What is your ideal laptop?

I have been considering a replacement laptop for my aging laptop (6 years old now). I am one to buy the one of the top tier spec going at the time and rely on it to keep me going (>4 years) before repeating the same process. I have been looking at Clevo laptops as they have a desktop CPU and near enough desktop capable GPU. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a laptop that fits my requirements.

I'm not a on-the-move gamer, so having good graphics at home when i'm gaming is important. Just to note that a laptop is important as I like to use my laptop on the sofa or in the bedroom. I don't have enough room for a dedicated desktop environment but have room for a desktop tower near by but without the monitor etc.

These are the ideal laptop types I would like to exist:

1. A laptop with moderate graphics (and cheaper price) that also accepts HDMI input (or WIDI but latency will be too high for gaming) so I can connect it to a slim desktop unit that has a powerful GPU and be able to switch the laptop to displaying the output of the desktop + audio and the ability for the laptop to control the desktop with the laptop keyboard and mouse wirelessly. I know an alternative is that Alienware do a Graphics Accelerator but they are too expensive for what I consider reasonably priced laptop. Maybe a good eGPU is what i need?

2. A laptop like the P771DM-g or P775DM-g (with the next gen 10xx dGPUs) but with the ability to switch between iGPU and dGPU (in BIOS setting is required) to the internal display if the worst comes. Apparently as of now the MXM dGPU is tied to all the display outputs including the internal display so if the MXM card goes bad you're out of luck until you can source a replacement, the laptop is effectively dead until then. In my mind this is not a good situation as you have to source a compatible MXM card which will be expensive and/or difficult, a CPU is not a problem if it dies as it's easily replaceable. I am a supporter of a "desktop replacement laptop" so that's why I like the idea that I don't have to replace the whole motherboard if the CPU or GPU fails.

If either of these laptops would exists I would buy it, but considering the 1st option does not exist it would be number 2 when it's released but without switchable iGPU/dGPU and having to deal with the potential consequences.

Pipe dream I know.

I miss 1920 x 1200 displays, I'm used to the added height but they seem to be extinct!

What is your ideal laptop?

 

I mean... I'd love a Clevo P650 laptop with a socketed cpu and MXM gpu. Then have an RGB keyboard and longer battery life. Pretty much would check all the boxes, the 980m and optional 4k GSync display are pretty awesome features in that kind of chassis, and it already has fantastic ram and storage options.

 

We have each targeted at different markets quite deliberately. It's not really that easy to make a cheap MXM and desktop socket machine as it would be larger and more expensive than the soldered counter parts. It needs some advantage performance wise.

 

Oh duh. He said "ideal" so for me that's ideal I know its completely unrealistic. Realistically I would like an RGB keyboard, thunderbolt III port and better battery in the P650.

 

Then wouldn't a P751DM meet your needs?

 

Well the battery life is not as long due to a lack of optimus.

 

Worse battery life, and way way too large. The P650 is subtle enough to bring to meetings and such, the P750DM is far too unwieldy and gamer looking. Trust me I know all the Clevo offerings, and while its a beastly machine its too clunky for me.

 

You could just use EGPU for that. Assuming you have enough parity in performance between your laptop and desktop. The gap is ever shrinking unless you have a desktop with more than 4 cores.
On a fully implemented system, you can send GPU output to either an external monitor connected to the eGPU, or to the Laptop panel or to an external display connected to the Laptop itself.
Furthermore, you can do this with Optimus already in place and multiple GPUs. You do take a penalty if you use the internal panel though, as you need some of that TB3 bandwidth to transfer the frame-buffer back.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with my P750DM-G (it's lighter and thinner than the old W860CU and P150 chassis..can't complain with that!) but there's a few things I'm looking at:
1. eGPU enclosure that fits my Hybrid 980Ti. Theoretically this should work, but I haven't got my hands on one nor has anybody tested one with a P700 series machine.
2. New internal GPU. Running the 970M, hoping a 1070M or whatever new 75W skew can be subbed in for a good performance jump and save even more on power/thermals (more battery life too).
3. New Panel. The current G-Sync panel is only 60hz which is a bit lame for FPS and such. OLED looks to be the go-to tech in that case with <1ms response times and stupid high contrast ratios. Dell just released a 30" 4K 120hz OLED panel with 0.1ms response time (assuming you could had the cash or spare organs to sell for it).

 

Anything gigantic, heavy, insanely powerful, overclocks like a banshee with a socket-mounted deskop CPU and MXM slots tend to make me happy. But, only if it has an excellent cooling system.

 

As in a desktop?

You can build some pretty serious desktop machines that are small as well if your clever enough. Can even build a battery system in pretty easily with something like picoUPS or OpenUPS.

 

Nah, that's just not my bag. I love humongous laptops and even more gargantuan desktops. Running on battery power is not important to me. I only use it like an integrated UPS. If it will run for 10 minutes on battery, that's good enough for me. I just don't like any small computers that much, laptop or desktop. The tiny little P750ZM in my signature is even starting to wear out its welcome. It's reasonably powerful, but just too small to enjoy what I enjoy doing with computers.

 

after using a 18.4" laptop for 7 months and reviewing my use pattern, my conclusion of an ideal laptop is a light weight but still pack maximum punch. something like Clevo P650RG... 15.6", 980M GPU, and most importanly, only 3kg including power supply.

i

 

I would consider an eGPU if there was no latency or major performance reductions in using one, but it would have to output back to my laptop display. Having Optimus also comes with its own problems so i don't really want that.

Speaking about OLED displays, where are the OLED displays for 17 inch and 15 inch laptops? You would think this technology would be common place by now considering the usage in smart phones and TVs.

 

Ideal laptop? Well that's easy.

1. Proper construction, with ingress protection. At about 1" thick and under 5 pounds.
2. Intel processor with full on Iris Pro graphics.
3. 14" 1080p display with accurate colors and minimal backlight bleed.
4. Full size displayport, HDMI, VGA and Ethernet.
5. USB 2.0 ports for legacy hardware.
6. Full workday battery life + fast charge, preferably removable as well.
7. Mobile broadband and good antenna placements

All of these are completely doable with off the shelf parts, ODMs and OEMs just don't configure it as such.

 

A sentient one, and I would name it Ultron. (I'd settle for a P670RG.)

 

Ideal laptop... well, as a midcore gamer who values portability and longevity, but doesn't really plan on gaming-on-the-go, I'd like one of two options:

1. A 14" FHD laptop weighing 4lbs (1.8kg) max, NO dGPU but a full PCIe x16 connection to an eGPU, 4+ hours battery life, Skylake i7 quad core CPU, several USB 3.0 ports, at least one USB-C 3.1 with Thunderbolt 3 port, and an HDMI port (preferably 2.0). And great cooling.

2. Pretty much the same thing as above, but I'd settle for a dGPU that's a mobile 1060 or greater instead of an eGPU.

I don't suspect Clevo will make #1 anytime soon... but I hope that they'll make #2 as a P640RE successor

 

I like most of them as I see their niche. I might end up owning two

 

Take the P870DM, add in two 1080 Ti GPUs (when they are released) , 120hz 4K 100% Adobe RGB Display, X99 based chipset/10-core processor, better battery and some more speakers.

LOL, the P870DM is almost there.

 

Got a laugh out of that one.

I'd agree with a P670 for my needs too. 17 inches, not too big and heavy. Enough drive space, ram and CPU power that could handle all my work needs, and a solid GPU for some gaming on the side. It would be nice to have a unicorn laptop with all the possible features available, but realistically I would be golden on a mid-tier system.

 

I want something much lighter and more powerful than my NP8170...

But how am I going to support socketed stuff with this approach? :O

 

If you are not someone who intends to fiddle with the gpu/cpu it does not matter if you have a decent warranty to back you up

 

What would you do with modular components?

 

Not throw out the entire notebook when one component breaks? lol.
i.e. The inevitable GPU burnout.

 

Not sure what you mean by that

Erm, upgrade them I suppose? (Unless the prices aren't good that is...)

 

That's interesting! I ask because, typically, a replacement motherboard on some systems runs about as much as a replacement CPU or a GPU. Wanting the potential for upgrading, I understand.

 

I'm the type that likes to do my own repairs (which is a good thing since I am an engineer lol), one of my biggest pet peeves in the industry is forced upgrades. Socketed GPUs are easier to repair than the BGA nonsense. That said, I have access to a high end BGA machine, so if anyone thinks they're forcing me to upgrade, they should think again. I routinely send broken GPUs to nVidia and AMD along with a strongly worded letter. It'll never go to the person that it was intended to reach, but it is a good way to vent. Especially when your company spent $6000 on a Quadro and the damn thing lasts 37 months of useage.

EDIT: It's more about choice than cost. Bigger companies (like the one I work for) are not as cost sensitive, but if you force them to upgrade (even if its a laptop), there's more frustration in having to replace validated parts with something new than simply repairing it. Validation work is tedious and boring, and nobody enjoys doing it. If you force it on people, well... pitchforks and torches are just around the corner.

 

I am with Krowe on this!

 

I am with Krowe on this!

 

To people who would not open their computer it makes no difference if it's BGA or not as they would never open it.

 

Definitely the vast majority of people fit into this category. Just yesterday, I successfully replaced a hard drive in a BGA laptop that had crashed (second time I had ever attempted a hardware replacement, the first was a different laptop's screen a few years back), and it was definitely nice to spend only $45 on an HDD instead of buying a whole new computer. So I certainly see the appeal of modularity in laptops. But I also don't think the vast majority of people would want completely modular laptops, especially considering most people buy pretty cheap laptops to begin with - the hassle and cost of buying parts for replacements/upgrades just wouldn't make sense. I myself would prefer a mostly-BGA laptop because I want something light, small, and portable, which I understand are features that don't mix well with modularity.

Still, I like the idea of modular laptops, even though they seem to be on the decline. One can always dream of an inexpensive, small, light laptop that's totally modular though.

 

I do think there is a niche for higher end machines to remain as modular as possible and it should be preserved.

 

Agreed. I wouldn't mind if they figured out a way to make lower end machines as modular as possible too but yes, unfortunately the economics of that doesn't make sense.

 

It was a very short window with that sadly.

 

True, but I guess most of us are more than happy to open our computers if we have to

 

As already said - I want MXM in a small form factor, ideally 13.3-14". Oh, and a 16:10 screen. The laptop would handle up to an 80 W GPU.

 

I will sorely miss my laptops 1920 x 1200 display when i upgrade

 

Haven't seen any of those for a while =\

 

4k would give you a lot more real estate

 

True, true. But 1200 was just a slightly better alternative to 1080, but not common for a while.

 

It's the same aspect ratio though. I'm used to using 16:10 monitors, the added height is useful when displaying 2 documents side by side, even my monitor at work is 1680 x 1050. 4K won't make much of a difference on a laptop unless i have a magnifying glass held in front of it