MSI GS30 Shadow with GamingDock

[HEXUS]

Can a laptop replace your desktop gaming rig?

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[Tunnah]

For me gaming laptops have just never made sense. Admittedly a big part of this is because I game at home exclusively, and if I'm going to stay somewhere I take my PC (no mean feat with w Lian Li PC-70B case ha).

It's the price, they're INSANE. For £2000 I could build a 4K capable computer, with a monitor to match. I know a few people who have a gaming laptop, but all of them compromised - none own high spec models, they're all middle of the road, so games are played at sub-1080p with medium settings, usually at around 40fps, but even that cost them over £1200.

I've kinda forgotten the point I was going to make...

[Ttaskmaster]

Several friends, including two game devs, are away on business and consequently on the road/train often. That makes lugging a high-end desktop and monitor, plus peripherals pretty awkward.

They get the best they can afford, but they're limited by a game dev's salary which apparently isn't always that much...

[mrducking]

i understand the idea, but let's face it: this is exactly like having 2 PCs, this takes almost as much space a desktop+laptop, and the laptop alone is not enough to play anything
on the other hand it's expensive as hell, you can get a desktop with peripherals that runs awesome on 1080p for 1200$ and a cheap work laptop, say 500$, or just get a "gaming" laptop for around 1200/1300$
i have no idea which part of the market this is for
i use a laptop to play, but thats me because i need it to study/work/etc, like to play games, have to travel a few times a year and refuse to pay for a desktop im just gonna use once or twice a week
i really want to know who is this aimed for, clearly not for me

[plexabit]

For me gaming laptops have just never made sense...I know a few people who have a gaming laptop, but all of them compromised - none own high spec models, they're all middle of the road, so games are played at sub-1080p with medium settings, usually at around 40fps, but even that cost them over £1200.

With a $1k Y50 (Less than 700 GBP), I can play modern games (read: Far Cry 4) on high settings at 60FPS--Very High with an average of 60 FPS--and it's definitely not a high-end gaming laptop. We're finally seeing graphics performance outrunning games for the time being and I see the two crowds being people buying thin/light/expensive gaming laptops and people buying gaming desktops. Personally, I think the Y50 would be a great laptop without the graphics, so if I can get pretty good gaming from an average-priced PC, then I'm all for it!

[MrRockliffe]

That laptop has an 860m... My 760 would struggle with high settings at 60 frames per second.

[Ksyruz]

This is a very stupid system to get, seeing as you can build a gaming rig with a GTX 980 for £1000 and get a msi ge60 for £1200. Though kutos to MSI for adding full pcie x16, unlike Alienware only giving pcie x4.

Also to the guy that does not understand gaming laptop, they are alternatives to Apple Mac's when you job gives you the option to get a system that's needed for work purposes in that price bracket.

[cheesemp]

I like the idea. I currently have a cheap £300 laptop I do my gaming on as due to family life sitting in front of a PC just isn't possible at the moment. If I could dock it and get better graphics it would be a great improvement however there are two big flaws with this product:
1) Price - £2200 is crazy. Make it £1000 (even if components are dropped in spec a bit) and some will buy
2) No real GPU in the standalone laptop - My £300 laptop has a dedicated GPU+APU giving me just about acceptable gaming performance (nothing high but most games are playable). Why not do something similar? Just disable the onboard when plugged in or maybe use AMD dual graphics? An A10 APU would probably do the job...

[this_is_gav]

How are MSI intending you to use this? On a desk (it would be too high surely)? On your lap it would too bulky and heavy.

This could be the crudest accessory possible. It's just a load of PC bits lobbed together in a random box.

Surely if they actually wanted people to buy this they'd come up with a custom form factor, more suited to the intended purpose, with an external brick.

[krazy_olie]

Nice proof of concept but as above too expensive to be worthwhile.

[Brian224]

How are MSI intending you to use this? On a desk (it would be too high surely)?

It is used as a desktop PC through an external keyboard, monitor and mouse (none of which are included in the price) with the laptop closed and turned off.

Personally I cannot see the point when you could buy a fast laptop and an SFF gaming PC for the same price, and not be tied to a replacement cycle which will mean you need to replace both at the same time.

What is perhaps needed is an open standard for a PCIe/Video/Power connector that would allow portable combined power block/graphics card units to be connected to laptops.

[csgohan4]

I had a gaming laptop once, it died after 1 year because the heat just killed it after a while, that despite an external cooler below. The Laptop is not designed to be a toaster and expect the components to be fine. Expensive Lesson learnt

[Dooms]

I love the idea of these and I remember when they were being played with over thunderbolt a few years ago but was stopped by Intel due to some sort of patent issue?

For a lot of people it is a pointless but personally I would love to get rid of my tower. have a single good GPU in a (slimmer!) box somewhere out of the way... dock your ultrabook when you get home and have it be your gaming machine.

But for that price point? not a chance! I would prob pay £200 for this glorified dock.

[MercutioUK]

If the laptop manufacturers would get properly on board (they won't) this would be standard SO easily. Add a thunderbolt port to laptop, release thunderbolt dock. Waiting for skylake as the thunderbolt controller is brought on chip, fingers crossed this becomes standard.

I would hazard a guess there will be a few folks who have a decent "office" laptop with the gaming dock sat at home once that becomes a more viable option. It makes craploads of sense.

[ik9000]

But for that price point? not a chance! I would prob pay £200 for this glorified dock.

Well you're in luck the dell one is now RRP at £200!

I would hazard a guess there will be a few folks who have a decent "office" laptop with the gaming dock sat at home once that becomes a more viable option. It makes craploads of sense.

Problem is their IT department will have it locked down so much they won't be able to install anything onto it.

Though kutos to MSI for adding full pcie x16, unlike Alienware only giving pcie x4.

You sure? The Dell spec sheet lists their version as full x16.