Discussions

As I mentioned in my initial diatribe, most gamers will agree that performance on a gaming laptop begins and ends with as much obscene video card array and all of the multi-core processor muscle it can handle. What about the other nuanced factors that drive performance:  over-clocking, tuned sonic quality, sturdiness, and what I can only describe as “package envy” when you whip it out in a crowd?  These nuances do attribute towards the quality of ownership but you’re not generally going to find them written on the box. Perhaps determining that median performance metric can provide a clue to what we ultimately rounds the features of the best gaming notebook.

Performance as future-proofing

One of the most popular ideas on WePC so far is the Future Proof PC, submitted by TheBez.  He indirectly defines performance as a notebook that isn’t obsolete in 2-5 years.  Desktop PC enthusiasts have gotten around this by diving into the guts and swapping out video cards, upgrading ram, and so on – a feat not easily done in the tiny form-factor of a laptop.  However, some parts of a notebook are already designed to slide in an out: many systems allow the detachment of cd-roms, hard-drives, and even memory chips. 

What if Asus took it one step further and made the display area detachable and the video card array hot-swappable as well?  The guts on notebooks do seem to die or become obsolete before the clamshell and the screen, so maybe there’s an opportunity in a study laptop that can come apart like LEGOs. This isn’t unheard of in other tech products: high-end digital cameras allow you to mix, match, and replace every major moving component, so maybe this is the key in long-term performance.

Performance as versatility

I’ve described my dream gaming notebook as a marriage of an ultra-portable netbook like the Asus EEE series and something ultra-powerful like the Asus G70 – a marriage that would create the world’s most versatile gaming notebook.  Obviously, this is physically impossible.  Or is it?  What if one notebook was designed to be both and let me choose a versatile level of performance when they wanted it?
I’m not talking about switches that clock-down the processor or down-clocking software.  I’m talking about physically shedding half the notebook when I don’t need it.  I’ve shared a new notebook idea that attempts to do just that:  the thing literally comes apart in two pieces or can be carried as one (~5 pounds) or complete (+15 pounds) with a sturdy handle.  If you undock, it’s a cheap power-efficient quasi-netbook with onboard video on the go.  If you dock (or bring it with you) its an ultra-fast desktop replacement with no respect for batteries and puts desktop PCs to shame.  This idea is also compatible with TheBez’s future proof laptop concept: The dock can be replaced with a faster set of components or new dock without having to buy a new notebook.  I’ve displaced physical impossibility with a headache for the IEEE society to figure out.  I think it could work!

Those are just two cool ideas I’d like to see happen. Beyond great system specs, future-proofing, and versatility what does performance ultimately mean to you? 

Discuss!