Larger battery or second hard drive option in place of optical drive on laptops

April 20, 2012

Posted By:  creativepragmatic

2 Votes

Status: Archived

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I plan to purchase an XPS laptop when the third generation mobile Core i5s become available.  I am a software developer so my needs might be a bit atypical.
 
First, I would like a 17-inch screen without a discrete graphics card.  If you buy 17 inches, manufacturers typically assume you are heavily into gaming or multimedia playback.  I just find the larger screen easy to work with for extended periods when on the go and I don’t like how the discrete graphics card and its accompanying fan cause the battery to drain quickly.
 
With high capacity USB sticks available, I hardly ever use the optical drive now.  It would be nice if more laptops were available either without an optical drive or with the option of making the optical drive an optional separate peripheral.  I currently have an external optical USB drive for use across all my machines.  The extra space could be used for a larger battery, a second drive or other options.  For me, a second drive would be useful for running two different operating systems in either a multiple boot setup or virtualized with one system as a guest.
 
I guess what I am really after is a 17-inch machine that runs cool, allows for more than one operating system and has a long battery life.

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  • Apr 21, 2012

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    Posted By:  HerrKaputt Comment Link

    Cy_J, I think the best way to go for this would be: ALL laptops' optical drives would be modular, and those modules are configurable.

    Perhaps this is not feasible on the cheapest line (Inspiron), but it should be present in all other ranges of laptops.

  • Apr 21, 2012

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    Posted By:  creativepragmatic Comment Link

    Currently, I don't have any specific requirements for screen resolution other than that it be relevant for ~4 years.  The screen should be viewable for extended periods without causing eye strain.

    As for ports, apart from the standard features, DLNA would be useful for work with larger screens.

    Docking stations are of little use to me since I work on a desktop when not mobile.
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  • Apr 22, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By:
    StigtriX

    Laptops without an optical drive has become more regular. I agree that the freed space should be used for a bigger battery, additional HDD/ SSD and maybe additional cooling.

    If DELL made this a standard feature, they would attract a lot of customers. 
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  • Apr 22, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: CyJ

    Thank you for the additional information as well HerrKaputt.  

    creativepragmatic - in case you are not aware there is an option on any comment posted to your idea that allows you to promote it to an Idea Extension.  This allows you to add your own or other's comments to being considered part of the idea.  I figured you may want to use that on your earlier comment.  :)
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  • Apr 21, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: CyJ

    Thank you for the additional information creativepragmatic.
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  • Apr 21, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: HerrKaputt

    I support this. Please do it also for Alienware's M14x.
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  • Apr 20, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: CyJ

    Do you have any other needs for such a system in terms of screen resolution, ports or a docking station?