Workstation Advice - Laptop or Desktop?

I'm looking to get a fairly solid workstation for photoshop, CAD, and 3d work. Gaming is not a priority - although I will be using a game engine, unity3d, or other real time options for visualization. Due to clients, site visits and a fairly broad dispatch of family and friends, I'm on the go quite a bit.

Can I get by with ~$700-800 lt, preferebly on the 700 side? I typically build my dekstops but I'm on the go so much and I really don't save a WHOLE lot more building. Cooling has me conserned as I run the potential of 24-36 hours of rendering. Though, I'm not running a render farm here or anything like that. Don't think I'm in need of a dedicated productivity card, along the lines of a Quadro, either. Just something solid to get the work done.

I've been thinking of jumping on one of the sandy bridge deals dell has been teasing. Sell the 360 to get some cash back. Thoughts, comments, questions of your own?

Thanks peeps, I appreciate it.

Bests.

I'd never render for 36 hours on a laptop. Heat and premature wear on some parts- not necessarily the board but the HD and other small moving parts in there would concern me somewhat. Also the performance you get for 700 out of a laptop is about 1/2 of what you can get out of a desktop for that money. Please don't mention that D word. You can build something decent for 800 on the desktop side if you already have a monitor.

what he said ^ i would rather have a small box of a desktop mini computer with desktop cpu, than a laptop when it comes to serious cpu and ram work.
one is designed to be mobile and does that well, one will still do hard work when needed.

Mini-ITX systems are quite portable. And you don't have to skimp on quality, you could have a fairly powerful system with a SB OCed to 4+ and a high-end GPU. It might be a pain to lug a monitor around, but leave a good one and maybe get a cheap 17" to lug around. LAN harnesses might make things easier too. or get creative, try to mount it to the back of a LCD?

I suppose I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone. I need a solution for when i'm in the field/on site/traveling, and if I could get it to double as my main, that would be great. No problems building a nice desktop for 700-800, just curious if I could get away with it on a laptop that could pull double duty. Itx is a thought, but wouldn't do to well in a coffee shop with a client or on site gathering/presenting, heh. Guess I'm asking for to much of my dollar...a bad habit of mine....just trying to consolidate for efficiency.

Extended trips that aren't by plane, I think a mini-ITX is feasible.

If you only need to show and not create with your client, have you thought about a tablet that can remote login to your desktop?

There are notebooks that will meet your needs, but nowhere near your price range. Double it and you'll have a workable solution.

Knufire said:

If you only need to show and not create with your client, have you thought about a tablet that can remote login to your desktop?

Click to expand...

No, that's a good point, though.