Any real reasons left to go with a desktop / tower over a laptop? (Faster / more powerful perhaps?)

Good thread and good replies. Please let us know what you decide on, @d0rian. I'm a bit in the same situation and seem to have similar needs as the ones you listed.

Currently, I'm using a high-end Dell Gaming Laptop with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ 32, SSD drive and 16 GB DDR ram.

In the past I used a huge tower, but when it was time to buy a new trading rig a few years ago now, I wanted something lighter and more portable. Seeing how laptops performance had improved considerably, I went with my laptop.

I have not had any issues, but there can be times where I 'feel' I'm pushing the system a bit and the fan turns on like a jet engine. Typically if I'm running a lot of workbooks simultaneously, live charts and loading data from my DB. 85 % of the time it's running quitely though. Have not noticed any heating issues.

So, I'm looking to buy something slightly better than what I currently have. I'm not sure how much I'd favour mobility anyway, since the idea of working out of house has proven to be that - just an idea. For serious work and actual trading, I need to be in house. So, for me it would be better to then have a laptop for casual work sessions outside the house and a dedicated trading rig in house for actual trading.

There are also dedicated laptop workstations. These are far more pricey than my Dell Gaming Laptop. Not sure how they'd compare with desktops.

Bottom line seems to be that desktops still are king, but that perhaps for some of us - a strong laptop can be sufficient?

Regardless of portability, it sure is nice to have my laptop stacked hidden under my desk with no cable clutter. Makes it easier to clean the floor. :D
 
Generally I prefer large screen/keyboard laptops these days, having adapted to that ergonomically it now feels "natural" to me. Having the ability to move it elsewhere for a while without major effort is a bonus. Downside is no cutting edge performance.
 
d08 said:
GPUs in laptops are still a problem. You cannot dissipate heat effectively in very small spaces. I build a miniITX box myself, small enough to fit into a big backpack. But looking to buy a big tower with 64GB or more memory for backtesting. For intensive long operations, laptops aren't suitable - the heat will harm battery life and cause other issues.
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On the topic of laptop heat dissipation, btw, do the ~$25 USB-powered fan cooling pads (eg this one which i have) do much to preserve / protect lifespan? I always have my laptop sitting on one of those and when I lift it up to touch the bottom, it's always nice and cool which is reassuring (compared to the warmth you feel when it's on your lap)...though I don't know whether it's actually doing much on the inside... Cool is better than warm obv, but are these things just gimmicky $25 widgets that don't actually do much for the laptop innards?
 
Advantage of a desktop?
Cool running.
Reliable performance over time.
Easy physical upgrade.
Economical upgrades cost.
Broader upgrade choices.
Easier visual/physical layout.

In posting all of that, I think I have merely summarized the thread -- nothing terribly new.

A laptop can capture utility for a snapshot of usage (like, Sunday statistical work at the brewpub, or at a forest picnic table), but for real flexibility, it's desktops by far. IMO.
 
d0rian said:
On the topic of laptop heat dissipation, btw, do the ~$25 USB-powered fan cooling pads (eg this one which i have) do much to preserve / protect lifespan? I always have my laptop sitting on one of those and when I lift it up to touch the bottom, it's always nice and cool which is reassuring (compared to the warmth you feel when it's on your lap)...though I don't know whether it's actually doing much on the inside... Cool is better than warm obv, but are these things just gimmicky $25 widgets that don't actually do much for the laptop innards?
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The last time I caused my laptop to snap/quit from thermal overload? Last night. :confused: My fault, of course -- *I* blocked the fans and in-flow and out-flow. :( Still, I resent evaluating my next laptop on the basis of where THE VENTS are. :banghead:
 
Laissez Faire said:
Good thread and good replies. Please let us know what you decide on, @d0rian. I'm a bit in the same situation and seem to have similar needs as the ones you listed.

Currently, I'm using a high-end Dell Gaming Laptop with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ 32, SSD drive and 16 GB DDR ram.

I have not had any issues, but there can be times where I 'feel' I'm pushing the system a bit and the fan turns on like a jet engine. Typically if I'm running a lot of workbooks simultaneously, live charts and loading data from my DB. 85 % of the time it's running quitely though. Have not noticed any heating issues.
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Sounds like we're not too dissimilar re: usage + observations. (Mine = mostly brokerage platform + several live charts + excel workbooks w/ lots of real-time formulas recalculating while streaming live quotes via API.)

My prior rig was similar to yours (Asus laptop Core i7-6700HQ CPU, 16 GB DDR4), but i decided to splurge on a higher-end MSI gaming laptop (i7-8750H 6 cores, 32GB). Not sure if it's the better processor or 32 ram but feel like I'm getting minor-but-nonetheless-noticeable better performance.

So I'm probably near upper-end of performance laptops, but created thread b/c I wondered whether, given that it's become clear that I do 90% of trading at home, I was being stupid for not looking into a tower that would achieve even better performance at 50% lower cost. E.g.:
  • Are there desktop-friendly chipsets that would run circles around the i7-8750H in my MSI?
  • Would upgrading from 32GB > 64GB ram be a game-changer?
  • Would, as mentioned earlier ITT, identical specs to what I have except in a desktop rather than laptop result in dramatically better performance due to heat and other issues?
 
Metamega said:
I do like myself a nice laptop, but if you don’t need heavy computing on the go, I’d say a solid desktop with a medium specced laptop be the best option.

What drives me nuts about laptops is the upgrade cost. Take something like a surface laptop, want 16g instead of 8g of ram, add 300$. Want a 500g ssd instead of 256, that’s 300$. Those are rough numbers but the cost don’t line up with parts cost.

Worst part is that laptops with upgradeable parts are getting fewer. With smaller designs, a lot are going with sauldered components so specs are locked in.

Really, any laptop I’ve ever tried or had that could keep up with a desktop was far from what I’d call a laptop, heavy, extremely hot on lap etc.

Laptop cpus usually run slower on battery to save battery life unless you change some options. So for any heavy computing your going to be plugging in.

They’ve come a long way but a desktop is always going to crush a laptop. But if space / being portable is needed, you can get some nice laptops now that would spin circles around the average users desktops.
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%%
AND if you buy a laptop;
consider buying from some one that actually works on the stinkin' things. And what's with the ant print warranty ??LOL-LOL.............................................................................
 
It seems to me that it all boils down to your usage. Like I said - I have not had any issues to speak of, but that does not mean I can't benefit from a desktop tower or a more powerful laptop than the one I have now.

So, I'm curious - what is it you guys are doing that is causing thermal overload and heating issues?
 
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