Not exactly about building a PC, but hear me out: I need a decent Laptop on a slim budget. The most feasible way to get a decent machine at that price point would be a barebones kit (chassis, CPU and mobo, screen and keyboard) so I can just add some cheap ram and a small SSD, at least that's the idea here. I've noticed that getting a laptop with no OS or with DOS on it shaves quite a bit off the price, the problem is that they're mostly terrible, extremely low-end models.The same would go for an HDD, I don't need some random 2.5'' HDD since I'll be buying an SSD anyway.
So, is there a good store in europe (EU preferred) that either sells custom laptops or just barebone kits? This really seems like the way to go for my particular case.
If that's not possible, can someone recommend me a laptop in the 400-ish (500 max) € price range with these kinds of specs:
screen: at least 1600x900, TN is fine, IPS or VA would obviously be preferred
CPU and GPU: either an i3 or an i5 CPU, doesn't have to be ULV either. Decent iGPU would be nice (HD 4400 or 4600). If someone can convince me that an APU would be a better choice all-around then I'd be interested as well. NO dedicated GPU, I simply don't need it on this machine.
HDD: just whatever, I'll be swapping it out anyway
Keyboard: I'll be typing on this thing quite a lot, so I really need a good keyboard, full num-pad is a plus
Size and weight: 15.6'' would be ideal, 17'' is just too big. I don't really care about the weight but it needs to fit comfortably in my backpack.
Connectivity: nothing special, just your standard VGA, HDMI, a few USB ports and ethernet + decent wireless and bluetooth
Build quality: It really should be tough, I'll carry this thing around on construction sites and whatnot. I know that I won't get a super dust- and waterproof system at this pricepoint but I want something that can take a bit of beating (hence the SSD upgrade). I don't care whether it's made out of metal or plastic as long as it's tough.
RAM: 4GB expandable to 8GB seems sensible
Battery life: I don't expect miracles, but a few hours would be nice.
Upgradability: Yes, it's a laptop, but I want to be able to open it up and add RAM and my SSD without too much hassle. Maintenance and swapping parts should be easy.
I obviously thought of the Lenovo Thinkpads when I was looking around for a laptop with these specs, but it seems that they either come with a WXGA screen or with a bunch of useless features (and Windows) as soon as you step up to the FHD models. So, yeah. This has been really frustrating so far, if someone can point me in the right direction that would be great.