The Latitude D-series was introduced in 2003, and discontinued in 2007. The models are the D4x0 (12.1" Ultra Mobile), D5x0 (14.1 or 15.0" standard aspect screen except for D531, plastic case, value model), D6x0 (14.1" Corporate model) and D8x0 (15.4" high-resolution model) most models are based on the Intel Core 2 Duo and the Intel Santa Rosa chipset, with the exception being the D531. Ever since the D420, D620, and D800, the D-series features wide-aspect LCD screens: 12.1", 14.1", and 15.4" respectively.
Latitude D6x0 series
The Latitude D6x0 series is the 14"/14.1" corporate model. It aims to combine heavy-duty power with reasonable portability, and differs primarily from D8x0 series in screen size. All are two spindle designs, with a "D/bay" modular bay which can interchange optical drives, a second hard drive, a floppy disk, a Zip drive, or a second battery. All models have a smart card socket, PCMCIA socket, 9-pin serial port, a "D-dock" port for a docking station or port replicator, and have an internal socket for an 802.11 wireless card.
The D600 and D610 share a common form factor, battery socket, and have a parallel printer port.
The D620 and D630 share a common form factor, battery socket, and do not have a parallel printer port. Both have support for an optional internal Bluetooth module, a socket for an optional mobile broadband card, and have an external switch for disabling any wireless connections.
Latitude D600
The D600 (and simultaneously introduced D800) was released on March 12, 2003. These were Dell's first laptops in the Latitude D-series, and also Dell's first business-oriented notebooks based on the Pentium-M (first-generation "Banias" or Dothan) chips and running on a 400 MT/s FSB on DDR memory. It had a PATA hard drive and a D-series modular bay, and used an ATI Radeon 9000 GPU. It had a 14-inch screen, in regular (non-widescreen) form factor. Unlike later D6x0 series machines, both memory sockets were accessible from a single cover on the bottom of the system.
Most, if not all Latitude models prior to the Latitude Dx20 series had a near-clone Inspiron, in the case of the D600, it was the Inspiron 600M. Differences include that the 600M does not work with the Dell D-Dock, and the case styling is slightly different. The motherboards, screens, and hard drive caddies are all physically interchangeable.
The Latitude D600 used a PA-10/PA-12 charger and came with a DVD drive, 2 x USB, 1 x TV, 1 x network, 1 x parallel, 1 x serial, and 1 monitor output. The hard drive is accessible through a cover on the left-hand front side of the lower case and is secured by 1 screw. After removing the screw, the hard drive can then slide out.
Latitude D610
The D610 (released in 2005) was an update of the D600 design; it used a slightly modified D600 chassis, an extra 2 USB ports, and a newer Pentium M chipset ("Sonoma" with 533 MT/s FSB). This chipset was the first Intel mobile chipset to use DDR2 Memory, versus the DDR in the Latitude Dx00 series. For space-saving purposes, instead of having both RAM chips on the bottom of the laptop, one RAM slot was moved to the top of the motherboard which could be accessed by removing the keyboard, whereas the other RAM slot remained in the area it had been located at previously. Unlike the D600 and prior midrange Latitudes (The 6xx series, dating back to the C-series) you had a choice of standard integrated Intel Graphics (GMA 900), or a discrete ATI solution (Radeon X300).
Latitude D610 Audio-Out "whining"
Some Dell Latitude D610 units with a dedicated ATI X300 graphics card seem to have problems with the audio-out jack. Symptoms of this problem include a noise or whine when an audio device is connected to the audio-out jack. Up to this date Dell does not have a clear solution to this problem.[30][31][32][33]
Latitude D610 Audio-Out "whining"
Some Dell Latitude D610 units with a dedicated ATI X300 graphics card seem to have problems with the audio-out jack. Symptoms of this problem include a noise or whine when an audio device is connected to the audio-out jack. Up to this date Dell does not have a clear solution to this problem.[30][31][32][33]
Latitude D620
In March 2006, Dell introduced the D620 (and the D820), its first business-oriented notebook with a dual-core processor available. The D620 marked the transition from strictly 32-bit processing to opening-up the potential to run 64-bit operating systems and applications. Initially available with the interim "Yonah" Core Duo (x86 32-bit) processors, it was later sold with the first-generation mobile "Merom" Core 2 (x86-64 64-bit) processor once those became available from Intel in the Fall of 2006; both run on a 667MT/s bus. So depending on the installed processor, a D620 can run x86-64 64-bit software. The D620 used a Socket-M for its motherboard and its CPU is possible to be upgraded. It was initially sold with Intel integrated graphics, but an option to upgrade to a discrete Nvidia GPU became available after a few months. It replaced the raised pointing stick with a "low profile" model and introduced the option of 4-cell and 9-cell batteries in addition to the standard 6-cell model. It uses DDR2 memory and is compatible with both PC2-4200 (533 MHz) and PC2-5300 (667 MHz) memory.
Although the D620 accepts a maximum of 4 GB of physical memory, it cannot be used fully, because of the 32-bit physical addressing limitation of the 945 Core 2 mobile chipsets [Intel-945GM/PM-chipset], (not related to the BIOS or the use of a 32-bit or 64-bit OS), restricts the usable memory by the operating system to 3.5 GB, or 3.3 GB with onboard video (memory is shared).
The D620 has one mono speaker located in the base below the touchpad. It has no option to expand to stereo without using external speakers or headphones.
There was no near-clone Inspiron model for the D620.
Latitude D630
Released in 2007, the D630 is an update of the D620 design. It differed most significantly in being based on the newer "Santa Rosa" (GM/PM965) mobile chipset which supported the 800MT/s models of the mobile Core 2 Duo (both the Merom 7xx0 series and later the Penryn-based 8x00/9x00 series). It also had newer versions of the graphics processor options, support for Intel's "Turbo Memory" flash cache (although this uses the same card slot as the mobile broadband card), and support for internal Wireless-N. It also [optionally?] added a 4-pin Firewire IEEE 1394 port. It uses DDR2 memory and is compatible with PC2-5300 (667 MHz) and PC2-6400 (800 MHz) memory. The D630 unofficially will accept a maximum of 8 GB of physical memory, however, a BIOS update is required.
Unlike the D830, the D630 only has one speaker.
Latitude D620/D630 problems
- All early D620 models were known for faulty LCD screens. The early models suffered from light bleeding, where a black screen would show light bleeding in from the bottom of the screen. This wasn't fixed until almost a year into production.
- In addition, some D630 screens are known for having bad LCD pixels.
- They also have overheating issues: the D620/D630 and D820/D830 were available with an Intel integrated GMA or Nvidia graphics chip. The optional Nvidia graphics on this series of laptops are prone to overheating issues where the GPU would develop cracks in the solder. This was mostly due to temperature fluctuation but the graphics chips also ran much hotter than they were meant to. The failure manifests itself by stripes or "artifacts" on the LCD and also an external screen or by the total absence of an image. Even the D830 series, despite having more room for cooling the chip, suffered from the same issue. Some Nvidia models will eventually suffer from failure of the graphics chip due to the switch to lead-free solder and "underfill" of the
Latitude D620/D630 problems
- All early D620 models were known for faulty LCD screens. The early models suffered from light bleeding, where a black screen would show light bleeding in from the bottom of the screen. This wasn't fixed until almost a year into production.
- In addition, some D630 screens are known for having bad LCD pixels.
- They also have overheating issues: the D620/D630 and D820/D830 were available with an Intel integrated GMA or Nvidia graphics chip. The optional Nvidia graphics on this series of laptops are prone to overheating issues where the GPU would develop cracks in the solder. This was mostly due to temperature fluctuation but the graphics chips also ran much hotter than they were meant to. The failure manifests itself by stripes or "artifacts" on the LCD and also an external screen or by the total absence of an image. Even the D830 series, despite having more room for cooling the chip, suffered from the same issue. Some Nvidia models will eventually suffer from failure of the graphics chip due to the switch to lead-free solder and "underfill" of the BGA. The computer industry at the time had just switched to lead-free solders without redesigning cooling systems. This in turn led to undesirable heating cycles of the more brittle solder causing micro fractures to quickly form. Dell tried to prolong the lifetime of the Nvidia chips in these models with a BIOS update which causes the fan to run more often and thus reduce the strain from repeated heating/cooling cycles on the graphics chip. NVIDIA was found liable for these failures, causing a multi-million-unit recall, not only of some Dell notebooks, but also some HP, Compaq, and Apple products.[34]
Latitude D630c
The D630c was a slight variant model of the D630, featuring a "manageable" version of the motherboard chipset unavailable on the standard D630.
Unlike the D630, the D630c model laptop could not be ordered with Intel graphics; it shipped only with the Nvidia graphics chip. As a result, all of the Latitude D630c laptops eventually fail.
It also could only be ordered with the Intel 4965AGN wireless card; it couldn't be configured with Dell's wireless options or lower end Intel wireless cards.
Latitude D631
The Latitude D631 (released in 2007), similar to the D531, was a variant of the Latitude Dx30 series that had AMD processors instead of Intel. However, the D631 is very rare inside the United States due to it not being an option to order on Dell's website. You can find some that originated in the United States, but those were special ordered over the phone. They were sold alongside the D630 as standard equipment in select international countries, but while not being that rare internationally, they didn't sell as many units as the D630 series (and even the D630c series) laptops did. As a result, not much information about specific chipsets, graphics chip options (If there were any), or any other features can be found online for specifying details.
Latitude D600
The D600 (and simultaneously introduced D800) was released on March 12, 2003. These were Dell's first laptops in the Latitude D-series, and also Dell's first business-oriented notebooks based on the Pentium-M (first-generation "Banias" or Dothan) chips and running on a 400 MT/s FSB on DDR memory. It had a PATA hard drive and a D-series modular bay, and used an ATI Radeon 9000 GPU. It had a 14-inch screen, in regular (non-widescreen) form factor. Unlike later D6x0 series machines, both memory sockets were accessible from a single cover on the bottom of the system.
Most, if not all Latitude models prior to the Latitude Dx20 series had a near-clone Inspiron, in the case of the D600, it was the Inspiron 600M. Differences include that the 600M does not work with the Dell D-Dock, and the case styling is slightly different. The motherboards, screens, and hard drive caddies are all physically interchangeable.
The Latitude D600 used a PA-10/PA-12 charger and came with a DVD drive, 2 x USB, 1 x TV, 1 x network, 1 x parallel, 1 x serial, and 1 monitor output. The hard drive is accessible through a cover on the left-hand front side of the lower case and is secured by 1 screw. After removing the screw, the hard drive can then slide out.
Latitude D610
The D610 (released in 2005) was an update of the D600 design; it used a slightly modified D600 chassis, an extra 2 USB ports, and a newer Pentium M chipset ("Sonoma" with 533 MT/s FSB). This chipset was the first Intel mobile chipset to use DDR2 Memory, versus the DDR in the Latitude Dx00 series. For space-saving purposes, instead of having both RAM chips on the bottom of the laptop, one RAM slot was moved to the top of the motherboard which could be accessed by removing the keyboard, whereas the other RAM slot remained in the area it had been located at previously. Unlike the D600 and prior midrange Latitudes (The 6xx series, dating back to the C-series) you had a choice of standard integrated Intel Graphics (GMA 900), or a discrete ATI solution (Radeon X300).
Latitude D610 Audio-Out "whining"
Some Dell Latitude D610 units with a dedicated ATI X300 graphics card seem to have problems with the audio-out jack. Symptoms of this problem include a noise or whine when an audio device is connected to the audio-out jack. Up to this date Dell does not have a clear solution to this problem.[30][31][32][33]
Latitude D610 Audio-Out "whining"
Some Dell Latitude D610 units with a dedicated ATI X300 graphics card seem to have problems with the audio-out jack. Symptoms of this problem include a noise or whine when an audio device is connected to the audio-out jack. Up to this date Dell does not have a clear solution to this problem.[30][31][32][33]
Latitude D620
In March 2006, Dell introduced the D620 (and the D820), its first business-oriented notebook with a dual-core processor available. The D620 marked the transition from strictly 32-bit processing to opening-up the potential to run 64-bit operating systems and applications. Initially available with the interim "Yonah" Core Duo (x86 32-bit) processors, it was later sold with the first-generation mobile "Merom" Core 2 (x86-64 64-bit) processor once those became available from Intel in the Fall of 2006; both run on a 667MT/s bus. So depending on the installed processor, a D620 can run x86-64 64-bit software. The D620 used a Socket-M for its motherboard and its CPU is possible to be upgraded. It was initially sold with Intel integrated graphics, but an option to upgrade to a discrete Nvidia GPU became available after a few months. It replaced the raised pointing stick with a "low profile" model and introduced the option of 4-cell and 9-cell batteries in addition to the standard 6-cell model. It uses DDR2 memory and is compatible with both PC2-4200 (533 MHz) and PC2-5300 (667 MHz) memory.
Although the D620 accepts a maximum of 4 GB of physical memory, it cannot be used fully, because of the 32-bit physical addressing limitation of the 945 Core 2 mobile chipsets [Intel-945GM/PM-chipset], (not related to the BIOS or the use of a 32-bit or 64-bit OS), restricts the usable memory by the operating system to 3.5 GB, or 3.3 GB with onboard video (memory is shared).
The D620 has one mono speaker located in the base below the touchpad. It has no option to expand to stereo without using external speakers or headphones.
There was no near-clone Inspiron model for the D620.
Latitude D630
Released in 2007, the D630 is an update of the D620 design. It differed most significantly in being based on the newer "Santa Rosa" (GM/PM965) mobile chipset which supported the 800MT/s models of the mobile Core 2 Duo (both the Merom 7xx0 series and later the Penryn-based 8x00/9x00 series). It also had newer versions of the graphics processor options, support for Intel's "Turbo Memory" flash cache (although this uses the same card slot as the mobile broadband card), and support for internal Wireless-N. It also [optionally?] added a 4-pin Firewire IEEE 1394 port. It uses DDR2 memory and is compatible with PC2-5300 (667 MHz) and PC2-6400 (800 MHz) memory. The D630 unofficially will accept a maximum of 8 GB of physical memory, however, a BIOS update is required.
Unlike the D830, the D630 only has one speaker.
Latitude D620/D630 problems
- All early D620 models were known for faulty LCD screens. The early models suffered from light bleeding, where a black screen would show light bleeding in from the bottom of the screen. This wasn't fixed until almost a year into production.
- In addition, some D630 screens are known for having bad LCD pixels.
- They also have overheating issues: the D620/D630 and D820/D830 were available with an Intel integrated GMA or Nvidia graphics chip. The optional Nvidia graphics on this series of laptops are prone to overheating issues where the GPU would develop cracks in the solder. This was mostly due to temperature fluctuation but the graphics chips also ran much hotter than they were meant to. The failure manifests itself by stripes or "artifacts" on the LCD and also an external screen or by the total absence of an image. Even the D830 series, despite having more room for cooling the chip, suffered from the same issue. Some Nvidia models will eventually suffer from failure of the graphics chip due to the switch to lead-free solder and "underfill" of the
Latitude D620/D630 problems
- All early D620 models were known for faulty LCD screens. The early models suffered from light bleeding, where a black screen would show light bleeding in from the bottom of the screen. This wasn't fixed until almost a year into production.
- In addition, some D630 screens are known for having bad LCD pixels.
- They also have overheating issues: the D620/D630 and D820/D830 were available with an Intel integrated GMA or Nvidia graphics chip. The optional Nvidia graphics on this series of laptops are prone to overheating issues where the GPU would develop cracks in the solder. This was mostly due to temperature fluctuation but the graphics chips also ran much hotter than they were meant to. The failure manifests itself by stripes or "artifacts" on the LCD and also an external screen or by the total absence of an image. Even the D830 series, despite having more room for cooling the chip, suffered from the same issue. Some Nvidia models will eventually suffer from failure of the graphics chip due to the switch to lead-free solder and "underfill" of the BGA. The computer industry at the time had just switched to lead-free solders without redesigning cooling systems. This in turn led to undesirable heating cycles of the more brittle solder causing micro fractures to quickly form. Dell tried to prolong the lifetime of the Nvidia chips in these models with a BIOS update which causes the fan to run more often and thus reduce the strain from repeated heating/cooling cycles on the graphics chip. NVIDIA was found liable for these failures, causing a multi-million-unit recall, not only of some Dell notebooks, but also some HP, Compaq, and Apple products.[34]
Latitude D630c
The D630c was a slight variant model of the D630, featuring a "manageable" version of the motherboard chipset unavailable on the standard D630.
Unlike the D630, the D630c model laptop could not be ordered with Intel graphics; it shipped only with the Nvidia graphics chip. As a result, all of the Latitude D630c laptops eventually fail.
It also could only be ordered with the Intel 4965AGN wireless card; it couldn't be configured with Dell's wireless options or lower end Intel wireless cards.
Latitude D631
The Latitude D631 (released in 2007), similar to the D531, was a variant of the Latitude Dx30 series that had AMD processors instead of Intel. However, the D631 is very rare inside the United States due to it not being an option to order on Dell's website. You can find some that originated in the United States, but those were special ordered over the phone. They were sold alongside the D630 as standard equipment in select international countries, but while not being that rare internationally, they didn't sell as many units as the D630 series (and even the D630c series) laptops did. As a result, not much information about specific chipsets, graphics chip options (If there were any), or any other features can be found online for specifying details.
Latitude D8x0 series
The Latitude D8x0 series is the 15.4" corporate model; unlike the D600 and D610, all feature a widescreen form factor. All are two spindle (or "dual-spindle") designs, with a "D-bay" modular bay which can interchange optical drives, a floppy module, a second hard drive, or a second battery. All models have a smart card socket, PCMCIA socket, and 9-pin serial port, a "D-dock" port for docking station or port replicator, and have an internal socket for an 802.11 wireless card.
The D800 was Dell's first widescreen Latitude notebook.
The D8x0 series models roughly parallel the technology in the D6x0 models other than for screen size; they do not share a battery form factor with the D6x0 series. The D820 and D830 add an ExpressCard socket, not available in the D6x0 series. The D830 is capable of accepting 8 GB of physical memory with updated firmware.
The D800 equated to the Precision M60, and the D810 to the Precision M70. They were for all intents and purposes identical except for the graphics card, certification, and in the case of the M70, the lid.
The near-clone Inspirons for the D800 and D810 were the Inspiron 8500 and 8600; the D820 and D830 share hardware with Precision models M65 and M4300 respectively. There are even known cases of "mixed-mode" samples of the latter, where the Dell-recorded type according to the service tag and markings differs from the BIOS-reported type with an identical service tag.
Both Latitude D820 and D830 have stereo speakers mounted on both sides of the keyboard.
Latitude D5x0 series
The Latitude D500 series is a set of "entry-level" business models; they are built on a 15" non-widescreen form factor, although models before the D530 were sold with both 14.1- and 15-inch screens (the 14.1" having a wider bezel.) They are 2-spindle devices (removable optical drive interchangeable with D6xx/D8xx machines), and roughly follow the technical generations (chipset and processor-wise) of the D6x0 and D8x0 series. The D530 was Dell's last non-widescreen Latitude model.
The Latitude D531 was also available, being the cheapest Latitude available at the time due to using AMD processors and cutting back on a few features. It was essentially a D830 with, no TrackPoint, no smartcard reader, an option for a 14-inch screen (If this was chosen it would have a similar wider bezel as on the earlier D5xx series machines), and an AMD-based motherboard. It does keep some premium features from the D830, such as a magnesium chassis, support for a 2nd battery, and a SATA based interface for the hard drive, allowing people to upgrade to a much faster SSD for cheap. DVD Drives, Screen Assemblies (If the laptop was ordered with the 15-inch screen), RAM, and Hard Drives/Caddies were interchangeable.
Latitude D4x0 series
The Dell Latitude D4x0 series of ultraportable laptops were first released in 2003 with the D400 and discontinued in 2007 with the D430. In order to make the laptops small and lightweight, some changes were made, such as ultra low voltage (ULV) CPU's, removal of the modular bay, no dedicated graphics, and in later models, 1.8-inch hard drives instead of the industry standard 2.5 inch. While the D8x0, D6x0, and D5x0 models were all introduced simultaneously with each generation, the D4x0 series were generally introduced a couple of months after their counterparts. Also, since they use ULV (ultra-low-voltage) processors and chipsets, and are generally less powerful, the technology does not correspond as closely as it does between other models in each generation — for example, the D420/D430 uses parallel ATA hard drives (1.8") rather than the SATA (2.5") interface in the D520/620/820. In 2008, the D4x0 series was replaced by E4200 and E4300 models.
Dell Latitude D400/D410
The D400 was released in 2003 with a ULV Banias Pentium M, Intel 855GM chipset, 128 MB of RAM (up to a max of 2 GB) and a choice of 20, 30, and 40 GB 4,200 RPM hard drives, The D400 had a design that was similar to the D600, including a 4:3 non widescreen 1,024×768 12" display. The computer could be configured with Windows XP Home or Professional, or Windows 2000 Professional.[35]
The Dell Latitude D410 was released in 2005. It introduced a new design, newer ULV Dothan Pentium M's, and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). It shares the rest of its hardware with the D400.
Dell Latitude D400/D410
The D400 was released in 2003 with a ULV Banias Pentium M, Intel 855GM chipset, 128 MB of RAM (up to a max of 2 GB) and a choice of 20, 30, and 40 GB 4,200 RPM hard drives, The D400 had a design that was similar to the D600, including a 4:3 non widescreen 1,024×768 12" display. The computer could be configured with Windows XP Home or Professional, or Windows 2000 Professional.[35]
The Dell Latitude D410 was released in 2005. It introduced a new design, newer ULV Dothan Pentium M's, and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). It shares the rest of its hardware with the D400.
Dell Latitude D420/D430
The Dell Latitude D420 was released in 2006 and introduced many new features. Some of them include support for Intel's new Core architecture, 12.1-inch widescreen displays, options for 3G cellular connectivity and a 64 GB SSD option.[36] The D420 came with either an Intel Core Solo U1300 ULV 1.06 GHz, Intel Core Duo U2400 ULV 1.06 GHz or Intel Core Duo U2500 ULV 1.2 GHz. Unlike its bigger D620 brother, the D420's CPU was a soldered-in BGA and therefore is not upgradable. The Dell Latitude D420/D430 use 1.8-inch hard drives similar to those used in the Apple iPod Classic.
The D430 came out a year later in 2007, and was the last laptop in the D4x0 line. The D430 came with either an Intel Core Solo U1400 ULV 1.2 GHz or Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 1.2 GHz; the U7700 Processor (1.33 GHz) was later made available as an option. The D430 also have soldered-in BGA CPU's and are not upgradable without changing the motherboard.
In a 22 °C ambient the D430 U7700 processor has been measured to run from 62 °C at idle to 85 °C under heavy system loads, that is, within 10 °C of Intel's max. temperature rating for the processor.
D/Bay modules
The Dell Latitude D-series laptops support swapping out the optical drive with select modules available from Dell. Available were a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW and a DVD±RW optical disk drives, along with a 2nd hard drive, 2nd battery, floppy drive and Iomega Zip 250 drive. An external enclosure branded as the D/Bay was available, allowing users to use modules on Latitudes that didn't have internal bays, such as the Latitude D4xx series of ultraportable laptops. The enclosure uses a special type of USB port only available on certain Latitudes(D4x0 series)
The Iomega Zip 250 module was released as the successor to the similar module for the Latitude C-series. When the modules came out in 2003, at the start of the D-series lifespan, Iomega was discontinuing the Zip format. As such, this module is very rare, and was only on sale for a few months after it came out. Newer Latitude laptops detect it as a CD-ROM drive within the BIOS, but within an operating system, the zip disks are detected as standard removable drives.
NVidia GPU problems
Many D620/D630 and D820/D830 models (and related Precision models) with NVidia mobile GPUs may experience graphics failure. A Class Action Lawsuit settlement by NVidia was reached where certain Dell models were provided with replacement motherboards at no expense.
Recall affecting D Series batteries
Dell posted notices to many of their laptop customers on August 14, 2006, saying that the Sony batteries on the D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600/D610, D620, and D800/D810 models were prone to bursting into flames, or even exploding.[37][38]
The batteries on any of these computers purchased between April 2004 and July 18, 2006, were supposed to be removed and the computers run on AC power until replacements arrived. Problematic Sony batteries led to battery recall programs at other laptop companies, including Hitachi,[39] Toshiba,[40] Lenovo (IBM)[41] and Apple.[42]
