OTT laptop instead of new build

[krazy_olie]

Hi, all..

As I am in need of a completely new system (I have no pc where I primarily live) I was looking at different options, self build, pre-build, form factors etc. Just wondering if it is sane to use a high end laptop essentially as a small desktop.
The numbers coming out from the mobile maxwell chips are quite interesting and look like they would more than meet my needs, something like this would do the trick, albeit at a significant premium
http://www.amazon.co.uk/G751JY-T7009.../dp/B00NWE0MUE .
or for a cheaper/smaller option
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...odid=LT-031-GI

I guess I would spend about £1000? on an itx system of equivalent performance (to the asus), probably a bit more if I wanted a pre-build. For the premium I get -

• a built in monitor
• small footprint
• portability (at least around home)
• A sunday afternoon by not having to build it
• a single warranty

Main things I lose is upgrade-ability of the GPU and cash.

Just wondering if other people have done similar things, I would start off using the screen but eventually it would get relegated to a secondary monitor.

TIA

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I had that dilemma over 8 years and after owning a desktop replacement "gaming" laptop,I decided to go SFF PC and have not looked back.

Something like a Shuttle would do the job as will many mini-ITX based builds. The Shuttle systems are barebones although they use a non-standard motherboard and a flexATX PSU.

If you don't have an issue with a smaller monitor,a sub 20" one is really cheap nowadays.

Edit!!

The Shuttle systems are quite quick to assemble as the motherboard,PSU and cooler are pre-installed. All the cables are pre-routed.

I had a few for a while and they were small enough to pack into smallish bags.

Second Edit!!

Here is a review of the SH87R6:

http://www.motormice.com/reviews/SH87R6/

[DanceswithUnix]

I always thought the built in monitor was a disadvantage, unless you like changing monitor every time you update your system.

Otherwise, that laptop has a 47W CPU, the GPU probably a bit more. Taking those limits off a bit can make for a much cheaper system.

Check the dimensions of ITX boxes very carefully though if you are looking at those, some are pretty huge.

[krazy_olie]

Check the dimensions of ITX boxes very carefully though if you are looking at those, some are pretty huge.

Yeh, that's what put me off most of them, not very "mini". There's a Silverstone with a riser for GPU to keep things slim which looks ok, but perhaps awkward to build and keep cool. Barebones could well do the job, not given it too much thought so will investigate, if I can jam a 970 or even 960 if they get released soonish it may well be a good solution. I don't mind doing a full build if it's worthwhile, I'd just rather not if it doesn't really gain me much.

Thanks.

[DanceswithUnix]

Yeh, that's what put me off most of them, not very "mini". There's a Silverstone with a riser for GPU to keep things slim which looks ok, but perhaps awkward to build and keep cool. Barebones could well do the job, not given it too much thought so will investigate, if I can jam a 970 or even 960 if they get released soonish it may well be a good solution. I don't mind doing a full build if it's worthwhile, I'd just rather not if it doesn't really gain me much.

Thanks.

I think a lot of what you are paying for on a performance laptop is the fact that they are getting rid of over 100W in a very confined space.

In a performance desktop that becomes over 200W, and in ITX that is again in a confined space. I am surprised there aren't better cooling systems aimed at this market tbh.

[krazy_olie]

I think a lot of what you are paying for on a performance laptop is the fact that they are getting rid of over 100W in a very confined space.

In a performance desktop that becomes over 200W, and in ITX that is again in a confined space. I am surprised there aren't better cooling systems aimed at this market tbh.

Yes, in a laptop like the above you will have a fully integrated cooling system whereas itx cases tend to be an attempt at shrinking an existing model of PC building.

The Mac Pro went down the integrated cooling solution and shrunk considerably, I saw some Asus mini desktop thing being covered at trade shows but it never seemed to emerge.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Shuttle higher end barebones have had cards like a GTX780 and Geforce Titan work fine in them.

The SG05 is smaller but a little limited in terms of drives,and the SG08 is bigger but has better cooling.

The FT03 is basically a vertically rotated SG05:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...-%28sfx-psu%29

It has a relatively small footprint but is quite tall.

The EVGA Hadron is basically like a mini version of a desktop ATX case:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/evga-...0-slot-optical

Edit!!

Its a shame this is not available in anything but small batches:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/NCASE_M1

Probably one of the finest mini-ITX cases ever made IMHO!!

Edit!!



https://translate.google.com/transla...htm&edit-text=

A Shuttle with a reference GTX780.

However,I found the "toaster" style cases like the Shuttles and the SG05 just easier to move around. They will fit in a duffle bag.

[Ulti]

Don't forget you also have cases like the Silverstone ML07 and Silverstone RVZ01 which is probably what you were talking about in terms of the riser card.

I had a Silverstone RVZ01 and it was pretty easy to build into it and supports quite a bit of hardware and in a vertical position, it doesn't take up much space at all whilst remaining quiet.

I really hope they develop that type of case further rather than these clunky cube ITX cases.

Some size comparisons:





The Dell Alienware X51 is the smallest (bar the Steam Machine) AFAIK but it uses an external power adapter as opposed to an internal PSU. This means it can only provide 330W max or something along those lines.

[krazy_olie]

The boxy cases bother me, they are designed for a small footprint.


That's the silverstone I was thinking of. That and the ft03 mini would make most sense form factor wise. Seems like Silverstone get "it" a bit more than the others.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The boxy cases fit bags easier so they make more sense when transporting them.

[krazy_olie]

The boxy cases fit bags easier so they make more sense when transporting them.

True, that may have been useful when I was still a student.
Now it's more that I am in a small room with a small desk. So need something with a small footprint to either put on the desk or underneath it without getting in the way of my legs. So the two silverstone cases would be more fitting, literally, than the cube like ones.
Will keep my eye on things over next couple of weeks, despite the benefits of a desktop I am still seeing an appeal in the laptop idea.

[DanceswithUnix]

If you like to upgrade or just plain tinker with your system then I think laptops will be frustrating. The graphics card you buy it with is the only one it will ever have. That pretty much puts me off just there.

Have had my current case for many years, it has lasted through 3 motherboards already, probably 4 CPUs and 4 graphics cards. The back case fan has finally failed, but that is OK it is a fairly standard part and the top fan is enough to keep the PC cool until I get around to replacing it.

Similar with the monitor, I tend to keep them for a very long time, getting a new one with each laptop would annoy me.

[krazy_olie]

Not a big tinkerer, I prefer to over-provision slightly when building and see how long I can go. GPU is the big one, though I am generally one to turn down eye candy before I fork out. Ordinarily I'd go for something mid-range but the sub £200 market doesn't look great value at the moment so would stretch to the 970.
One problem with SFF, like the silverstone cases, is that when building a theoretical basket I find costs of things creep up, specific coolers, PSU, optical drive... a build to outperform the asus above is already over £1000, possibly £1200, depending on a number of things. If I build something midrange 8-900 the upgrade in a couple years time would be the main guts of the system.

Hard to know how quiet it will be until you start using it. Still definitely cheaper but seems to creep up more than if I was building up a standard midi case.
A high end laptop would easily last me two years, hard to know what I will miss out on that time, would I actually be upgrading anything if I did have a desktop?

Anyhow I haven't been paid this month yet (I'm not in a rush, but doing all home computing on an ipad mini isn't fun) so still stuck to thinking and pondering.

[coerce86]

Why not have a decent 9xxm gaming laptop (I'm pro MSI for their gaming laptops) and get a space to dock it/attach screen+keyboard mouse so you can have best of both worlds

The newer gpus are supposedly catching up to desktop performance (up to 75-80% so they said with the gtx 980m)

[krazy_olie]

Pretty much what I'm considering. Looking at well over £1000.

[DanceswithUnix]

Why not have a decent 9xxm gaming laptop (I'm pro MSI for their gaming laptops) and get a space to dock it/attach screen+keyboard mouse so you can have best of both worlds

The newer gpus are supposedly catching up to desktop performance (up to 75-80% so they said with the gtx 980m)

80% in the cherry picked cases that someone advertising a product will pick. Have seen a review that put the figure lower than 75%, so they are catching up slowly but a long way to go.

Still, even 60% of a desktop gtx 980 would be faster than the old gtx 460 that I am still happily using, so more than good enough unless you want the best. I want a machine I can repair though if something fails, and desktops are superb for that.