Hardware Hacking: "MacBook Pro Thunderbolt 2 Sonnet III-D GTX 780 Ti

Link for Youtube http://youtu.be/G0M05rJkTQY

Link with details:  http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/6689-%5Bguide%5D-2013-15-macbook-pro-gtx780ti%4020gbps-tb2-sonnet-echo-express-iii-d-win8.html

Anandtech article:  http://www.anandtech.com/show/7987/running-an-nvidia-gtx-780-ti-over-thunderbolt-2

Very Interesting!

Something I have been interested in since Thunderbolt came out, though I don't think it is going to be practical enough for me.

I've decided for my needs & wants the new (2014) 14" Razer Blade laptop makes lot more sense http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade/ & http://www.anandtech.com/show/7858/razer-announces-the-new-razer-blade-14-qhd-with-gtx-870m what I am saving up to get as replacement for my Windows 7 laptop.

Still think external GPU, specially combined with docking station or high res monitor & docking connector (something like Apple's Thunderbolt display, but with 4K, and external GPU(s) to game on it) makes a lot of sense.

Problem is most people just want cheap netbook or a tablet.

Plus, since many (most?) gamers either make their own machines or have friends build them a gaming rig, I doubt the companies that could reasonably make dock with external GPU would ever be able to make profit.

TT

Hardware Hacking: GTX 570 eGPU on a 2013 11" Macbook Air

From Larry Gadea https://twitter.com/lg/status/362750011655733248

Approx $250 in hardware (not counting Graphics card) instructions at http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/4271-2013-11-macbook-air-win7-sonnet-echo-expresscard-pe4l-internal-lcd-%24250.html#post59391

I really like this idea, been waiting for Thunderbolt to provide external graphics card solution, makes a lot of sense to me, specially if you can fit external hardware in a convenient to transport case.

For those still in school, it might be hard to see the point, but if you have to travel for work, or fit a LAN party in around work schedule, being able to plug external GPU into a laptop or x86 Tablet (something like a Surface Pro/Razer Edge Pro) could make a significant difference to your gaming time.

It certainly isn't for everyone though.

Anandtech review of Razer Edge

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6858/the-razer-edge-review

Good review by Vivek Gowri @vivg91

Vivek mentions that hardware wise the Edge is a "monster".

I totally agree with that, one point I would emphasis, is that this is only Windows 8 Tablet I can find that has 8 GB of RAM!

Twice as much as any other tablet.

All that RAM plus SSD mean the Edge should work very well for most mobile business use, unless you need a portable workstation.

I used work with business people that had to travel all the time, I can see people like that, that are into gaming, might well pick the Edge to replace laptop for travel.

Even if their not into gaming, if they need for more than 4 GB of RAM, this would be only tablet available.

Even if work picks up the bill for checked luggage, carry on luggage is only stuff you can count on making it to your destination.

And you can carry a Edge + ARM tablet for same weight as single laptop, while having redundancy for basics like email.

Nerd Gear: Anandtech Review Surface Pro

Anandtech's Microsoft Surface Pro Review http://www.anandtech.com/show/6695/microsoft-surface-pro-review

I have been waiting for this, I am really interested in Microsoft's Surface Pro, looking at eventually getting either a Surface Pro or iPad, though I believe the Surface Pro compares more directly with the 11" Macbook Air, see Anandtech's iPad 4 review  and Macbook Air review for comparisons.

If you read the comments of the Surface Pro review, Anand says he will try and run the 11" MBA through their new laptop power tests to give comparable numbers for people to compare Surface Pro directly with 11" MBA for battery life.

But it looks like they are roughly comparable for battery life about 4-5 hours with light use.

The Surface Pro & base model 11" MBA both use the 1.7 GHz i5-3317U CPU and the integrated GPU.

Weight wise, if you count the weight of either keyboard cover option for the Surface Pro, it falls between the 11" & 13" Macbook Airs.

Respective Weights:

• MS Surface Pro 2.0 lbs without cover http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/surface-with-windows-8-pro/specifications
• Touch Cover MS says less than 0.46 lbs (scroll down to tech specs) http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/accessories/touch-cover
• Type Cover MS says lest than 0.55 lbs (scroll down to tech specs) http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-US/accessories/type-cover
• Macbook Air 11" at 2.38 lbs or Macbook Air 13" at 2.96 lbs (scroll down to "size & weight") http://www.apple.com/macbookair/specs.html

Total weight of Surface Pro + Touch Cover is ~2.46 lbs, total weight of Surface Pro + Type Cover is ~2.55 lbs, vs Macbook Air 11" at 2.38 lbs or Macbook Air 13" at 2.96 lbs.

I had been debating getting a iPad 5/6 next spring (Spring 2014) or a Surface Pro to replace my 13" ASUS Laptop running Windows 7.

My laptop is one of the UL30V series, has weak discrete G 210M GPU in it, http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-G-210M.17638.0.html, no where near real gaming laptop.

When I bought it just wanted something that would run SC2 in addition to other less demanding games, which it does fine.  SC2 runs fine at low to medium settings which was all I needed when I bought it.

I have a more powerful machine now, and girlfriend wants to build a gaming rig, so we will eventually have a couple of powerful gaming machines.

But I want something that is easily portable for use away from home, after reading these reviews, think I will wait for a Haswell upgrade to get a Surface Pro.

Or a Haswell Macbook Air with Retina?  But that would probably be twice the cost of a Surface Pro :/

A lot depends on your use case & budget.

Can't say I *need* more than I have right now, my laptop still runs plenty of games from Steam no problem, and I only use it for gaming anymore when I am out of town for more than a day.

Edited to add:  I have been reading a lot of comments from various people on Surface Pro, the most interesting was about a device demoed at CES, that I liked, but totally forgot about.

The Razer Edge! 

Razer's site http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-edge/

Anandtech's comments from CES on it http://www.anandtech.com/show/6649/razer-edge-impressions-and-thoughts

If your looking to get something before Haswell, this probably makes a lot more sense, since it has a GT 640M LE, http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-640M-LE.72199.0.html.

Now I am really confused, I am not a fan of Razer's stuff, IMO they are over priced on many of their products.

Not bad stuff, but your paying for the name vs the performance frequently IMO.  I do have a couple of friends that have one of their keyboards or gaming mouse. I use a Das Silent (Cherry MX Brown) keyboard myself, IMO Cherry or Alps keys are the way to go, see http://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/?page_id=1458#keyswitches for more on keys, but which exact brand/layout (backlit or not, "quiet" or not) is just matter of personal preference.

The Razer Edge does look very slick, both the keyboard & gamepad docks support external battery that about doubles battery capacity.

So for light to moderate usage, using extended battery, you could probably come close to equaling iPad or Nexus.

Though gaming with it will burn the battery quickly.