Help me pick out a new work laptop

[Broseephus]

I'm the network administrator for a small community bank. Only approved for $900 for the laptop and $200 for a port replicator/docking solution (must have serial/legacy ports). And no, that doesn't mean I can spend $1k on a laptop and $100 on docking (I know that's stupid but that's life)

We got a new Dell rep and he isn't nearly as agressive in his discounts as our guy and since I'm not really familiar with any other brands business grade laptops I'm coming to you guys.

So there it is. Best lappy for $900

MUST HAVE

windows 7 pro or windows 8 pro with downgrade rights

Core i5 or better

7200rpm hdd or better

gigabit lan (none of this "we made the laptop so slim we can't fit an rj45 jack shit")

15-16'' screen

4GB ram min, prefer 8GB

As an example, I was looking at a Latitude E6530, but just couldn't get the configuration I wanted in the necassary price range.

[EChondo]

Personally, I would head over here and look for some laptops: http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php

I was searching for a laptop with needs almost like yours, but I wanted 1920x1080 resolution and 2-hard drive bays(one for boot and one for storage).

I was looking at this one that you can customize completely as a barebones or have a "complete" one;

Barebones version: http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30115

Complete version: http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30116

The only difference is that you can completely customize the barebones, but the complete series already has a set of components and you can only make little changes. There are also other "lower" models, the only difference between the above version and this one is that it only has one hard drive bay and it has a bit lower end GPU(which should be fine as you aren't gaming on it anyway);

http://rjtech.com/shop/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30114

Again all these versions have 1920x1080 screens, you can go for lower models that have 1366x768 resolutions, which will also save you a lot of money. The company "RJTech" is located in Diamond Bar, California and is a reseller of Clevo laptops(which is a big OEM for other laptop "manufacturers" like Sager). I love Clevo laptops because of the "business" type of look that it has and it is kinda cheap.

Here is my older thread that kinda goes more into detail of my needs when searching for a cheaper laptop(remember, I want a 1920x1080 res. you probably don't!);

http://linustechtips.com/main/forum/consumer-electronics/mobile-devices/47404-want-a-laptop-with-specific-features-need-help-finding-best-deal?p=48905#post48905

[Broseephus]

That's not going to work, it needs to be from one of the major vendor/manufacturers (dell,hp,lenovo, samsung, etc....)

Also those don't offer a docking solution, unless you buy some generic USB interface port replicator

Also those really aren't any better priced than any other laptop.

Also 1.63''

Also 6.2 lbs.

..... sorry man, I'm just failing to see what you like about these, aside from the fact they come with HD display and an nvidia mobile gpu (not something I need for a work laptop).

I basically need a laptop that is the following:

1. Well built, probably the most important quality. Because we are a bank, our board likes to eek out every last bit of depreciation before replacing equipment, so this laptop will need to last up to 5 years.

2. Portable, with legacy ports and have decent battery life

3. Be able to run outlook, acrobat, putty, and about 100 chrome tabs. Not get 30 fps on games.

[JoopZ]

Maybe the HP 655?

EDIT: I only said this one because a friend of mine has one, and it's not too bad. :P