Dear OzB Community,
Ever since I was in high school (graduated in 2012) I've been wanting a portable computer solution and thus have gone through several different phases by buying and re-selling via Gumtree.
I've purchased and sold MacBook Pro's and Airs at least 3 times and have also tried the Surface Pro 3. However, after the initial glamour I become disheartened by it and eventually stop using it except on the rare occasion.
It should be important to note that I built a gaming rig earlier with the specs:
- Dual boot Hackintosh
- 3 SSD's, 1 HDD
- i7 6700k
- h100 CPU water cooler
- gtx 770 (salvaged from prior build).
For my rig to be my 'dream', all I would need is to buy the GTX 1080 which is what I intend on doing soon. But I'm constantly wanting this laptop solution that I don't need or will use after a few months. Why do I constantly feel this compulsion to buy a laptop which is definitely something I don't need? I've nearly finished my degree as well and I really do mean that I have no purpose for a laptop.
Though if I could go back in time, I have chosen to go with the Razer Stealth blade and the CORE.
TL;dr;
Constantly feeling the want for a portable computer solution that I really don't need. Please help in identifying my quirky desire for it and annihilate it!
I'm in the same boat.
The Razer Stealth Blade is a great Ultrabook.
The Razer Core is a great external dedicated gpu block.
…But together great gaming pc they make not.
And the problem seems to be three things in particular:
1) The CPU is a dualcore-U type of processor. The Hyperthreading helps a bit, but most games still demand more cores and not held back by the U-specifications.
2) The 128GB SSD isn't large enough to store many modern games. There's higher storage, but pricey. And I'm not sure if you can upgrade the PCIE SSD yourself.
Someone please Google it.
3) The screen is quite small, and the keyboard a little bit mushy, and a gaming mouse definitely needed.
Sure I accept the mouse. Maybe even the keyboard. But that display will not do.
So that means plugging a DP/HDMI from the external GPU to a monitor… which means the laptop's screen takes up your desk space and gets in the way.
Or if you plug it to a TV, it means the UI will be bad from the distance, and that you need a loong cable from the GPU to the TV.
So it's an imperfect solution, but one many people want…so how can it be improved, easy here's how:
1) Razer should've opted for a quadcore i5 (6600T, 644HQ, 6820HK, 6700T).
Then made it turn off 2 cores and throttle down while in use as a laptop. And have decent fans and heat pipes when power mode kicks in.
Hell, there's even a tablet like such:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2988663/tablet-pc/hands-on-wi…
2) Okay, seems like you can upgrade the SSD and RAM.
So buying the base version with the QHD screen, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD is best play.
Then upgrade the RAM to 16GB (future-proofing), the M.2 to 1TB (for more game storage).
Best to use another screen such as a desktop monitor (1440p, or 21:9, or 144Hz) or a TV (couch gaming) or a VR headset (Valve Vive).
3) Since a desktop monitor is a great option to connect to, you want to make two changes.
Firstly to make the laptop a bit thicker like a MBP, and give it a deeper/tougher/better keyboard.
Secondly allow the laptop to fold its screen all the way to its back, like HP x360/Lenovo Yoga.
That way the screen can get out of the way when a monitor is hooked up. This also allows it double as a tablet.
For me? My current solution is using a regular laptop and a PS4. I now find most of my time used up for work, chores, and other activities.
Not that the PS4 is bad or anything, its just collecting dust. So getting Steam, the Razer Core, and the Stealth Blade just isn't tempting.
But if a solution like the one above becomes available, I would be very tempted.