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martyyn

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#207269 16-Dec-2016 12:14
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Just something to ponder on a sunny Friday afternoon :)

 

My current desktop is:

 

i7-870 @ 2.93GHz
16GB Ram
128GB SSD
HD6450 connected to three 24" Dell 1080 monitors. Only one is HDMI, the others are using Display Port to VGA adapters.

 

90% of my work is WordPress. I will have 4-6 Chrome browsers open with 4-12 tabs in each (just how I work). Filezilla connected to a couple of different servers and Editplus with maybe 8-12 tabs on it (again connected to multiple servers). A little photo slicing with Paint.net, some Excel, some Word and I'll be streaming Spotify all day. So nothing I would consider intensive. I do the odd Excel/VB project, but nothing serious. I use Google Apps for Work so that's all in one of the Chrome windows. I've never got around to Office for anything I do.

 

My portable is an Acer Chromebook 13 with the Tegra K1. I like it's size, it's lightness and it's battery life. It can do most things when I am out and about but the 2GB RAM is restrictive if I need multiple tabs open. I stream Netflix and Amazon on it from time to time but have an AppleTV4 to do the daily stuff on our TV.

 

What got me thinking was a Dell Chromebook on TM recently. i5, 8GB, pretty much new. But at $700 it wasn't far off a Surface Pro 3. So I started to think about replacing everything instead and moving to a single device.

 

What I'd like is the ability to access everything I need to work, no matter where I am. I sometimes work at client sites and every now and then I need to do something which is just easier to do with the software on my desktop. Maybe I just haven't found the right tools for the Chromebook to replace filezilla/editplus and paint.net. But the 2GB is still restrictive.

 

I considered a beefier Chromebook but my understanding is it can only run two external screens. So I'm thinking a Surface Pro 3 with a dock, and either sell the desktop or use it to replace my old C2D server and remote onto that if I have anything taxing.

 

Will a 4GB Pro 3 will do the job or should I look for an 8GB version ? Noel Leemings have 48 months interest free right now which means very little initial outlay for a Pro 4 but it's still twice the price of a used pro 3.

 

Can I drive three screens easily enough with an offical dock ? Do I need the official one or are there cheaper/better alternatives ?

 

I want to just be able to sit at my desk, stick the device in a dock, have it fire up to three screens and then be able to pick it up and walk out and have everything available when I go out.

 

Should I consider a laptop ? I've done the monster 17" desktop replacement before and that's not what I want this time. Should I even bother ? Will I find a Pro 3 a poor substitute for my current desktop ?

 

Anyone have any thoughts ?

 

 


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sidefx
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  #1691032 16-Dec-2016 12:22
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TLDR; but my answer is still no :p





"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there."         | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
              - Richard Feynman




richms
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  #1691033 16-Dec-2016 12:24
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I picked up a displayport MST hub for way cheaper off amazon than anywhere locally had them for, should allow all the screens off anything with support for it as you are only running 1080 ones.

 

I would not consider a PC with only 4 gigs. Particularly with the amount of chrome stuff you have open. In saying that I have 32 in my desktop and I have had chrome start to give out of memory errors at 80-90 tabs open and still 15 gigs ram unused so I am not sure how well it can actually use ram, someone might have some better input on that.





Richard rich.ms

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  #1691039 16-Dec-2016 12:34
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No. get a dell xps 13.



martyyn

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  #1691059 16-Dec-2016 13:02
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sidefx:
TLDR; but my answer is still no :p

Fair enough....I just needed to think it through myself and didn't want to post another 'which laptop shall I get' thread with no information on what it will be used for ;)

 

richms:
I picked up a displayport MST hub for way cheaper off amazon than anywhere locally had them for, should allow all the screens off anything with support for it as you are only running 1080 ones.

Thanks

 

joker97:
No. get a dell xps 13.

Ha, just found a thread saying exactly that, so have been taking a look. The weight is impressive, lighter than the Chromebook.

 

There are multiple versions of the XPS now, which is the one to go for given my budget is likely to be less than $1000 


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  #1691061 16-Dec-2016 13:06
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the i5 with 1080p screen


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  #1691062 16-Dec-2016 13:07
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i could try and get you 15% off if you want ...


blackjack17
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  #1691065 16-Dec-2016 13:17
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I have the surface pro 3 with i5 and 8gig of ram and it has no problems with 30 to 40 tabs open in chrome, with a number of word documents, onenote, powerpoints, and a few pdfs open in edge.  I will also have the student management system running as well 

 

I will also normally be connected to a projector via display port adapter or apple tv.

 

It does kill the battery pretty quick





 
 
 
 

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martyyn

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  #1691066 16-Dec-2016 13:19
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joker97:

 

i could try and get you 15% off if you want ...

 

 

Keen to find out more, can you PM me some details ?


nathan
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  #1691078 16-Dec-2016 13:38
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blackjack17:

I have the surface pro 3 with i5 and 8gig of ram and it has no problems with 30 to 40 tabs open in chrome, with a number of word documents, onenote, powerpoints, and a few pdfs open in edge.  I will also have the student management system running as well 


I will also normally be connected to a projector via display port adapter or apple tv.


It does kill the battery pretty quick



Try the same in Edge and watch your battery last much longer :)

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  #1691126 16-Dec-2016 15:18
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martyyn:

 

joker97:

 

i could try and get you 15% off if you want ...

 

 

Keen to find out more, can you PM me some details ?

 

 

Umm it's just that someone emailed me to say they want to help me with my next purchase ... I presume they mean they will try to give me a discount?


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  #1691131 16-Dec-2016 15:31
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This has nearly exactly the same specs but half the price of the XPS


shk292
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  #1691158 16-Dec-2016 16:14
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joker97:

 

This has nearly exactly the same specs but half the price of the XPS

 

 

That looks very nice.  $649 at Best Buy in USA.  Might have a trip there soon...


darylblake
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  #1691166 16-Dec-2016 16:31
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Why don't you set up the chromebook so you can remote in and work on the main PC while you are mobile. I would personally prefer to use a laptop with windows 10 or ubuntu rather than chome OS. But at the end of the day it doesn't really matter.

 

That PC whilst about 6-7 years old was very high spec when it was new. So I would suspect the fact its quad core and had 16gb of ram means that you can run LAMP/LNMP with a lot of free resources. And still have enough ram to run and an IDE etc.


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  #1691170 16-Dec-2016 16:59
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shk292:

 

joker97:

 

This has nearly exactly the same specs but half the price of the XPS

 

 

That looks very nice.  $649 at Best Buy in USA.  Might have a trip there soon...

 

 

The one at best buy is Skylake (current one is Kaby Lake). Other than that looks exactly the same.


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  #1691171 16-Dec-2016 17:00
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Mind you the XPS 13 in the States start at the hundreds of dollars mark and not thousands like over here


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