Laptop for Solid Works, will this do?

[Kimpan]

I'm looking to buy a laptop to use for some "not so advanced" CAD modeling in Solid Works. I will be modeling parts for helmets so there will be some surface modeling and small assemblies.

I'm looking for the cheapest laptop with a ~17" screen that does the job.
Which would you recommend?

I've been looking on these, would they work? Can I go for something cheaper even?

dv7-4050ea

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/laptops/hp-pavilion-dv7-4050ea-review-50000298/

Acer Aspire 7745G

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/laptops/acer-aspire-7745g-review-50000524/

 

[MadMango]

For both, the mobile graphics cards are the weak point. If you can handle (on a daily basis) some refresh errors, disappearing cursors, choppy model rotation, etc... both might "do". You just have to ask yourself if the savings today are worth the aggravation and headaches of tomorrow.

My laptop is a bit older (HP dv7-1025nr), with a 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT card. It performs well enough on prismatic models, drawings, and assemblies (~50 parts), but I don't work with surfacing so I couldn't say how it would handle them. There are glitches I expect and have to live with, luckily it's only during times when I have to burn the candle at both ends at home.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[Kimpan]

Ok, and there aren't any laptops with better suited graphics cards in that price range?

 

[CastMetal]

A laptop without an integrated graphics card is going to be a better bet. Look into laptops more along the lines of "Gaming" laptops, ASUS usually gives good bang for your buck.

 

[SolidWorksEngineer]

Hello,

I use HP Pavilion dv6, Win7 x64.

graphic card - ATI Mobility Radeon HD4530 (512MB)
RAM - 4 GB
Hard Drive - 320 GB (7200 rpm)

Run SW09x64 and now SW10x64 quite good. (max assemnbly about 100 part, exploaded view drawing was pain in the neck, but smaller assembly works fine)

Look only 3 thing... Graphic card 512+, RAM at least 3GB and Hard Drive must be 7200RPM (most of laptop has hard drive 5600RPM, and thats way, they are so slow)

good luck to find the right one

http://solidworksengineer.com

 

[ctopher]

I used to use a Dell M90 (company supplied). It worked very well with SW.
Don't know what is comparable today.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[Bugie]

I have a HP8530W works fine

 

[Kimpan]

Would I be better of with this

Dell Precision M6300 that has a 512mb Quadro FX1600M graphics card
or a Packard Bell EasyNote LX86-JO-755NC which has a 2gb
Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics card?
both at ~the same price..

 

[EEnd]

The following link shows the approved video cards for SolidWorks:

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html

The Quadro in the Dell is on the list. The Radeon is not. You do not have to assign a very high value to your time to make it worth your while to stick to the approved CAD cards even though they are more expensive than equivalent speed / memory gamer cards.

Eric

 

[Kimpan]

Yes EEnd I know, the quadro card i on the list but the specs for that card seems so much inferior to the radeon HD 5850.. 512mb vs 2gb. Also, the Dell Precision M6300 is two years old whereas the Packard Bell EasyNote LX86-JO-755NC is from this year..

Almost all of the cards in the lisst of approved graphics cards are over our company's budget.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Kimpan ... The specs for the Radeon do not take into account that it will be running with Software OpenGL, and that will significantly decrease (eliminate ?) the benefit of the seemingly better specs.

You may be one of the lucky ones who have no (or very few) problems using a Radeon ... or you may not even be able to start SW. I once had a home computer with a Radeon and, apart from being slow, I only suffered occasional graphic anomalies (black holes, multi-coloured lines, ghosting, etc)

Are you feeling lucky?

 

[EEnd]

The main use for RAM on a video card is to hold texture maps, i.e. all of the bitmaps that are pasted onto the polygons that make up the 3D landscapes in video games. I suspect that 512MB is serious overkill for SW. The card in my box only has 128MB.

If you go with the Radeon you will lose:
[ul][li]board architecture and drivers designed and tested for SW.[/li]
[li]technical support from SW and your VAR. (One of the first questions is "What graphics adapter are you using?")[/li]
[li]features like real view.[/li]
[/ul]

In return you will get:
[ul][li]video RAM which SW may not use.[/li]
[li]a faster video processor which you may not use if you have to resort to software OpenGL.[/li]
[/ul]

Eric

 

[321GO]

Maybe a refurbished Precision from DELL's outlet? Pricing seems bareable, with warranty.

Does any of you have experience with this?

 

[SnowCrash]

My current work computer is an acer 7551 with ATI radeon mobility HD5650, win7. It is passable, but i see glitches in video often and a crash most every day.
It is a temporary platform.

--
Hardie "Crashj" Johnson
SW 2010 SP 2.1
HP Pavillion Elite HPE