Flexible laptop offers frills but few thrills

Dell's Latitude D505 is a highly configurable laptop for buyers who want to pay for no more than they need.

Besides the choice of Intel's flagship mobile Pentium M processor running at 1.4 or 1.5 gigahertz, budget-conscious buyers can choose a cut-down version with an M 1.2GHz Celeron processor.

However, the Celeron comes with half of the Pentium M's one-megabyte Level 2 cache and lacks the SpeedStep technology that enables advanced power management.

An integrated 855GME UMA graphics chipset that shares graphics and system memory is a telltale sign that this machine was not built with smooth 3D gaming experiences in mind.

Buyers can also choose from hard drive capacity ranging from 20GB to 60GB to suit their storage needs, and can choose between a 14.1-inch and 15-inch screen.

For wireless connectivity, there is the choice of a Centrino-standard Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 802.11b Mini-PCI card, a Dell TrueMobile 802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g mini PCI card. For extra connectivity with mobile phones or wireless headsets, there is an optional integrated Bluetooth module.

The D505 has an array of ports - serial, parallel, VGA, S-Video out, Firewire (IEEE 1394), infrared and two USB 2.0 ports, plus RJ-11 for the V.92 modem and RJ-45 for the Intel PRO/100 VE network connection.