Thinking of making a shift.......

Well, actually I've decided already. With a new job, renewed resources toward doing my own thing on the side, and a desk that feels more cluttered by the day, its time to make a shift away from big, bulky desktop PCs. My current quad-core will likely be the last desktop PC I will build myself. How can someone like myself with such a gadget lust break away from the massive, dual screened monsters that have adorned my workspace for so long? A shift in focus, for one. I've begun to realize just how little videogaming I do these days. Most of my actual work, on my "Desktop PC" is done via remote desktop from my humble X41, or tunneled in from my work PC. Effectively, my massive, high powered gaming PC is being treated as a server. With my ongoing obsession with virtualization expanding, I see no reason not to move to a dedicated ESXi machine for my assorted geekery, and just do away with the desktop entirely. My only bother, for that rare moment when I do sit at my vast desk, is the lack of dual monitors with my X41. The X201 coming later this month to replace my long in the tooth mobile workhorse won't quite bandage this single insufferable flaw, nor will it have the horsepower to handle the very few games I do occasionally play, intense locally hosted virtual playgrounds, and the like. What I need is a desktop replacement - an entire office that I can deploy anywhere. Enter the new object of my nerdlust - the Lenovo Thinkpad W701DS

More than a mere replacement, this machine has functionality I could only dream of integrating into a desktop experience. The fact that it can be folded up for easy transport when necessary is a bonus, although I wouldn't cart it around with me. As a tinkerer, I've grown tired of the long process with each build, figuring out why components won't play well together, processing warranty RMA requests and spending days, or weeks at a time without a functioning system. I have come to the simple realization that this has never been an issue with my many Thinkpads. Even as used purchases, my blocky black laptops have always come through for me. In seeking to reduce my home office footprint, the W701DS looks like it will fit the bill nicely, not to mention work well with my 3 year office upgrade cycle.

For now, my homebrewed desktop is safe. But when it comes time to replace it, in the not so far future, my eye will turn to this beastly notebook, an office in a unit that can be folded and carted off with me, if needed. Pairing its behemoth power with a standard X series ultralight like the X201 for travel and on the go work would be computing bliss. My desk would also look a hell of a lot less cluttered.