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Machete_

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#1

anyone here work from a laptop + external display?

11-27-2010, 08:31 AM

I'm getting tired of working from my main PC cause it's noisy (it's very hi-end, mainly designed for extreme gaming) - thus, it has a ton of fans for air cooling (which are loud).

I'm thinking of getting a decent laptop (like Dell XPS) and hooking up an external display to it. Has anyone here done something like that? I can't think of any drawbacks, but maybe there are some.
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#2

11-27-2010, 08:33 AM

I used to use a big 17" Dell, and had a docking station for it. The keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc, stayed connected to the docking station. Just shove it in and turn it on - exactly like working at a desktop. It even provided extra USB ports in front and headphone and mic connections. Pretty nice.
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#3

11-27-2010, 08:40 AM

many years ago when all i had was a laptop that had a broken display thats what i did .. bu ti really dont see the point in it now

you can buy mini pc's for a a handful of cash and tuck em out of the way if you want a small quit desktop

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AzteK

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#4

11-27-2010, 08:41 AM

I used my laptop as my desktop for quite a while and I can say I much rather work on my desktop (XPS) as it's a workhouse. The laptops don't have enough airflow so they tend to run hot and they simply don't have the performance unless you buy a desktop replacement laptop. Also I'm very limited on the upgrades I can do on my laptop for obvious reasons. AND I hate having to pop out of my docking station to go out with it.
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#5

11-27-2010, 08:44 AM

Yep Sure Do...
Absolutely no drawbacks except the fact you can no longer stand to work on the laptop independently anymore.
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#6

11-27-2010, 09:04 AM

Originally posted by 3xTom

Yep Sure Do...
Absolutely no drawbacks except the fact you can no longer stand to work on the laptop independently anymore.

perfection
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SallyRand

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#7

11-27-2010, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by Machete_

I'm getting tired of working from my main PC cause it's noisy (it's very hi-end, mainly designed for extreme gaming) - thus, it has a ton of fans for air cooling (which are loud).

I'm thinking of getting a decent laptop (like Dell XPS) and hooking up an external display to it. Has anyone here done something like that? I can't think of any drawbacks, but maybe there are some.

Yep; do it all the time! Gotz two Acer laps hooked up to 24" LCD monitors and I shut off the screens on the laps. I also use external ergonomic keyboards anhat the heck? I keep three boxes running at all times anyway, so I have provided plenty of desktop area. I use those 6 ft. ABS folding tables from Lowe's and just line them up against the wall to create a series of work stations. The laps are in addition to the main PC tower unit and a backup PC tower.
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MaDalton

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#8

11-27-2010, 09:12 AM

my laptop has a 17" screen with 1920x1200 and as a second monitor i have a 22" with 1600x1080 => dual monitor setup

working on only one monitor like i do right now at home has become almost impossible ;)

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#9

11-27-2010, 09:32 AM

I have 2 monitors connected to my Asus N51, I don't use the laptop's display
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#10

11-27-2010, 09:32 AM

yes, i work from a 17" MacBook Pro, on a Wacom Cintiq 21ux Interactive Display attached to an articulating arm (pictured)....

(the iMac runs Win7, so it's almost never used).

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Machete_

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#11

11-27-2010, 09:45 AM

awesome. gonna do the same, then.

btw, docking stations are hardly needed anymore - you can connect everything through HDMI/USB
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#12

11-27-2010, 09:50 AM

Originally posted by Machete_

awesome. gonna do the same, then.

btw, docking stations are hardly needed anymore - you can connect everything through HDMI/USB

everything i run, including the Wacom and the FW data cluster in the back of that pic), plugs in to the left side of the MacBook... no docking station required. You may need to run a few hubs though depending on how much stuff you got.

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#13

11-27-2010, 09:58 AM

Whats the use in buying a laptop tgen..
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Machete_

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#14

11-27-2010, 09:59 AM

Originally posted by Amputate Your Head

everything i run, including the Wacom and the FW data cluster in the back of that pic), plugs in to the left side of the MacBook... no docking station required. You may need to run a few hubs though depending on how much stuff you got.

all i need is an external display + wireless keyboard/mouse
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#15

11-27-2010, 10:08 AM

Originally posted by Amputate Your Head

everything i run, including the Wacom and the FW data cluster in the back of that pic), plugs in to the left side of the MacBook... no docking station required. You may need to run a few hubs though depending on how much stuff you got.

how come you have 2 mice? why not use something like input director?
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MaDalton

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#16

11-27-2010, 10:09 AM

Originally posted by Jack Sparrow

Whats the use in buying a laptop tgen..

less noise, less space, portability

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#17

11-27-2010, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by Boozer

how come you have 2 mice? why not use something like input director?

i only have one mouse. the other is a Kensington trackball.
the trackball is for the iMac. The mouse is for the MacBook.

i also have a variety of graphics pens for the Wacom.

i don't need an input director, my setup runs perfectly.

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Jack Sparrow

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#18

11-27-2010, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by MaDalton

less noise, less space, portability

Ok. But with 1 or 2 externals would space be a major factor?
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#19

11-27-2010, 10:28 AM

Originally posted by Jack Sparrow

Ok. But with 1 or 2 externals would space be a major factor?

everyone needs to decide for himself. but i will never use a desktop again.

at the office i have the additional monitor, external keyboard etc. and in the evening i take just the laptop home and keep working from my couch or bed.

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Boozer

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#20

11-27-2010, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by Amputate Your Head

i only have one mouse. the other is a Kensington trackball.
the trackball is for the iMac. The mouse is for the MacBook.

i also have a variety of graphics pens for the Wacom.

i don't need an input director, my setup runs perfectly.

I thought you had 2 mice running, my bad. Input director allows the sharing of one mouse and one keyboard across multiple screens.
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#21

11-27-2010, 11:11 AM

i have a 28" lcd hooked to a sony vaio laptop via hdmi, works great
also have a 2TB wd raid external hooked up via sata
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#22

11-27-2010, 12:15 PM

I use an external monitor on my laptop, and 2 monitors for my desktop. It's great. The more screen real estate you can have the better.

On fan noise, check the CMOS setup of your PC and if possible set the fan speeds to automatic. I discovered this trick on our work PC's and it make a huge reduction in fan noise.

Mac users have this function built in automatically but there's a program called "Fan Control" which lets you manually adjust the speed of the fans.
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#23

11-27-2010, 12:15 PM

traditional desktops are dead. i'm on my macbook right now sitting on my couch. which is where i do a lot of my work. however when i need to do serious work i move to the office which has a 27'' glossy LCD, keyboard, and mouse. totally the way to do it.

you don't have to always be at [insert location here] to work on something - if i travel, my office comes with me - you can get laptops with as much power/specs as any desktop these days - i could go on...
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#24

11-27-2010, 12:29 PM

I've done it with no problems. Just make sure you purchase a laptop with a decent video adapter that can handle the size and resolution you need. It's tough to upgrade a laptops video adapter.

Originally posted by potter

traditional desktops are dead.

Not until they are able to do holographic projects between the equivalent size of 10" - 50" from a component the size of a dome as well as come up with a better way to get input from the user will that fully happen. Desktops are still on average more powerful, reliable, and upgradeable. Desktops will go the way of the CRT when there is no longer any difference between these three as well as in the ergonomics department.

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#25

11-27-2010, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by signupdamnit

Not until they are able to do holographic projects between the equivalent size of 10" - 50" from a component the size of a dome as well as come up with a better way to get input from the user will that fully happen. Desktops are still on average more powerful, reliable, and upgradeable. Desktops will go the way of the CRT when there is no longer any difference between these three as well as in the ergonomics department.

I started with "traditional desktops", not "absolutely all desktops in every situation no matter what, no exceptions".
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#26

11-27-2010, 12:45 PM

Originally posted by MrBottomTooth

Could just disable some of the fans in your PC and add a water cooling setup.

too much hassle fucking with watercooling.
you got to drain it and replace the liquid from time to time.

besides, the radiators need cooling fans too.
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#27

11-27-2010, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by potter

I started with "traditional desktops", not "absolutely all desktops in every situation no matter what, no exceptions".

Fair enough. Still I haven't had a laptop go one year (usually not even six months) without having something moderate go wrong with it. The average person is buying those cheap laptops and keeping only the stock cooling so they tend to overheat quickly. Likely planned obsolescence in play. Desktops usually last far longer.

Last edited by signupdamnit; 11-27-2010, 12:48 PM.

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#28

11-27-2010, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by signupdamnit

Fair enough. Still I haven't had a laptop go one year (usually not even six months) without having something moderate go wrong with it. The average person is buying those cheap laptops and keeping only the stock cooling so they tend to overheat quickly. Likely planned obsolescence in play. Desktops usually last far longer.

when you buy top of the line, say a $5k MacBook Pro, it tends to last a bit longer than a piece of shit Dell from Best Buy.

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#29

11-27-2010, 12:56 PM

When in the office I plug my macbook pro into a usb hub that connects, backup drive, mouse, keyboard printers etc. Also plug in a external 22" display.

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#30

11-27-2010, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by Jack Sparrow

Whats the use in buying a laptop tgen..

Maybe you travel lots, or have lots of meetings in town, sometimes just enjoy working at a local cafe or pub for a change of scenery, etc. Packing an external hard drive everywhere would just be inconvenient.

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#31

11-27-2010, 01:47 PM

Originally posted by Amputate Your Head

when you buy top of the line, say a $5k MacBook Pro, it tends to last a bit longer than a piece of shit Dell from Best Buy.

But for 5k I can build a desktop which will outperform the Macbook Pro by over 400%.

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MaDalton

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#32

11-27-2010, 01:52 PM

Originally posted by signupdamnit

But for 5k I can build a desktop which will outperform the Macbook Pro by over 400%.

for video editing and encoding i have desktops at the office. on my laptop i use outlook, icq, ms office and internet - none of that requires high end performance

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#33

11-27-2010, 01:52 PM

Originally posted by signupdamnit

But for 5k I can build a desktop which will outperform the Macbook Pro by over 400%.

to each his own. i prefer the MBP.

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#34

11-28-2010, 12:36 PM

Originally posted by signupdamnit

But for 5k I can build a desktop which will outperform the Macbook Pro by over 400%.

Not really. I've tested this theory before through newegg/tigerdirect.

Go to apple.com and check out their desktop (the mac pro), go find out exactly what components are in it. Then go to newegg/tigerdirect and check the prices of those components. Apple's computers aren't over priced at all, they just use high end parts.

Sure, you could go build your own computer with the same "specs" for cheaper. But you would be doing so with cheap generic brands. For example, the motherboard the mac pros used were Intel server motherboards, at $900 each.

Here is a prime example as well. These two cpus below are both 3.2/3 Quad Core processors. Which is all most people see when looking at specs. But one is $500, one is $900.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115224

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115212
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