ViDock 2 (ATI 5670): is it worth the money?

I'm trying to help a friend decide whether to buy this for his laptop to make it gaming capable, or to just save some extra money and either get a new laptop or build a desktop.
From what I understand of this external, it will only support certain video cards, which is why it comes with the 5670.
His ultimate goal is world domination, but to achieve this he needs a rig that plays Starcraft 2 with ease. I have an opinion on this, but I want to know what you think, so weigh in with whatever is on your mind.
Thanks

 

Something like the MSI GX640 would probably be a better call in the long run.

 

If your buddy wants to only be able to game at a desk, plugged in, and only on an external monitor sure go ahead with the ViDock.

That's a lot of trouble if you ask me.

 

A US$300 GTX460-768MB DIY VIDock will give your friend a lot more bang-per-buck than a HD5670 ViDock 2. The DIY ViDock thread has discovered ATI cards use only 70-80% of the x1 1.0 bandwidth. Fermi NVidia GTX4xx cards use full x1 1.0 bandwidth and are overall faster in games than ATI cards.

 

I think this is a good idea for a product, but there are a lot of limitations. You can't upgrade it very much. You have to have external monitors. If you want to take it somewhere, you have to take your monitors with you. These negatives really drag it down in my opinion. Maybe office users who need the GPU boost but don't want a desktop can utilize the potential of it, but a serious gamer probably wouldn't benefit as much from the features.

 

sorta agree on that for home users. But im a gamer play alot from mmorpgs to fps.
and im thinking about doing the diy vidock but gonna do the image thing to use the lcd on the laptop instead of buying one only reason because i would like to place my laptop to take to class. while i have it home to just grind my brains out or just destroy noobs in fps games!

 

Starcraft 2? You really don't need a powerful GPU for that if you're running basic settings. In fact, it runs flawlessly on integrated X4500MHD graphics.

How hardcore a gamer is he? Was he one of the beta testers?

 

He beta tested on integrated graphics and went to the midnight opening tonight to get it, so very hardcore. He just wants it to look better because integrated graphics can't do the game justice in graphics quality.

 

he has to be because u either have to be very hardcore integrated graphics fan to play on lowest settings... and very stupid as all the gamers would laugh at him.. i would.

 

What the **** does that post even mean. There's alot of bad mushed together into a tangled mess of words there.

Laughing at integrated graphics? A friend who played professional SC1 in Korea uses a $10 Logitech mouse. I use a notepad cover as my mousepad for my generic $12 Dell mouse to play Diamond League SC2. A classmate averages 400 apm on a $10 Dell keyboard he bought at our university store. It doesn't matter how much it cost, or where it came from as long as it gets the job done. Also, we all use integrated graphics. How's that for hardcore?

Granted, using integrated graphics to play GPU dependent games would bottleneck your abilities. However, SC2 is a RTS and scales its graphics according to the hardware it's played on. There's nothing to laugh at here.

Back on topic. Clearly, your friend wants to enjoy the graphics. Follow nando4's advice and go with a DIY ViDock. It's a resourceful solution that'll remain productive for a long time.

 

Vidock2 is a ripoff.
if you don't want to diy, get a MSI whatever-it's-called-dock for ~$100 w/o a videocard

 

or a new laptop because Vidock ain't gonna do the job without an external monitor and hefty PSU brick and weight.. kills the laptop.. in the end , it makes it a desktop..

 

So? Many gamers hook up their notebooks to external monitors anyway, and the idea of notebook => desktop setups are nothing new. There are advantages and disadvantages, but here the upsides win out.

@OP: If you're going to be gaming on the go, attending LAN parties and the like, perhaps a mobile gaming notebook would suit you best. However, as it is, it sounds like your friend is looking to game at home with the best graphics that SC2 can offer. In this case, a DIY ViDock would be a flexible and appropriate solution.

 

lol getting 400apm "average" is almost impossible unless hes just spamming the keyboard and mouse

 

ViDock is great if you are tech-savvy and know what you're doing. I spent hours and hours researching this subject and still don't know what I'm doing. Not only have I wasted lots of money, but also priceless time.

 

Professionals average between 200-400 apm, 400-800 is "gosu" if you feel like using that term. Unless you've seen them play in real life and observe their incredible keyboard/mouse skills, it's hard to believe.

 

My friend ended up buying a G73. Guess that settles that. No more worrying about ViDocks or other questionable graphics solutions. Radeon HD 5870m covers it nicely.

 

Since your original post we have had some spectacular results with the a T6600-2.2+GTX470 DIY ViDock using Optimus drivers [requires Intel 4500MHD or HD IGP] here. Now just waiting for i5/i7 benchmarks to give a fair comparison to say a MSI GX640-HD5850/Asus G73JH-HD5870.

 

Consider my latest achievement
, with full bench mark analysis and results, along with overclocking information a few posts down. Good luck,

PANZER