Sturdiness of Dell's laptop...

How sturdy/well built are their laptops. I'm thinking of buying a laptop for school. I need a well built laptop that I can carry to class everyday. I'm thinking of getting the Inspiron 6000 - upgraded version with duo core, when it comes out. I also looked in Sony's as well as IBMs. I want to spend less than $2000 if possible.

A little info about school. I'm starting my first year of medical school this coming fall so I need a laptop that will last at least four years. Thank you.

 

I would recommend somthing ligter and with a better build quality then the dell 6000. I honistly don't think it would last 4 years of carrying it back and forth for 4 years. If I were you I would be sure to, whatever you get, get a 3-4 year warranty to be sure its going to last you that long. Also, you should fill out the Notebook FAQ located on the Hardware forum, so we can help pick a notebook thats just right for you.

 

definitely fill out the faq as mentioned. some things to think about...

1. i went through 3 years of law school with a 12" notebook. sizewise, it was perfect. nice and small and light for portability and didn't take up a lot of space on the desk during lecture.

2. conversely, i do wish that i had a bigger notebook for the purpose of having a higher resolution LCD. the notebook i had was a 12" XGA (1024x768). the tradeoff for portability was being locked into this resolution which isn't fun at all for notetaking or revising notes. i now have a 15.4" WUXGA and although a little big to cart to school daily, having the WUXGA would have been a Godsend for taking notes and revising notes/outlining, especially in the law school setting where you have to build an outline for the entire class for finals.

being able to get a full size Word Doc (my class notes) AND a working doc (the outline) next to each other without having to Alt + Tab between the two would have made studying a LOT easier.

anyways, that's my two cents on some things to think about when making your decision. but, as mentioned, fill out the FAQ and you'll get some good suggestions.

 

My brand new Inspiron 9400 feels pretty sturdy and solid, and the screen hinges (known problem with Acer) seem to be pretty robust.

On the other hand, carrying around a laptop daily for four years will be a big challenge to every brand and model, my best bet would then be a Thinkpad T series, which I have used for years at work, and without any breakdowns.
:buyIBM:

On the other hand, for that price you can buy two laptops of a cheaper brand (i.e. buy a new one with better specs after two years)...