Breast Expansion Archive Forum

Miscellaneous => Computer Tech Help & Info => Topic started by: andrat2000 on October 02, 2018, 04:45:59 PM

Title: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on October 02, 2018, 04:45:59 PM
What is the current highest end (and I really mean highest end - 4K HDR, 64 GB memory, Core i9 - 8th Gen., space for 2 SSD's, Nvidia GTX 10X0 TI or Quadro) and good looking (aluminium or carbon), thin, Windows laptop that isn't a Macbook Pro 2018?

from DELL? Lenovo? HP? Other?

Fuck the price ... I don't care.

Edit: woahhh.
If it wouldn't be all Chinese ownership the Lenovo ThinkPad P72 in UHD with 128GB memory and XEON CPU would be my choice ...
Why can't non-Chinese owner companies build such a laptop?

Hm or the Dell Precision 7730 or 7530 (with the smaller monitor), the 7730 also goes up to 128GB.

On the HP side it ends at 32GB. It is a bit lame. On the other hand they have a display with over 600 nits, which is the brighter than bright ...
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on October 08, 2018, 08:42:56 AM
Just realized HP also has 64 GB memory laptop in the 17" range.
But their workstation laptops look like fat tanks ... what a design desaster.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: bignatslover on October 14, 2018, 08:49:47 AM
Alienware always seems to make the best laptops.  They seem to just run more smoothly, and they outperform other brands that list more power in their technical specifications.

Since you're needing the best performance, may I ask why you want a laptop?  Because in my experience, desktop towers still outperform laptops.  Laptops just get hot and buggy after a while.  I love my custom-made tower with all of its expandable-ness.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on October 27, 2018, 07:24:02 AM
Alienware always seems to make the best laptops.  They seem to just run more smoothly, and they outperform other brands that list more power in their technical specifications.

Since you're needing the best performance, may I ask why you want a laptop?  Because in my experience, desktop towers still outperform laptops.  Laptops just get hot and buggy after a while.  I love my custom-made tower with all of its expandable-ness.

Sorry for not coming back earlier. I don't have desktop/tower PC's anymore since 10 years. I travel with them.
From the optical design perspective, which is important for me, the Alienware don't meet my taste.
Well a Lenovo ThinkPad P1 or X1 starts to problematic in that area, too. And a ThinkPad P72 even, too.
From this point of view the Dell Precision 7730 or 7530 looks quite better and the XPS models are my taste.

Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 25, 2018, 11:59:40 AM
My idea is changing into the direction of bignatslover ...

I configure a Workstation with a lot of RAm. And if required I will access the Workstation via Remote-Desktop from a mobile PC, with lower specifications.

I want to do smoothless video editing and applying LUT. I have 4K footage with 400 MBbit/s. Also 6K footage will come in due time. Some of the footage is HEVC 265 stuff.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 26, 2018, 12:32:04 AM
And graphics card(s) is clear now, too. It is going to be a Nvidia Quadro P4000 for output to a 4K HDR monitor and a Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti for the number crunching on video edit ... Maybe 2 of the GTX 1080 Ti video cards if enough PCIe 3.0 x16 are available. Or I have to go the PCIe expander way. Or start with 1 and go to 2 later.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 27, 2018, 03:52:24 AM
OK. It is going to be a MONSTER.

This will be my configuration:
HP Z8 G4 with Dual Xeon Gold 6146 (each 12 Cores)
128 GB memory DDR4 (4x 32 GB ECC registred)
Nvidia Quadro P4000 for 10-Bit 5K output
Nvidia GForce 1080 TI for Video calculation
Additionally I will buy the LG 5120 x 2160 pixel display ....

Why the HP Z Workstation? HP provides a remote display solution for their workstations. I can use it from my existing 4K Display Laptop. So I am really not bound to a workstation laptop. My desired laptop would have come out at the same price, but with less power.


The money was originally planned for an other fun-project. But the fun project didn't happen. So now I am using it for this.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: bignatslover on November 27, 2018, 05:38:52 AM
OK. It is going to be a MONSTER.

This will be my configuration:
HP Z8 G4 with Dual Xeon Gold 6146 (each 12 Cores)
128 GB memory DDR4 (4x 32 GB ECC registred)
Nvidia Quadro P4000 for 10-Bit 5K output
Nvidia GForce 1080 TI for Video calculation
Additionally I will buy the LG 5120 x 2160 pixel display ....

Why the HP Z Workstation? HP provides a remote display solution for their workstations. I can use it from my existing 4K Display Laptop. So I am really not bound to a workstation laptop. My desired laptop would have come out at the same price, but with less power.
Congratulations!  This all looks really good.  I am glad you didn't get a Lenovo because I have heard they are very undependable (motherboards have cracks in them, wiring is frayed, etc).  I know you were saving up the money for other things, but your computer is going to be far more useful!
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 27, 2018, 06:28:50 AM
The seller was 3 times asking me if I am sure about this choice   ;D  8)
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: Hiram on November 27, 2018, 08:11:52 AM
I am glad you didn't get a Lenovo because I have heard they are very undependable
I had a Thinkpad that failed after about a year and wouldn't turn on at all - very disappointed in Lenovo.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 27, 2018, 08:42:54 AM
HP notebooks had some battery and HDD failures in the past. Or on another notebook the GPU/CPU fan started to make really loud noice. I replaced it myself for a new spare part one and after 3 months the noise returned making the notebook really unusable. Not much better ...

On an Asus the battery pack was blowing up after 2 year deforming the case and needed replacement.
On a Medion (a former German manufacturer) notebook sold by a discounter the keys on the touchpad broke away.
On another Notebook from Targa of yet another discounter the hinges to the display broke making it unusable.

So many stories about failed products.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: solvegas on November 27, 2018, 08:47:27 AM
I would not buy ANY CHINESE brand or manufacture since China started its " Social credit " program which is an Orwellian program to spy on their citizens so that the Chinese Communist Party can maintain control of their citizens and as a bonus spy on unwitting foreigners. I now look for where its made so Chinese software and hardware hacks are not built into the machine. Besides, unlike Japan, China has not improved the quality of its branded products. For example, I bought in 1980 a Magnavox 26" CRT TV which worked until 2011 made in the USA. I then bought a new fangled 55" flat screen LG Korean made TV which works just fine and has great picture quality. But then I bought in 2015 a Chinese made COBY Flat screen 32" monitor for my computer and after only 1 1/2 years it failed. I now have a Vizio 32 " screen made in China and it sometimes flickers on and off which pisses me off. >:(  Yes, the monitor were/are cheap but Chinese made goods are definitely caveat emptor ( buyer beware ) type. Since Lenovo bought out IBM's PC subsidiary their quality has gone down. Look at the label and avoid Chinese products. The Chinese have had prescription drug problems and scandals, ch1ld milk scandals, contaminated fish scandals due to corruption and hardly anybody gets in trouble since they are cronies of China's absolute ruler, XI Jinping. If the Chinese care so little about their own people, why should they care about foreigners ? :(
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 27, 2018, 09:34:38 AM
Like always it is not so simple.

What do you think where a lot of the parts of HP, Dell personal computers come from, or servers from HPE, Dell, IBM and many others?

You guessed it from China.

Apple iPhone ... assembled in China, same for many Android phones ....

As I said it's not so simple.

It is often true, but not always: If you buy cheap you buy 2 times (or more often).
Best example I had was a paper shredder. I bought 3 cheap ones. Each around 30 or 40 Euros. All three died in short time. Now I have a paper shredder for over 300 Euro ... and it runs and runs and runs ..
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: solvegas on November 27, 2018, 09:57:45 AM
^ Mostly true as of now BUT China itself is starting to lose much manufacturing to places like Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia and others because the Chinese are demanding excessive technology transfers and because they are even cheaper. Also, these countries are not involved in a economic war against the US and the West overall like China. China has been stealing from others for the last 30 years and it is now aggravating their relationship with others. The Chinese miracle is ending and the Chinese may yet suffer from that old curse throughout their very long history, living in interesting times.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 27, 2018, 12:05:06 PM
I think your sources you get your informations from are either biased or incomplete.
There would be more to say, but then it would change into a political thread.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on November 29, 2018, 01:38:42 PM
The order for the Workstation is done the monitor, too.

The Nvidia GTX 1080 TI is a problem right now. There are so many versions out for different gamer editions etc. but if I look at a price portal they went up by 40-50% the last 2 -3 months. This is something against my spirits. While I have no problem for the money for the above Workstation, but this 50% rise in a few months I don't want to support. I wait a few months.
I have no pressure. With the Nvidia Quadro P4000 I have a high-end professional graphics card and I can already do everything with it. The GTX 1080 TI comes a bit later.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: bignatslover on December 01, 2018, 03:55:04 PM
this 50% rise in a few months
Yep, I guess you heard by now that it was one of the video cards preferred by "Bitcoin Miners".  So insane demand drove the prices up.

Bitcoin has had a tough year to say the least, and I am hoping it will decline so that these video card prices will follow suit.  Then one day you can buy your GTX 1080 TI and we will throw a little party online here with you.  I will definitely pour some of my finest whiskey.   8)

For now, I hope your machine is doing everything you want it to.  For me, getting a new computer customized and worn in just the way I want it is one of life's pleasures. 
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on December 01, 2018, 04:18:55 PM
this 50% rise in a few months
Yep, I guess you heard by now that it was one of the video cards preferred by "Bitcoin Miners".  So insane demand drove the prices up.

Bitcoin has had a tough year to say the least, and I am hoping it will decline so that these video card prices will follow suit.  Then one day you can buy your GTX 1080 TI and we will throw a little party online here with you.  I will definitely pour some of my finest whiskey.   8)

For now, I hope your machine is doing everything you want it to.  For me, getting a new computer customized and worn in just the way I want it is one of life's pleasures.

The prices were falling since August into September / October for that card, but nowthe GTX 1080TI is not produced anymore since the RTX 2080 TI is available. This is the reason why the prices went up, together with the demand of the miners.

So I will buy the RTX 2080 TI after Christmas.

The machine arrived today. First warming up indoorts and thus I wasn't turning it on yet. This will come Monday when the monitor also arrives ...

Luckily I have a few spare SATA 6 Tb and 4Tb disks laying around that I will include in the setup.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on December 01, 2018, 04:43:07 PM
The interior of the Monster ...
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: TheZookie007 on December 03, 2018, 08:00:56 PM
What are you using for your backup system?
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on December 04, 2018, 05:23:25 AM
What are you using for your backup system?

I don't follow the 3-2-1 rule all the time. 3 copies of data, 2 different devices and 1 outside the house.

My Big Boob stuff goes to a Synology NAS DS 415play with 4x 8 TB WD Red without further backup ...

For my private data I use a Synology NAS DS916+ with 4x 10 TB Ironwolf Disks.
Videos and photos go there directly ... also without backup yet.

For important data I store them locally on the PC and the data are replicated with Synology Drive into my private cloud on the DS916+. It is similar like OneDrive for Business.
This means I have 2 copies this way. I also have setup Active Backup for Business todo daily incremental backup of the OS and Data drives, also going to the DS916+. Then from time to time I backup this important data to a drive connected via USB 3.0. My gap so far. I don't store it outside the house.

The other gab is that the Video and Picture data don't have a backup yet. This burns on my nails, most right now. But with this new WS I will include internal disks and copy all the videos, there and then setup the Synology drive again. That moment I have 2 copies. But still I wouldn't have a copy outside, because I don't have the free disks anymore .. ;-)

I consider a 3rd Synology NAS, sooon. A DS1019+ which should come out soon. Then I will migrate the DS918+ to the DS1019+, the 415play to the DS918+ and the DS415 play will be used as backup device for the data to be brought outside.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: bignatslover on December 04, 2018, 05:30:01 AM
The interior of the Monster ...
It's a beaut.

Does temperature become an issue?  I remember for a while everyone had their towers full of cooling tubes.  Was that just a fad?
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on December 04, 2018, 07:37:52 AM
The interior of the Monster ...
It's a beaut.

Does temperature become an issue?  I remember for a while everyone had their towers full of cooling tubes.  Was that just a fad?

I actually can't tell about heat problems in the latest HW. My old tower ran from 1998 - 2010, with many upgrades inbetween, but I used a notebook much more often since approx. 2005. So I can't compare 20 year old technology with the recent ones.

For the HP Z8 G4 I didn't run it yet under full load. The two CPU each have a very high cube with cooler and fan. And the left upper part you can close has some plastic directing the air flow from the cooler&fan directly towards the tower fan and then outside. Only parts of the aif flow go inside. The memory banks have a seperate fan. The lower part with the PCI cards is more or less seperated by the upper part with the plastic construction. So it gets a seperate cooling area.

When I start the monster or when it recovers from s(leep) the fans are temporarily louder. Maybe as loud as my old HP notebook from 2010 without load and about the same loudness as my ASUS notebook under full load from 2015. But both have high hissing sound, while the tower sound is deeper.
After that intial higher speed running fans the fan speed goes down after 30 seconds and then you hardly can hear it. My Synology Disksatitions are louder.

At the moment the tower is still on my desk. Later it will go below the desk on a computer holder from IKEA  ;D Don't know if they still have this in their program:
https://de.ikea-club.org/item/30090438.html
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: TheZookie007 on December 05, 2018, 03:41:54 AM
When I finish my move I will definitely upgrade my current backup system to a Synology.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on December 05, 2018, 04:49:50 AM
But lookup for the "+" Modells.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: TheZookie007 on December 06, 2018, 09:35:43 PM
But lookup for the "+" Modells.

I definitely will, thanks.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on December 10, 2018, 04:34:10 PM
Ahhh, I have since 2 years a Samsung NVME SSD 950 Pro with 512 GB laying around because it wasn't compatible with my laptop. The MONSTER has an internal PCIE x8 slot that requires proprietary module cards as HP Z TurboDual Drive. Beside the 512 GB M.2 SSD for the OS it has 1 more place (dual), I finally found a place for that spare SSD.

NowI just need to find out if that Intel Chipset in combination with the Intel Rapid Storage Technology would be able to use SATA SSD's to use as cache for HDD's. This would meanI could cache my 2x6TB WD Red disks.

By the way this MONSTER is already able to process 8K. :-D
Well, I could have added 2000 Euro to the price tag of my monitor to get 8K, but somehow this would be too much for me, too.
Title: Re: wanted: A new tower workstation (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 10, 2019, 02:55:07 AM
And now I ordered the additional graphic card. A ZOTAC Nvidia GeForceŽ RTX 2080 Ti AMP! Edition 11GB. Cost was 1349 Euro.

To complete my setup now if remaining only a small grading panel for 1000 Euro and two 2TB EVO 970 NVMe SSD's totalling another 1000 Euro.
:D

Then everything alltogether built into and around the monster is about 15.000 Euro. It is the price for the biggest iMac Pro setup, but with at least double of that performance.

Or it is the price for a good BBL with own fat and additonal macrolane filler!
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: BacE on January 10, 2019, 09:47:37 AM
And here I thought my 5.000 euro (7 year old) computer was expensive. ;D
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 11, 2019, 09:28:38 AM
Now with the "ZOTAC Nvidia GeForceŽ RTX 2080 Ti AMP! Edition 11GB" plugged in I was running the Passmark test. They have currently 1.14 million uploaded data sets.

And my monster is on the top 1% (or 99th percentile) of all PC's world wide with submitted test results.

Similar HP G4 Z8 workstation from other users have 12 other submissions. And mine is on rank 2
 8)

Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 11, 2019, 09:35:07 AM
Now with the "ZOTAC Nvidia GeForceŽ RTX 2080 Ti AMP! Edition 11GB" plugged in I was running the Passmark test. They have currently 1.14 million uploaded data sets.

And my monster is on the top 1% (or 99th percentile) of all PC's world wide with submitted test results.

A similar HP G4 Z8 workstation from other users got 12 submissions. And mine is on place 2
 8)

And here the HP G4 Z8 comparisons.

And the graphics card is running just with the default values from Nvidia. No overclocking done - even the card and fans are designed for overclocking.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 19, 2019, 09:14:03 AM
So I am playing a bit around.

4K 8-Bit H.264 MP4 videos with 59,94 frame rate as source and aligned to 24 minutes movie exported to H.264 mp4 same frame rate is about 100 frames per second on encoding to a total of 15 minutes. My old laptop as far as I remember was at 4 or 6 fps on encoding.

The same project exported to H.265 mp4 and same frame rate is about 75-80 fps and about 21 minutes for export encoding. My old PC couldn't encode H.265.

I expected it to be a bit faster like 160 fps on H.264 and 120fps on H.265, but the big graphics card is at 100% now when doing the encoding. But I have not yet optimized the editing software.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 22, 2019, 08:32:26 AM
I think I did one mistake on order of this configuration. I should have asked the sales rep (or better he should have told me) that with dual CPU in every memory bank should have been 1 memory module to gain the full performance. I was wondering why 1 CPU went up in usage to 30-40% while the other one stayed at 5-10 % not doing so much work ...
This means I would need 20 additional memory modules now ... another 7k or 8k Euros ... mh let's see if I want this. At the moment the performance for what I do is enough. It's just that I like things done well and complete.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: BacE on January 22, 2019, 09:16:05 AM
you only need 8 more identical (to the 4 you already have) memory modules, 2 x 6 channels.
This should've been 2 hexa-channel kits, the modules in these kits are tested together so there are no speed differences.
In my old system I got 2 quad-channel kits, they were a bit more expensive, but well worth it.

So you probably going to have replace the memory you already have installed with 2 hexa channel ecc kits
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 22, 2019, 11:55:31 AM
you only need 8 more identical (to the 4 you already have) memory modules, 2 x 6 channels.
This should've been 2 hexa-channel kits, the modules in these kits are tested together so there are no speed differences.
In my old system I got 2 quad-channel kits, they were a bit more expensive, but well worth it.

So you probably going to have replace the memory you already have installed with 2 hexa channel ecc kits

Thanks, so I should think about 8 more modules. I didn't consider these kits before. And the dealer I bought from sells demo and re-furbished HW of HP. He is an official HP partner. I have the full guarantee. So this "monster" is anyway a former demo hardware and the memory is from his bulk stock. If I look at above performance test I might have been lucky with 4 good modules anyway.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: BacE on January 22, 2019, 12:58:51 PM
the question remaines, will these 4 behave with 2 new ones. If the timing is of between modules they will either behave like single (dual or triple) channel or cause in worst case instability (system crash). So my suggestion would be, buy at least 1 hexa channel kit for 1 processor and try 2 modules with the four you already have. At least one processor will have optimal memory bandwith this way.
But if you want optimum performance, try and return the 4 modules you have and buy 2 hexa channel kits. 2x 48 GB for starters, you can always upgrade in the future with 2 more kits

I myself got 2x 32GB of quad channel and it has always been enough, but I only have a single hex-core cpu.
Title: Re: wanted: A new laptop (Windows) ...
Post by: andrat2000 on January 22, 2019, 02:23:36 PM
Well ... for my original fun project that didn't happen, I reserved a budget of total 25.000 Euro.

Part of it I spent on travels instead. I helped a model from the US with 1.9k $US to buy a MacBook Pro, so she could continue her online precense and earnings. Bought some camera stuff, like a tele zoom lens for my camera. And for the rest I decided to go into this monster. The budget is close to the end.

But with buying new memory hex channel memory kits, I am not really prepared right now.

There was a reason I went for the 32 GB memory modules. This monster will work for me many years, maybe more than a decade, like my last workstation from 1998. And I am going to upgrade the memory over the years for my other stuff I do on it.

I have to s*l*e*e*p (since the censor script will remove it) a few times over it.