Why so much disrespect for mobile gaming rigs?

All you really be concern about is whatever that fits your needs, not what it fits for others.

Understand and accept the advantages and disadvantages of your choice.

 

In my case the Blade's Nvidia 660m would be a huge step up from my three year-old hp envy with 5830m, which already runs most games at 1080p (except Witcher 2); however, just recently a new Samsung Chronos Model "H" was announced with 8870m, and it is only 0.82" thick.

 

I really don't see what the problem is in carrying a 15.4" or 15.6" laptop in your backpack with you.
Laptops in such sizes can house top of the line hardware without exceeding 3.5kg.
Heck... my Acer 5930G which is 5 years old now (in my signature) is roughly 3.5kg (7.7lbs) heavy, and I had no issues carrying it around with me on a daily basis.
Granted, if you have long walks, it can be a bit of an annoyance, but nothing a teen or adult cannot handle (plus it can also be good exercise).

I think the main gripe some people might have with gaming laptops is predominantly 'price/performance' ratio.
They feel they have to pay large sums of money to gain 'decent' gaming performance (or even 'decent' performance in general for professional software).
This of course is not the case (and hasn't been for some time now). It depends on what personal requirements of a person are, and what they will be using the laptop for (and if they will game, which games predominantly).
A mid-range dedicated gpu such as GT 650m or 7770m (which I have yet to see in laptops) with i7 entry quad (and 4 to 8GB RAM) should have enough power to drive most games at 'high' settings using 1080p - and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg at that.
Comparatively, my 5930G was fairly cheap for the time frame I got it (4 years ago and 600GBP). Back then it had 3GB, 5400RPM HDD and P7350 cpu - and it was enough to drive most/all games at satisfying levels.

The main reason laptops are monetarily more expensive than their desktop counterparts with same/similar performance is solely due to the 'mobile'/'portable' aspect (and of course the 'brand name' attached to it).
Other than that, the technology inside laptops is predominantly identical to the one found in desktops, except laptops have lower operational frequencies due to poorly executed cooling and usage of inefficient materials for said cooling/casing/components (but that is directly tied to cost efficiency - or manufacturers/market doing things 'cheap' than our ability to produce far superior technology using superior synthetic materials).

Point being, while for many, price/performance might go to favor of a desktop computer, they can also get very decent price/performance ratio in laptops - which depends on what they buy, where they buy, what they will use it for, etc.
A lot of consumers are also fairly uninformed of laptop technology/hardware, therefore various marketing tricks can be used to fool them into getting far more expensive piece of hardware that will perform rather poorly.

 

Be careful... The Razer Blade already puts out enough heat, can't imagine how the new Samsung with deal with it

 

I love the mobile vs desktop debate. I've purchased 2 high end (for me at least) machines in the past 5 years, both in my sig. The gateway cost about 1100 US iirc, and the sager just under 1700. Both times, I priced out what I could get in a desktop, and both times, I could have gotten more performance in the desktop, obviously. A few major factors for me, personally:

1) Mobility. This, above all else, is what you pay for. Being able to take what normally fits in a packing box into something that fits in a messenger bag is expensive. Both my sager and gateway are large beasts, but both fit in an off-the-shelf bag.

2) Performance. Desktop always beats mobile, just like rock will always beat scissor. But the gap to me is now so narrow that if you ever have a need to bring your rig elsewhere. Right now for 1700US i could find a quad core, 660m or better GPU, 16gb memory, SSD+HDD, and blu-ray. But that will come in a box that weighs 30lbs and is at least 20in x 20in x 9in.

3) Upgrades. Always easier to upgrade a desktop, but with laptops being upgradeable as well (as long as you get the right brand), you no longer have to deal with GPUs soldered to the mobo if you don't want to.

 

There are actually a few mid range laptops available with those specs for around $1,000 - $1,500. The Lenovo Y580 and MSI MS 16GA come to mind.

 

The differences between laptops and desktops are starting to blur already (and have been for years now).
Laptops basically have desktop chips... the only difference is that manufacturers go the cheap route and construct the cooling (not to mention electronics and casing) using inefficient materials which only contribute to heat issues (and they still overcharge for it) - and they LOVE to overcharge for the 'mobile' factor (even though its not difficult to produce laptop hardware by any stretch of the word).
Its not so difficult to imagine that as everything goes more integrated (which is where its going), there's no point in segregating desktops/laptops (and even pads and smartphones - when the market reaches that point).

Putting that aside, A 15.6" (1080p) laptop with i7-3630QM, 660M (2GB DDR5), 24GB 1600Mhz (12500) RAM (manually bought and installed), SSD (128GB) and HDD (750GB scorpio black - no ODD) in UK can be configured for 849 GBP (which translates to $1365.33 (without an OS - with it, its another $127) - so that's already less than $1500 (converted directly from UK that uses Novatech laptops which are of pretty good quality)... and I can imagine that USA might have even cheaper deals.

 

Some mini-gaming desktops are only 10-11lbs with a GTX 670 and under 14lbs with two.
Even my Mid-tower gaming desktop isn't 30 lbs.
I suppose if you have multiple RAID arrays and quad-SLI perhaps...

The truth of the matter is that laptops are more potent and desktops are lighter and less bulky as well.
The lines are being blurred on both sides of the fence.

Its all about what you want and what you are willing to sacrifice.

As for the "weight factor", I totally agree with the concept of "just man up". If you buy a gaming laptop, you should be quite well aware that cooling is important and that means you won't have the lightest laptop on the block. Anything under 10lbs is plenty portable for a reasonably healthy adult. Even the 12-13lb SLI rigs are only a little unwieldy in one hand. They aren't really heavy by any means.

My girlfriend's "mothership" purse weighs more than any of these laptops. Only she carries it all day and everywhere.
She is no amazon... I bet the average guy here is 6+ inches taller and outweighs her by 50+ lbs.

So for the people complaining about how "heavy" a 7-lb laptop is... I can only smile at them. It's not the weight... its the "fashion" of making numbers smaller and forgetting what they actually mean.

 

Keep in mind that a lot of the people complaining about the weight are carrying around a bunch of other stuff, too (i.e. books, binders, snacks, etc.). So while a 10 lbs laptop is easy to carry by itself, once you add 10 more lbs it starts to get a little unwieldy.

 

Which is why a properly sized and decent bag becomes very important.

 

it's really not about fashion or "having" a hard time in carrying a large laptop and it's power brick, it's really more about convenience. I've lugged mine a few times through airport security,customs, client meetings and my fair share of starbucks meetings, reason I got a smaller one is for convenience as I don't see the point of bringing my sager (and potentially breaking it during travel) on a 3 day work trip where I don't get to play games even.

however if i know i'll be away for a month or two then yeah, I'll definitely be bring my sager with me

 

Honestly, I've gotten more "disrespect" from those select few Mac users who live and breathe Apple products. They look at me as if I just pulled a massive turd out of my bag. I don't really care what they think because I got the computer that fits my needs the best.

 

This guy hit the nail on the head..........larger laptops, like the two I own, are a major pain in the rear when travelling. For whatever reason TSA doesn't give a crap about a scanner friendly bag like the Orion and still insists that all laptops come out and go into separate bins. My last trip home I had both computers in my bag along with the bricks (and if you've ever seen an M18 power brick you'll know how freaking huge they are) and having to take my boots off, remove all of that gear and put it in separate bins, get scanned, repack everything and lug it across Dulles or Atlanta two or three times you begin to appreciate the smaller laptops. If I could find a 15in that had the warranty Alienware has and the performance of my 17in to go with it I'd be all over it. And yeah I know Sager and Clevo have laptops with close to the same performance (restricted bios issues aside) but neither have the warranty AW offers.

 

15" gaming laptops aren't exactly easy to get through security either. I've been through Dulles, Reagan, Orlando, and Atlanta with this thing, and it always sucks lol. I can see the M18x being worse, but the M17x is pretty similar in dimensions compared to my NP9150. Our laptops may be portable, but it doesn't mean they're convenient

 

What it typically comes down to is that small-minded people think everyone does things as they do or they assume themselves to have a level of understanding of cost effectiveness that someone spending more than $1200 on a laptop just couldn't possibly comprehend. I've got into just about every kind of debate possible with someone regarding powerhouse laptops:

1. "Oh, you're a gamer? Why not just buy a laptop/tablet for portability and then keep a gaming desktop at home? It'll cost you less."
-Well, for lots of reasons. But I've got to say the one that shuts everyone up is the fact that I spend almost as much time gaming at a friend's house as I do gaming at home. People seem to be amazed at the fact that not all gamers game in the most anti-social way possible. Hardcore desktop gamers tend to be the ones that'll throw that one at you. That is, the ones who won't downright write you off as incompetent for owning a "gaming laptop."

2. "Nobody needs alot of power in a laptop."
-That was one of my favorites. Ask anyone who has ever had to run modern ENGR or modeling programs on the "average" laptop how much of a pain in the it is to do. Never had that problem when I was taking engineering classes. My laptop was, effectively, a mobile desktop. People who use their laptops for checking Facebook and Twitter will forever remain blissfully ignorant to such things, and are more than likely the ones who you'll hear making this argument.

3. "Big laptops are too heavy."
-The fact that people honestly find 10 or 15 pounds to be "heavy" just makes me want it to be law that people incapable of lifting 15 pounds must report to the gym twice a week, minimum. When laptops start weighing 25+ pounds, ok, somewhat of an argument could be made. Personally I wouldn't care until they hit more like 40 pounds. #1 scrawny person argument.

4. "You can't even upgrade laptops"
-It's a shame that there are folks out there who have been stuck using so many Dells that they honestly believe that one.

5. "Performance laptops cost too much."
-That's about the only argument with any sort of merit. Even then it still comes down to a matter of how much portability you need and how much you'd have to spend to maintain having both a laptop and a desktop.

 

Just slap an Apple sticker on it, and they'll ooh and ahhh at it's superior workmanship and beauty.

 

Made me laugh, good one. "Slap an Apple on the back...", haha.

 

That made me laugh.

 

Hey it works, I put an apple sticker on the first aid kit in my office and the first time I needed a bandage for a cut the bandage applied in 1/3rd of the time, the bleeding stopped in 1/2 the time, there were no infections as it healed and the bandage was a brushed aluminum colored work of art.

 

Aside from argument 2, they all have a fair bit of merit. And you are talking about the people who disagree with you a lot worse than it sounds like they think about you. Pot meets kettle?

And fyi, I'm not a scrawny person but I would never carry around a 10 pound laptop. The ideal weight for a laptop that you carry around would be 0 pounds. Ease of portability is just that much more important to me, so I just go with slipping my netbook or tablet into my winter coat.

 

That's strange....I did the exact same thing except my bandage said i had to pay an extra 99 cents for it to stay on, i had to give permission for the bandaid to know my blood type, and I had to sign a 2 year contract swearing my loyalty and first born child to Apple bandages. Maybe i should have gone for the Apple Bandaid S with Genius Bleed Control....

 

There are plenty of alternatives for those not comfy with a 10lb laptop. Indeed, unless you need exceedingly powerful hardware, somewhere around 7 should do it. If you are willing to give up some power, 5lbs or so works out just fine too. There are actually lighter, but they give up siginificantly in power and cooling, until you have something which really isn't a "gaming" laptop. If you are okay with the gaming power of a netbook, then whatever works for you I guess. However, it doesn't really belong in this thread then does it?

ZERO pounds? Even if we assume you mean approaching zero so we are just in "science fiction-ville" instead of "crazyland", I really don't think you thought that statement through.
So you are okay with your laptop blowing about in the wind and people walking past your desktop and that rush of air pushing it off the table? (both a feather and a newspaper page weigh more than zero) Can you imagine the durability of an approaching 0-lb laptop? (uh oh, you tried to stop it from floating off the table with a breeze and ripped it!)

There is a point past which even the weakest human will stop noticing the object even HAS weight. Anything reaching the 5-7lb range is getting close. The average weight of an average human male is 180lbs, the average weight of a average human male's arm is 10lbs. Given that your own arm weighs 10lbs or so, anything too much lighter than that you should probably not notice.

As for the "we carry other things" arguement... oh come now...
A 12-pack of your favorite beverage weighs 9-11 lbs. Most guys I know (including most notably the admitted computer geeks I work with) carry 4 of those, 2 in each hand fairly easily. Most of these guys are likely well below the strength of the "average man".

I have books that weigh more than any one of these laptops and I used to carry over 50 lbs worth of laptop, books, and equipment while I walked around on campus. Never once did I think it was really all that heavy. A laptop that weighed 7lbs would have been considered an ultra-light... Note that the difference between a 7lb laptop and a 0-lb laptop wouldn't have mattered in the least.

I have done plenty of flying... the weight of the laptop is an absolute non-factor in flying... its the bulkiness of it that causes the issues. It is no more trouble to pull out a 7lb laptop than a 3lb one. Frankly a 0lb one would be more trouble as you'd have to find a way to not break it in the process.

I hope you guys realize that your arguments are actually proving my original statement that the weight and the actual meaning of that weight has been long since forgotten. (especially the "zero pounds" one)

 

You're completely missing the point. Simply because you can carry 30 lbs of crap in your backpack doesn't mean it's convenient or comfortable.

And I don't understand why you're so passionate and enraged about others' preferences for the weight of their laptops, lol.

 

KernalPanic also carries one of these because hey, who needs an 8oz phone when you can carry an 8lbs one?

 

ahaha. ahahahahahaha. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Is it wrong that I really wish I had this phone? I would just sit outside all day using it, just to see the looks people would give me.

 

Just a tip: Don't try to explain how your M18x bag is TSA friendly to an airport security officer, they'll make you remove it either way. They are ignorant, or at least act the part. But I can understand, their job kind of sucks.

"Ma'am, this bag is TSA friendly." "So are these handcuffs, wanna see? Take it out of the bag!"

There's no point in buying a TSA friendly bag these days, LOL.

 

That's all AW offers us anyway; looks. Other than that is just marketing BS.

 

Not aware of any models like this (other than Razer blade perhaps, 6.66lbs and 0.88" thick), but when I consider portablility, overall I'd say a thin, but heavy laptop would still be a bit more portable than a lighter model that is thick and bulky.

I like to travel as light as possible, with one very small laptop bag and a second carryon with everything else I need for trips up to a few weeks. If you have a bigger laptop, you need a bigger laptop bag, which adds more to your overall "encumbrance," to use an RPG term. Sure, you can physically carry five bags of potatoes and a couple of 2x4's, but it would not be fun to run through an airport carrying them, rushing to make your connecting flight.

An extra inch of thickness in my laptop bag can make a significant difference as that's where I keep traveling files and stuff I'm working on. And if you fly coach, the seats are really cramped, it's not the best environment for using a large desktop replacement type model. Apart from that, if I'm taking it to my meetings and spending a lot of time looking at this machine every day for three or four years, the aesthetics are at least somewhat of a factor in my purchase decision. Back in the 1990s, I had a massive old school Thinkpad, with huge power bricks and all the accessories - had to buy one of those laptop cases with roly wheels on the bottom.

 

Bottom line. It sure is nice that we have lots of laptops to choose from right?

 

lol yup. It would be nice if there were more high end 15" laptops to choose from though.

 

I agree. Bring back the 15x!!!

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

100% agree. If I have learned anything from this thread, it is this: everyone has their own needs, requirements, wants. Thankfully we can choose what we need, require, want. I have not had a desktop since maybe 1997 (give or take a year or two). Portability and performance are kings to me. I need both since I spend a great part of each week traveling. Others may be more home bound. Each of us has the ability to choose what we want/need. But the great part is we CAN choose what we need.

I do not care if you want a desktop that can kill my laptop, or if your lappy is powerful enough and can go anywhere you want to take it. I only care that I can get what I want for my needs. And I do not care what you think about my decision. I only care that I am happy with what I have. I also do not presume that YOU care what I think about your purchase. You get what you need, I get what I need, and if we are both happy, then we both win.

To me this is almost as silly as a political argument. Like Dems vs GOP. Does anyone really think politicians worry about us? Does anyone really think there is only one right answer to desktop vs laptop? If there was only one right answer, we all would be lemmings.

Sorry for the TL;DR version, but it kills me to see so many think we need only one option. There is no One right answer, the right answer is the one that best serves YOU!

 

Ok, you really don't understand what the word "ideally" means. If we could all live in perfect fantasy land, all laptops people carry around, even the M18X, would weigh 0 pounds. The more a laptop weighs, the further it is from the ideal weight. But it is a compromise, as in order to get the things you want in a laptop, it needs to have weight, and some things weigh more than others.

Anyway, carrying around a laptop on your back has nothing to do with strength. I'm no stranger to carrying weight on my back. When I was in college I carried around a big 15" laptop and a ton of books. And now, a couple of times a week, I put more than my own bodyweight onto my back to do sets of squats. So yeah, I think I have the strength and stamina to carry around any laptop. I just prefer not carrying the weight. For me, it sucks when I have to, and I would always prefer to not haul around any weight. It's the reason I don't have a gaming laptop anymore, and it is the reason I switched from a 15" to a 12" laptop as my take everywhere computer.

 

My personal reason why I stick with a laptop is because I move countries every 6 months or so and have a lot of flights even in that time so there's no way I could have a desktop. Also, it so happens that I am a gamer as well therefore I need a powerful, heavy gaming laptop I have no concerns with battery life, just pure power so it fits my needs. Although once I will settle in somewhere I will definitely get a desktop rig and a lightweight laptop for portability!

 

The one solution I would love to see in production is some sort of docking station that allows you to use to use and upgrade desktop class GPUs. I've seen some concepts and some DIY with e-gpu, but imagine a Razer blade with the ability to dock/connect to a 680 or 7970

 

Not a bad idea. Some actual real support that way would actually be really nice, then you could connect it to your workstation GPU at work and gaming GPU at home!

 

didn't some models of Sony laptops had this? mid range desktop gpu dock for the laptop?

 

Vaio Z2 iirc. It only use a mobile 6650m though.

 

thanks, thought it was a full desktop gpu when I saw the pics before

 

A couple of Gigabyte M series notebooks had docks that allowed switching display adapters to a desktop GPU, but they were fairly low level GPUs like the Geforce GT 440. It's a shame Thunderbolt isn't a standard for high speed bus interface, otherwise external GPU docks can actually become feasibly marketable.

 

That's currently what I'm rocking. My desk at home includes a 27inch monitor, mouse/keyboard/speakers, usb hub, and everything that a desktop has. Only difference is I have a Vidock (external graphics card enclosure housing a desktop nvidia 560) connected to my macbook pro. The Vidock is under my desk so if it weren't for my macbook sitting next to my monitor, it would look exactly like a normal desktop (with close to the same amount of power). But all I have to do is unplug my macbook and bam, super portable laptop when I need it and powerhouse desktop while at home

Edit: Ive updated it since (moved card underneath for more desk space, bought new gear) but this gives a nice idea of how external graphics could be used (and the relatively small form factor of the enclosure compared to a standard desktop).

 

Very nice. The ViDock and MSi's GUS II seems to be the most realistic approach for mainstream consumer products, and I really hope they continue to get more refinements. If someone can figure how to revert the video card's output back to the laptop's display without some oddball hack, they've got a winner.

 

Are you using your thunderbolt port to connect to the eGPU?

 

Actually you can put it back to your laptops display so long you have a fermi or above gpu and sandy bridge+ intel processor. I'm actually going to bring my e-gpu and laptop to my friends house this weekend for a good ol' lan party haha.

Edit: And getting Optimus to work is about as hack free as possible. I installed the desktop drivers from nvidia's website and bam, I could choose to either display on my external, internal, or both.

@moviemarketing:

The Vidock's expresscard 2.0, but I'm using the sonnet echo thunderbolt adapter so it connects to my TB port. While I sure wouldn't mind thunderbolts full speed, it's not like express card 2.0 sucks I'm getting frame rates that are closer to very high end gaming laptops.

Here's a picture of the adapter:

 

I chose my m17x because I needed a good gaming rig, but also when i move out to somebody or I change to one of my other houses it's easy to take.
Just put them in my backpack, takes like 5 mins and of I go.

If I had a desktop this wouldn't be possible (It would but takes so much time and effort it's annoying.

Would never buy a desktop again, especially now i know how easy it is to be portable and power-wise laptops became really powerful these last few years.

EDIT: and the disrespect is because people really don't know.

 

because i need to use multiple monitors, i simply must have a desktop. But i also love a gaming laptop for many other reasons... so it's really up in the air, to each his/her own depending on their specific and current life circumstances/needs

 

How many monitors you need? laptop with dock do multiple monitors just fine.

 

I get a lot of looks when I whip out my sweet Osbourne 1 system. It's pretty much the best portable computer ever created. If the unprecedented DOUBLE 5.25" floppy drive configuration doesn't convince you, then the whopping 5" screen optimized for text-based games will definitely seal the deal. You may have like 4 or 3 cores or whatever, but I have a processor that has 4 Mhz (that is like 4 million thingies per second) of serious power. Moreover, it is called the Zilog processor, which sounds like a totally awesome Orc. Your computer may have like 8 or 12 things of ram but this has 64 kilobytes of it. 64!!! Last time I checked, 64 >>> 12. After only a few minutes of computations, the computer outputs values of 01000000 vs 0100. Look at the difference! The only downfall is that I have to use a dot matrix printer with this. They kinda suck.

 

wins the thread!

 

Is this retina?