Thanks for your feedback Gabe. I have 2 Inspirons and while you could play games on them they aren't really gaming laptops. Both have the majority of their ports on the sides. It really does peeve me!
I fully accept what you have said but can't help but think "where there's a will there's a way." So, bearing in mind that big buggers like the M17 and M18 are not practical in terms of portability, wouldn't it make sense to offer an optional docking station with rear mounted ports? I mean, it could come in the form of a cooling tablet loaded with ports on the rear. No need to do away with the side ports but for those like myself who want all our cables tucked neatly away out of sight, it has to be a feasible option, no?
While it's understandable that rear jacks make more sense the side jacks, it is becomming less common on gaming/high performance laptops. There are several reasons for this (here are a few):
1. As GPUs get faster and more powerful, they require more/better cooling (which is only possible by directing a channel of air through the laptop)
2. Rear jacks, while convenient, are susceptible to heat damage (as most vents are on the rear)
3. Modern battery placement techniques only allow for battery placement at the rear or front of the laptop (which leaves no room for ports)
4. Common CPU/GPU placement techniques only allow for placement at the rear of the laptop (the best place to dicipate heat away from the palmrest/keyboard)
Keep in mind that while most ports are now located at the sides of the laptops, there are always more ports on the left side. This is due in part to minimize cable interference with a mouse (being that most are right handed)
7Leagueboot
2 Intern
•
501 Posts
0
April 21st, 2011 09:00
Thanks for your feedback Gabe. I have 2 Inspirons and while you could play games on them they aren't really gaming laptops. Both have the majority of their ports on the sides. It really does peeve me!
I fully accept what you have said but can't help but think "where there's a will there's a way." So, bearing in mind that big buggers like the M17 and M18 are not practical in terms of portability, wouldn't it make sense to offer an optional docking station with rear mounted ports? I mean, it could come in the form of a cooling tablet loaded with ports on the rear. No need to do away with the side ports but for those like myself who want all our cables tucked neatly away out of sight, it has to be a feasible option, no?
GabeZ
84 Posts
0
April 21st, 2011 09:00
Greetings 7leagueboot,
While it's understandable that rear jacks make more sense the side jacks, it is becomming less common on gaming/high performance laptops. There are several reasons for this (here are a few):
1. As GPUs get faster and more powerful, they require more/better cooling (which is only possible by directing a channel of air through the laptop)
2. Rear jacks, while convenient, are susceptible to heat damage (as most vents are on the rear)
3. Modern battery placement techniques only allow for battery placement at the rear or front of the laptop (which leaves no room for ports)
4. Common CPU/GPU placement techniques only allow for placement at the rear of the laptop (the best place to dicipate heat away from the palmrest/keyboard)
Keep in mind that while most ports are now located at the sides of the laptops, there are always more ports on the left side. This is due in part to minimize cable interference with a mouse (being that most are right handed)
Thanks,
Gabe