It's time to upgrade. I'm looking for a Windows/Linux-compatible machine (no Mac) that can handle:
Large spreadsheet workloads (think multi-GB Excel/CSV files)
4K+ video editing and exports
Possibly some ML experimentation later on
I was considering a high-end gaming PC for the GPU + RAM benefits, but not sure if that’s the best tradeoff for thermals, noise, and form factor. Open to desktop or laptop, though portability is a plus.
What builds or machines would you recommend in 2025 for blazing speed + stability?
The Framework Desktop is a really interesting machine, however it lacks the PRO in the name, which means that you're going a bit cheaper, but missing out ECC RAM option, which might be interesting for a Workstation that needs to be as stable as possible.
The HP Z2 Mini G1a Workstation has PRO available, which therefore also has unified ECC Ram up to 128GB, but this adds a premium of around 500 bucks. Maybe not worth the money.
So if you wanna go Desktop, you could pick:
If you wanna go mobile, there are 2 machines: I would never buy an mobile ASUS device that expensive (ASUS support can be a nightmare) but at the moment these are the only mobile devices with this chip.Otherwise you have to go Full GPU, which is non-unified and either very expensive or you get far less VRAM for AI workloads.
Here is a test with more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrAur5yYrA
Can take the 48GB SODIMMs that are on the market now. That'll handle a spreadsheet or two.
no non mac laptop today has that with good thermals.
so some boxes has amd ai 390 or 395 with 128gb.
for laptops need to wait for good thermal releases.
so it feels that macs dominate these days in all your points, and has good resell price later, except being mac)
Pretty much any desktop is going to outperform a laptop, especially the GPU.
You can spend $10k on a Dell with 4 drive capability, 128gb of ram and 24gb of gpu.
Not sure how much the 128 GB RAM version costs or when it will ship.
Alternatively, a scope that matches your budget.