When can I buy a laptop with specs similiar to these?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of purchasing a laptop with specific high-end specifications by Q3 2008. The specifications include advanced processing capabilities, substantial RAM and storage, high-definition features, and various multimedia functionalities. Participants explore the implications of technological advancements in the context of laptops versus desktops, as well as the relevance of gaming demands on hardware development.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant speculates on the possibility of a laptop with the described specs being available by Q3 2008, while others express skepticism about the timeline.
  • Some participants argue that the rapid pace of technological change makes it difficult to predict future hardware capabilities.
  • There is a discussion about the current limitations of laptop hardware, including hard drive capacity and processor speeds, with some suggesting that a laptop with such specs may not be feasible until 2009 or later.
  • One participant mentions the trend of laptops focusing on power conservation rather than high-speed computing, while others counter that high-performance laptops are emerging for gaming purposes.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of achieving 5-10 GHz clock speeds, with some suggesting that the focus may shift towards parallel computing rather than increasing clock speeds.
  • Questions are posed regarding Moore's Law and its current relevance, particularly in relation to clock speed and transistor counts.
  • Participants discuss the importance of factors beyond clock speed in CPU performance, indicating a need for clarification on this topic.
  • One participant humorously suggests building a microprocessor from scratch if the desired laptop is not available by the specified date.
  • Concerns are raised about the physical limitations of laptop form factors in accommodating the proposed specifications, particularly regarding power supply and storage density.
  • There is mention of the "speed of light limit" affecting clock speeds in CPUs, highlighting the complexities of increasing performance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions, with no consensus on the feasibility of the proposed laptop specifications by the target date. Some believe it may be possible, while others argue it is unlikely or impractical.

Contextual Notes

Participants note various limitations in current technology, including hard drive capacity, processor speed, and the physical constraints of laptop design. There are also unresolved questions regarding the implications of Moore's Law and the factors influencing CPU performance.

  • #61
I am a simple man with a simple mind so consider the performance laptop question, (estimated time of arrival?), simply as how performance is directly proportional to power and which with current battery technology limits sez it will never happen unless the lap top is attached to a golf cart.

Seeing the obvious and comparing the lap top to a "dumb" terminal of the 60's mainframe computers it is clear the dumber the better as it reduces the size, owner cost, lost to thief cost, while increasing battery life simplier is the future as all that is really needed in a lap top is screen, net card, keyboard, mouse, mike, cd disk drive and camera and those input/output devices (300 dollars max) connect to a supercomputer via PC anywhere software or high speed cable with all processing done by the at home or office super computer like so.

http://members.cox.net/thjackson/StealthSuperComputer.jpg"
 
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  • #62
I agree that it's much easier to have a device that has only an internet connection which it uses to connect to a server and establish a remote session. The only bottleneck will be the connection speed but with our current technology it would certainly be acceptable. One idea would be to have superservers available everywhere, the closest one being the server of choice. The advantages of this are fantastic in my opinion.
 
  • #63
-Job- said:
I agree that it's much easier to have a device that has only an internet connection which it uses to connect to a server and establish a remote session. The only bottleneck will be the connection speed but with our current technology it would certainly be acceptable. One idea would be to have superservers available everywhere, the closest one being the server of choice. The advantages of this are fantastic in my opinion.

hmm maybe in an enterprise, but for a dispersed network like the internet. I can't see how anyone would want to do that. Plus there is the security aspect, who would control these servers?

I think the bottleneck would be the lag involved, which is going to happen when you separate geographically your terminal from the server that will server your applications. If its setup badly you will have a lot of data sent back and forth then ou would need to up your bandwidth. Adding more Bandwidth won't solve any lag problems.. typically
 
  • #64
That computer would be neat. I have a feeling that the computer you described will be on the market Quarter 2 2006. Probably on April 17th at around 3:23 pm eastern time.
 
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  • #65
I'm really counting on microprocessors, they're small and fast and you can a couple of thousand in a laptop. It will most likely be pretty damn fast, but might take long to develop
 
  • #66
I think i heard a while back that companies were going in the direction of having multiple CPUs in a single chip. This would make it a lot easier, if they can keep the interface the same, since we wouldn't need a more expensive motherboard that supports multiple processors.
 

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