Laptops and nightclubs: any tips?

Greetings,

I own a nightclub and I have a question. I have ten laptops, and every single one of them dies on me after about a year. They are HP models priced at $1500, so we aren't talking about cheap junk here; these are solid machines. Does anyone have any idea what the issue could be? My repair shop claims vibrations are the culprit. I need to know which laptops to buy because constantly replacing hardware is becoming an absolute nuisance. I need machines specifically to control LED strips and lasers, as well as one for the DJ booth.

There’s a whole category of "workhorse" laptops out there built specifically to take a beating and keep on ticking.
Honestly, this whole obsession with "vibration resistance" feels like a load of absolute nonsense to me.

If I were in your shoes, I’d just grab a Dell or an Apple with a solid three or four-year extended warranty.
That way, if—and that's a big if—the thing actually dies on you, you just file a claim and get it repaired or swapped out for a brand-new one without any drama.

Total nonsense. I have ten friends with kids, and not once have I heard of anyone's laptop dying because of some vibration. Honestly, it’s gotta be something else...

G6-Tapatalk

I suspect you were given sound advice. Vibrations can absolutely wreck a laptop—how could they not?
First off, there are industrial-grade workstations designed specifically to withstand noise and vibration; conversely, you can simply isolate a standard laptop from the source of the disturbance.

Standard consumer-grade HP or Dell machines are engineered for office environments where things are relatively quiet—there is a massive difference between a cubicle and a nightclub.

If I had to offer a quick suggestion, I’d say just move the laptop away from the source. Are you sitting right next to a speaker or something similar?
Another option would be to place some sort of dampening material—perhaps foam or rubber beneath the laptop. Using an absorbent material helps dissipate the energy from the noise and vibrations before they reach the device and slowly degrade its components.

So, sure, "industrial grade" laptops actually exist—they just don't come with a $4,500 price tag:
http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/learn/rugged

Perhaps it would be more prudent—or at least significantly cheaper—to focus on improving your vibration isolation instead...

Laptops from $1.50 are total junk. They’re basically just those cheap $300 machines with slightly better specs under the hood, but they don't actually feel any higher quality.

If you want to avoid headaches, just buy a high-end business laptop for over $1,500 and call it a day.

Off topic:
For those of you claiming vibrations won't damage a laptop, you couldn't be more wrong.
I’m a merchant mariner, and after two months out on a steel deck, I can tell you firsthand that constant vibration doesn't just wreck our laptops—it messes with pretty much any computerized gear in the engine room or on the bridge. It really just comes down to how much a company is willing to invest in quality equipment...
On topic:
Like I said before, there are actually laptops specifically engineered for these kinds of environments. Your best bet is to find a reliable IT specialist who can point you toward the right ruggedized model and the specific brand you need.

Of course, vibrations will wreak havoc on any piece of electronics—unless, naturally, they are properly isolated from them.
And as for the suggestion that one should simply go out and buy an overpriced business laptop? Pure nonsense.