High Spec Long-Lasting Laptop Configuration

[NF821]

I'm currently looking to purchase an extremely high-end laptop that will last for 5-10 years without becoming outdated (in terms of technology). Obviously technology is constantly advancing, so I'm simply looking to achieve this as far as possible.

My current plan is as follows:

Chassis & Display
Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Extreme i7-4930MX (3.00GHz) 8MB
Memory (RAM)
32GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M - 4.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ASUS™ XONAR-U7 Compact 7.1 USB soundcard and headphone amplifier
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ULTIMATE-N 6300 (450Mbps)
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Firewire
1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
Battery
2 x 17.3" Vortex Series Battery Pack, 76.96WH (One Spare)
Power Cable
1 x UK Power Lead & 230W AC Adaptor
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
DVD Recovery Media
NO DVD RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Carry Case
Wenger Legacy 17’’ Triple Case
Keyboard Language
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions for this build? Given the price, I need to be sure I manage to get the build right before purchasing. As mentioned above, I'm hoping for the build to last 5-10 years with minor upgrades/changes/repairs.

Additionally, does anyone know whether an Intel Centrino wireless card can be upgraded to a newer AC dual band card at a later date? (http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wireless-products/wireless-product-selection-guide.html)

 

[crawoo145]

If you want to make something futureproof picking the things with the biggest values isnt necessarily the way to go. 32GB of RAM seems unnecessary as you could easily upgrade as and when you need it.

The problem with laptops is alot of the components cannot be changed. If futureproofing is your primary concern look at desktops as it will be easier to interchange components.

As a side note Blu-ray in a computer for me anyways is utterly useless. You can only use specific software to play media from a blu ray and with the rise of platforms such as steam, digital downloads will most likely be the most prominent form of purchasing software.

 

[NF821]

If you want to make something futureproof picking the things with the biggest values isnt necessarily the way to go. 32GB of RAM seems unnecessary as you could easily upgrade as and when you need it.

The problem with laptops is alot of the components cannot be changed. If futureproofing is your primary concern look at desktops as it will be easier to interchange components.

As a side note Blu-ray in a computer for me anyways is utterly useless. You can only use specific software to play media from a blu ray and with the rise of platforms such as steam, digital downloads will most likely be the most prominent form of purchasing software.

It's more that I need a high-spec laptop, which will cost me, thus I don't want to need a new laptop any time soon, given the expense. In terms of RAM, 32GB could be considered excessive, however given the overall price of the laptop, an extra £100 doesn't make a great deal of difference - however, duly noted, I will consider 16GB instead.

I do a large amount of travelling between countries, hence a desktop is less than ideal for me. I understand the limitations in terms of laptop-futureproofing; I just need something that will still be relatively high-spec in 5 years. Not necessarily top-of-the-range, but still a competitive laptop that will be superior to the average laptop that people own.

In terms of Blu-ray, I whole-heartedly agree with you, which is why I've stuck with the default optical drive. I'm unsure whether you misinterpreted the category heading as a Blu-ray selection, but rest assured I'm not going to purchase a Blu-ray optical drive that I'll never use.

Many thanks for your comments so far.

 

[keynes]

I agree with Crawoo, not sure how much you are spending but I would consider the i7-4700mq and 8gb RAM. The spec you posted, for a gaming laptop, wouldn't last 5 or 10 years. You could upgrade the cpu and gpu but you are limited to whether or not Clevo will release a BIOS update to allow you to get a better gpu in the future. I would suggest spending a fraction of your budget and upgrading after a few years instead.

 

[NF821]

Many thanks for your replies. I have reached a configuration I am happy with, and shaved £1000 off of the crazy first quote that I posted.

 

[crawoo145]

It's more that I need a high-spec laptop, which will cost me, thus I don't want to need a new laptop any time soon, given the expense. In terms of RAM, 32GB could be considered excessive, however given the overall price of the laptop, an extra £100 doesn't make a great deal of difference - however, duly noted, I will consider 16GB instead.

I do a large amount of travelling between countries, hence a desktop is less than ideal for me. I understand the limitations in terms of laptop-futureproofing; I just need something that will still be relatively high-spec in 5 years. Not necessarily top-of-the-range, but still a competitive laptop that will be superior to the average laptop that people own.

In terms of Blu-ray, I whole-heartedly agree with you, which is why I've stuck with the default optical drive. I'm unsure whether you misinterpreted the category heading as a Blu-ray selection, but rest assured I'm not going to purchase a Blu-ray optical drive that I'll never use.

Many thanks for your comments so far.

The only reason I bring up the blu ray is as a warning to anyone who considers it, I got it thinking it would be a great idea and within 10 minutes of using it realized it was a mistake

I have got a optimus IV that I've had for a year now and there isnt anything I have seen in the normal retail arena I.E PC world, Currys, ebuyer that could beat it for the price I paid, obviously the current optimus has a new iteration of components that I have but nothing too revolutionary.

Hope you enjoy your laptop.

EDIT: just realised I may have misread your choice of optical drive my apologies.