I have heard this too, and I have a Dell 8600. I find that the bottom chassis portion of the laptop is solid. Some of the plastic around the frame gives a little but it doesn't by any means feel flimsy. The LCD bezel is, I must say, rock-hard. It doesn't flex or give at all, and you absolutely cannot put pressure on the back side and cause the screen to aberrate.
The Latitude D600 is what my mom has. It is lighter and therefore when you pick it up you feel less give in the bottom part. But the LCD bezel is the same old thin plastic that flexes and distorts when you push the back.
Something in between might be nice. I would like to replace the palmrest of my 8600 with the D800 palmrest, which has less room to flex.
But alas the 8600 is on its way out. The 6000 will take over soon.
I had occasion to use a 700m today (the architecture is similar to the 6000). The computer felt very solid overall, and the lcd bezel seemed somewhere in between the hardness of the 8600 and the flexibility of the D600.
I hope this is helpful.
I am looking for a thin andlight notebook. I have been reading reviews for inspiron 8600, 700, 600. It sounds as though they are made cheaply & might faill apart. Are there some dell models that are tougher than others? Are the latitudes more sturdy than inspirons? and what is the difference between the same laptops for home use or for business? Are they made differently? Thanks for helping me to anwser my questions. Lastly, any recommendations-looking in the 1500 range

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