SW and Laptops 2

[djw2k3]

Hi there,

Does anyone run SW happily on a laptop - ie similar performance to a mid range workstation??

Anyone have any recomendations for a good manufacturer/brand?

I assume the main bottle neck in a laptop is the graphics card.

I see some are getting the 1 gig RAM mark with a reasonable CPU.

Dave

 

[DanielGraham]

Not to dig up too old of a thread, but just wanted to make a little update:

I just got the M60 after researching the laptop options and could not be happier. I did some basic comparisions to my old workstation.

Specs on workstation:
Compaq W4000
1.8 pentium 4, 1 gig RAM, nVidia FX 500 card, 40 Gig7200 rpm HD

M60
1.6 pentium M, 1 gig RAM, nVidia FX 700 card, 60 Gig 7200 rpm HD

Open 6500 piece assembly:
compaq: 49 seconds (lightweight)
M60: 17 seconds

Open 500 piece assembly:
compaq: 1 min 5 sec (fully resolved)
M60: 29 seconds

I also did some historically machine intensive operations such as the new automated mold core and cavity creation, the deform feature, and others like that and the trend remains similiar. The M60 is about 2 times as fast as my Compaq for these tasks.

Also to note, the Compaq was fully optimized in terms of XP setup and minimum services running, while the M60 is stock. (and we all know how much crap is running and not optimized on a stock computer.)

Needless to say I am extremely happy.

Thanks
Daniel

 

[maxb]

Hi Daniel G,

I just want to know what type of RAM in your compaq w4000,

Is it SDRAM (PC133) or DDR.

Thanks

maxb

 

[JNR]

BTW: For what it's worth. I just took a Dell laptop to Italy with SW and a complete aircraft cockpit/structure and our avionics assemblies in a single assembly file. The customer (who uses CATIA) was blown away by the speed.

They though I had a JPEG up until I rotated it real time. I've never seen 10 sets of eyeballs the size of saucers before....

3/4 of all the Spam produced goes to Hawaii - shame that's not true of SPAM also.......

 

[DanielGraham]

To answer the question, my Compaq W4000 had DDR PC2100. So it is slower RAM.

It almost makes me laugh some times how much faster the M60 is sometimes. Put it this way. My old machine when I would make a drawing (lightweight) for the 6500 pc assembly(lightweight) I could not add dimensions cause it was so slow...now there is almost no wait for dimensioning and balooning.

Daniel

 

[MattP]

OK, lets look at this a little differently. I am working on a theory here - feel free to shoot it down if you know better: For about the same price or less than the price of a top of the line SW laptop workstation, you could buy a laptop that runs SW well enough to get by for the time you are in the field AND a top of the line desktop that runs SW VERY well.

Am I way off? If not, anybody have any recommendations for this midrange (read: affordable) laptop?

MP

 

[Rocko]

MattP buy a Dell Inspiron 8200 used with the 64mb Nvidia card. I would advise buying an inspiron 8200 it will save you alot of money and you can then spend approximately $390.00 for the quadro card from dell parts and put it in the machine. The inspiron 8200 is really a M50 architecture but without the video card and same processor. You will save about $1400.00 doing it this way plust the 8200 is a good laptop.

 

[JNR]

Rocko is making a lot of sense. And you can use the $1400 towards some desktop horsepower. We are running some pretty heavy duty assemblies on a little less Dell than he is suggesting.

3/4 of all the Spam produced goes to Hawaii - shame that's not true of SPAM also.......

 

[djw2k3]

yet again reviving this old thread I know, but went the way of a Dell M60,

omigosh, i have to agree with Daniel Graham...this thing is like a tubocharged, intercooled, nitrous breathing...mini cooper

 

[whippet]

I just ordered and installed my second GB of ram. I hit a wall, not on the model side, but making drawings and exporting them as E and DWG's.

Like the guys in Monty Python say “Don’t skimp on the pâté"

Also Happy new year to all

have fun make money
Paul

 

[flykks]

Indeed, because of the GF 440 (NV17 core), Inspiron 8200 is not a good choice for SW. However it has been shown that the NV17 and the later NV25, which is the base for the Quadro are just about identical chipsets. If you are stuck with the 8200 or you do not want to spend the $350 for the Quadro 700, there are software tools out there to configure the 440 as a Quadro. See

http://www.guru3d.com

for some info, but be aware that it does take a little bit of work.

Worse yet, it seems that Dell wised up: I could not get them to sell me a Quadro without providing a proper M50 service tag.

 

[JNR]

wow, I was right there with you on the TURBOCHARGED, INTERCOOLED, NITROUS BREATHING.... mini cooper? How disappointing, I was expecting a REAL muscle car ;-)

Seriously, you are right, some of the laptops seem to be extremely powerful - particulalry Dell who seem to have it nailed. I am ready to trade my office desktop for a laptop - as soon as there is some budget for it.....

John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics

A hobbit's lifestyle sounds rather pleasant...... it's the hairy feet that turn me off.

 

[djw2k3]

well more a muscle car squeezed into a mini cooper - but with a bit more finesse :-D ha ha

Obviously u pay more for equivalent power in a laptop cf with a desktop - but really the M60 is a relatively high end desktop replacement.

Better watch it, am beginning to sound like a salesman arggggg ;-)

 

[whippet]

Don't do it!!! Unless you have mobile requirements. I ran one of my top assemblies on my customers system, and can't help but wonder how much time I'm loosing. I will make it a priority to purchase a new desktop system for my office this year.

have fun make money
Paul