This is definitely an interesting setup, but I'm gonna get rid of my desktop. Great suggestion, though!
First of all you said: not desktop replacement - so which is it? You can have a laptop that overlaps a desktop and you can have a desktop that overlaps a workstation but there are only a handful of laptops (mobile workstations) that truly overlap into the workstation space. Why don't you start out by telling us what desktop you have or what performance requirements you have of your new laptop? If you need a workstation replacement I highly recommend these: http://www.dell.com/us/soho/p/precision-laptops.aspx?c=us&cs=ussoho1&l=en&s=soho&~ck=mn and I'd look at the M6600 vs. the M4600. If you have a crappy or older desktop than most modern laptops will be equal except that you'll have heat and battery issues with the laptop that can not be ignored.
Point taken. I'm going to run 2-3 (maybe more, but unlikely) virtual systems at the same time. One of them will run on a ramdrive, the others will run from the hd. I need enough cpu power to handle all of them, and at least 16 Gb of ram for the ramdrive and the systems (host & guests). Also, being able to plug in 2 extra monitors would be great. I'm well aware of the heating issues. My last notebook was an IBM which I got right before they sold the division to Lenovo, and it was very well built.
Wow you sound like a perfect candidate for a VM rather than a local virtual instance. What is it that you are doing that needs a RAMDRIVE? Why not get a netbook or cheap laptop with a big monitor and a few video outputs? Pair that with a cloud instance like what Amazon offers (I do as well) and just have an instance that runs 24/7 that never dies and never gets lost? This is also much better on system resources - although it costs a bit more.
Almost 2 years, then my needs changed and I sold it. Granted, it's not a lot of time, but I got impressed with the no-frills setup and the build quality. I'm pretty sure I'd still be using it, have my needs not changed.
Nothing too fancy, really. I have been using this setup for some time now, and I love it. The way I see it, hard drives should be used for storage only. Didn't know about this. I'll consider it, thanks.
The defacto standard is the Dell Precision M6600 which can support 3 monitors. It can be equipped with up to 32 GB of memory, the 2960xm Extreme processor and NVIDIA 5000m graphics card which is purpose built for demanding CAD/CAM and engineering applications. The only other rig I can think of which is more powerful is the Alienaware 18 inch gaming laptop, but that wont be powerful by very much. Their 18 inch gaming laptop is designed to hold 3 SSD drives daisychained to get to 756 GB. A solid state drive will speed up your system in multiples booting up in a matter of seconds. They will soon be shipping the Ivy Bridge processors in a month or two. They will be 10% faster in the CPU, but 100% faster in the GPU. If we are talking desktops, there are rack systems on the Dell website which have 192 gb, 6 hard drives and dual Xenon processors. The reality is that you probably dont need that much power and a more practical option for a desktop would be the HP H9se Phoenix. The thing is about having one laptop is what happens if the laptop goes down? Its best to have two laptops. I have Lenovos and HPs. Neither have gone down despite constant use. I dont believe the Dell M6600 Precision would go down easily unless you flung it against the wall or dropped it from a few stories. As for the heating issues, you need to blow out the heatsink every once in a while with a compressor like the Metro Vacuum ED500. Also, when a laptop is plugged in and used as a desktop replacement you should always take out the battery. The battery adds more heat to the system. That will solve the heating issues.
Lenovos are the best computers built for business travelers. Their most famous series is the T-Series which was specifically made for businesspeople on the go. The outer trademark black case is a favorite among business travelers as its durable and can withstand a few smacks while on the go. The T420s is the preferred model among businesspeople. You can hook up three monitors to it. At 14 inches its the perfect size for doing work on an airplane and moving from place to place. The battery seems to last forever and there is another bay for a second battery when you really need endurance. Lenovo claims 30 hours with the most conservative settings and extra battery. Every computer I have purchased has had to go back for service within the first year. There were some Dells I used once and had purchased the service plan. One day the Dell went down and they had a technician come to my residence. Between the time I made the call to service and the computer put back into working condition was less then 24 hours. Very impressed with Dells premium service plans. My HPs have had to go back for service a few times. They sent me a UPS box to send the computer back in or I could use my own. They paid shipping back to HP. It was fast and a very friendly process. Lenovo was a different story. My monitor seemed to be having problems and had to be replaced. Getting in touch with service at Lenovo was a problem. I had to pay shipping back to them and it seemed like forever to get it fixed. When the laptop was returned to me, I saw small scratches in the place where the screen was attached to the laptop. Obviously, this wasnt a very good replacement job. They left signs behind. It was sloppy. I do like Lenovos and there is a lot to like, however, the service was so poor that I would not buy a Lenovo again. I had wonderful experience with Dells and HPs. If you buy their premium service plan then you get door to door service within a day. The most common problem with Dells and HPs is they overheat. There is a heatsink right behind the vents which gathers dust. The dust piles up and acts like insulation. So every 3-6 months you really need to blow it out with something like the MetroVacuum ED500 you can get for $50 on Amazon or you might try canned air. The ED500 is more powerful then the canned air and really worked for me. Also, its best to take out the battery when its left plugged in for a time to reduce heat and preserve battery life. The Dells I had were not very durable. During those years I had a Dell, the service man visited my house about 4-5 times a year. It seemed like we got to know each other and everything from the motherboard to the monitor was replaced. The Dell was shit, but the service went way beyond expectations. The HPs have been the best compromise between them all. My HP HDX laptop I have had since 2009. Traveled with it all over the world and never had any problems. Well, there were a few minor fit and finish issues. I sent it back once and resolved all issues. The ESATA port has stopped working on the HDX, but I dont really use it that often anyway. My advice is whatever you get, get the service plan. They all break eventually.