Looking for recommendations on an very specific laptop.

[The Black Guy]

First off, the major requirement is that it's 17.3in. Specs aren't all that big of a deal... as long as it's as least good enough to handle 64bit Windows 8.1 (as in; the processor just needs NX support and the board's gotta accept at least 4GB ram). I'd kind of prefer it's lower-end (ala Celeron, Pentium... even Atom if they exist in such a large laptop) simply because it's intended purposes won't call for a particularly strong machine. I'd want it to be below 6lbs, but I know that's something I may just have to deal with

The bigger priorities are that I do want it to have a full keyboard with numpad (MUST have Home/End/Page Up/Page Dn keys) and that it have a screen with an aspect ratio that is 16:10. If it is 16:10, I'd like the resolution to be 1280x800.

A very huge part of this laptop's use will rely on an older piece of software that does work on Windows 8, but will auto-full-screen and auto-crash if it doesn't like the resolution/aspect ratio... 1280x800 is the highest resolution I've found that the particular software will not auto-crash with, but I *think* it will work with other resolutions of the same aspect ratio. So yeah... just to recap.

Requirements:
- Laptop 17.3in
- Full keyboard with NUMPAD, Page Up/Down, Home and End Keys
- 16:10 aspect ratio screen (not 16:9, 4:3 or 3:2, none of those will work for the intended purpose)
- 64bit Architecture, must at least support 4GB
- Below 6lb (if possible)
- Lower-end of the spectrum as far as specs (think Celeron, Pentium... AMD Vision or an X2 would even do).

A good reference is the Dell Venue 8 Pro. That device does the job perfectly... it's just too small and 32bit Windows is kinda crippling this day and age. I'm essentially looking for the 17.3in, 64bit laptop version of that. Does this exist or am I looking for a unicorn?

 

[UTL]

Short: Look for older HP Pavilion dv7 laptops or Dell Precision mobile workstations. Both will exceed your processing requirements, and weigh more than you want, but probably at a decent price. The HP will be a little lighter.

Long:
Newegg has a tool that can sort laptops by feature including screen size, resolution, and weight; and the search includes new and refurbished models.

http/www.newegg.com/All-Laptops-Notebooks/SubCategory/ID-32

Using this, tool, I found that they have no in-stock listings for Windows machines with any 16:10 aspect ratio that are also in the 17" range. There are Macs (high cost, over-spec'd), and they do suggest several out-of-stock Dell models.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%20600004405%20600004407%20600004411%20600004412%20600376847%20600004346&IsNodeId=1&name=17%22%20-%2017.3%22

This can lead you to some eBay search terms if Newegg doesn't stock them. But, the Dells look to be around 10 lbs.

Somehow the tool missed my old laptop, a 17.3" HP pavilion dv7 with an AMD Turion X2 processor and a 1440x900 resolution, and slightly lighter weight (7.5 lbs.), that would mostly fit the bill. If you want to reduce weight, you can try removing the DVD drive or see if there's a lighter battery available (or don't use a battery, just plug it in). I remember I liked the keyboard & numpad, and used the navigation keys a lot on that machine. I also remember that it ran very hot, and died suddenly one day, so I recommend it with reservations.

One of the dangers is not being able to test whether your software works at the higher resolution - try and find a seller with a good return policy.

 

[The Black Guy]

Wow, using that tool and hunting around for a couple hours, it really does seem like nothing exists that fits my criteria

I thank you for putting so much time into trying to help me though.

 

[UTL]

Do take a look at those HP Pavilions though, they might be pretty close, and the Newegg tool missed them somehow.