Portable lunchbox computers as an alternative to High end Laptops

Hi. I am spending a bunch of money every couple of years to buy High-end laptops primary for workstation use with secondary role as a gaming machine.

The only suitable laptops are heavy laptops from Msi , Asus, alienware or Clevo based laptops like xmg , eurocom etc.

I used many years ago a lunchbox portable computer like the one in the image (the screen is missing as it broke) and now I am thinking seriously to come back to that solution to build a new portable computer after many years.



The weight is almost the same with a huge laptop + power brick (almost 7kgr) and the new lunchbox computers start from 6 kgr.

You can use whatever desktop hardware you like and the best of all (even if the startup cost of the chassis is between 1000 to 1250$) the upgradability options are fantastic as you can upgrade far cheaper that a complete new laptop every couple of years.

Also it is very important that you are controlling all the parts that you want to install in your computer system and not the company that is assembling the laptop.

As an example you can have an 8 core ryzen this year and if the 16 core version is available next year you are simply buying a new cpu and you are cool

The same with the GPU... You become fully independent for what ever upgrade path you want to use.

The only disadvantage that I found is that there is no battery inside but even with my huge laptops using it with a battery is just a joke with all power hungry hardware. The good thing is that you are moving just a box and no extra power brick that it is a plus in portability even with the larger dimensions.

Chassis size is bigger that a laptop but it is not as big as you imagine. My first old portable chassis has dimensions 480 x 350 x 260 mm with a 15" Screen and now in a smaller size you can get a 21"screen. The most 17.3" come on 418 x 325 x 180 mm with keyboard. Check the size compare link that I have bellow.

Portable lunchbox computers or industrial portables are in the middle of both worlds are like the SUVs in cars.

They combine the good characteristics of both worlds portability of the laptops with the greater performance of desktop hardware, easier upgradabillity path and lower cost .

Some people say that laptops are now powerful yes there are but they never be faster that desktop versions in the CPU section (GPU desktop Nvidia chips are already in many laptops like MSI is doing). We should not forget the better storage options like the cheaper 3.5" HDDs and the bigger storage capacities like 10TB.

The lower TPD that is required in laptops and the need to fit hardware in a smaller footprint space always will be the problem for higher performance. With minor modifications you can add even water cooling in that lunchbox portable computers and overclock them. So OC enthusiasts have found a way to go mobile

Below I have some the most interesting portable chassis that I found after my research that are the cheapest on the market and also the smaller in sizes.

Also I found a size comparison http://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/portable-cases-with-integrated-monitor-3s5bvk54

(Press the button with arrow to see the graphical representation of size after visiting the size comparison webpage)

 

I see the Lunchbox making a comeback for high end, no holds barred, BGA free, upgradeable gaming and workstation machines which are transportable. I think this is the future for the highest end somewhat luggable machines.

 

I agree that lunchbox computers will come back and specially now that AMD is playing hard against Intel. We will see many competitive cpus with multiple cores soon.

A lunchbox with micro ATX motherboard support I think is the best way to go firstly in terms of portability because it has a smaller footprint in comparison to the chassis with full size ATX motherboard support.

I think that everyone that needs 8+ core performance on the go is the only way to go.

About the every day portability I already use a trolley bag for my almost 7 kgr laptop with the huge power brick l and if you add also the external HDDs and some more extras that I am carrying I have 10 kgr. This kind of laptop it is not a laptop in reality as you can not use it in your lap because it has all the air intakes on the bottom and run too hot and is too big to be used in the airplane. About battery is just a joke 1 to 1.30 hour max without intensive apps running.

In everyday life the portable with its trolley bag is almost the same thing at weight as all the external HDDs and BL drives you can have them inside the portable chassis than as an external device. The only extra will be the mouse and the regular power cord !

Only if you compare it to ultra slim laptops like MSI GS73VR you can say that a portable lunchbox computer is huge in terms of size but in terms of performance is day to night (if we compare the mobile i7 6700hq in GS73VR in multi core in comparisons to ryzen 1800x or Intel i7 6900 and the 1060 to a 1080ti).

In normal life gaming laptops that have desktop cpus like 7700k in reality they are portable computers and not laptops with their size and weight.