can someone recommend a Dell for me?

I'm looking around for a laptop, and I would like to consider Dell or Dell Outlet. However I am not sure where to start looking. I will give my requirements and hopefully someone can give me some ideas.

- 15"

- 1920x1080 screen that's good for movie watching -- that means (1) good, bright color gamut, (2) wide viewing angle

- the ability to stream high-definition content from Amazon, Netflix, etc. I am not sure if I can take it for granted that any modern laptop can do this, but my 2010 Toshiba Tecra cannot stream high-def. I get an error which says I am missing HDCP hardware.

- Decent quad-core CPU--I don't want to pay a $200 premium to get the absolute fastest CPU, but I do intend to do some number crunching (audio and sound applications) and it can't be a slouch.

- at least 2 USB 3.0 ports, and at least one additional USB port of any type

- A GOOD KEYBOARD. By this I mean a keyboard with good travel depth and moderate resistance. My understanding is that typically business-class laptops have better (and more rugged) keyboards. My 2010 Toshiba Tecra A10 has an AMAZING keyboard, the best I've ever felt on a laptop. But it's a thick laptop, and my understanding is that thin/lightweight laptops sometimes compromise on the keyboard depth

- no specific budget--- whatever it takes to get what I want

- 8 to 16 GB RAM. A regular hard drive is fine (don't need SSD)


Mike

 

Try filling out this form and posting in the what notebook should I buy section.

 

I tried that but got no answer, even after bumping my post for several weeks. I am particularly interested in Dell, and if you don't mind me posting my question here, I think I am much more likely to get a specific answer here, from someone who is knowledgeable.

 

The Dell board is honestly pretty dead. Maybe try the latitude/vostro/precision sub forum?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Laptop in my tag line cost me about $300 on eBay. I moved from a 15.4" model (the D830 cited) that I used for ~9 years.

The IPS screen, in particular, is amazing. The 15" form factor is somewhat on its way out -- for modern laptops, you're basically looking at one model in the Precision Series, the old E6540 which is out of production now, and the XPS 15.

And yes you need a SSD. Its a crying shame to buy a laptop these days without a SSD. So many advantages, in terms of battery life, reliability, performance, etc. However, sometimes SSD "upgrades" can be expensive -- so consider what it would cost to "bring your own" SSD into your overall decision making calculus.

 

Dell Inspiron 7559 15.6" UHD TOUCH i7-6700HQ 16GB 1TB GTX 960M

 

Dell XPS 15 fits all the needs you listed. It sells for ~$1700-1800.

 

Have you considered E5570, E5470, E7470? The keyboards on these are okay by today's standards, but nowhere comparable to the keyboards of the golden period a few years ago.

 

I would advise against ANY Dell/Alienware product. Please read my warning message in earlier messages. Right now I would even recommended their product to my worst enemy. My grounds for this are legit and their own documentation bears it out.