Solved! Desktop Replacement advice/opinions

sluggishgoat

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Oct 17, 2011
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Hi, I am an OTR truck driver looking into a high-end desktop replacement. I would love to put the $ towards a monster desktop; I know it would yield better results at a fraction of the cost; but, since I'm only home 2-3 days every month or two, I wouldn't be around to enjoy it. Therefore, I gotta go with a laptop that can ride with me in the truck. I also don't know enough about putting them together to build my own, so that's out of the question. Just thought I'd ask here & see what comes up.

1. What is your budget?
>>Not really an issue. Looking for the ultimate dream machine to buy around spring-time as a bday gift to myself. [:mohsentux]
Most of the "enthusiast" builds I've flirted with have started around $1000 or so, and have gone upwards of $6-8000..
Would like some advice/opinions before making a serious investment. And, before I unnecessarily spend money that could go towards more
high-wattage amplifiers, giant speaker cabinets & subwoofers, and other music gear. Basically, I see it as a very powerful tool,
and am willing & able to put in whatever it takes to have a real beast of a machine.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
>>17" or 18".. the big boys. It's pretty much gonna be my passenger & co-pilot the majority of the time, and a weapon of mass destruction when I'm home.
I'm not concerned about whether it fits into my pocket or not. If it could come built into a robot dog or a bear or somethin, that'd be fine.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
>>1080p. I like things to look good, and I've got a real sharp eye for tiny detail.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
>>Yup. Any sort of desktop setup would require straps, mounting, etc. & would get annihilated on bumpy roads. Gotta stick with laptop.

5. How much battery life do you need?
>>Will be plugged into the inverter almost all the time, so that's no big deal.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games.
>>Yes; Skyrim, Diablo III, Dungeon Siege III, Battlefield 3, and various online games thru Steam (Civilization V, Left 4 Dead 2, Day of Defeat, Counter Strike, etc.)
Settings as high as possible.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
>>Photo editing & psychedelic pixel manipulation for event flyers, band art, etc. I like to run a lot of plug-ins, on a lot of layers, at very high DPI..
>>Live DJ'ing (when I get to go home..), making mixes/podcasts, & electronic music production using Ableton Live w/various plug-ins & OSC's.
(Something with excellent sound capabilities preferred.)
>>Occasional Map making in Source SDK, G.E.C.K., & would like to play around with making dungeons/environments with the Skyrim creation kit.
>>Sometimes chill out & watch some movies or cartoons, listen to music, general use.
>>Internet browsing with a million tabs open while digging through music blogs, watching videos, etc.
>>Any combination of these things, or all at the same time..
[:badge:5]

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
>>Enough for the OS, photo editing & music programs & games to fit on internals (distributed however is most efficient, preferably SSD's.)
Externals for media storage.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
>>I've checked out & messed around with various configurations of:
-Alienware m18x
-Origin EON17
-Digital Storm x17E
-Sager NP7282
-Falcon Northwest DRX

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
>>As long as possible before it is obsolete, or no longer fit to efficiently perform the functions stated above.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
>>Bluray ROM/DVD&CD-RW

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
>>Well, since I've never bought anything from the companies listed, it's hard to say one way or the other on any of them.
Seems they all offer more or less the same product, with slight variation in components & price. Though some (like Origin) offer
to add any part not listed. I kinda like that, but their warranty looks very basic. Alienware has the extended warranty
that covers water, impact, etc. Which would be nice if anything stupid happens on the road or at a show. But that's about all I like about them.
And maybe the flashy lights.. but I can get over that part. Maybe go with a nice paint job instead (which seems to be the aesthetic trade-off).

13. What country do you live in?
>>US, but would like to relocate to Canada in the near future.

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
>>I'm looking for a durable machine that will have a good lifespan, is equipped with the best combination of top notch hardware to yield the
greatest results, and is backed by a good warranty. If you're knowledgeable enough, go ahead & get loose with it.

I appreciate any constructive input and advice. After messing around with multiple build ideas, I've gotten myself stumped. Don't want to go throwin money
away at unnecessary bells & whistles if I can get something extremely powerful without the flare. Thanks.
 
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I'd actually strongly recommend against getting a "dream machine" laptop: within just a couple months it will be out of date, and while it will still play things, it sort of defeats the purpose of getting everything as top-of-the-line. Instead, I'd recommend toward buying laptops within the about 2000 range, and upgrading your laptop more often. I recommend this to everyone with a higher budget than they know what to do with. xD The thing about laptops is that, to stay on top of things and impressive, the best way is to continuously buy a new one, and perhaps sell your old one on eBay. If you upgrade as often as you can afford, while still getting a good machine in the first place (most things past roughly 2-something are just...

hunuok

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Jul 4, 2009
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Hey there,

ASUS make some really HIGH end laptops for gaming. Check out their G Series.

http://usa.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming_Powerhouse/G74SX/

Their price/performance is exceptional.

I'm on my third ASUS notebook.

Hope this helps some.
 

Aeir

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Sep 26, 2011
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I'd actually strongly recommend against getting a "dream machine" laptop: within just a couple months it will be out of date, and while it will still play things, it sort of defeats the purpose of getting everything as top-of-the-line. Instead, I'd recommend toward buying laptops within the about 2000 range, and upgrading your laptop more often. I recommend this to everyone with a higher budget than they know what to do with. xD The thing about laptops is that, to stay on top of things and impressive, the best way is to continuously buy a new one, and perhaps sell your old one on eBay. If you upgrade as often as you can afford, while still getting a good machine in the first place (most things past roughly 2-something are just extraneous anyways in my opinion), you'll have a far more functional system that will never be too far out of date.

As far as Sagers go, if that's the route you decide to take, I tend to see xoticpc as the most highly recommended reseller.
 
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