Is there a brand of laptop that doesn't eventually come apart?

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Bird222

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 1, 2000
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I know that is a weird thread title but for example I am using an old HP Envy laptop where the case has broken on one of the hinge areas. I'm wanting to buy a newer used laptop and I am wonder if there is a brand that tends to be better built? I like HP's but this issue is bothersome. I'm not interested in a 'rugged' laptop just one that will hold together for years of use.
 
I've had dozens of laptops and the only one that didn't suffer hinge failures was an older Sandy Bridge Lenovo. Still have it dishing Spotify in the shop covered with weld/grinding/dirt/grease/gunk.
 
Kardonxt said:
In my experience business models tend to have much lower hinge \ case failure rates. latitude, probook, elitebook etc. They also tend to be fairly inexpensive as they come off lease used.
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Yeah, this. If I ever get a new lappy, it'll be a $700-1400 HP business laptop.
 
My company issues us Lenovo laptops, and they're solid as can be. That's the one I'll buy when the time comes.
 
Gaming or workstation laptops tend to be pretty decent. My old sager p750zm is in like new condition and is still surprisingly capable as it takes regular desktop lga1150 cpus. This is even after actively carrying this laptop around for many years.

For comparison I have a cheap Lenovo laptop with a 2500u that is pretty messed up but I also cant complain about that one as it cost $250 and ive gotten a good year of use out of it.

Light weight ultrabooks tend to fair poorly to time.
 
longblock454 said:
I've had dozens of laptops and the only one that didn't suffer hinge failures was an older Sandy Bridge Lenovo. Still have it dishing Spotify in the shop covered with weld/grinding/dirt/grease/gunk.
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Yes, I have one of those, the T430 I bought used for peanuts. Made in 2013, but even the battery is still somewhat usable. My mom uses that laptop nowadays, has a SSD, 8 gigs and runs okay. One thing that DID fail in it was the mini-displayport, kept cutting out. I hate those little versions of ports with a passion.
 
Either buy business laptops for 2-3x or plan to buy 2-3x the laptops :D
 
or maintain them better...
a business class will help a bit as they are more repairable but the key is keeping the hinge screws tight in the first place. soon as the screen start to feel loose, tighten them up.
 
I am still running a Dell Vostro 3350 with Sandy Bridge i5, 8GB, SSD (for past 3 years). It still runs well, but I can feel the age of the laptop when browsing certain sites, like Youtube. Screen, hinge and keyboard are still good. I had to replace the battery, and I opened it up early last year to give it a cleaning. Cost me $500 refurbished after a Dell coupon, and it chugs along after 9 years.
 
Last 3 laptops have been lenovo and problem free.

Not to mention great deals for the two with 8 core ryzen.
 
F for your machine. The hinges on early 2010s HP laptops (particularly the dv6/dv7 models and the dv-derived Envy models) seem to be catastrophically bad. Had to do surgeries on multiple machines for myself and friends.
The good news is, many manufacturers seem to have moved to more robust designs-for what it's worth, laptops with hinges that rise above the keyboard deck seem to be less prone to hinge splitting than the kind with hinges sunk into the rear of the deck. And of course, any machine with a metal unibody chassis will be very resistant to hinge breakage regardless of how the hinge is mounted so that's something to consider.
 
NattyKathy said:
F for your machine. The hinges on early 2010s HP laptops (particularly the dv6/dv7 models and the dv-derived Envy models) seem to be catastrophically bad. Had to do surgeries on multiple machines for myself and friends.
The good news is, many manufacturers seem to have moved to more robust designs-for what it's worth, laptops with hinges that rise above the keyboard deck seem to be less prone to hinge splitting than the kind with hinges sunk into the rear of the deck. And of course, any machine with a metal unibody chassis will be very resistant to hinge breakage regardless of how the hinge is mounted so that's something to consider.
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The cheaper msi line, I think ge? Offers half the support on the hinges versus the higher end ones, resulting in the lid cracking. Planned obsolescence for sure.
 
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