i started putting together stuff for my new pc, and i started glancing over at some notebooks (thinking of getting one for the wife), and as i started to put a list together i noticed her laptop would be faster than my desktop, and at almost half the price. and i started thinking "wtf is this?"
i put together the shuttle system almost entirely from newegg, and the laptop entirely from directron.
Shuttle Specs/Prices:
Shuttle SD11G5: $420
Pentium-M 760: $300
PQI24200-1GDB: $100
Samsung HM040HI: $80
Pioneer DVR-K05: $90
Viewsonic VP930B: $330 (refurbished)
Logitech DiNovo: $160 ($40 mail in rebate)
Sound Dampening/
1x 92mm Nexus $75 (from endpcnoise)
TOTAL: $1555
now this is without a video card so far. as the one i want hasnt come out yet, but even with a cheap passive 6600, it would still raise the price around another $200 or so. add in some 2.1 speakers for $50 and were getting really close to 2grand for the entire system. especially if i got a better video card.
Notebook Specs/Prices:
Asus Z71v: $750
Pentium-M 740: $220
Corsair 1gb ddr2 533: $100
Samsung MP0402H: $80
Pioneer DVR-K05: $90
Intel A/B/G: $40
TOTAL: $1280
the asus comes built in with a geforce 6600go 128mb. granted i wont be able to upgrade my video card unless they start comming out with video card upgrades for laptops, but still. is being able to upgrade your video card worth almost an extra 1000 bucks, on top of which you can take this with you anywhere you go whereas with the pc you need a table/chair/internet/ac power to make it work. about the only other difference with the notebook is the processor. i decided a little less power was worth some extra battery life, plus directron doesnt carry the 760. and newegg doesnt carry the 740.
so this is my major question now. is video card upgradability worth trading in mobility and an extra 500-1000 bucks? im having a very hard time convincing myself that it is. i was originally making a new pc for the wife (who doesnt game btw). granted the new pc would probably become my new main rig, and she would get my old one. but then my pc is fairly new. its just about as quiet as anything can be, it has pci-e so it can be upgraded with new video when needed.
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let me know all of your opinions/experiences/reactions with this topic.
Notebook's cheaper than similar spec'd desktops?
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
I've ordered the Shuttle SD11G5 and was wondering the same question myself. Random points:
- In a desktop system I decided to use 3.5" HD (Samsung P120 250 GB)
- Shuttle takes normal desktop-size optical drives (should be easy to spot one at $50 range?)
- DiNovo is way too expensive. I bought Logitech S510 instead. less than $100 including a remote, mouse and a KB, all wireless RF based (tested remote range about 4-5 meters)
- Would not buy a refurbished LCD display (likely to have dead pixels?, some are "allowed" within manufacturer specs)
- Would test drive the system w/o the extra dampening first?`
- integrated graphics will do for now, adding a PCI-e card when truly needed
- smaller displays are cheaper
- better connectivity with the desktop PC?
Jarno
- In a desktop system I decided to use 3.5" HD (Samsung P120 250 GB)
- Shuttle takes normal desktop-size optical drives (should be easy to spot one at $50 range?)
- DiNovo is way too expensive. I bought Logitech S510 instead. less than $100 including a remote, mouse and a KB, all wireless RF based (tested remote range about 4-5 meters)
- Would not buy a refurbished LCD display (likely to have dead pixels?, some are "allowed" within manufacturer specs)
- Would test drive the system w/o the extra dampening first?`
- integrated graphics will do for now, adding a PCI-e card when truly needed
- smaller displays are cheaper
- better connectivity with the desktop PC?
Jarno
well i want it to be as quiet as can be, and i couldnt think of anything quieter than some slim optical/hard drives placed inside some damptek foam blocks.
same reason for the insulation. i dont think i'll ever use a case without insulation ever again.
yeah the dinovo is an expensive choice, but i really like how slim and portable it is. plus bluetooth is nice. and i like the mouse that comes with it alot. ive actually wanted it for a while now. plus if im going to make a SFF computer, i want everything that goes with it to be as compact as possible for easy transportation to the LAN's.
thanks for the heads up on the refurb. i was actually thinking just the opposite. that since there personally inspected/fixed that they would have less chance of having a dead pixel. but if manufacturers are "allowing" known dead pixel displays to be sold, that sucks. its one thing to say that "even at 99.9999% success rate you still get a half dozen dead pixels and you cant possible hand check each one that ships out the door" and to blatently stare dead pixels in the face and still sell it.
same reason for the insulation. i dont think i'll ever use a case without insulation ever again.
yeah the dinovo is an expensive choice, but i really like how slim and portable it is. plus bluetooth is nice. and i like the mouse that comes with it alot. ive actually wanted it for a while now. plus if im going to make a SFF computer, i want everything that goes with it to be as compact as possible for easy transportation to the LAN's.
thanks for the heads up on the refurb. i was actually thinking just the opposite. that since there personally inspected/fixed that they would have less chance of having a dead pixel. but if manufacturers are "allowing" known dead pixel displays to be sold, that sucks. its one thing to say that "even at 99.9999% success rate you still get a half dozen dead pixels and you cant possible hand check each one that ships out the door" and to blatently stare dead pixels in the face and still sell it.
So are you planning on putting the laptop between foams as well 
The fan on the laptop is likely going to be noisier as well?
I have noted that manufacturers of LCD displays give "zero dead pixel" guarantees to only some of their product lines. Also have read that panels are sorted for quality and placed on different product lines.
Jarno
The fan on the laptop is likely going to be noisier as well?I have noted that manufacturers of LCD displays give "zero dead pixel" guarantees to only some of their product lines. Also have read that panels are sorted for quality and placed on different product lines.
Jarno
i was speaking about insulation for the SFF.
as for the notebook, it only has 2 fans. one on the northbridge which is said to always be on, but is very quiet. and one on the CPU, which only turns on when the cpu is under heavy load. during idle its not on.
overall noise signiture is said to be very good compared to other notebooks.
as for the notebook, it only has 2 fans. one on the northbridge which is said to always be on, but is very quiet. and one on the CPU, which only turns on when the cpu is under heavy load. during idle its not on.
overall noise signiture is said to be very good compared to other notebooks.
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badbadtz560
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It's b/c your shuttle is 400+ bux. I think u accidentally put 75 bux for a 92mm fan as well. If you used a normal case, you could get some nice antec case and mod the psu... which would cost you less than 100 overall, compared to the 400+ shuttle. I think most shuttle barebones cost around the200 area anyway; you just happen to want the coolest one 
Apart from that, a keyboard/mouse set for over 100 is way overkill for me. I'm assumign you're lookin at a 19'' lcd. You could probably wait for a dell 1905, which has gone less than 300 a few times in the past few months.
Apart from that, a keyboard/mouse set for over 100 is way overkill for me. I'm assumign you're lookin at a 19'' lcd. You could probably wait for a dell 1905, which has gone less than 300 a few times in the past few months.
well i couldnt have the title of the thread be "similar specd" if i didnt use a pentium M SFF PC. and as far as SFF pentium M systems go, the shuttle SD11G5 is the only one i would ever consider.
i didnt accedently make a fan $75. if you read it again. it says "sound dampening/1x 92mm nexus"
i cant use a nice antec case as their are no viable pentium M motherboards other than this shuttle barebone.
yeah yeah, the keyboard is expensive. but i like it. even if you drop $100 bucks off for a cheaper keyboard/mouse combo the desktop version is stil more expensive than the laptop. you can tweak stuff here and there, but if you do it evenly for both the notebook and pc you end up with the same results.
as far as the LCD panel goes. i am VERY picky about displays. and from the reviews ive seen their are currently only 2 LCD panels in production right now i would ever use. the viewsonic VP191b, and the viewsonic VP930b. and even their latency is borderline acceptable. in reality i would prefer a CRT over any LCD panel, but i want a compact lan rig. hence the LCD display, and also hence the keyboard/mouse combo choice. also for a fair comparison i felt since the notebook is defaulted with an lcd display that i should build the SFF with an LCD also.
i didnt accedently make a fan $75. if you read it again. it says "sound dampening/1x 92mm nexus"
i cant use a nice antec case as their are no viable pentium M motherboards other than this shuttle barebone.
yeah yeah, the keyboard is expensive. but i like it. even if you drop $100 bucks off for a cheaper keyboard/mouse combo the desktop version is stil more expensive than the laptop. you can tweak stuff here and there, but if you do it evenly for both the notebook and pc you end up with the same results.
as far as the LCD panel goes. i am VERY picky about displays. and from the reviews ive seen their are currently only 2 LCD panels in production right now i would ever use. the viewsonic VP191b, and the viewsonic VP930b. and even their latency is borderline acceptable. in reality i would prefer a CRT over any LCD panel, but i want a compact lan rig. hence the LCD display, and also hence the keyboard/mouse combo choice. also for a fair comparison i felt since the notebook is defaulted with an lcd display that i should build the SFF with an LCD also.
Dude.... have you ever tried using a laptop on a desk without an external monitor and keyboard/mouse for any period of time? There's a damn good reason that people buy a good LCD and keyboard to connect to their laptop while they're at their desk - it's called ergonomics.
A laptop's LCD won't compare to a good 19" LCD.... what are you trying to prove here? I see no point in your comparison, since you're comparing a two different things. You said you're very picky about LCDs, and yet you are considering using a laptop without an external LCD..... does not compute. And what size is the LCD on the laptop?
What do you actually want this computer for? You mentioned you want to take it to LANs, so me thinks you want something that looks cool, and aren't too fussed about small things like..... ergonomics. A bad neck/back hurts - believe me on this.
A laptop's LCD won't compare to a good 19" LCD.... what are you trying to prove here? I see no point in your comparison, since you're comparing a two different things. You said you're very picky about LCDs, and yet you are considering using a laptop without an external LCD..... does not compute. And what size is the LCD on the laptop?
What do you actually want this computer for? You mentioned you want to take it to LANs, so me thinks you want something that looks cool, and aren't too fussed about small things like..... ergonomics. A bad neck/back hurts - believe me on this.
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BillyBuerger
- Patron of SPCR
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Maybe forgieboy was a bit harsh, but I was thinking the same thing. You're not really comparing a similarly spec'd laptop and desktop. You're comparing a basic laptop and a desktop that has all the extra bells and whistles that you want. If you are that particular about your keyboard, mouse and display, you would probably want those for your laptop as well. That right there will bring the price of the laptop over the price of the desktop.
Yeah, sorry mate, I was a bit harsh. It just seemed like you hadn't even thought properly about what you'd posted. Maybe you should find an old laptop or a borrow a friends or something and try using it as your main rig, and see if it's a problem for you - my main computer is a laptop, but I have a 19" Dell 1905fp and a Logitech MX-3100 to back it up on my desk. You just can't use a laptop on a desk for any period of time - especially if you work from your computer as I do.
I used a laptop for several years - they are best used at a desk with a keyboard and mouse
Especially if you are ancient like me - I no longer use one at all - I replaced mine with a Shuttle
and a good quality 15 in LCD . I always use it at a desk but have to transport it accross town
Quite often but it goes fron being set up at one desk to being set up at another.It is an SN45g
and not that fast but it gets the job done.
My point is - For lans , LUGs ,and the like a laptop would not be my first choice .My Wrists and
back do not forgive me quickly.
Also a cheap laptop is not usually a good laptop to have especially after a year or so .
My last lappy was an Asus A6 and not that long ago - It was not a machine I could sit infront of
for hours on end.
Especially if you are ancient like me - I no longer use one at all - I replaced mine with a Shuttle
and a good quality 15 in LCD . I always use it at a desk but have to transport it accross town
Quite often but it goes fron being set up at one desk to being set up at another.It is an SN45g
and not that fast but it gets the job done.
My point is - For lans , LUGs ,and the like a laptop would not be my first choice .My Wrists and
back do not forgive me quickly.
Also a cheap laptop is not usually a good laptop to have especially after a year or so .
My last lappy was an Asus A6 and not that long ago - It was not a machine I could sit infront of
for hours on end.