The D620 is an OK machine, but you'll find it is quite large and takes up more room in your bag than the equivalent ThinkPad. It is lighter than the ThinkPad, though, since its case is entirely made of plastic. If I had a choice at this point I'd go for the ThinkPad X60 or a MacBook with Parallels/Boot Camp. Both have a long lifespan and better hardware quality (IMHO) than Dell.