

The days I am without my D630, I honestly feel like part of me is missing. Weird, maybe. But it's size is perfect, it's keyboard is simply amazing and I love the color scheme.

I have never had a D630 but have seen several of them. I can visualize myself falling in love with its stylish looks, like I did with the D820.

Build quality was inferior to the Thinkpads...

This is to be expected considering the huge price differential. If I remember correctly, if a T61 was configured to have the same components and warranty duration, it was about a third more expensive than a D630. Throw in a 30% - 40% coupon code which Dell used to offer VERY frequently, and the T61 (even when on sale) became almost twice as pricey. Quality-wise, Dell Business laptops were never a match for the T/W/X Series Thinkpads until just a couple years ago, when Dell finally ramped up its flagship Precision models.

[brchan]

A few years ago I did some volunteer work for a company where they needed people to help fix, upgrade, and configure their old D630s, D620s, and other desktops. They would then be donated to other organizations. Most of the D630s and D620s I saw were still in pretty good condition, but they were more easily scratched, and the materials just felt cheaper than in Thinkpads. However, very few of them had any real issues, and their structural rigidity was generally good. Oh, and none of them had wobbly hinge issues.

I would still choose a Thinkpad of similar generation than those Latitudes, though. Better overall quality, design (IMO), construction, keyboard, trackpoint, and 4:3 screen ratio.

[pianowizard]

I would still choose a Thinkpad of similar generation than those Latitudes, though.

It's easy to say now that they are all dirt cheap. But 8 - 10 years ago, when a D630 was $1K and a similarly configured T61 was $2K, you might have opted for the D630 instead. A friend of mine had a $2,400 T61, which died after 1 year and 1 month so it was out of warranty. Had he gotten a D630, it probably still would have died due to the Nvidia issue but at least it would have been repaired for free, since the default warranty would have been for 3 years.

Better overall quality, design (IMO), construction, keyboard, trackpoint, and 4:3 screen ratio.

Did you realize that Dell held on to 4:3 for longer than Lenovo? Specifically, the Latitude D530. It even had a serial port!

[600X]

Did you realize that Dell held on to 4:3 for longer than Lenovo? Specifically, the Latitude D530. It even had a serial port!

Isn't the D530 the same generation as the T61 which also offered 4:3?

A friend of mine had a $2,400 T61, which died after 1 year and 1 month so it was out of warranty. Had he gotten a D630, it probably still would have died due to the Nvidia issue but at least it would have been repaired for free, since the default warranty would have been for 3 years.

He should've come to Europe, all high end ThinkPads have standard 3 years warranty here.

[AIX]

He should've come to Europe, all high end ThinkPads have standard 3 years warranty here.

That's right, but we certainly pay the price...

[pianowizard]

Isn't the D530 the same generation as the T61 which also offered 4:3?

The technology was the same generation, but Dell continued to sell it for a while (half a year?) even after Lenovo had discontinued the T61.

That's right, but we certainly pay the price...

BTW, in the U.S., the high-end Latitudes and all Precision laptops on Dell's outlet site also carry 3 years of warranty by default, just like the brand new units.

[jdk]

I performed a lot of warranty motherboard swaps on D620 and D630's. The nVidia graphics would die a similar death to the early T61's and some HP laptops from the same era. If you have the Intel graphics, you are probably okay. There were also driver issues with the wifi cards that would result in no signal when resuming from suspend. The D530 was kind of like our R-series, and the D531 was the AMD version, and makes a nice Linux box even today. I thought all of those laptops were very nice looking, minus the ITALICIZED keys on the keyboard. The grey paint would also wear off in places, making them cheap looking after normal use. There was also a D430 which was all Intel based and makes a nice portable system even today for less than $70.

D630 was replaced with the E6400 series and a new style, but that model had overheating problems and also had problems waking from sleep if docked.

[Tasurinchi]

There was also a D430 which was all Intel based and makes a nice portable system even today

True, that's the only Dell I liked (from the series our company normally purchases). It was sleek and light, although I remember they were slow at that time due to the PATA 1.8" drives.

I have a D420 and a D430, the latter has been modded with a mSata/ZIF adapter and it's running Debian quite snappy

[Temetka]

I have read a lot about the D430's and TBH, I really really want one.

I know I don't need another toy and my only justification would be to play around on it, slap linux on there and turn it into a killer little writing machine.

/runs off to ebay.

Seriously though, I am good on machines with my D630 and M4400.

/runs off to ebay.

EDIT: Ok, I *REALLY* want a D430. Putting the T410 up in the marketplace. I never use it so no big loss.

EDIT#B: T410 up on marketplace. http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=115116

[pianowizard]

I don't think I have even seen a D420 or D430 in person, but can imagine how cute and sexy it looks, as long as it doesn't have one of those ultra ugly extended batteries that stick out. The only D4** Latitude I've owned is the D410, and it's super attractive too. But its hinges were weak. The D410 is 4:3 while the D420/430 are 16:10, so they are good-looking in different ways. I think you should get both!

The D530 was kind of like our R-series, and the D531 was the AMD version

To make the D5** Latitudes cheaper, it had only 1 year of warranty, in addition to using cheaper processors and material. The E5*** and 5000 series continued this tradition.

D630 was replaced with the E6400 series and a new style, but that model had overheating problems and also had problems waking from sleep if docked.

The only laptop I've had from the E**** series is the E4200. Great keyboard, impressively light weight, and Dell finally fixed the hinge problem, but it isn't particularly good-looking and the screen is crap. I once wanted to get an E6500 but eventually convinced myself that a 6-lb 15-incher wouldn't be very useful for me. For something that's already too heavy to lug around, I might as well get a proper desktop replacement with a 17" screen that's more comfortable to view.

[RealBlackStuff]

@Temetka:
you should have become a weather-forecaster: forever changing...

[Temetka]

@Temetka:
you should have become a weather-forecaster: forever changing...

So many wonderful toys, so little time.

EDIT: So I lost my mind. I pulled the T410 out to prep it for trade and realized my biggest gripe and why I stopped using it. My trackpoint cap is not the soft dome version. That and it runs slightly warmer than my D630. Which is it will because it has an Nvidia GPU and i5 vs Core2Duo and Intel GPU. Easy fix: buy a soft rim cap. But after using it again over the last week I fell in love with it all over again. Proper sized LCD, runs rather quiet, has power when I need it and the keyboard is simply awesome.

I also had to re-learn a lesson I taught myself a while back: too much stuff is bad. I have 4 laptops at my disposal. I really only 1 or 2. So I am going to put the 2 I don't really need (D630, E6520) in the closet. I would e-bay the D630 but I won't get much for it and I can't sell the E6520 yet. Maybe I will give the D630 to my niece who needs a computer. Years ago I had 2 closets full of computer goodies and a few Macintosh computers under mydesk and some Sun gear, a stack of old firewalls and other stuff. I finally got rid of it all in what has become known to me aas the Great Gear Purge of 2010. However slowly but surely it's been building back up and that is the exact opposite of what I want.

I felt so relieved to be rid off that extra gear that I would waste time with thinkering, reading up and so on. It was literally like a weight off my shoulders. But this time it's laptops not retro gear. Time to purge again. I just got rid of 3 D830's and that felt great. I have an X61T handling my bitcoin miner so it is actually useful since it just sits in the corner of my desk. But the T410 is going to become my primary machine and the M4400 will be my backup computer. Any other laptops that come my way will be gotten rid of post haste.

[jdk]

Glad you came to your senses. You could probably do a 1:1 swap of the D630 to get the D430/420 if you really got the urge again.

If your T410 runs too hot, you could always get this Allsop laptop stand for about $10.



I've used these for years. Not only does it keep the laptop heat off your knees, but it puts it at a better typing angle when sitting at a desk. It doubles as a case protector when putting the laptop in a bag.

[emeraldgirl08]

IIRC the first generation of i-processors seem to all run hot! I know my E6510 (which also has the Nvidia) runs a bit warm however it manages to somehow keep me from getting rid of it at this point. I think the backlit keyboard (really useful for low-lit situations), 1080p screen, and easy access to components have all been a compelling argument to keep the unit thus far! Like you I had put it up on TPF for sale and had second thoughts about it after awhile. It came down to it being on-par (in respect to accessibility) with the modular Thinkpads and also because it simply looks very professional IMO.

[Altemose]

Glad you came to your senses. You could probably do a 1:1 swap of the D630 to get the D430/420 if you really got the urge again.

If your T410 runs too hot, you could always get this Allsop laptop stand for about $10.



I've used these for years. Not only does it keep the laptop heat off your knees, but it puts it at a better typing angle when sitting at a desk. It doubles as a case protector when putting the laptop in a bag.

My only problem with those stands rather than a hard one is they do act as a bit of an insulator.

[Temetka]

It doesn't run hot at all. Just hotter than the D630 does. I really got spoiled by an all Intel machine and how cool it runs. If my T410 is running warm, 99% of the time it's because I am using it on my lap. So I shift it to the left a few inches to open the vents and within a few minutes the fan spins back down.

If I were to get a stand, I would basically want a flat suface with a pillow underneath.

Now the Precision M4400. That runs nice and hot when gaming. Otherwise, it's not too bad. That being said I am going to put the T410 back into service as my primary machine and move the M4400 to backup duty. Right now I only have Linux installed on my T410. I am going to add a Windows 7 VM to it just in case there is some work function I can't readily get done in Linux.

I totally forgot how light this machine is. It's like a feather compared to my M4400 or E6520. Heck even the light D630 feels heavy to me. I am really glad I made the decision to keep this machine. I had forgotten just how awesome it is. Part of that is because like most geeks, I am addicted to new toys. Having a client rain laptops on me does not bode well for me trying to de-clutter the amount of machines in active and backup duty.

@Emeraldgirl - I hear you on the backlit keyboard. My M4400 and E6520 both have them and IMO, it is far superior to the Thinklight. I do like the Thinklight, but the backlit keyboard seems to offer that extra touch of class. Which gets me to wondering if I could snake some EL wire under the keys and power it via some motherboard spot.

[pianowizard]

EDIT: So I lost my mind. I pulled the T410 out to prep it for trade and realized my biggest gripe and why I stopped using it. My trackpoint cap is not the soft dome version. That and it runs slightly warmer than my D630. Which is it will because it has an Nvidia GPU and i5 vs Core2Duo and Intel GPU. Easy fix: buy a soft rim cap. But after using it again over the last week I fell in love with it all over again. Proper sized LCD, runs rather quiet, has power when I need it and the keyboard is simply awesome.

I went through the same phase: there were many laptops that I liked, but each of them had shortcomings that bothered me, even the most widely praised models such as the T23 and T60 Thinkpads. That's why I went through 80 laptops in just a decade. But after trying all these laptops, I think I've found what suit me best: a pocketable netbook/laptop (Sony P Series) for when I need the ultimate mobility, an ultraportable at home with a touchscreen (Sony Pro13), an ultraportable at work (Panasonic Let's Note CF-Y9) that's an extremely rare collectible, and a fun collectible/antique (Dell Inspiron 7500) that happens to be actually useful for some tasks, namely playing background music and watching DVDs.

What I'm trying to say is, it's okay to go through lots of laptops, as long as you know what you are looking for, and as long as you are making progress toward that goal. I expect to hold on to the above four laptops for a pretty long time, with the Sony netbook being the only possible exception because it's so very slow. If I do get rid of it, I would upgrade to the fastest 2nd-gen Sony P Series. But I'm still glad that I gave my current P Series a try because without that, I wouldn't have known how useful a pocket-sized laptop is. It's better than a pocket-sized slate tablet, because the P Series has a keyboard, while weighing nearly the same (only 1.23 lbs).

If I were you, I wouldn't force myself to settle for any of your current laptops, since you clearly aren't 100% satisfied with any of them, perhaps not even 90%. Sell the toys that your clients give you as soon as you receive them so you won't be tempted to waste time and space on them. For now, keep using the T410 as your primary machine and the Precision as your backup, but you should also make a list of all the features you want in a laptop and start looking at laptop reviews to see what you should get next. You will make lots of money by selling these gifts from your clients, so you can afford pretty much any laptop.

BTW, the HP and Gateway in my signature are used by people in my lab. I have zero attachment to these laptops, which is why I didn't mention them above.

[Eric Giles]

What a coincidence that I find this thread...I just happen to be typing this reply on a D630 I took out of service last week. I purchased probably five or six D630's a few years back for our use instead of Thinkpads because I was able to get them at almost a steal at the time. They were very lightly used and still had over two years of warranty remaining. I think that i only had to get warranty service on one of them during that time.

I have also installed Linux Mint 17 on this particular D630 (XFCE Edition), and I agree-it is very quick and snappy. This is a relative base model, with a T7250 CPU, 2GB RAM, CD-ROM drive, WXGA screen, Intel graphics, and original 80GB hard drive. Stll, it performs very well.

I think the overall build quality is excellent-much better than the majority of Dell's I have used over the years. I think the chassis materials are very good, and I haven't had any problems with hinges so far. The keybord is excellent, and happens to be better than some newer Thinkpad keyboards i have used. The 'touchstick' implementation is fair...it works ok, but lack of a third button for scrolling really hinders usage for me. The touchpad is also just ok-a bit small and sometimes not that responsive to tap for click, but since I can use it to scroll the page it is my main method of cursor movement. I too have found that the labeling on the power/volume buttons as well as the keyboard doesn't last too long. Also, the palmrest and touchpad seem to become shiny in less amount of time and use than say, a Thinkpad.

Battery life is pretty good...I would like to install Windows 7 and see if it is better than what I am getting with Linux (in my experience it should be better in Windows). Probably my biggest complaint is how hot the bottom gets under just normal use. It becomes slightly uncomfortable to use in my lap for an extended period of time. This one probably needs a good interior cleaning and repasting on the CPU, which I will do very soon.

I have two more of these that I will be pulling out of service soon, and one of them is in absolutely like new condition-no wear marks, scratches, screen has not yellowed one bit and is very bright, etc. I think I will keep it for myself, upgrade it to a T9300, 4GB RAM and an SSD and add it to my collection.

Overall, these are very good, durable laptops. I see techs come through our business that are still using them today.

[steveg1988]

I had one of these, i loved it until the nvidia graphics decided to die on it. influenced the HP buy after that (i normally go used laptops) with the ATi x1600.

Only thing i disliked, up to the death, the mono speaker.

[jdk]

What I'm trying to say is, it's okay to go through lots of laptops, as long as you know what you are looking for, and as long as you are making progress toward that goal. I expect to hold on to the above four laptops for a pretty long time, with the Sony netbook being the only possible exception because it's so very slow. If I do get rid of it, I would upgrade to the fastest 2nd-gen Sony P Series. But I'm still glad that I gave my current P Series a try because without that, I wouldn't have known how useful a pocket-sized laptop is. It's better than a pocket-sized slate tablet, because the P Series has a keyboard, while weighing nearly the same (only 1.23 lbs).

If I were you, I wouldn't force myself to settle for any of your current laptops, since you clearly aren't 100% satisfied with any of them, perhaps not even 90%. Sell the toys that your clients give you as soon as you receive them so you won't be tempted to waste time and space on them. For now, keep using the T410 as your primary machine and the Precision as your backup, but you should also make a list of all the features you want in a laptop and start looking at laptop reviews to see what you should get next. You will make lots of money by selling these gifts from your clients, so you can afford pretty much any laptop.

BTW, the HP and Gateway in my signature are used by people in my lab. I have zero attachment to these laptops, which is why I didn't mention them above.

Post of the year. I went through several Thinkpads and Elitebooks (and even a HP tablet) before I found that the laptop I wanted was really the one that I had to build myself. I'm not going to list all the laptops I owned to get here (although the signature comes close), but I appreciate the journey they took me on as I was able to find things I liked and didn't like about each one. The end result: I'm sitting here on a nearly maxed-out X201 with a 1440x900 screen and a palmrest without the useless (to me) trackpad. Lenovo was never going to build this, although they came close with the X200s, but I really doubt their trajectory will ever cross paths with what I'm looking for again.

Sometimes it's fun to check out the cool machines in the store. I'm really impressed with the new XPS 15 and the Toughbook SX2, for example. But I have found satisfaction in something I built myself that I would probably never get from those machines. And, I have found more useful places to put my hard-earned money these days, with a growing family and all. As long as this machine continues to perform well and parts are readily available if it doesn't, I'm golden.

[Temetka]

So as I am reading over some of the responses it is good to know that I am not alone in finding the laptop that fit's like a glove.

Here's what I really, really, really want but it doesn't, nor ever will exist:

16:10 LCD 14" 1440x900 (or whatever the spec is) LED backlit
mSATA slot
iSeries CPU
Dedicated GPU (preferably Nvidia for better *nix support)
Backlit keyboard
Runs cool and quiet 90% of the time
Dual trackpad / trackpoint inputs
Excellent keyboard to type on
Business class build in terms of case strength, etc.
3+ hours battery life
Supports 16GB of RAM (I use a lot of VM's to test before I deploy stuff for clients)

The T410 comes VERY close. If it only had a backlit keyboard.

So does the quest continue? Sure in so far as free laptops are concerned. Disposable income is tight at the moment but should be more liquid just before Christmas.

There's many machines I have tried and loved aspects of almost all of them. The E6500 ran cool and quiet but it's GPU was underpowered. The M4400 is beast, but it makes my wrists sweat. The D630 is possibly the BEST Intel only 14" laptop I have ever owned, bar none. However it's relegated to tinker status. I still get almost 4 hours out of it's original 9 cell battery though.

Is my perfect laptop out there? I doubt it. I could cram a T420 keyboard in my T410 but some of the keys would be mapped differently.

The quest continues.

[Temetka]

Looks like the Latitude E6410 might come close:

http://www.notebookreview.com/notebookr ... 10-review/

[DaKKS]

Had a d630 back in the day, lovely little thing but the gpu crapped out pretty early. It was later replaced with a quadro equipped d620 that for some strange reason still runs to this day. Just threw in an ssd and a new cpu today. It locked up while I was programming a twice unit a last week weeks ago and its been sluggish in wis for ages. Better safe than sorry.

[pianowizard]

Looks like the Latitude E6410 might come close:

Have you had much experience with 1600x900 14" laptops? If you convince yourself that you don't absolutely require 1440x900, you would have a lot more 14" laptops to choose from. Most of them are newer than the E6410 or T410, and can satisfy the features you listed more easily.

Had a d630 back in the day, lovely little thing but the gpu crapped out pretty early. It was later replaced with a quadro equipped d620 that for some strange reason still runs to this day.

I don't think the D620 and D820 were affected by the faulty Nvidia chips, even though they were included in Dell's settlement. The faulty cards had the G84 and G86 GPUs, which weren't used in the D620 or D820. But just to be safe, when I owned a D820, I avoided watching videos on it.

[DaKKS]

I don't think the D620 and D820 were affected by the faulty Nvidia chips, even though they were included in Dell's settlement. The faulty cards had the G84 and G86 GPUs, which weren't used in the D620 or D820. But just to be safe, when I owned a D820, I avoided watching videos on it.

You sure? Found surprisingly many faulty gpu threads on notebookreview and dell forums. Either way, if its run this log, it will probably survive a while longer.

[pianowizard]

You sure? Found surprisingly many faulty gpu threads on notebookreview and dell forums.

Well, are YOU sure that these threads were about the D620 and D820? When I bought my D820, I was worried because it was listed in the Nvidia lawsuit, so I did a fairly careful Google search for reports of D620/820 having GPU problems, and found nothing. Tons of posts about the D630 and D830 but none about their precursors, though it was nearly four years ago when I did that search. I also looked up whether the Nvidia chips used in the D620 and D820 were G84/86-based, and concluded that they weren't. I suppose it's possible that some of the later D620/820 were equipped with G84/86 chips, but Dell didn't update the specifications info (for example this: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/pr ... 820_en.pdf) to reflect this change. The particular D820 I owned used the Nvidia Quadro NVS 120m, which certainly isn't G84/86-based.