Soldato
Shouldn't laptops be taking over now?
- Thread starter willhub
- Start date
What difference does that make when they both mean the same thing anyway?
True enough.
I've actually got a decision to make soon on whether I build a new desktop or get a better laptop and dock it. I've always preferred laptops because of gaming. I never needed a laptop so a desktop was the obvious choice. But I really don't game now and my son uses my desktop all the time. I have an older Thinkpad T530 which I use around the house and sometimes dock (surprisingly fast - quad full fat i7, 16gb RAM and two SSD's). It's a little heavy for taking outside the house but it's great for finding a quiet place in the house and browsing or working. I also have a lighter Thinkpad T440s for more portability (but less power).
But I do miss sitting down at a nice desk with a mouse and keyboard. So I either build him his own dedicated machine and take my old desktop back. Or I sell the two laptops, get a more modern one which can replace both (powerful and portable) and dock it more often. I've even considered getting an eGPU for the rare occasions I do game. It's a tough decision and the docked laptop seems the sensible choice. But emotionally I still feel tied to an old skool desktop which is easier to upgrade over time.
But I do miss sitting down at a nice desk with a mouse and keyboard. So I either build him his own dedicated machine and take my old desktop back. Or I sell the two laptops, get a more modern one which can replace both (powerful and portable) and dock it more often. I've even considered getting an eGPU for the rare occasions I do game. It's a tough decision and the docked laptop seems the sensible choice. But emotionally I still feel tied to an old skool desktop which is easier to upgrade over time.
If you choose to go the route of laptop and eGPU be aware of the performance loss via TB3 (alienware have propriety connection and better performance but if you go alienware you wouldn't need an eGPU anyway).
Here's a demonstration of a GTX 1080Ti in a eGPU vs a notebook GTX 1080 both with the same CPU - https://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/17169520/fs/14984729#
CPU Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor (2,800 MHz)
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Notebook) (1x Off) (2,012 MHz)
Total FS score 16,473
CPU Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor (2,800 MHz)
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (1x Off) (2,000 MHz)
Total FS score 14,889
As you can see eGPU's are pretty wasteful unless you can get one that connects to PCIe (and a laptop that allows it).
Thanks that's useful. The reason I'd consider an eGPU is that, while it does lose some performance, it means I can keep a thin and light laptop for portability (I wouldn't need gaming when taking it somewhere for the day).
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/aoc-...reesync-widescreen-led-monitor-mo-04m-ao.html
This monitor isn't on GSYNC supported list however it does work with GSYNC.
Soldato
Not sure if this was mentioned here yet as i have not read the whole thread, But with laptops(for gaming purposes) you cant upgrade your GPU like you can on a desktop. My desktops tend to last me 5+ years before i do a full build again and just switch gpu's every 2 years keeping it fresh
Soldato
Sounds promising but not available on most laptops now yet?
There is always a place for Desktops though such as workstation ones requiring lots of hard disk space, powerful upgradable gpu's and top of the line 6-8-12 core processors?
Also for server's its guaranteed to be a desktop.
Has anyone used a laptop just to act as a server?
Well most people have a laptop as well as a desktop, the extra outlay of the laptop over the desktop could be merged to get a better laptop. I'd not say they're that much harder to fix? Not a proper gaming laptop.
Don
And even for those where it is available, it either isn't actually "standard" (e.g. because of cooling constraints), or you struggle to get hold of new MXM cards to upgrade with, as they generally aren't available via normal retail channels
MXM are relatively straightforward to purchase online.
There are various "standards" of MXM, MXM 3.0B is the most common at present.
Clevo laptops have upgraded from GTX 9*0M to GTX 10*0 to RTX 20*0 with no issues with cooling. It would appear that other manufacturers have achieved the same on the 3.0B standard.
Don
They aren't though are they? If you can't purchase them from OcUK or any of their main competitors then they're hardly commonplace.
A quick google suggests that the standard is still as patchy as it ever was:
Purchase Justification is strong in this thread
Linking to competitors in against forum rules.
All MXM cards are available via system integrators in the UK, or very simply on ebay. (this isn't really a challenge to those that have access to google).
A quick google search would also demonstrate that 3.0B is usable by Clevo and others for the cards listed previously.
Just out of interest which MXM GPU have you tried to upgrade?
Purchase Justification is strong in this thread
As I go through laptops roughly every twelve months, that's an interesting assumption.
Don
I know the rules, and know how to use google.
A quick google for MXM 1080 shows me a couple of used ones on ebay, and a load of forum links discussing them, but no "big name" competitors.
A quick google for Geforce 1080 gets me links to OcUK and other retailers.
But 4 different "standards" in the same generation of GPU's (and 2 different standards from the same manufacture)? Clearly a 94mm x 111mm gpu is not compatible with a 82mm x 105mm slot ?
A PCI-E 3.0 GPU will fit in a PCI-E slot in any "normal" PC from about the last 15 years (and 99% of the time will work - even a PCI-E 3.0 gpu in a PCI-E 1.0 motherboard).
The same cannot yet be said about MXM (and unfortunately nothing has really changed in the many years since it was announced) - if it was as clear and standardised as it should be, then yes it would be a great solution.
The last laptop I had, when I wanted such a thing, predated MXM (Fujitsu Siemens Amilo D7830) - it had an upgradeable graphics card, released with a Radeon 9000. Better cards were later released (an NVidia card, and a more powerful Radeon iirc), but they weren't available through any normal retail channel.
But they are all "gaming" laptops, and the majority of your posts on this forum are regarding gaming laptops, it's somewhat a biased opinion?
Biased or experienced in the matter at hand?
No way in hell. Laptops have always been and will always be the inferior, with too much compromises.
Which laptops are you comparing to which desktops to support your claim of inferiority?