Determining whether to wait... or find a Laptop right now

[chargersrool]

With the release of pascal, that will open endless opportunities. Companies also are waiting to release thunderbolt 3 as well which will allow for the use with external graphics.
I'm new to this topic but just wondering which laptop I should go for in case of longevity.
If I find a laptop with a usb 3.1 type c slot does that mean it runs thunderbolt 2? is thunderbolt 2 fast enough for an external gpu? This part confuses me because I thought if it was a thunderbolt slot, it would have a lightning symbol right beside the port.
Im looking into this laptop right now which has a gtx960m.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

This question is asked with every generation and for every component as the companies issue press releases to media and media reprints all the glowing promises of wonderful improvements without doing, or even having the means to, verify anything in the press release. And then it arrives and like always, it never lives up to the promise and represents only a marginal change over that which came before it.

Thunderbolt 3 is expected later this year, tho soem vendors (i.e Dell) already have units out there ... until then you will have to limit your search to the few vendors who provide both a TB port and an external GFX card enclosure (i.e Razor)

As fort he 960m, there's quite a big jump going from 960m to 970m ... to save money and get a bit better componentry customized to your needs, you might want to look at Clevo vendors such as LPCdigital.

 

[chargersrool]

This question is asked with every generation and for every component as the companies issue press releases to media and media reprints all the glowing promises of wonderful improvements without doing, or even having the means to, verify anything in the press release. And then it arrives and like always, it never lives up to the promise and represents only a marginal change over that which came before it.

Thunderbolt 3 is expected later this year, tho soem vendors (i.e Dell) already have units out there ... until then you will have to limit your search to the few vendors who provide both a TB port and an external GFX card enclosure (i.e Razor)

As fort he 960m, there's quite a big jump going from 960m to 970m ... to save money and get a bit better componentry customized to your needs, you might want to look at Clevo vendors such as LPCdigital.

Thanks Jack. Never looked at it from that point of view as I hardly buy new equipment. My laptop is currently out of date but I was looking into this Acer Predator. It has a thunderbolt 3 slot and for $1500 which is probably the best route to go if I dont wanna spend 3k on a laptop. What's your view on the acer?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The predator monitor is the most amazing monitor I have ever seen, tho the external design could have been "ruggedized" a bit. My son worked for Acer TS and they are very selective in how they select their personnel; but while their personnel are qualified... they are hamstrung by official policies as are all mass market vendors. Personally, I prefer small custom shops to get my lappies from where I can select each component that goes into the build. I also like that when i call back for TS, I get to talk to the same guy I spoke with when we settled on the build.

Also to My understanding TB 3 = USB 3.1 Gen 2 and not all devices will be supported

http/us-store.acer.com/predator-17-g9-791-735a-gaming-notebook

I would confirm that the la[top in question has support for external GFX cards and not just external monitors

 

[chargersrool]

The predator monitor is the most amazing monitor I have ever seen, tho the external design could have been "ruggedized" a bit. My son worked for Acer TS and they are very selective in how they select their personnel; but while their personnel are qualified... they are hamstrung by official policies as are all mass market vendors. Personally, I prefer small custom shops to get my lappies from where I can select each component that goes into the build. I also like that when i call back for TS, I get to talk to the same guy I spoke with when we settled on the build.

Also to My understanding TB 3 = USB 3.1 Gen 2 and not all devices will be supported

http/us-store.acer.com/predator-17-g9-791-735a-gaming-notebook

I would confirm that the la[top in question has support for external GFX cards and not just external monitors

Correct, I saw that the Acer Predator Laptop Has a TB-3 Slot. The one that actually has the thunderbolt logo.

I learned from a reference that USB 3.1 Type c is not automatically a thunderbolt slot. It needs to have the thunderbolt logo beside it. That means if it has the thunderbolt logo, it allows 40gb/s rather than the standard usb 3.1 c which transfers at only 10 gb/s. Very confusing stuff. Wish they'd call it something different.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Again, having the thunderbolt 3 slot, does NOT mean that the vendor offers a compatible external GFX card enclosure to go with it. All it means is you can plug it into TB 3 monitor.

 

[chargersrool]

I thought the thunderbolt port means it has data transfer/monitor transfer/ pci incorporated/more power input. That's the whole point of thunderbolt... not to just hook up to different monitors.