Okay, so my boss and I are running Dell Studio XPS 1645s for work. They're solid, 15.5" computers that have worked really, really well for the both of us.
My boss is a little hard on his technology, however, and he's starting to see keyboard problems (e.g., he's broken off the "e" key, the return isn't as responsive, etc.), and he'd like to replace his.
I'm not really into the whole laptop scene, so I don't know who's currently making good stuff. So, I turn to my PA friends.
His needs are:
- Full-size keyboard, hopefully a little sturdier than the one Dell is / was using
- Our current set-up is a little too big and heavy for him, since he travels a lot more than I do. So, something a bit more portable would be good
- Current stats - Intel i7 @ 1.73, overclocking to 2-and-change under load, 8 GB memory - are probably more than he really needs
- 500 GB hard-drive is fine
- Blu-Ray functionality and HDMI out are desired
His budget is flexible, but we paid less than $2k for these a few years back, so hitting a tighter budget today should be pretty doable.
So, who's who in laptops these days?
Posts
Nicer laptop keyboards have less flex (though I'm not at all sure they are more durable). In my experience Thinkpads, Precisions, Elitebooks and macbook pros usually have nice feeling keyboards, though I wouldn't say they fail at any lesser rate than a much cheaper model.
If you don't have to buy right now, you may want to wait until May when the next round of CPUs are coming out. Better battery and performance.
Thanks!
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
I used to do tech support for these things. If you think there's a chance you'll accidentally lock your laptop in the trunk of your patrol car, then drive the patrol car into a river where it stays submerged for two days - this is the laptop for you.
Yeah, I think those might a little bit of an overkill.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Volvo uses those for service work in their truck dealerships. They are almost indestructible, I say almost, because whilst I have seen one survive a 7 foot drop, another did not survive being driven over by an 8 ton prime mover.