Dell Precision M6400 - worth the money?

I'm deciding between the HP 8730w or the Dell M6400, and was wondering how solid the laptop feels, and if the early software quirks (like the sound breakage) have been resolved?

I need this laptop to last a few years, so any feedback on the m6400 is most welcome.

 

I just got mine today - ebay seller that gets them directly from Dell Outlet.

First impressions: very clean looking.

CD drive does not have a tray that ejects, but the type where the cd goes in - first time I ever had one so I don't know the correct term for it.

4 USB ports - 2 on each side making it very handy.

One thing I don't like where the RJ-45 slot is located. From back to front it goes: USB, VGA, Port for DVI Dongle, RJ-45. This means you would need to have the cat-6 cable be on top / under everything else if uses all other ports without docking station. Wireless is always an option, but when transferring large files across the network or downloading updates, I alway go for wired.

Keyboard flex is subjective.

Fingerprint reader - didn't play with it yet.

The weight isn't too bad. I have a Sony Vaio VGN-FS115B (15.4") and there is a small difference.

I am like you where I plan to keep this thing for many years.

The thing that sold me on the M6400 over the HP 8730w & Lenovo ThinkPad W700 was the ability to upgrade to 16 GB memory over 8 GB.

 

Hey, thanks for your help, and Congratulations on your new laptop. I'm swaying more to towards the M6400 now.