Any thoughts on Xicomputers

[gmask]

The one thing (besides performance), that I always will make my final call on regarding laptops has to do with the power block and how it connects to the unit. I’ve repaired three machines that used straight connectors… they get knocked about, and the PCB contacts become loose and will refuse to charge their batteries. The latest laptop I purchased is from HP, and they designed a 90° angle bracket for the power block plugin (into the laptop), and I’ve seen zero issues so far.

I have to armor my power cables so that the damn cat doesn’t bite through them.

Anyway I should get this ASUS on Wednesday and run some tests and see how it goes.

[olson]

Damn, that thing is huge and it weighs 10 pounds. You should’ve said you’re looking for a desktop replacement rather than a notebook.

[gmask]

Damn, that thing is huge and it weighs 10 pounds. You should’ve said you’re looking for a desktop replacement rather than a notebook.

I’m looking for a mobile workstation not a fashion accessory!

I really don’t understand this obsession with the weight… it’s as if computer users limbs have withered away from using computers all the time… :surprised oh wait… maybe if they were forced to carry around a heavy laptop they’re arms would be stronger?

This is where we are headed. In Soviet Russia you don’t lift computer, computer lifts youuuuuu.

[gmask]

Ok now i’m just being silly…

[olson]

Weight is a significant factor for a laptop in my opinion. Lugging around a bulky 10 pound laptop through an airport just plain sucks. Consider yourself lucky if you haven’t had to do that!

[gmask]

Weight is a significant factor for a laptop in my opinion. Lugging around a bulky 10 pound laptop through an airport just plain sucks. Consider yourself lucky if you haven’t had to do that!

I’ve taken 50lbs+ of gear as carry on with even more checked that I had to wrangle by myself but it’s not a regular occurrence. I’ve also gotten alot of strange questions by security… best one is probably when they asked me why I had a bag of clocks… I had no idea what they were talking about… turned out to be my bag of wallwart power adapters.

But this is one case where I really need it to function in a certain way and weight is not a concern but it needs to be more portable/compact than a desktop system.

[tswalk]

… best one is probably when they asked me why I had a bag of clocks… I had no idea what they were talking about… turned out to be my bag of wallwart power adapters.
.

I once got pulled aside at London Heathrow, not for having a knife or a lighter, nor anything suspicious in my bags… but because I had taken my mp3 player out of my pocket, disconnected it from the headphones and put it in my bag… but forgot to take the wires out of my shirt pocket. Security was super serious about that wire in my pocket.

[gmask]

I once got pulled aside at London Heathrow, not for having a knife or a lighter, nor anything suspicious in my bags… but because I had taken my mp3 player out of my pocket, disconnected it from the headphones and put it in my bag… but forgot to take the wires out of my shirt pocket. Security was super serious about that wire in my pocket.

ha… yeah … I had a small screwdriver that was at the bottom of my carry on bag that got confiscated at the Charles De Gaulle airport… they were really going nuts for a moment trying to find it in my bag… it wasn’t valuable but it was an SGI screwdriver with some sentimental value.

[gmask]

Well the ASUS laptop arrived and so far I’m very pleased. It’s performance for the main thing I needed it for is better than the Dell Precision I had.

Yes it is big and heavy and it looks like a stealth fighter but it feels solid.

My only complaints is that it only has two buttons with the trackpad… I’m not used to this trackpad yet… I suspect it’s not as good as the one on the Dell and I don’t care about gestures. My other complaint is Windows 8.1… what the? who thought turning the start menu into a tablet or interactive TV interface that takes over the whole screen was a good idea? Can I not make it go away without buying a third party app… wow!

It needs an SSD drive as it came with a 5400 rpm drive so I’ll be installing one of those shortly. I need to try my other programs on it to make sure everything is cool but I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep it. But I’m really impressed that I’m getting almost twice the frame rate in comparison to the DELL with a Quadro m4400.

It does get a tad warm but they put large vents on the back edge instead of the bottom like the Dell… apparently dell doesn’t expect users to put a laptop on their lap which causes it to overheat. So far I haven’t noticed the sound of the fans from the ASUS at all but they’d have to be really loud for me to care.

[tswalk]

…My other complaint is Windows 8.1… what the? …

It took me about a week to get use to it, and now I really dig it… just hit the windows key to swap. When I sit down now at a Windows 7 desktop… I see how much more efficient I am and how the new search features has made a big difference.

[tswalk]

Considering this one as well… the price is right that’s for sure.

ASUS ROG G750JM-DS71 17.3-inch w/ GeForce GTX 860M

http://www.amazon.com/G750JM-DS71-17-3-inch-Gaming-GeForce-Graphics/product-reviews/B00IKF2H12/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

I ordered this for my son for his graduation gift… was $100 off at newegg (1249$).

anyway, first thing I did was swap the 1TB HD with a 120GB SSD and moved (and backed up) the OS/Windows system to it. really fast boot, lots of space… very nice design. yes, that damn thing is heavy, but he will be studying computer science and working with Maya, blender…et al.

so, the specs on that beast is a good match and the display is… wow… very clear @ 17"

this machine was a good buy. now I just need to go get him a cooler and a Kensington lock so no one slips out of his dorm with it.