Not sure if I would call this a Laptop or Mobile Desktop
It must be memory or mobile version of chip, Lenovo has a similar equip one with less memory and less storage for $7128 with is less than half the price of $16,000 high end version
ANY modern 6-core laptop with discrete GPU won't last 40 min under full load. CPU will eat ~70W, GPU will eat another ~70W. And the maximum allowable battery capacity is 99Wh. Now do the math.
I think most of the high end stuff at least has the option for a lower TDP while running on battery.
Even my Skylake i5 cuts down to 1.6GHz by default, I *think* my GTX 960M cuts the max framerate down, I know it cuts the clock speed down.
It will theoretically pull nearly 100w under full load, that is incredibly difficult to do though, but the limits are cut down significantly while on battery. Those limits can be removed and I'm sure I could wipe my battery out in a few minutes instead of the 8+ hours I tend to see.
It does not matter for the target market. Many moons ago I used something similar, the battery was nearly broken so I had maybe 30 *seconds* of battery - just enough to resume, get a battery panic warning and plug it in if I was quick. But that didn't matter, kept it for two years without getting it repaired/replaced because it went desk-to-desk, client-to-client running on AC 100% of the time. And if it wasn't at the client it was either a hotel room or at home, in a pinch you could find an outlet in a coffee shop or something. A built in UPS and "give me a minute I'll check" on the go are actually the two main use cases, if you're working on the go this is not the machine for you.
I use my laptops like that 99% of the time even if they have excellent battery life.
Lithium ion has a set number of discharge cycles. I'd rather not hit mine if at all possible.
I have to wonder though, on a laptop it seems to be a pretty firm number, around 400 cycles and the battery starts dying. My phones and tablet, however, have been cycled a few thousand times and still have 99% of the battery capacity. The battery life issues that I have are usage related, an app draws too much or I use it too much.
If you're running on AC all the time then that means you're battery is at 100% all the time and THAT means it won't last very long... I cycle my battery between 45-75% since that's best for longevity (actually best is 65-75% but nobody got time fo dat)
I've been hoping they'd come out with something like this, but with Ryzen. The 2700 would be an excellent option for a "portable desktop" option like this, with two more cores, or less TDP (and thus noise), or both depending on which of the Intel option you are comparing it to. Throw in the 2700E as a low-noise option, and the 2700X as a maximum-performance one, and you'd have an option for all preferences. Could even offer a Ryzen 3/5 as a starter option, since it would be socketed and upgradeable.
I've never seen a 90 Wh battery look so small. Haha.
That said, it's actually a fairly big battery for this type of machine and still allows you to fly with it (and not to use on the go, you muppets who think it's a laptop).
That machine as configured (9900K plus large Nvidia card) would be a "hot laptop" in every sense of the word. I wonder if they specifically warn against using it on one's lap. I believe using it resting there would be a bad idea.
But this is really what used to be called a "luggable"; a portable workstation that has just enough battery life so you can boot it up and show it's really a computer when going through the security check at the airport.
It seems lacking in practical applications. Someone would have to certainly stretch reality quite a bit to even find relatively weak justifications to purchase a system like this.
Consultants and other workers who need to move from place to place, but also need a lot of computing power may be attracted to this. It's easier to move around than even a small discrete workstation + separate keyboard and monitor.
They'd be better served with a more conventional mobile workstation like a Dell Precision or somesuch, getting most of the performance in a much more practical package.
Speaking as one of those consultants, it depends. I stay in a different location, and if I were going to make use of the extra (mostly CPU) power this offers, it would me much more convenient to travel with than a desktop. But you're right that if the extra power is not going to be used, something like a Precision is more practical.
Many weeks I travel with a mobile workstation that is 17" and weighs 8.4 pounds/3.82 kg - not a whole lot less than this, and given the age of its battery, it might lose in away-from-socket life to this one. Add in the MBP that I also carry for work at times, and the weight is more than this.
I don't personally need this much power, spent far less than $3500 on this workstation a few years ago, and will likely be switching to something more "balanced" in the near future. But I can see how if someone were using this as their only machine, and was using the power, it could make sense in a role where you were traveling frequently, but not doing any of that work while on battery.
Because all of the 17" and larger laptops have a number pad, and I hate off-center keyboards for ergonomic reasons, it restricts my potential buying choices to the 15" and smaller units.
It seems like for something this size, swappable keyboard units should be possible/practical.
Regardless of the other comments I have to say I am rather impressed with being able to fit so much stuff into a 9.1 lb package. Obviously it will be thermally constrained to all hell and the battery is mostly there as a courtesy. The only thing that concerns me is the price. It seems very low compared to the BOM and the necessary engineering cost of a niche product like this. I would guess there are severely cut corners in build quality. After having a cheapo ideapad for a few years I can say that money spent on build quality is not a waste, at any price point.
Looks like a lumpy "gaming" laptop spraypainted black with the RGBs removed. I don't see how this could compete with dedicated mobile workstations from the big laptop makers.
I imagine throttling would be an issue, to the point that it probably throttles by design before it hit's Intel's limits. I'm sure it can be unlocked, but wow...
I have an MSI WT75, which is the same as the Tornado F7W, but sold direct from MSI similar to the GT75. I installed a 9900k in it and with some tweaking it can reach 4.7ghz on 8-cores, no AVX, basically stock turbo performance.
Really sucks that there is no option for standard consumer MXM GPUs, which would bring the cost down considerably. But that might be because "MXM" is actually a very nebulous spec and there are a number of variants.
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JoeyJoJo123 - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
Pricey and beefy.HStewart - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
Not sure if I would call this a Laptop or Mobile DesktopIt must be memory or mobile version of chip, Lenovo has a similar equip one with less memory and less storage for $7128 with is less than half the price of $16,000 high end version
HStewart - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
It looks li the Lenovo is mobile versions - it would be interesting to compare performance on Lenovo vs this monster huge one in this articleHixbot - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
I wouldn't want to run it on my lap that's for sure.tygrus - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
With CPU+GPU busy you might get 20mins and then it wants to sleep. You might get 60mins if you weren't doing anything but type-and-stare.nerd1 - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
ANY modern 6-core laptop with discrete GPU won't last 40 min under full load.CPU will eat ~70W, GPU will eat another ~70W. And the maximum allowable battery capacity is 99Wh. Now do the math.
0ldman79 - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
I think most of the high end stuff at least has the option for a lower TDP while running on battery.Even my Skylake i5 cuts down to 1.6GHz by default, I *think* my GTX 960M cuts the max framerate down, I know it cuts the clock speed down.
It will theoretically pull nearly 100w under full load, that is incredibly difficult to do though, but the limits are cut down significantly while on battery. Those limits can be removed and I'm sure I could wipe my battery out in a few minutes instead of the 8+ hours I tend to see.
Lolimaster - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
If you got the means to buy this bricks dunno what's the difference from getting a miniITX-mATX 2950X system + monitor on your car.Notmyusualid - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
@ Lolimaster - again, another ridiculous comment from you.Is there anything you think, that you don't say?
Kjella - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
It does not matter for the target market. Many moons ago I used something similar, the battery was nearly broken so I had maybe 30 *seconds* of battery - just enough to resume, get a battery panic warning and plug it in if I was quick. But that didn't matter, kept it for two years without getting it repaired/replaced because it went desk-to-desk, client-to-client running on AC 100% of the time. And if it wasn't at the client it was either a hotel room or at home, in a pinch you could find an outlet in a coffee shop or something. A built in UPS and "give me a minute I'll check" on the go are actually the two main use cases, if you're working on the go this is not the machine for you.0ldman79 - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
I use my laptops like that 99% of the time even if they have excellent battery life.Lithium ion has a set number of discharge cycles. I'd rather not hit mine if at all possible.
I have to wonder though, on a laptop it seems to be a pretty firm number, around 400 cycles and the battery starts dying. My phones and tablet, however, have been cycled a few thousand times and still have 99% of the battery capacity. The battery life issues that I have are usage related, an app draws too much or I use it too much.
ads295 - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
If you're running on AC all the time then that means you're battery is at 100% all the time and THAT means it won't last very long...I cycle my battery between 45-75% since that's best for longevity (actually best is 65-75% but nobody got time fo dat)
Lolimaster - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
Wasn't it supposed to be an option to simply bypass battery and run from the wall like a normal PC?Lolimaster - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
I really think high end smartphones you should with dc output + brick specially when using then as small media centers for the bed.nerd1 - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
Meanwhile I have trouble cooling i9-9900K using 240mm AIO cooler...IBM760XL - Friday, November 9, 2018 - link
I've been hoping they'd come out with something like this, but with Ryzen. The 2700 would be an excellent option for a "portable desktop" option like this, with two more cores, or less TDP (and thus noise), or both depending on which of the Intel option you are comparing it to. Throw in the 2700E as a low-noise option, and the 2700X as a maximum-performance one, and you'd have an option for all preferences. Could even offer a Ryzen 3/5 as a starter option, since it would be socketed and upgradeable.Lolimaster - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
Asus is selling one but with the 1700.Tams80 - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
I've never seen a 90 Wh battery look so small. Haha.That said, it's actually a fairly big battery for this type of machine and still allows you to fly with it (and not to use on the go, you muppets who think it's a laptop).
eastcoast_pete - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
That machine as configured (9900K plus large Nvidia card) would be a "hot laptop" in every sense of the word. I wonder if they specifically warn against using it on one's lap. I believe using it resting there would be a bad idea.But this is really what used to be called a "luggable"; a portable workstation that has just enough battery life so you can boot it up and show it's really a computer when going through the security check at the airport.
prateekprakash - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
How can 22TB be accommodated?kultivat3 - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
2x 8TB 2.5" spinners and 3x 2TB m.2 SSDPeachNCream - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
It seems lacking in practical applications. Someone would have to certainly stretch reality quite a bit to even find relatively weak justifications to purchase a system like this.twtech - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
Consultants and other workers who need to move from place to place, but also need a lot of computing power may be attracted to this. It's easier to move around than even a small discrete workstation + separate keyboard and monitor.PeachNCream - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
They'd be better served with a more conventional mobile workstation like a Dell Precision or somesuch, getting most of the performance in a much more practical package.IBM760XL - Sunday, November 11, 2018 - link
Speaking as one of those consultants, it depends. I stay in a different location, and if I were going to make use of the extra (mostly CPU) power this offers, it would me much more convenient to travel with than a desktop. But you're right that if the extra power is not going to be used, something like a Precision is more practical.Many weeks I travel with a mobile workstation that is 17" and weighs 8.4 pounds/3.82 kg - not a whole lot less than this, and given the age of its battery, it might lose in away-from-socket life to this one. Add in the MBP that I also carry for work at times, and the weight is more than this.
I don't personally need this much power, spent far less than $3500 on this workstation a few years ago, and will likely be switching to something more "balanced" in the near future. But I can see how if someone were using this as their only machine, and was using the power, it could make sense in a role where you were traveling frequently, but not doing any of that work while on battery.
twtech - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
Because all of the 17" and larger laptops have a number pad, and I hate off-center keyboards for ergonomic reasons, it restricts my potential buying choices to the 15" and smaller units.It seems like for something this size, swappable keyboard units should be possible/practical.
willis936 - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
Regardless of the other comments I have to say I am rather impressed with being able to fit so much stuff into a 9.1 lb package. Obviously it will be thermally constrained to all hell and the battery is mostly there as a courtesy. The only thing that concerns me is the price. It seems very low compared to the BOM and the necessary engineering cost of a niche product like this. I would guess there are severely cut corners in build quality. After having a cheapo ideapad for a few years I can say that money spent on build quality is not a waste, at any price point.Flunk - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
Looks like a lumpy "gaming" laptop spraypainted black with the RGBs removed. I don't see how this could compete with dedicated mobile workstations from the big laptop makers.0ldman79 - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
I'd love to see that thing reviewed.I imagine throttling would be an issue, to the point that it probably throttles by design before it hit's Intel's limits. I'm sure it can be unlocked, but wow...
win32asmguy - Saturday, November 10, 2018 - link
I have an MSI WT75, which is the same as the Tornado F7W, but sold direct from MSI similar to the GT75. I installed a 9900k in it and with some tweaking it can reach 4.7ghz on 8-cores, no AVX, basically stock turbo performance.The_Assimilator - Tuesday, November 13, 2018 - link
Really sucks that there is no option for standard consumer MXM GPUs, which would bring the cost down considerably. But that might be because "MXM" is actually a very nebulous spec and there are a number of variants.AdditionalPylons - Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - link
Workstation? With that keyboard? Looks like a "gaming" keyboard to me.