Dell build quality - some weak points

People love to bash dell's build quality. I wanted to make some points.
I have handled E1505, M90, Inspiron 5000, thinkpads T30,42, Sony vaio.
I have not opened up the laptops, so I cannot comment on whats inside.

Dell has made progress in their build quality in recent models.

The 14-15" screen category.
The E1505 was quite well made. No flex on the palmrest. No creaks. the lid cover was very thin and cheap, but there was a solid 2nd level lid underneath it. The lid cover I'm talking about was just eye candy, which had the dell logo etc. The "real" lid was hidden underneath.
Putting pressure on the screen resulted in no flex or shimmering in the screen.
Same pressure on the T42 lid resulted in distortion in the screen.
Same pressure on palmrest made it flex and creak.

HOWEVER, for a laptop thats being moved about a lot, the T42 will outlast the E1505.
WHY ? Because the T42 is much lighter and slimmer. The Inspiron's weight and size make it more prone to accidents (its more difficult to handle, like taking it out of the bag with one hand); falls will also do more damage (its weight is a liability in falls).

The 17" category.
The E1705 is reputed to have a metal chassis like the M90.
The M90 is build like a tank - I could not produce any flex in the LID by using just one hand.
It is heavy, but I'm not sure thats a negative point in this category - all the laptops in 17" are heavy, and difficult if not impossible to handle using one hand (large size + weight produces a double whammy on torque).
So I'm skeptical other 17" laptops can outlast the dells (M90/E1705/XPS1710).

 

my i5000 is an AWESOME built system...my i8500 was a POS...worst laptop construction since the only Sager I ever bought in '93...but the i8500 was bad enough to make me try a different option when it died a couple weeks back.

glad to read they might be OK again...I did consider an M90 but for the cost didn't want to take the chance...

 

Only to the contact point on the case. All laptops dropped from the same height will hit the ground at the same speed. The force on the contact point will be greater due to the larger mass however internals will be affected equally.

 

Not necessarily true.
It is indeed true that velocity is the same, however if the ground is not hard, but softer, like a carpeted surface, the jerk to the entire system might be greater.
Example - put a pillow on concrete. Drop a hard drive on it. Now take a 50kg Iron Cube, and strap the HDD on top of it, and drop the entire ensemble on the pillow. The pillow wont make a difference in this case - it cant absorbe the energy of the falling ball.

 

my E1505 has a lot of wobble on the lid, and it creaks by the palmrest by the optical drive, however i've had mine for almost a year

 

The best example I can think of to describe what you're saying is 2 people jumping on a trampoline, one fat and one skinny jumping at the same height. The fat man will bottom out before the skinny man at the same height.

The thing is, we're talking about a 0.5-1.0lb difference at most. I just don't think that 0.5-1.0lb difference would make a significant difference when dropping a notebook from a potentially damaging height in either notebook.

Despite the negligible differences, you do have a point thus qualifying your statement... barely

 

Yes, exactly.

Actually the diff is closer to 1.4lbs
T60: 4.8lb
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1908364,00.asp
E1505: 6.18lb
http://www.dell.com/content/product...?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~page=4&~tab=specstab]

1.38lb is close to 30% of T60's weight. While its not huge, its not negligible either.
But I agree that almost all of the extra damage will be in the outer casing. T60 probably has a better casing to boot.

As an aside, I have dropped my inspiron 5000 from a height of 2.5 feet onto concrete, while on I think. Outer casing got a crack, but laptop was running fine for years. It still runs fine.

 

My Inspiron 6400 is built like a brick-poophouse, very pleased with it. I wouldn't worry about the laptop if I had to bash some druggo over the head with it.

 

Dell's build quality is definitely getting better. I have a few older dells lying around the house. A 9100 and a 600m. Then a couple newer 640m's that are built better then both of them by far. One thing I'd like to see dell do, is start using different materials. Like carbon fiber, or brushed aluminum or something...

 

The M90 has a metal lid/chassis. The E1705 is supposed to have a metal chassis too. Dunno if has a brushed aluminium lid like the M90.