Laptop Notebook Graphic Card

[AirSaratoga]

I am a new user of Solid Works, I have 2008. (Ex AutoCAD user). I want to be able to run Solid Works on my laptop. I meet all hardware requirements except for the graphics card. Do any others run on a laptop? What do you find works well. I have heard the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M would be a good one to run, yet I am having trouble finding one. Anyhelp would be appreciated.

 

[ctopher]

I just got a new Dell Precision M90 yesterday. It has a NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M. I just loaded SW on it today, so far no problems.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[AirSaratoga]

Thanks for the info, any suggestions where to buy just the card? I am having difficulty finding the mobil card, the regular ones are everywhere.

 

[rfus]

You are new to SW but running on 2008 beta 3?

Go here to see approved cards:

http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/videocardtesting.html

1500 on list, but it comes down to what is compatible with your laptop and how much money you can spend. Quadros do give you the best bang for your buck in my opinion.

RFUS

 

[ctopher]

Here is also a link to search.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2526

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[AirSaratoga]

Sorry, 2007 is what I am getting.

Thanks for the link. The notebook review was on gaming cards, it is my understanding that gaming and CAD usage are quite different animals. Looing through the recommended list, it appears I have two choices. The NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M and the ATI Mobility Fire GL. I have heard from one that they did not get very good results from the Fire GL. Any thoughts on this?

 

[ctopher]

I have tried both ATI and Quadro in desktops. I prefer the Quadro, less problems.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[AirSaratoga]

ok, that is two that say the Quadro is better. you are running the 2500, for the money, you think the 1500M would work with no trouble. The stats do not seem much different, a slightly better per/second rate.

 

[EEnd]

The “video card” in laptops are generally custom built by the laptop manufacturer, and are not generally considered a user upgradeable component. You might be able to work with the manufacturer on getting it upgraded. Depending on the manufacturer and model there may be no CAD card available for your laptop. Wish I had better news.

Eric

 

[AirSaratoga]

Dang, had not considered that. I will look into that. I do remember that is a problem with notebooks. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[ctopher]

1500M should work OK, just a tad bit slower than the 2500.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[JMirisola]

Bear in mind, too, that if you're not running XP Pro, you'll have problems running SolidWorks.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

 

[AirSaratoga]

I am running XP pro. thanks. I have heard that Vista is not compatable, guess I won't do that upgrade.

 

[borsht]

Go for the Nvidea. I ran on my Dell M50 with it for 4 years, with all the most current solidworks versions, and the video was solid.

 

[fcsuper]

Hey Chris, that's the exact system I'm getting soon at work. lol Let me know whatcha think of it.



Matt
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
sw.fcsuper.com
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group

 

[ctopher]

Matt,
So far so good. The one part I don't fully understand ... it's a 64 bit system. I installed SW from the (32-64 bit) DVD. How do I know if it installed to use the 64 bit? It's not clear to me.
It has 4gb RAM and is dual proc, very quick! I can now rotate a very large assy with no problems.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[Cheeseburger]

I'm actually putting together a Req to my manager to purchase a laptop and get rid of my desktop. As much as I hate to get rid of my desktop, I find myself working from home and the road to much these days.

If anyone could offer up some suggested platforms, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Brian

 

[rfus]

ctopher, does it live in your ProgramFiles(x86) directory?

 

[fcsuper]

Cool I ordered mine as one of those old fashion 32-bit machines.

Matt
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
sw.fcsuper.com
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group

 

[AirSaratoga]

Thanks for all your advice. That is just dumb that they don't allow most of these laptops to upgrade. Guess I will have to look into getting a new laptop. The Dell M series are suppose to run the program well.