Not sure what your project is, and can't help you with places to buy, but I can offer some pro's and con's with regard to two brands of laptops that I have been using for the last 6 years.
Dell - Started off my experiences with Dell Laptops. Great quality, and very durable. A little more expensive, but seem to be worth it regarding the above. I slipped on some ice while walking, threw my laptop about 4 feet in the air, (while it was in the standard issue dell bag) and when I turned it on in the morning, the only problem was the latch to keep the lid closed was broken. No other software or hardware problems. In addition, I dumped a full Dunkin Donuts (cream and sugar) into the keyboard. I took out the battery, and hard drive, (only removeable pieces at the time) Tipped it on it's side for about 6 hours, put it all back together, and fired it up. Only problem was a sticky number key whiched worked itself out in a couple of days. (yes maybe just lucky!) I believe that Dell puts a plastic sheeting on the inside of their laptops, directly under the keys, in case something gets spilled, to protect the inards, but don't quote me on that.
Gateway - Moved over to using Gateway Laptops with a change of jobs. These machines are not built to move! They are great if you leave them in one place, but the hardware that they use does not appear to be able to take life on the road! I have had 4 different machines. All of them have had hard drive trouble. I have lost count, but I think I have had about 8 new hard drives. All but the last one which I am trying to work through now, were still working enough to get the data, but not enough to continue using. My latest machine, got about 2 oz of water on the keyboard. Killed the keyboard. Was sent back to Gateway for a $550 rebuild. (boy my boss was pissed) Lots of my co-workers complain about their machine's also, and the range of problems is so large that they are not worth mentioning.
So yes, you can tell that I am hard on my equipment! Well, I guess that is an understatement, but it is what it is. My recommendation would be that if you can get your hands on a Dell, go for it, as you should get a trouble free experience.
Drew
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Topic: attn: laptop users (Read 1043 times)