Laptops Comparison Laptops Comparison Laptops Comparison Laptops Comparison Laptops Comparison

Here we are again, comparing two different laptops that reside in different categories – usage, display size and form.  The two laptops we are going to compare — the Dell Latitude XT and the HP Compaq 6820s – both cater to the business world; although these thinking machines are used differently.

 

The HP Compaq 6820s and the Dell Latitude XT are quite different since one is pure business laptop while the latter is cross between a small laptop and a tablet.  Both were released quite some time ago, but both still pose a threat to present laptops as their prices have dropped quite a bit since they were introduced to the market.

 

Dell Latitude XT

First up is the Dell Latitude XT.  The Latitude XT is Dell’s pioneer product competing in the Tablet PC category, that is, machines that function both as a laptop and a tablet.

 

As a beautiful hybrid of a laptop and a tablet, the Dell has blessed Latitude XT with some of the best technologies from the laptop and tablet industries.  The Dell Latitude XT is laden with the N-Trig touch screen technology, which allows the use of either a pen or one’s finger — without using a mouse or the touchpad – to click, double-click or zoom an image.  This unit has good palm rejection that detects unnecessary pressure when the hand rests on the Dell Latitude XT’s 12.1-inch screen. The Dell Latitude XT’s screen sports a 1280 x 800 resolution.  This laptop’s screen also comes with LED backlight, which represents power savings.

 

The Dell Latitude XT is powered by Intel’s Ultra Low Voltage processor in Core 2 Duo U7600 that clocks at 1.2 GHz clock.  The ULV processor, unlike others, consumes less energy.  This tablet PC is loaded with up to 2 GB of RAM and an integrated graphics in ATI Radeon Xpress X1250.

 

The Dell Latitude XT sports a good solid business look with its black finish, with a little smear of aluminum on the lid.  The Dell Latitude XT weighs only 3.12 pounds and is only an inch thick – making it easy to carry when moving to one inventory rack to another.

 

Specs
Central Processing Unit	Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz ULV U7600 processor
Read Access Memory	1-2GB DDR2 SDRAM
Storage Space	120GB hard drive, 5400rpm
Display	12.1″ WXGA (1280 x 800) LED backlit
Dimensions	1 inch x 11.7 inches x 8.6 inches
Graphics	Integrated ATI Radeon Xpress X1250
Operating System	Windows Vista Business OS
Battery	six-cell standard (optional 9-cell slice battery)
Weight	3.12 lbs.

 

Pros:

The Dell Latitude XT’s N-Trig touch technology allows dual and capacitive touch, making it easy to use around as a tablet.  The Dell Latitude XT sports a solid keyboard, which doesn’t bend when pressed.

 

The Dell Latitude XT comes with an adjustable pen – which could be conformed according to one’s writing preferences.  The Dell Latitude XT boasts of a fast start-up, thanks to its Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor.

 

Cons:

The Dell Latitude XT warms up easily, but the heat does not aggravate to the point that it becomes a threat to comfort.

 

HP Compaq 6820s

The HP Compaq 6820s is part of the business laptop trio released by HP sometime ago.  The 6820s is the eldest of the trio, sporting a 17-inch display and a large resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels.  The 6820s comes with a silver finish.

 

The HP Compaq 6820s is powered by a an Intel Celeron Processor running up to 2 GHz, but maybe upgraded to Intel Core 2 Duo clocked up to 2.4 GHz.  One could also load up to 4GB of RAM, to ensure hitchless performance when handling business software.  The HP Compaq 6820s’ graphics is backed by an ATI Mobility Radeon X1350 card, making it capable of handling some hardcore graphics.

 

Specs
Central Processing Unit	Intel Core 2 Duo (up to 2.4-GHz) or
	Intel Celeron Processor (up to 2.0-GHz)
Read Access Memory	Up to 4GB SODIMMs DDR2 SDRAM 667-MHz, two slots
Display	17.0-inch diagonal
Resolution	1440 x 900
Graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon X1350 dedicated graphics memory
Hard Drive	Up to 160 GB 5400 RPM SATA
Optical Drive	Yes
Battery	Six-cell 55 WHr Lithium-Ion battery
Dimensions	1.27 inches x 15.6 inches x 11.22 inches
Weight	starting at 6.5 lbs

 

Pros:

The HP Compaq 6820s has a very nice keyboard as well as touchpad.  The keys are full-sized and well-positioned. The keys also have good response rate when touched.

 

The touchpad of the HP Compaq 6820s sports a scroll zone, which makes it easier to browse long pages of documents.

 

Cons:

The HP Compaq 6820s has a slight slow start up. Another negative thing about the HP Compaq 6820s is the heat issue.  When the HP Compaq 6820s is subjected to use, its bottom gets quite warm even for just a short time of usage.

 

Conclusion:

Both laptops in review are good buys.  Both perform well as expected and still dish out some powerful processing performance even when they are run by older processors.

 

Since the laptops in reviews are aimed for different usages, it is quite hard to choose which one wins this round of comparison.  However, we will give the win to the Dell Latitude XT.  The Dell Latitude XT could perform at par or better than the HP 6820s when used as a laptop. Aside from that, the Dell Latitude XT could serve as a tablet – something the HP Compaq 6820s could not do.

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Tags: Dell Latitude XT, HP Compaq 6820s

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Laptop comparisons, and is tagged with Dell Latitude XT, HP Compaq 6820s. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.