Current design fads in laptops that you hate.

Mini pci-e ports already exist on laptops. Problem is that there's only 1 and that one is typically occupied by the wireless card. Even then, those ports can't be used for egpu setups because of the stupid whitelist that manufacturers decide to place on their bios.

 

Want freedom in the BIOS, and manual control of fans?. Won't happen unless you want to eat a lot of repairs on your dime. Want tweakable for games like that? Fine, Buy a behemoth with a desktop CPU and GPU. Which weighs 20 pounds. Add to that the 20 pound power brick and less than 90 minute battery life. Pay through the nose in every way possible. Strong back recommended. And a gym membership. And lots of $$$. This hardly qualifies as a laptop. But at least one of these behemoths is offered (MSI makes it if I recall correctly). It offers most everything you want. Are you capable of carrying the load? If not, compromises must be made. Want reliable, it is out there but does not do what you want. Agree with you on touch screens. EGPU not yet. No driver support outside Alienware models with graphics amplifiers.

 

The MXM port is just a standard PCIe port with an extra output connector. Specialized drivers are not needed if you can connect the card physically.

MSI doesn't sell socketed CPU laptops anymore, but MXM GPUs are still available. The behemoths you're thinking about is MSI GT80 "Titan" which sports two MXM GPU slots and is deliberately designed to be an overkill in form factor. The smallest socketed (CPU + GPU) laptop atm is Clevo P750DM which comes at 15.6" screen, 1.4" thickness and 7.5lbs including battery. Not an Ultrabook, but not that far from a typical laptop of 5 years ago neither. The gym membership part is not necessary.

 

Soldered CPUs, big bezels, flimsy flexible plastic, touchpads with no borders or defined buttons, glossy screens, etc etc.

Not exactly a fad, but I'm gonna say hard drives. Hate having an HDD in a laptop. Slow, buzzy, use more power, easier to break, etc. Could just be that I've gotten used to having SSDs in my laptops but man I hate using a laptop with an HDD in it now.

 

Absolutely the worst getting a new laptop that feels like its powered by 1980s technology. Anything with a spinny disk for the OS is just so frustratingly slow now. I will concede that a spinning "storage" drive is fine though, like my nitro that came with a ssd and a hdd

Not really a design fad, but I hate when manufacturers consider the cooling system last and just squeeze whatever fits into their chassis design. I'm sure everyone would prefer larger, slower fans that don't whine like a howling beagle

 

I would like to retract my previous statements about chicklet keyboards....I have been using an asus netbook/ultrabook and MSI steelseries gaming notebook chicklet keyboards for the better part of 6 months and Im a full on convert. The MSI gs60 steelseries keyboard has easily passed albeit not crushed tradition thinkpad keyboards in all areas. I feel sacrilegious saying that, but its the truth. I have since ordered a razer deathstalker to replace my aging, but still perfectly working, blackwidow ultimate and will be full on chicklet keys for all computers.

TL R Im a chicklet keyboard convert and retract my previous hate for said keyboards.

 

I never understand all the fuzz about chicklet keyboard. All they do is changing the shape of the keycap slightly in areas you're not supposed to touch in the first place. Why exactly does that make any difference in your typing, positive or negative?

 

iGPU's on high high end processors. Just why intel....

 

There's no iGPU on Intel's high-end processors (LGA2011 Socket R)...

 

Some people don't need a dedicated GPU but still require a very fast processor. Gamers aren't the only market. Software developers, scientists, mathmatecians, designers, artists and musicians all do not necessarily need anything more than the competent performance provided by any of the 2012+ intel gpu's

Even gamers on laptops aren't always gaming. Id much rather keep my iGPU and save on battery when I'm doing web, office and youtube stuff

 

thats desktop processors.

Almost any laptop with an i7 quad core has a dediated GPU (maybe apart from some really cheap ass 700-800$ exceptions). I just dont really see the point for i7 quads to have iGPU's since they are paired with much more powerfull discrete graphics. It would be a feature they could perfectly not use on the i7 quads. id rather have twice the cpu power and no iGPU.

Possibly nvidia/amd could make a powersave template for when the laptop is not plugged in so battery life wont suffer.

 

Its still a WHOLE other device being unnecessarily powered compared to an already powered cpu die. Memory, regulators, bus controller, pcie interface, all that stuff still has to be powered for the dGPU to actually work

 

fair enough, probably a difference in priorities then. But when you are doing office and browsing you dont need much iGPU power. So a weaker iGPU would be sufficient.

no reason for intel to focus on upgrading the igpu's so much then in the i7 quad series

 

this I agree with to an extent. but from a design standpoint, intel are between a rock and a hard place. They still need to design capable iGPUs for lower end processors for the mass produced el-cheapo machines that people buy in droves, but wont pay out for a dGPU. And since intel have already designed it, they have no reason to not include it in their entire lineup.

But I agree, some actual honest-to-god performance improvements in anything that isn't a M or U series chip would be welcome

 

Until I used the steelseries in my MSI I have always had bad experiences with them. Whether it be the spacing or the tactile feel. This keyboard is a game changer for me and Im glad for it as it now has opened up tons choices Id have not even considered on the keyboard alone. But still I do not like alot of chicklet boards, but then there are tons of standard keys I dislike as well.

 

Cheap or glossy or rubbered materials.
Flimsy keyboards.
No LED indicators (power status: standby mode, battery/AC, charging, etc.; disk activity; wireless on/off). Especially visible with closed lid (docking).
Small battery. Take the example of Apple (do not copy design, their visual design is rather moot, but at least they use good materials). They do one good thing especially. Apple into their notebooks adds small computer to the big battery; rest of the world adds small battery to the big computer.

 

Major design fad I dislike in laptops, battery which must be replaced by a service depot. Apple and the UltraBooks major offenders. Makes for expensive total cost of ownership.

 

The one I'm seeing now (even in the Precision 7510 I bought last November) is the pairing of these ultra-powerful notebooks with 720p web cams?! Really?

The other trend that I think is getting killed is what I call the "faux taper," where the bezel tapers but the actual thickness of the laptop does not. While it does give the appearance of a sleeker machine, I kind of like the somewhat non-tapered look of my M6500, and it gives it just more room inside. But I always felt the hard edges of the M6500 palm rests made for uncomfortable typing unless you don't use the palm rests, a la piano style. I can type that way, but still...

I DO like the rubberized palm rest areas, exposed carbon fiber, metal trim, and lids that can be opened with one hand.

 

I hate the silver or black laptops & smartphones of the past 3-4 years... no real design or colors anymore and why I paint all mine:
http://1-4u-computer-graphics.com/notebookpaint.htm
Latest paint job from last week not on website yet:
Silver Samsung Ultra & Note 4 to Purple


I also hate the non-removable battery...

 

Something I've seen that annoys me is poor or linked configuration options on configurable models. My choice of CPU shouldn't lock me in to a specific graphics card, and my initial choice of storage shouldn't prevent me from upgrading later. I've seen both these on recent configuration pages.

 

Well, if you all hate this and that, then go back to this as there is nothing to hate as there wasn't much before it. LOL
My first notebook and desktop, 1985 Tandy 600 - they still work too!

OK, now maybe you'll appreciate what you have. LOL

 

One thing I really dont like about modern laptops is the touch button for volume control. I think manual wheel proved to be more useful in that respect.

 

What I had is what Asus started doing. They have made a botch of the SATA connections. Instead of a regular SATA connection they made drives with pins that slide into a slot on the motherboard. This makes upgrading of drives a living nightmare, now you can only buy drives from Acer.

 

Clickpads aka Buttonless touchpads. kinda annoying to use at times but luckly i have a wireless mouse

Touchscreens. Very pointless unless its a tablet as most people dont like fingerprints all over their screen

4k screens especially on 13inch laptops and laptops with a weak dedicated GPU. Too soon as they uses more battery life than a FullHD screen and also laptops are too small to be enjoyable (scaling issues) and less powerful to handle it in games.

No maintenance hatch and top covers that requires to have a torx screwriver instead of a phillips. Manufacturers are making it harder on purpose to upgrade so consumers can buy they overpriced components, not cool

Soldered on RAM. No explanation needed just plain dumb.

Laptops that requires to remove the motherboard in order to replace the keyboard incase it goes bad for some reason. Used to be one of the easiest things to do as keyboard problems are way more common on laptops due to the fact accidents happens and can dirty very quickly.

Non Removable Batterys. No explanation needed

 

A wheel does take a lot more space though.

 

I like the touchpad on the AW M15x, and M18x R4. I can leave them "On" without hitting them with my right palm. Not so with my P170SM-A.

 

*cracks knuckles*

1. 1080p. This resolution needs to DIAF just as surely as everyone in this thread complained that 768P needed to DIAF. I'm SHOCKED that anyone ever claimed that 768P was sufficient for small displays. UHD smartphones are proving that's the most idiotic thing since "640k ought to be enough for anybody". And if UHD on tablets/smartphones shows how stupid this idea is--troglodytes clinging to 1080p on laptops are just as stupid.

2. 16:9. Not only did the unwashed masses cost me 120 lines of vertical resolution;; they've saddled me with a god-awful aspect ratio that serves virtually ZERO purpose--especially since the ORIGINAL argument (letterboxing) is irrelevant...thanks to 22:9 movies. Give me back my 16:10 so I can have menu bars while watching movies/etc.

3. 20 different motherboards for 1 model name. Seriously, wtf. If you want to change mobo's, can't you just add 1 to the model number? Wouldn't that make sourcing parts a ****ton easier for everyone?

4. Palm rests that take up 1/2 the area. Sorry, I'm not the kind of guy who can palm a beachball. The keyboard shouldn't start more than 3" from the front of the laptop. Move the buttons to the side if the touchpad if you have to.

5. Non-backlight keyboards. Damn cheapskates.

6. Laptops w/o LED indicators. Did anyone in R&D even stop for 1 minute to realize how annoying it is to have "flags" pop up telling you capslock is on...rather than just having an easy to see LED light? Can you imagine if a flag dropped down from your sunvisor every time you switched your hi-beams on/off?

7. VGA ports...seriously, wtf. If you want to sell more business equipment, why not start by eliminating the damn VGA ports & forcing businesses to upgrade to HDMI projectors/etc.

8. Power plugs on the sides. Power plugs w/o right-angle connectors. Connecting ports that conflict with where I put the mouse ( front right). In fact, the front-right is probably the ONE place that any disk drive makes the most sense--since the odds of a righty (90% of the population) using it with a mouse simultaneously...are nil.

9. Power bricks that don't use a plug type compatible with in-line surge protectors. At the very least, get the MFG to work with APC and get a model offered which has a compatible plug type. This kind of surge protection is a GODSEND when you're on the road & don't want to carry a bulky surge protection strip around with you.

10. Hotkeys that aren't standardized. Fn hotkeys on the function keys I almost always have to glance at to remember which key to press. On the other hand, MSI (for example) made the Fn hotkey for volume & brightness simple; they're set to the left/right & up/down keys respectively. But even more than this, I'd rather move the keyboard towards the front & use the top of the base to hold hard/toggle keys that add valuable functionality (wifi on/off, GPU switching, etc).

11. Laptops that look like there were designed by an 8 year old Cholo (pardon my lingo). I'm already paying 2 grand for a top-end gaming laptop...can't we just save a few bucks off that price & give it no-frills appearance, rather than having it trying to communicate with aliens in the adjacent galaxy?

12. Models that aren't sold globally. Apart from region-specific languages on the keyboards...there should be no other differences. When I try to find a 15" MSI with 1070 GTX & 4k, and only find it for sale in the UK (none in the USA)--something is dreadfully wrong.

 

Problem with 7 is that businesses don't buy on a whim insofar as tech goes. Take away a feature they want (VGA in this case, because replacing their equipment is expensive) and they'll simply switch to an OEM who sells what they want.

 

VGA remains viable, imho, only because of very old displays & projectors. Eventually those will have to be replaced. Now I get that it will likely require both HDMI and VGA to "ween" corporations off VGA...but that doesn't explain the need for VGA on non-business class laptops, like my P35X.

 

Some people (foolishly) buy consumer-class laptops for business use? IDK

 

The removal of ports for the sake of 1. thinness, or 2. future compatability? Apple removed all ports except the USB C on their new laptops....as well asus did the same. I have no idea why? 90% of the worlds population using computers still use USB A. as well as HDMI. Now you have to use dongles for everything. I am glad my dell has all ports on it!

 

LOL @ crapple deciding to not put headphone jacks on anything. Even more LOL at people who think they can drill for them.

p.s.
Have they not figured out that BT simply cannot compete with conventional audio for sound?

 

Making gaming laptops look like they're the decepticons. Shiny plastic, more displays with minimum 2560x1440p would be nice and not just 4K. Having 16gb ram minimum in ultrabooks would be nice.

I've noticed a lot of windows laptop having way better build than they used to though.

 

^Agreed. Since most MFG's also make business laptops, how about you give me the option save $100 & go with a no-frills business chassis for my 4k screen & backlit keyboard. Save the fast & furious laptops for people who want to blow more money on ego-stroking.

 

I see no problem with 1080p, although I primarily use a 1366x768 monitor haha.

Also I agree with you, I hate the gaming laptops that feel the need to show off they're for gaming. AHEM ALIENWARE AHEM

 

Several manufacturers follow a simple design philosophy. Clevo and Gigabyte computers for the most part look like business machines even when they're full of gaming hardware. Alienware is there for people who want to show off, I say let them. There will always be a market for a big flashy expensive version of pretty much everything.

 

Unfortunately, Gigabyte hasn't quite nailed down where the line is drawn. I would have preferred the keyboard on the Aorus...but I sure as **** wasn't going to pay a $400 premium for it (plus settle for a 3k screen, vice 4k).

Too bad nobody rebrands MSI's. MSI has the best keyboards/sound. A less flashy case would be tits.

 

Clevo has abandoned that for a while, especially on their high-end machines. They are another AW-wannabe now.

 

What? Their P6 and 7 series look entirely decent. I hardly need mention their W6 and N8 series, too. If you want a no-frills gaming notebook, Clevo is still the way to go.

 

I was thinking the P6XX series. Even the higher end ones aren't that obnoxious.

 

I mean when you have the form factor of a P870KM, there isn't much you can do to hide it. My P650 is pretty stealth though. Appropriate in all settings. The design actually makes it look thinner than it is with inward angles on all sides except the back.

 

Yeah the P870 looks a bit Lamborghini rear end (IMO fugly AF) but it's all matte black and tame when open so long as you turn the silly lid LEDs off. I used a P150HM and P170EM in my business and nobody gave it a second look in 4 years except a couple of comments about the RGB backlit keyboard being cool (which I have set as R, G and B for the three zones)

 

It's definitely one of the best for a work environment because of that.

 

I don't like the looks of the new N850HK1... some people say "hey, it looks sharp...raaaawwwr"... but that's it: imho it's not sharp in "sexy", but sharp in the sense pointy edges and corners. Gigabyte calls this laptop "Sabre"... so yeah...

Why couldn't they have done the same simple but less "sharp" design as the N870HK1?

 

To me it has that boring look that makes Sager pretty good for the office.

 

ACER 21X looks retarded as f*ck.

 

When you describe the features it sounds pretty cool. Then you look at it, and not as much. Most of my issues with it are internal though.

 

Looking at a curve screen, ugh wa s that?

 

Curved is a useless gimmick in larger TVs, true, but it's really nice in smaller forms IMO. After spending some time with a 34" curved monitor I'm definitely a believer.

 

I've spent some time with curved monitors/curve screen (same goes to Samsung Edge) -- it makes me dizzy especially when staring at it for a long period of time (large or small)and I feel like I have a bubble eye too, so curved monitors? It's not for me and I hate them like the plague. No matter how you justify it all depends on the personal preference of the individual.