Durable Laptop?

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Luder[PAK9]

[H]ard|Gawd
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Oct 11, 2001
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My buddy asked me to find a good laptop for him. The key feature is durability. Basically, he wants it to withstand being knocked off his desk without breaking. He's only going be using it for basic computing--e-mail, dvds, etc, so performance isn't a real concern.

I was looking at a Thinkpad R-series because of the magnesium frame, but those price out to ~$900. I can probably convince him that the money is worth it, given the quality.
However, I see that the Dell Vostros also have a magnesium frame and for $700 you can get better specs (2.1 GHz C2D and 250GB HDD compared to 2.1GHz and 80GB for the Lenovo). But, given my experience with my 600m, Dell makes shitty laptops.

So, the question is: for a basic computer for a clutz, is the Lenovo R the only way to go, or are there other, cheaper options out there?
 
i have a vostro and was surprised by the size and weight of it. it seems like the most durable laptop i have owned (i have used several inspirons and older thinkpads)

actually, aside from the 8400M GS it is a very nice laptop...i wouldn't discount it yet
 
If price is an issue, go with a Vostro. They are very durable and well-built. I was very surprised by it when I first saw one considering my previous experiences with Dell notebooks, but they are excellent laptops.
 
My inspiron 6000 now 9300, both are very durable, surprisngly, dropped, hit, kicked, stabbed, and it goes strong, with only the marks to prove it.
 
Yeah, the Toughbooks run about $2 grand.


Thanks for the responses, guys. I helped my friend order a Vostro 1500. And just to be on the safe side, he got the 1 year accidental damage plan. :D
 
Lol, I wouldn't want to push my vostro 1500 off a table...

Only thing I'd do that to would be a toughbook. Never've used one, not much processing power, very expensive, they look tough though.

If you want something pretty cheap, an eee pc might be able to take a beating. I don't mean getting water on it, but I bet you could drop it pretty far no problem. Bang around with it in a backpack/hit people with it, it looks like a rather sturdy laptop.
 
one of my customers has a toughbook and its plenty fast, i took it home one night to reinstall windows and such and i dropped it on purpose and nothing happened, keeps on going, when i brought it back to her apartment she proceeded to accidentally spill hot tea on the keyboard, the laptop has HOLES under the keboard that go through the whole system so all the water drains. the cdrom was hidden behind a rub cover and all other ports were closed off with rubber stoppers. awesome unit if u like to drop your equipment or just work in a hazardous environment.
 
chronic9 said:
the laptop has HOLES under the keboard that go through the whole system so all the water drains.
Click to expand...

Some business-class laptops have this feature. I believe the Dell Latitude series and some Lenovo Thinkpads do, and possibly others as well.
 
I'll put in my vote for a Thinkpad....they are way tougher than a "normal" laptop should be.

...that, and they are sexy as hell :p
 
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