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Old Apr 3, 2021, 9:12 pm
  #8  
StuckInYYZ
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,918
Originally Posted by paperwastage
lately, there's plenty of FHD (even 4K) portable monitors, ranging from 10" to 22", from off-brand products to ASUS. you should be able to run this off USB-C or USB-A(maybe the airline USB port is enough, need a voltmeter/ampmeter to check?)

you do have to work within the confines of the (typically) 100W power plug limit.
https://www.asus.com/us/Displays-Des...Screen-MB14AC/

check amazon + "portable monitor", i have a 11" 1080p one. multiple variations (some running off USB-C only, some with HDMI + microUSB fo rpower, some are USB-A only using DisplayLink. some have touchscreens, some have speakers)

11.6 inch 1080P FHD Capacitive Touch Portable Monitor(T116A)
https://www.amazon.ae/Touchscreen-Po.../dp/B07FKJ6WP1

(it weights maybe 1 pound, i currently use these 3M velcro to tape it to my kitchen wall. dont see any issues using it in airplane seats)
(velcro holds 16 pounds) https://www.amazon.com/Command-Pictu...dp/B073XR4X72/
I did a search originally but never really found one that worked. But I did not know about the 14 series from Asus (interestingly it never showed up or I just assumed it was the 16in version). I have the 16AC version. (except for price, I would recommend) I would just need to use one of the mini PC that has USB-C display for output (currently have several versions floating around). Touch isn't a concern. HDMI would be nice but as long as I can output to a display I'm happy. Audio isn't an issue as I would likely be hooking a headphone off the main unit.

I don't think power would be an issue. The units I typically work with usually don't consume a lot of power (25-45w with the brick usually powering up to 65w). Just need to pick up a few longer length cables but that's a lot easier. Thanks!

Originally Posted by paperwastage
just note that (powerful) miniPCs have a price premium and could even have a performance degradation due to cooling issues

why not just get a ryzen laptop with onboard memory/storage? their mobile CPUs are pretty good now, can trade blow-for-blow with desktop chips

(some reason their battery test didn't work, anandtech had much better results on battery) https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020...d-its-awesome/
https://www.anandtech.com/show/15708...0hs-a-review/4


if you are price sensitive, a $650 option isn't that bad (unless you go with a pc-on-stick or intel NUC or have spare parts, your miniPC will likely be more expensive)
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020...ove-its-class/
I realise there is a price premium to a nuc/mini PC, but the main point of this is/was to come up with something a bit more comfortable on the plane (why I call it a FWP). I wasn't flying as much as many of the others here and mostly in Y or PE (and more TPAC than domestic/TB) and even now I'm not, but I'm trying to plan ahead as things are starting to look up. In Y, I can fit, but if I were to use a 15" laptop to do any work, more often (way more often) than not, I'd be holding the laptop at an angle. I'm still carrying the laptop for off the plane and client meetings on site, it'd just sit in it's carrier for the transit portion. Honestly, I don't need THAT much additional horsepower (more is nicer, but not really a concern... I just need enough to run 2-3 VMs to test my scripts). This is specifically on the plane. Since the components are effectively broken up, I can shift things around so I can actually breath. The fact that I can also raise the monitor to eye level is a bonus. If I can watch local videos, another bonus.

I'm perfectly happy to be disconnected from the world for the 14-25 hours of transit (assuming TPAC), but I often find the IFE lacking and often if I can get a few hours in of productivity then it's better for me when I hit the ground (to or return). Ideally if the airline could provide a screen for me, it would alleviate some of the issue, but I am not expecting them to offer more than what is already there. I know the business class seats of some airlines have what I want, but the chances of me riding up front are unlikely at best.

On a different note, I am starting to see 5000 series Ryzen showing on laptops so hoping to see them in the mini space as well. I'd love to see Epyc processors in the mini space, but wrong market and likely so overpriced/badly configured it wouldn't make sense.
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