Going FULL LAPTOP

[sawyerj66]

But Sawyer, you’re never supposed to go full laptop!

Alright, so I’m a PC gamer. I’m rocking an older system right now, but hey, it handles R6 Siege, PUBG, and The Witcher 3 just fine, so I haven’t felt a pressing need to upgrade...until now

 

My current desktop specs: i5-3550, Geforce 960.

 

The thing is, I’ve recently started traveling a lot, bouncing around from country to country for roughly half the year before heading back home to save up for the next round. During these periods of travel, I’m hauling around an older HP Envy with an i7-4722HQ and a GeForce 950M. I’m only able to play emulator games and less intensive stuff on this thing, like Pillars of Eternity.

Then I saw this Linus video and wondered if I could have my cake and eat it too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjty3I3Cdg8

 

1) Has anyone experimented with COMPLETELY replacing their desktop system with a laptop that plugs into an eGPU, cooling pad, external monitor, and external keyboard while at home?

2) If so, what has your experience been like?

3) Assuming I replace my current Envy with something that has an i7-8750 (Dell G7 15, I’m looking at you), can I expect to vastly outperform my current desktop?

4) Is an eGPU enclosure using Thunderbolt 3 better than this m2 cable thing?

 

The idea would be to use this laptop as a desktop for half the year, then use the laptop as an actual mobile device the other half, while traveling.

 

5) Can I expect to keep this laptop for 3 or 4 years, with the only substantial upgrades arriving via newer GPUs in the eGPU enclosure?

6) Will I murder my laptop if I’m using it for the majority of the day, every day, the way I do my desktop? I’ve always been under the impression that the failure rate on laptops are way higher than desktops.

 

As somebody who has never gone full laptop, I’d love to hear from the community. Thanks!

[Sernefarian]

For 4)  From what I'm finding Thunderbolt 3 has the greatest maximum bandwidth. With 5GB/s versus 4GB/s.

For 5)  Probable that this is entirely within the realm of possibility.

[WereCatf]

37 minutes ago, sawyerj66 said:

6) Will I murder my laptop if I’m using it for the majority of the day, every day, the way I do my desktop? I’ve always been under the impression that the failure rate on laptops are way higher than desktops.

Not really. The two major reasons laptops die are: 1) dropping it 2) heat. Both can be done something about, like, say, be more careful around your laptop, and buy one with better-than-average cooling. Yes, super-thin laptops may look nice and they don't weigh as much, but they also generally sport very anemic cooling; personally, I would steer away from those and go for one that's thicker and weighier, just to get better cooling.

[Mr. PC]

3.

If you get a gpu that's better than the 960 then yeah

[Sernefarian]

Personally suggest something like a monthly cleaning schedule for the inside of the laptop as long as you are comfortable with doing so. Should keep the overall thermal profile better due to decreased particulate accumulation.

[sawyerj66]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely take heat prevention seriously, with a cooling dock and maybe one of those air vacuums you stick over the vents. Sernefarian, I've never actually cleaned inside a laptop before - is that basically as easy as unscrewing the bottom open and spraying out the dust, or were you thinking something more intensive?

I'd still love to hear from someone that has some experience with eGPUs and laptops as their main device.