On My Failure to Maintain a Windows Environment, and My Abandonment of Android for Tablets for an iPad Pro

Recently, I’ve been considering upgrading my current laptop (a 7th gen i7 Asus best buy special, with 16gb and 256gb). I was looking at various ultrabooks and low-end gaming laptops, but none of them really clicked with me. 

I realized rather quickly that my use case is really not one demanding of a full-fledged PC. 

Here’s what I used my Windows laptop for:

First, I used it for Indie gaming. Stuff like Stardew Valley, Darkest Dungeon, and others. Nothing super demanding, but stuff that was fun to play on the go without having a full setup.

Secondly, I use it for quick configs on my firewall/routers/switches. I also use it with a usb->serial cord to do console configs as needed.  

Thirdly, general web browsing when I’m on the go, as well basic document editing. Nothing crazy.

Finally, I use it to RDP back to my main desktop to do Lightroom, and other tasks that need too much CPU for my lowly laptop to handle.

I had some complaints with the laptop itself, which we’ll cover now.

First and foremost, an i7 in an ultrabook is way too hot. I ended up keeping it on a hardcover book when I’m in bed, and used powerconfig to max it at 50% speed while on battery. It was the only way that I could comfortably use it without cooking myself medium rare. 

Secondly, the keyboard was starting to go. The keys were always a bit flimsy, but after 5 years, they started popping out. 

Finally, the screen was 14” and 1080p. It’s not a huge issue, but it always felt a bit fuzzy. 

So, what were my options?

I looked at some basic gaming laptops (so that I could do more gaming) as well as the surface line. After some thought, I decided that that wasn’t really what I was looking for. Cost and heat would be an issue, and then, with the Surfaces, there’s definitely an additional cost to get what I was looking for. 

I glanced at Android, since most of my RDP/SSH/console needs would be met. But, gaming on Android is pretty limited. 

That brought me to iPads. What started as a “haha, I’ll just look for fun” quickly crossed into “Wait, this is actually viable.” The games I like have an iPad version. RDP works solidly on it. Logitech has some good keyboard options. I would just have to sell my soul a little tiny bit.

So, I got the iPad Pro 11”, and a logitech keyboard case, and have been using it for a few days now. I have not needed my laptop for anything yet. I even could sync my Darkest Dungeon saves over so I didn’t have to restart anything there. 

All in all, I am quite happy. 

I suspect I’ll be writing some more posts in the future on this. 

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