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Retailer Planning Laptops With Intel Core i7 Chips

Posted by kdawson on from the can-you-say-luggable dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Canadian PC retailer Eurocom is planning to ship a 12-pound laptop with Intel's Core i7 chip, which might go down well with deep-pocketed geeks. The Core i7 was designed with desktop computers and servers in mind; later members of the Nehalem chip family are planned to address portables. The 17" notebook's price, not yet announced, will certainly be in excess of $5,000."

6 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Just plain silly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The problem with this design is that the i7 chips put out 130 watts TDP. Even if this laptop has a battery, it's going to last less than an hour.

    I should I know. I have a toshiba laptop that has a desktop P4 in it. 1 hour.

    1. Re:Just plain silly by volsung · · Score: 2, Informative

      If you are putting 130W into the CPU, then I would expect nearly 130W coming out in heat. Otherwise, that means the CPU is storing energy somewhere. Initially, it will store some energy as the chip heats to above room temperature, but then it should rapidly hit a steady state where power in = power out.

    2. Re:Just plain silly by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm a Mechanical Engineer. I take lots of data from test cells and process it. Gigs of data sometimes, so you can't just install it where ever. Matlab, Vector CANape and the other programs I use aren't cheap and network licenses are even more expensive.

      I may have 1 meeting a day, all I said is that the laptop has to last until I make it there, I didn't say that all I did all day was run around to meetings.

      It may have to last long enough for me to get to the DC/AC inverter in the test rig or until I walk down to the test cell. Or be light enough that I can take my work home.

      Weight might be an issue to you, it is to me.

      No one is forcing you to buy this.

      If you need the computational horsepower and portability, why not have a desktop and VNC into it through your laptop?

      VNC sucks, it's good for maybe setting up something on a computer or two, but you can't work through it 8 hours a day. Plus, then my company would have 2x the computers.

  2. For more information... by bazald · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...on the expected hardware specifications, see Notebook Review: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=348239

    --
    Insert self-referential sig here.
  3. Re:Desktop Replacement by obarthelemy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Reasons for needing such a powerful but heavy and battery-challenged "laptop".

    Taking your apps+docs (let alone taking you OS) with you on an HD/USB key doesn't really work for most OSes and Apps. Especially if you need specialty apps, like video/CAD... or whetever really NEEDS an i7.

    Being certain you'll have an up-to spec PC wherever youre going, without being dependant on someone to book it + set it up for you.

    Gaming in small appartments (I assume the vid card is nice, too).

    Of course, being able to maybe use the laptop a little while NOT connected to the mains is.. a nice bonus.

    I've been reading forever that Intel+AMD are including "laptop" power-management features in their "desktop" parts. Maybe with heavy underclocking one can actually watch a full DVD on a single charge ?

    --
    The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
  4. That's no laptop, ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    and no space station either. Reminds me of that thing Porsche built in WWII: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_VIII_Maus