Specifications

encountered. The bezel has one small weak
spot at the inside vertical edges, and when
pushing in on the LCD screen from up top I
can produce some ripples on the screen. Is
either a lot? Would it possibly be enough to
damage the screen? No on both counts, but
as with any notebook do not act out any of
your dreams of dropping bricks directly onto
the notebook. When in my backpack or
another tight spot, I have not needed to worry
about the screen protection. I have included a
video illustrating the squeeze effect, but I am
pressing VERY hard to produce the ripples.
This is the only weak spot in the bezel.
Other parts of the notebook are sturdy as well. The hard drive on the D430 features hardware-based shock
protection (I never saw evidence of a hardware and software based solution like the Fujitsu E8410, HP
8710p, or HP nc8430), and the keyboard/mousepad area has absolutely no flex so all those computer parts
directly underneath your working area are perfectly safe.
Coming in at a meager 12" in size, the D430 is definitely a feather-of-a-notebook. When placed in my
backpack, I really do not notice the extra weight and it is no trouble to take with me every day. The only bad
thing about such a light laptop is that if you leave it behind somewhere, you are not going to notice a huge
weight lifted off your shoulders. From experience, I’ve had to learn to check a little more carefully to make
sure the laptop is not left behind.
A
nother feature that needs mentioning is the DVD drive, or lack thereof. The D430 managed to achieve its
incredible thinness by ditching an internal DVD drive and going with an external Dell-specific-version-of-USB
external USB DVD drive that can run off of the notebook’s power mains to minimize the cable requirements.
For users that do not need an optical drive very often, this will be perfectly fine. Users who need it more
frequently may find themselves wondering if they’d want to carry around a second piece of equipment. I
myself do not find it annoying to be missing a drive whatsoever, as I rarely need to use an optical drive
during normal usage. I love having the option to shed some backpack weight and leave the DVD drive at
home, but some may not.
(view large image)
A
s far as appearances go, this is a business notebook. Appropriately so, the D430 features a mostly black
and gun-metal gray visual design. When compared to the design of the HP Compaq business notebooks, I
would say that (1) the exterior of the Latitudes does not look as sharp but (2) the interior sections of the
D430 look more professional and sharper.
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