Quite a specific build required: Portable & powerful

MiL0

MiL0

MiL0

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Joined
17 Jul 2008
Posts
28
Hi there, first time post; long time reader :)

I'm a electronic music producer and it's time to upgrade my studio pc. I usually use a laptop (Dell Inspiron 9300, tricked out) as I work abroad a lot (Asia, Europe and Australia). This time however, I want to build a normal desktop pc and buy (and keep) an LCD screen, keyboard and mouse in each of the countries I stay in. So that said, these are my requirements:

- Decent CPU (fast C2D or better)
- Potential to upgrade/overclock CPU (upgrade to Quadcore or better)
- At least one PCI slot (I use an expensive PCI 32bit soundcard)
- As light, small and portable as possible
- Integrated graphics with potential to upgrade to a decent'ish gaming graphics card sometime in the future
- Cheap!

Having looked at the Mac Mini (no PCI, no quadcore upgrade path) and various u-itx variants (expensive mobile processors; no quadcore) I've decided on a mini-atx desktop or a Shuttle PC. I've not been able to find a mini-atx case small enough so this is the Shuttle PC I've spec'd so far:

spec1.JPG


Few questions:

- Is the RAM and CPU suitable for this particular Shuttle PC motherboard? (cooling, spec and compatibility-wise)
- Ignoring the display, graphics card and hard disk for a moment, should I be looking at a different cpu, case, motherboard or ram for any reason? (better value, faster, easier to overclock, etc)
- If I were to buy a C2D processor instead of the 6600; what's the best bang for buck?
- Am I going about this all wrong and should be looking at a mini-atx case/system instead? If so, can you link me to some small cases that'd be similar to my required spec. (the case should be no bigger than the Shuttle PC case).

Thanks in advance for any help or advice :)
 
- Is the RAM and CPU suitable for this particular Shuttle PC motherboard? (cooling, spec and compatibility-wise)
- Ignoring the display, graphics card and hard disk for a moment, should I be looking at a different cpu, case, motherboard or ram for any reason? (better value, faster, easier to overclock, etc)
- If I were to buy a C2D processor instead of the 6600; what's the best bang for buck?
- Am I going about this all wrong and should be looking at a mini-atx case/system instead? If so, can you link me to some small cases that'd be similar to my required spec. (the case should be no bigger than the Shuttle PC case).
Click to expand...

1. THe RAM And CPU Are fine but tyhe Q6600 will run hort in the cramped conditions.
2. A Different case mobo and cpu will add up to much more.
3. E7200 but most boards need an update.
 
1. How hot is hot in your estimation? My laptop cpu gets up to 75C sometimes :O
2. "Much more" might be okay depending on what it is you have in mind... I literally can't find any other cases that are smaller than the Shuttle PC case and that also take Quadcore processors.
3. "Most boards needs an update" - do you mean most Shuttle PC motherboards need a bios update?
 
1. How hot is hot in your estimation? My laptop cpu gets up to 75C sometimes :O
2. "Much more" might be okay depending on what it is you have in mind... I literally can't find any other cases that are smaller than the Shuttle PC case and that also take Quadcore processors.
3. "Most boards needs an update" - do you mean most Shuttle PC motherboards need a bios update?
Click to expand...
1. My guess is about 60 loaded at stock but ive never used a quad core proccesor so dont take my word for it.
2. I guess i was a bit wrong :)
3. All Shuttle boards and M-ATX boards that are out require an update, easiest to pick up a cheap second hand S775 celeron for about £15 to do the update with then swap it back out.

OcUK180708portabilitywithexpandabil.png


Quick spec but with a dual core and no screen/OS.
 
If you want portable, by laptop.

I dont understand how is 20 inch widescreen a portable thing....
What will be the exact purpose of it anyways ?

Do you need much hdd space etc ?
 
PhoenixUK said:
If you want portable, by laptop.

I dont understand how is 20 inch widescreen a portable thing....
What will be the exact purpose of it anyways ?

Do you need much hdd space etc ?
Click to expand...

I travel a lot but stay in one location for up to 6 months at a time. So what I'm going to do is travel with the Shuttle PC but leave the screen behind. Then, when I settle at my new office, I'll pick up a screen locally.

Laptops are portable but I want something powerful that can also take PCI cards. Laptops are currently limited to mobile processors with 2 cores. I want something really fast :)
 
What's your budget by the way?

If you've got a bit of moolah to spend, you could always go for a high end custom laptop, such as one based on the clevo 901c. I do a lot of music production, recording and DJing and I'm always on the go, but never away from a power source (dont bother using the battery on these things) I have one with an Intel Q9550 quad core processor in, 4GB DDR2 Ram, 3 x 7,200rpm HD's and a Nvidia 9800M GT. In lamens terms, it's a desktop PC in a laptop.

Just be prepared to spend £2000+ for one :D

Best thing about them though is that they're easy to upgrade, which is unheard of in laptops, so you can buy a basic model of one and put in the parts as you get the money.

Of course, this will spark the whole argument of "why not just buy a desktop for half the price and a cheap laptop" but ya know, each to their own :)
 
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