Good thread and good replies. Please let us know what you decide on, @d0rian. I'm a bit in the same situation and seem to have similar needs as the ones you listed. Currently, I'm using a high-end Dell Gaming Laptop with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ 32, SSD drive and 16 GB DDR ram. In the past I used a huge tower, but when it was time to buy a new trading rig a few years ago now, I wanted something lighter and more portable. Seeing how laptops performance had improved considerably, I went with my laptop. I have not had any issues, but there can be times where I 'feel' I'm pushing the system a bit and the fan turns on like a jet engine. Typically if I'm running a lot of workbooks simultaneously, live charts and loading data from my DB. 85 % of the time it's running quitely though. Have not noticed any heating issues. So, I'm looking to buy something slightly better than what I currently have. I'm not sure how much I'd favour mobility anyway, since the idea of working out of house has proven to be that - just an idea. For serious work and actual trading, I need to be in house. So, for me it would be better to then have a laptop for casual work sessions outside the house and a dedicated trading rig in house for actual trading. There are also dedicated laptop workstations. These are far more pricey than my Dell Gaming Laptop. Not sure how they'd compare with desktops. Bottom line seems to be that desktops still are king, but that perhaps for some of us - a strong laptop can be sufficient? Regardless of portability, it sure is nice to have my laptop stacked hidden under my desk with no cable clutter. Makes it easier to clean the floor.
Generally I prefer large screen/keyboard laptops these days, having adapted to that ergonomically it now feels "natural" to me. Having the ability to move it elsewhere for a while without major effort is a bonus. Downside is no cutting edge performance.
On the topic of laptop heat dissipation, btw, do the ~$25 USB-powered fan cooling pads (eg this one which i have) do much to preserve / protect lifespan? I always have my laptop sitting on one of those and when I lift it up to touch the bottom, it's always nice and cool which is reassuring (compared to the warmth you feel when it's on your lap)...though I don't know whether it's actually doing much on the inside... Cool is better than warm obv, but are these things just gimmicky $25 widgets that don't actually do much for the laptop innards?
Advantage of a desktop? Cool running. Reliable performance over time. Easy physical upgrade. Economical upgrades cost. Broader upgrade choices. Easier visual/physical layout. In posting all of that, I think I have merely summarized the thread -- nothing terribly new. A laptop can capture utility for a snapshot of usage (like, Sunday statistical work at the brewpub, or at a forest picnic table), but for real flexibility, it's desktops by far. IMO.
The last time I caused my laptop to snap/quit from thermal overload? Last night. My fault, of course -- *I* blocked the fans and in-flow and out-flow. Still, I resent evaluating my next laptop on the basis of where THE VENTS are.
Sounds like we're not too dissimilar re: usage + observations. (Mine = mostly brokerage platform + several live charts + excel workbooks w/ lots of real-time formulas recalculating while streaming live quotes via API.) My prior rig was similar to yours (Asus laptop Core i7-6700HQ CPU, 16 GB DDR4), but i decided to splurge on a higher-end MSI gaming laptop (i7-8750H 6 cores, 32GB). Not sure if it's the better processor or 32 ram but feel like I'm getting minor-but-nonetheless-noticeable better performance. So I'm probably near upper-end of performance laptops, but created thread b/c I wondered whether, given that it's become clear that I do 90% of trading at home, I was being stupid for not looking into a tower that would achieve even better performance at 50% lower cost. E.g.: Are there desktop-friendly chipsets that would run circles around the i7-8750H in my MSI? Would upgrading from 32GB > 64GB ram be a game-changer? Would, as mentioned earlier ITT, identical specs to what I have except in a desktop rather than laptop result in dramatically better performance due to heat and other issues?
%% AND if you buy a laptop; consider buying from some one that actually works on the stinkin' things. And what's with the ant print warranty ??LOL-LOL.............................................................................
It seems to me that it all boils down to your usage. Like I said - I have not had any issues to speak of, but that does not mean I can't benefit from a desktop tower or a more powerful laptop than the one I have now. So, I'm curious - what is it you guys are doing that is causing thermal overload and heating issues?