most stable Dell laptop?

[subgenius]

What have people heard about the current Dell laptops, and more specifically, which line is supposed to be the most problem/bug-free? I read on the Dell forums that some of the Inspiron 8x00's had screen problems. Are other lines having problems that people know of?

My boss is decided on getting a Dell laptop (I was hoping he'd consider a Voodoo, but he has neither the personality nor the computer literacy to appreciate such a machine), and he's got a conference in mid january that he'll be presenting at, so he can't afford to have a screen problem, or any other hardware problem that would force him to ship it back to Dell.

Minimum system specs:
CPU = Centrino or Mobile
RAM 512 MB
Win XP Prof
HD 40-80 GB at either 5400 or 7200rpm
64 or 128 MB video card

 

[Frightcrawler]

no computer is flawless.
the 8x00 flaw you are talking about is the SXGA+ screen.
it has three screens that can possibly ship with the machine. 2 of them are good, the other one sucks.
but, you could just demand an exchange if you get the crappy one.
that is, if you decide to go with the sxga+ screen.

there are major problems with the 5150, dealing with crashes due to video cards.

i suggest that you buy the i8600 because it fits your needs perfectly.
the screen thing is minor, but its up to you.

 

[Pandaren]

i suggest that you buy the i8600 because it fits your needs perfectly

The Inspiron 8600 is a monster multimedia solution, but I would have to disagree that it is a good business product.

I'd recommend a Latitude D600 - much better build quality than the Inspirons and a lot lighter than the Inspiron 8600 or 51x0 series. It only comes with a 32 MB Radeon 9000, but that should provide enough firepower for most people.