I bought a refurbished Toshiba Satellite L305-S5937 in mid 2009 to take an online course in medical transcription for which I didn't want to use my DAW. During and since that time I have used it nearly continuously (meaning 24 hours) for streaming audio. The screen flickers intermittently, but that's the sole mechanical issue.

I am about to adapt it for use as a portable unit for my transcription job, which is another way of saying that I trust it implicitly.

I agree with the use of an interface instead of the headphone out because of the significantly better sound quality.

Good luck with your search.

Richard

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."