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Replace Laptop: NUC + Portable Monitor

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  1. #1

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    Replace Laptop: NUC + Portable Monitor

    I need some view from IT experts in this group.

    So a couple of the laptops in the office are dying one by one. I was shopping for new laptops and then it hit me that I should be buying them NUCs

    You see my guys sometimes have to work at client site, sometimes at the printer's office etc. most of the time in the office.

    I did some thinking and realized if I replaced everyone's PC with NUCs, they can just bring that on site, with a portable monitor that cost 1k and a portable keyboard/mouse and boom everything is the same as their familiar desktop. To make life easy, I'll buy a few extra power adapter so the guys just need to unplug the NUC and go. I prep the screen+keyboard+mouse+power adapter in a laptop bag and they are ready.

    What are the possible problems I will run into in this setup? I've never used a NUC so I'm not sure if their fan is roaring like an engine etc


  2. #2

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    The 8th gen NUCs fixed the fan noise issues that people used to complain about. I use one for a kid's computer.

    They'd work as portable devices. You might want to use TKL style keyboards for reduced size too.

    The main problems I can see would be:
    Fairly limited number of USB ports. Solvable with a hub, but even more wiring mess.
    You'd want to make sure these things are encrypted, depending on location, they are very stealable.

    ycchai likes this.

  3. #3

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    Also if you have a NUC, can you share how long is their life span? if being left on 24/7 (sleep mode when not used)


  4. #4

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    I only have the one, it's not exactly statistically useful!

    It's just a PC, there's not anything about it that would make it more or less likely to fail than any other PC as far as I can tell. It's been reliable for the past couple of years of daily use, but then again so has the 2015 secondhand Thinkcentre that it sits on top of.

    It's quieter than the Thinkcentre (M73 Tiny) from a fan perspective. Both are close enough to silent normally, but if the CPU usage ramps up, the Thinkcentre is considerably louder.

    Off memory, there are 2 formats for NUCs- one takes additional 2.5" drives, the other only takes M.2 onboard. There's about 1-2cm of height difference between them. I had totally forgotten about this until yesterday when I discovered that the NUC had a 500GB secondary drive in it.

    ycchai likes this.

  5. #5

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    How about adding a couple of Steam Decks running windows to the mix?

    https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck


  6. #6

    IMHO it's not really practical. You need a power supply, then you need an external mon, that also needs a power supply. So at the remote location you need a socket nearby, or two.

    Maybe you look into changing notebook brands or look for corporate notebook lease options with technical support. Or when you buy a notebook, get also the service package.

    Skyhook, ArrynField and ycchai like this.

  7. #7

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    What’s the fan noise like when running under stress?

    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    I only have the one, it's not exactly statistically useful!

    It's just a PC, there's not anything about it that would make it more or less likely to fail than any other PC as far as I can tell. It's been reliable for the past couple of years of daily use, but then again so has the 2015 secondhand Thinkcentre that it sits on top of.

    It's quieter than the Thinkcentre (M73 Tiny) from a fan perspective. Both are close enough to silent normally, but if the CPU usage ramps up, the Thinkcentre is considerably louder.

    Off memory, there are 2 formats for NUCs- one takes additional 2.5" drives, the other only takes M.2 onboard. There's about 1-2cm of height difference between them. I had totally forgotten about this until yesterday when I discovered that the NUC had a 500GB secondary drive in it.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by happy_camper:
    IMHO it's not really practical. You need a power supply, then you need an external mon, that also needs a power supply. So at the remote location you need a socket nearby, or two.
    .
    Ah thanks for the reminder. So I need to find a power adapter with USB power ports. Our work is different, we don't use the laptop to show some PPT and then off it or work on the road. We need it to run offsite at a location where we "camp" and power is definitely supplied because of the long hours of work involved. NO one's laptop can last from 9 to 3am

    Quote Originally Posted by happy_camper:
    Maybe you look into changing notebook brands or look for corporate notebook lease options with technical support. Or when you buy a notebook, get also the service package.
    I'm trying to save a few bucks, lease and technical support is going to cost me more when the IT dept is run by me telling the other staff how to repair . Doing the above I could give everyone a "laptop" and a PC and cost me only 1k for the portable mon. Also for them to know exactly where their file is on the PC and when using their "laptop" is definitely a bonus instead of using thumb drives like right now

  9. #9

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    I think there are portable monitors which can be powered by USBC and if your laptop has one of those high powered ports (PD?) - it might just work.

    Or if your laptop like many new ones accepts USB-C as its power, then you can perhaps consider getting a dual port third party USBC charger for both your monitor and laptop.

    You're going into exotic configs!

    The best one I've seen is people using their new iPads with their macbooks... single wire between the iPad and Macbook


  10. #10

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    have you thought about a windows tablet? they don't have to be stuck near a power outlet all the time. it comes with it's own monitor.

    before you decide to ditch the laptops, you should do a trial run. buy 1 nuc or tablet plus whatever accessories that is needed. See if it works out for your needs. You will get better feedback than any advice on this forum.


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