do i really need the magnesium alloy frame in thinkpads?

[badkuk]

hmm...aren't the Thinkpad T-series magnesium alloy-endowed too?

[Jun aka Pekto]

If it doesn't cost too much extra, sure. A metal frame is much more useful than a bling bling paint job like the $500 overhead of say, an Alienware laptop.

That said, I've had my (plastic) Toshiba laptop for almost two years now and it's been in my travels the whole time. It's been holding up well.

I had an (plastic) HP Pavilion laptop that fell from the roof of an SUV. Outside, it looked ok with maybe a scratch or two. But inside, the motherboard was probably cracked because the pc shuts down after a minute and wouldn't post again.

I take it that magnesium alloy frame is merely decor and does not really help with impacts like the one with my HP.