the tablet that can replace your desktop (most of the time.)

[ClicheKHFan]

This is not a topic about how i think you could get rid of your $1500 gaming pc or your $3000 workstation and replace it with a very pricy tablet. at least not right now. Chipsets for both Nvidia and Intel have been moving toward a more power efficient design and their laptop hardware has been closing the gap on the desktop preformance. Now I'm not saying you will ever be able to fit a titan into a tablet, but in the next 4 years i could see a laptop level cpu in a slim tablet form factor. Atleast an intel one, and with more than 1 fan. It could probably even be quiet.

 

Now, as big as an improvement as that would be, an i7 laptop processor does not a desktop make. Iris pro graphics would be a nice touch, but I'm not sure it would even be necessary. A desktop does not need to move. Tablets do, but they don't need to have desktop performance when they're on the go. A nice laptop level processor with an option for iris pro graphics on higher spec models could serve as a great tablet or laptop experience.

 

The last big push in technology necessary to make this work at least on a spec level would be an external graphics card enclosure. There are already some thunderbolt models that work. However they are extremely expensive. I believe the reason is because someone holds a patent and they are charging a premium to anyone that wants to manufacture this type of enclosure. It is definitely not manufacturing costs. There are other options however. Alienware has a proprietary pcie-ish connector that they have said they would allow other manufacturers to use. There is also already a laptop that has a regular old 16x pcie slot on the back. This could probably be placed on something like the surface pro where the keyboard connecter currently is. (You might even get less input lag )

 

A full power GPU and an i7 laptop cpu could run all but the most cpu intensive games and if you went with a titan you could get a pretty respectable workstation. I've heard rumors that the 980ti will have the vram and horsepower to drive 4k on even AAA titles on pretty high to decent settings, and AMD has usually been better than them on the vram side of things. There are ofcouse costs to this sort of thing. You're not going to be able to overclock your cpu or ram. Customizability is also limited to preset options on tablet specs and your GPU of choice. Then there is the actually monetary cost of a more compact device. There is quite a list of things you could say as negatives, but I'd like to see what some discussion could come up with.

 

I want to know what people here think about the feasability of this as a design for a super premium tablet. Do you think there would be a market for this? Would you be interested in this for yourself in the future? Do you think Microsoft's surface line or any other manufacturer will build something like this in the next 4 years? I would really apreciate any comments and thanks to anyone that has made it through my essay.

 

TLDR; laptop level cpu and external gpu enclosure = desktop/laptop/tablet überhybrid?

 

Edit: I'm going to make a list of other features that people would like to see. with pros and cons.

Wacom digitizer - would add a little thickness but perhaps a more sensative pen.

Waterproof - would be more expensive but nice durability feature

amoled screen - better contrast and battery life, but more expensive and not widely avalible in 10-14 inch screen size

mobile gpu - more heat and powerconsumption in exchange for better graphics on the go

Snap on controller - extra bulk but you get another imput method, extra battery, and maybe better grip (removeability makes less of a tradeoff)

Front facing speakers - much superior sound to side or back facing speakers at a slight extra cost (more complicated design is more expensive to produce)

3g/4g/LTE - contract and cost in exchange for data on the go (avalibility of mobile hotspots on phones might make this less popular)

 

I'm thinking I/O on this would include a proprietary magnetic pcie connector on the bottom for use with keyboard accessories, dock, and external GPU. You would of course want atleast 1 USB 3.1, Audio jack, mini display port, SD card slot, and an aditonal proprietary magnetic data and power connector for use with aftermarket accessories that doubles as the AC power/charging slot.

[terrytek]

Could be possible in the forseeable future, having a dock plugged into an external GPU, then undock and use as a 2 in 1 convertible.

[AlwaysFSX]

I'd really like something with the ID of a Surface, it's just perfect to me. Because Intel already has boards that are smaller than your palm and pretty powerful right now, where you can make 90% of the tablet a battery. Just something for word docs and the like would be great on this kind of tablet.

 

Something like this is only a year or two away, I'm sure of it. Companies just need to get the usability design down pat.

[soaringchicken]

I really like the surface, and I would buy one if I have the money. I do definitely think that more effort is being put into efficient mobile processors and that the gap between desktop and mobile/laptop will become a bit shorter in the near future.

[Deletive]

Would be an amazing drawing tablet + gaming rig. Just throw a stylus into the package. have a i7 broadwell processor how ever big it needs to (12-14 inches would be nice) then an external thunderbolt/something of the sorta on the side to a 4k monitor to game and everything.

Best productivity tablet ever.

[ClicheKHFan]

I already really like the design of the surface, and this was sort of my dream configuration of what it could be. I'm planing on buying the surface pro 4 whenever that comes out, unless its terrible. Then I'll just get the 3 I already think it's pretty perfect. Wish i had more $$$$$.

[Hatsune Miku 「 」]

could never replace my desktop workstation.

[terrytek]

could never replace my desktop workstation.

How so? It could have amazing potential.

[Hatsune Miku 「 」]

How so? It could have amazing potential.

Double precision, fast rendering, 8 core cpu for a very good reason.

[ClicheKHFan]

The biggest problem I see with this is it won't work for a lot of enthusists who want a top of the line CPU or more than one GPU. (though multi GPU could actually maybe happen) And enthusiests like their customizability,fancy watercooling loops, and case mods ect.... Mom and Dad won't want a docking station with 12 wires and 6 dongles and a graphics card enclosure, although they wouldn't need many accesories with the tablet.

 

I see this as targeting enthusiast gamers as opposed to enthusiast pc fans who would probably trade these things for a blend of mobility and only needing one device.

[KemoKa]

Until we get die-grade materials that are superconductive at room temperature by their nature, we will need big, chunky coolers for big, powerful chips that output a lot of heat (even Broadwell). Of course, we'll get more efficient chips, but there are going to have to be some absolutely gigantic scientific breakthroughs, maybe even a rewrite in Physics textbooks before we get tablets that are just as powerful as desktops of the same generation.

 

We have tablets that can play Portal at framerates well beyond those of top-of-the-line computers 9 years ago, but they are nothing compared to the horsepower of current high-end gaming rigs. It just doesn't happen. It's a matter of numbers and size. Computers will all get more powerful, that much is certain. However, like it or not, you might have a nice thin ultrabook or tablet or both, and that might get your videos to you, but you want some real crunching done, you will need the big, hot, chunky workstation, whether it's merely a peripheral for your mobile device or not.

 

I'm a person who uses different devices for different things, and maybe one day that will change, but for the forseeable future, if I want to get some work done, I will have a large, powerful machine at home to do it, and if I am just watching some videos on the go, I'll use my tablet. If I'm doing something in between, like I want some editing done, but I need it with me at all times while I trundle around, I will have a laptop like an X5 or something along those lines. I like using multiple devices at the same time, so having one solution for all my needs just won't work for me. I have notifications, music and episodes of the Tek on my iPod, scratchpads for doodling ideas and tetris to kill boredom during school on my tablet, I have art applications and projects on my laptop, I have Lightworks, Steam and Handbrake on my desktop, said desktop has three monitors for if I need multiple things done at the same time. There are just too many things that I have the capacity to monitor and check up on at the same time and having just one device to do that, regardless of whether it can actually handle everything going at the same time, just doesn't work with my head. I need multiple points of input, I need multiple feeds of information, because I'm a multitasker, and multitasking on one screen, on one device, is not, not, NOT multitasking.
 

[asim1999]

I use an iPad for web browsing and youtube

And i will never replace my £1500 workstation/gaming rig for a tablet for gaming and work 

[GoodBytes]

All to say, you want the Surface Pro (which I have (Pro 2), and it IS freaking powerful, with 0 throttling), with a dedicated GPU.

 

Yes. I agree. Intel integrated graphics is complete garbage. Sure it has all this promised feature, but many games don't work as, as always, Intel has it's own definition of "full support" on DirectX and OpenGL.

That is why I am not exited by all the fancy number that Intel trow at us, or is leaked. What is the point of all this performance where half my games crashes with unsupported OpenGL and Directx error. Not to mention it has poor OpenCL and DirectCompute implementation.

 

And for some reason on battery, Intel LOVES enabling dynamic contrast ratio on battery, which it does at a software level (doesn't control the monitor back light). Even if you disable it in the Control Panel. At random, it has moods, and turn it itself on, and the only possible fixes is to either restart the system, or plugged in and unplugged the system. Anyway...

 

The problem why there isn't a dedicated GPU is that:

Beside Microsoft being  the only possible interested manufacture in getting that, most manufactures expect the price of: free, on the GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, as most consumers don't see value in getting an Nvidia or AMD graphics card. And if they care, they are looking at a workstation or gaming system, and expect and wants high end models. That is why the low end modes are nearly always renames of old models.

 

In addition, Nvidia is focused on it's Tegra line, as it sees money in Android tablets CPUs and cars. They COULD pull the GPU out of the Tegra and make it independent, and it would be totally awful, It wouldn't need any heat-sink even if they boost the power a bit more (which they can as the CPUs are out), and be more powerful than Inlel integrated graphics best offering, but they are not, as no manufacture cares, as explained above.

 

As for AMD, they are focused on their APU. They want to sale their CPU with GPU inside, and not just the GPU.

 

The only company that I can see that they do something about it is Microsoft making a partnership with either Nvidia or AMD. Sadly, people complain that the Surface Pro is "too expensive", even though it is really not for what you are getting, and falls in line business class system of similar specs, which you pay a premium for the good battery that is resistant to heat, and has very long total life (4 years), and provide great battery life on the system, quiet high quality fan and heat sink, and build quality. Granted you can't toss it around, but it can survive a drop. I dropped my Surface Pro 2. It fell on concrete, on the edge and corner of the device. And it's fine. Not even a crack on the screen. Granted I had a screen protector to take the scratches instead of the glass surface, but that is all. Replaced the screen protector (using Phantom Glass now), and minus the dent and paint removes on where it fit the floor, it is working like new.

[-iSynthesis]

You mentioned a laptop grade cpu with at least 1 fan, but this tablet you are thinking woild be moving in the opposite direction of what we are doing right now, thin tablets.

[Trik'Stari]

Can we PLEASE stop saying "tablet" and call them what they should be called?

 

A Datapad.

[GoodBytes]

You mentioned a laptop grade cpu with at least 1 fan, but this tablet you are thinking woild be moving in the opposite direction of what we are doing right now, thin tablets.

That is exactly what the Surface Pro has. 1 fan (or 2 for the older models), and a decently powerful laptop CPU.

[ImBleu]

@ClicheKHFan

 

I'm a Surface Pro 3 user, using one right now.

 

While I agree that yes, tablets are closing the gap on Laptops and you can fit Laptop CPUs in a Tablet form factor, the i5-4400U in this particular surface is no where near comparable to it's desktop cousins. Maybe time will tell in a few years time we'll have colder chips but my CPU thermal throttles enough as it is in it's thin form factor. I'd love to be able to connect an external CPU to my Surface to game on it, the CPU needs to be improved a bit more. I can use it for Steam in-home streaming without any problems.

 

You're also going to need to consider the prices of storage as well, as you can still not fit multiple TBs of space in a tablet form factor.

 

 

And as a personal gripe, I'd love to have the Keyboard on my Surface Pro 3 be a bit sturdier, heck even if it was the same size as the surface I'd love a more macbook-esque keyboard being a bit sturdier. 

[asim1999]

Can we PLEASE stop saying "tablet" and call them what they should be called?

 

A Datapad.

how about just a "pad"?

[Probenja]

Someone said gaming? it only has a gt 640m though:

 

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-edge-pro

 

[xox]

Just sayin', Microsoft's Surface line is amazing. I have a Pro 3 and I see the Pro 4 as the next step towards this.

 

It's already slim enough, it already has a large enough battery and it already has the build quality.

My only complaint is the amount of heat the processor outputs, although the fan never turns on under normal use, I'd like a fanless model to be honest. It would put the icing on the cake of an already great product.

 

I'd also like it to be waterproof. But you can't have everything.

[Norman_the_Owl]

If surface pro 4 has thunderbolt I'll use it to replace my desktop in college

[ClicheKHFan]

@ClicheKHFan

 

I'm a Surface Pro 3 user, using one right now.

 

While I agree that yes, tablets are closing the gap on Laptops and you can fit Laptop CPUs in a Tablet form factor, the i5-4400U in this particular surface is no where near comparable to it's desktop cousins. Maybe time will tell in a few years time we'll have colder chips but my CPU thermal throttles enough as it is in it's thin form factor. I'd love to be able to connect an external CPU to my Surface to game on it, the CPU needs to be improved a bit more. I can use it for Steam in-home streaming without any problems.

 

You're also going to need to consider the prices of storage as well, as you can still not fit multiple TBs of space in a tablet form factor.

 

 

And as a personal gripe, I'd love to have the Keyboard on my Surface Pro 3 be a bit sturdier, heck even if it was the same size as the surface I'd love a more macbook-esque keyboard being a bit sturdier. 

 

I was thinking that with a second fan and some space layout efficiency improvements toallow cooling room a surface or similar tablet would be fit something more equivalent to a 50 tdp processor instead of the 15 tdp it uses now, which i consider more of a netbook processor than an acctual laptop or ultrabook one. The goal is not great cpu computing, but something that wouldn't botttleneck a extrenal gpu for games and cuda core computing.

 

External drives and cloud storage are not new, but also not perfect.

[ImBleu]

I was thinking that with a second fan and some space layout efficiency improvements toallow cooling room a surface or similar tablet would be fit something more equivalent to a 50 tdp processor instead of the 15 tdp it uses now, which i consider more of a netbook processor than an acctual laptop or ultrabook one. The goal is not great cpu computing, but something that wouldn't botttleneck a extrenal gpu for games and cuda core computing.

 

External drives and cloud storage are not new, but also not perfect.

Reading my post again, i meant an external gpu, but yes i agree with what you said. if we could move some of the battery into a thicker type cover, and have a better cpu\cooler combo, an external gpu definitely wont bottleneck.

[Guest]

I wish it would be a mix between the Surface Pro 3 and the old Razer Edge.  It would need to have a kickstand like the SP3, keyboard support (wireless or wired), run full Windows 10, have Wireless controller support and a snap on controller like the Razer Edge with extended battery life, Front facing speakers, and a fan that isn't too loud on idle but actually cools on load, a mobile GPU (not top of the line, but powerful enough to run games at 1080p mid-high settings, Good battery life for when you are not gaming, and finally a Wacom Digitizer.  I would definitely be in the market for it.  

[ClicheKHFan]

There are always sacrifices on a tablet form factor. Just running a 30-50tdp cpu would require double the battery as the current surface which would add a not-insignificant amout of weight. I think even with eficiency gains in broadwell/skylake this is the minimum to not bottleneck a good external GPU. I'm using the surface pro 3 as a reference for form/design because an average consumer would not be willing to use anything significatly more in weight or size for a tablet. Adding anything else would definitly be pushing it.

 

I think that the weight and space for extra battery needed to run additional components is more of a issue than adding the components themselves. Perhaps with increases in power efficiency beyond skylake, a far more efficent gpu, and an amoled screen you could make it work, but I think that would be more than 4 years away. 

 

You either need the super portability of a tablet that you can hold with a single arm and use while standing, or you don't. In which case a laptop with a touchscreen plus maybe a digatizer makes more sense in every way. We just can't get the weight of a tablet with the components of a gaming laptop, unless you completely kill the battery life. 

 

Edit: I guess you could add a mobile gpu with only a slight increse in weight and thinkness and just carry some spare batteries to swap or use wall power whenever avalible. It's still pushing it I think though.