Dell has managed to pack an impressive assortment of features into the Latitude D600. For starters, this system is available with 1.3GHz, 1.4GHz, and 1.7GHz Pentium M processors.
Because of its compact size, the Latitude D600 is available only with a 12.1-inch display. We found the screen, especially at its native 1,024x768 resolution, to be bright and crisp, especially for an ultraportable notebook. You can also configure the system with up to 64MB of video memory.
Though Dell's standard configuration for the Latitude D600 is a Centrino setup--meaning it includes an Intel Pentium M processor, the 855 chipset, and Intel's own 802.11b Pro/wireless card--you can upgrade to one of Dell's TrueMobile cards, which come in two flavors: 802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g. The Latitude D600 also includes an integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, as well as a 56Kbps V.92 modem.
The external drive bay allows for many expansion options.
The Latitude D600 can handle anywhere from 128MB to a whopping 2GB of 266MHz SDRAM, and hard disks of 20GB, 30GB, and 60GB, running at 4,200rpm. (It's rare that an ultraportable can accommodate that much extra memory and such a spacious hard drive.) Dell also offers a zippy 5,400rpm 40GB hard drive as an option. When you buy from Dell.com, you have a choice of external optical drives, including DVD+RW, CD-RW/DVD, or standard CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. You can also add an external 40GB hard disk through the external D/Bay connector.
Though the system includes two USB 2.0 ports, the external D/Bay drive, which you get automatically with the notebook, takes up one of them. You'll also find a single FireWire port and an integrated smart-card reader, which comes in handy if your business uses that security technology. A four-cell 28-watts-per-hour battery is standard, though you can upgrade to a six-cell, smart lithium-ion model.
While the system we tested shipped with Windows XP Professional, other options include Windows XP Home and Windows 2000 Professional. You can skip an office suite entirely or opt for either Office XP Small Business Edition or Office XP Professional.
Performance of Dell Latitude D600 series We recently tested an updated version of the Dell Latitude D600 with a 1.7GHz Pentium M. This new version scored higher than the previous 1.3GHz version but only by a small amount. Thanks to the combination of its 512MB of RAM and a 5,400rpm hard drive, both versions of the Latitude D600 beat the Sony VAIO PCG-Z1A and the T60. We should note that the two competing systems had different specs: The Sony VAIO Z1A had 512MB of RAM but only a 4,200rpm hard drive. The T60 had the same 5,400rpm hard drive as the Latitude D600, but the former had only 256MB of RAM. Both versions of the Latitude D600 hit the specs sweet spot, allowing them to beat the competition
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