New laptop for Solidworks 2010.. suggestions? 1

[aliensquale]

some things that I would like...

-largest and brightest screen possible
-nVidia Quadro graphics card
-I like the little red trackpad button on the Lenovo/IBM laptops... not sure if any other laptops have this option
-not sure if Windows XP is still available or if you need to go Windows 7?
-worried about if 64 bit Windows 7 will work with Office 2003, Solidworks 2010 (32 bit version), etc.

not sure what processor or RAM requirements would be best..

Thanks all!

 

[SBaugh]

I think if you search the forum you will see many discussions about computers for SW2010.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[MechEng2005]

My employer was just able to order desktop PCs from Dell with Windows XP. It cost extra to downgrade, but it is possible.

-- MechEng2005

 

[SBaugh]

I would not get a machine with XP if you plan to use SW past 2010 SP1, because its not supported. XP support was dropped by Microsoft in April of 09.

Just my opinion if I were buying a new laptop to run SW on.
Cheers,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[Bugie]

I have HP 8530W with Win 7 x64. Works fine with Solidworks x64 and office 2007

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Support for XP Pro has been extended through 2011 ... and maybe even further.

https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/31466?tstart=0

 

[aliensquale]

is that solidworks support or windows support?

I have solidworks 2010 32 bit so that's why I can't get a 64 bit pc..

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

"is that solidworks support or windows support?"
Both


"I have solidworks 2010 32 bit so that's why I can't get a 64 bit pc"

1) x32 apps can be run on x64 PCs

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/...and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

2) You should have received the x32 and x64 version install discs from your VAR. If you have a valid license and current subscription for SW, you will have access to download the x64 version of SW.

 

[aliensquale]

ah okay didn't realize that.. thanks

 

[TexasRotorHead]

I was in your situation recently.

My list:

Dell Precision Line
Lenovo Thinkpad W Series
HP Elitebook Workstation

Out of those, I chose a Dell Precision M4400 because I found a screaming deal.

I run 32 bit Windows 7, 3.06 Core2 Extreme, 4gb ram, Quadro 770M, 1920x1200 screen. I cant ask for much more out of a laptop. It runs 2010 without a problem.

Hope that helps.

 

[aliensquale]

what made you go with the Dell over the Lenovo or HP? I have a Lenovo right now, great laptop, but crappy screen, not very bright at all. But I do like the little red button mouse in the center of the keyboard on the Lenovo!

 

[MMike1]

I have a Dell 4400 with Win7, 64b

Very pleased with it....

 

[TexasRotorHead]

I chose the Dell because I got a SCREAMING deal. I purchased an off lease laptop with the specs above (3.06 Core2 Extreme, 1920x1200, 4gb...) for $900 shipped. That is why I chose the Dell.

That being said, here are the good/bad.

It has a 3 button touchpad + 3 button touchstick. This is extremely nice in SW because it allows me to rotate and zoom the part without a mouse. Basically, I have full functionality of a mouse without it. Not as fast or preferred, but it lets me bring my laptop into my boss's office without needing a mouse.

The screen is very nice. 1920x1200 is fantastic. I have a coworker with the M4400 and the basic screen. Compared to mine, it looks like he is on standard VGA. I cant go back.

Battery life is surprisingly good. I have the 9 cell and I can typically get 2-3 hours assuming I am not running heavy programs. I have had it for almost a year and no issue with battery fatigue. Also, the LED indicator on the battery shows you how much juice you have without turning it on.

It runs hot. Very hot. The thing doubles as a heater. Get a cooling pad, you will need it.

No HDMI out. The HP has it, not sure about the Lenovo. It does have a DisplayPort though, which carries the same digital signal, so you can get an HDMI adapter. I think it is stupid that they dont do HDMI... but take it for what it is.

Heavy. It isnt really fun to lug this around. My previous laptop was a Dell Latitude E4300. It was a featherweight compared to this, but you wont find a laptop with a decent graphics card and nice screen much lighter. It is built like a tank though. Very sturdy.

I had weird freezing issues when I first got it. It would freeze periodically and the only fix was a hard reboot. Updated the bios and no issues for almost a year. It is an issue with some of these, but warranty takes care of it. Apparently it is hit or miss, but Dell knows about it and I think they fixed it. Only a concern when buying a used one really.

The keyboard is fantastic. One of my friends works for R&D at Dell. He told me they spent quite a bit of money reverse engineering the touchpad keyboards. They are pretty similar IMO.

If cost is a concern, I would look into the Dell Outlet, or the Lenovo and HP outlets. They all sell refurb laptops at good prices. Watch out for the screen resolutions at the Dell Outlet though. Alot of their M4400s have poor resolution. You can often find 15% off coupons for the outlet (I get them in my email periodically).

Thats about all I can think of. Overall, you will probably be pretty happy with the M4400. I dont have much experience with the others, but I can tell you that anything less than the Quadro 770M and you will have slowdowns with SW2010. The 1700M is probably not worth the additional money yet.

If you want a screaming processor, you might want to wait until the Quadro is mated with the i7 chipsets. They should be out soon if not yet.

Cheers

 

[aliensquale]

is QuadCore processors worth the extra money for Solidworks or Windows 7 64-bit?

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Only if you are running FEA or Rendering, or multiple processes. Quad cores do nothing (or very little) for core SW work.

 

[SBaugh]

It helps out if you have multiple operations going on that is not SW related when you have SW running. Having the Dual/Quad Cores are worth it to me when I was working a few months ago.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"

faq731-376

 

[aliensquale]

I thinking I'm best off maybe buying a year old generation like the Dell m4400 or Lenovo W500 that still have the regular sized screens (non 16:9), plus they use the Dual Core 2 instead of the Quad cores.. I don't think the quad core is really going to help much with Solidworks alone.

My biggest issue is the screens on these laptops.. I have a Lenovo T61p right now and I hate the screen, it's 15" but the brightness is very low, almost impossible to read the screen outside in bright light. Now all these newest laptops have the 16:9 ratio screen size.. I think this is going to be a disaster to work with in Solidworks... or am I misjudging this?

 

[aliensquale]

well I think I narrowed it down to either the Dell m4400 or new m4500... or the Lenovo w510

couple questions..

1.) Are both of these laptops now 16:9 screen perspective? is that a bad thing for Solidworks? all of my other laptops use regular screen perspective.

2.) Does the Dell or the Lenovo have a better/brighter screen? My current Lenovo t61p's screen is pretty terrible in my opinion, not very bright at all!

Thanks all!

 

[GRF]

The 16:9 ration is not a problem. I do not use too many tool bars I have fallen in love with the "s" key. With the feature tree on the left the 16:9 gives you more space for your model/drawing area in my opinion. In the office my monitors are 1600x1200 but on the road I get 1920x1200. I do not notice too much difference. But, like I said I do not have too many tool bars showing but I do have the words showing on the command manager bar.

 

[JaRaak]

TexasRotorHead,

i also have a m4400 and am really happy with it but have noticed the heat problems. what cooling pad do you run? can you tell a big difference? do you like the cooling pad that you have?

Jason Raak-CSWP
Design Engineer/CAD Administrator

http://www.rocksolidperspective.com