Computer

Hey guys. I'm fairly new to the AutoCAD world and am planning on purchasing a new laptop with the intent on being mainly used for CAD. What is a good computer for this task? I also plan on using SolidWorks on this computer in the future as well. What specifics should this computer have to run both smoothly and seamlessly? Thanks in advance!

Welcome to CADTutor, I'm sure you'll find this sit full of usefull things.

I dont know much about Solidworks but have got the requirments from there website which is below but in the case of normal CAD I use a 3gig ram at home & 8gig ram at work (use point clounds at work) and my machines work fine.

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

Hope it helps

Agreed the main things when using AutoCAD is RAM and a good Graphics card if going 3D. Most of todays middle to top spec laptops are ok if the above is upgraded.

I use a laptop for all my work professionally, so my company asked our CAD reseller what they would recommend.

i persoanlly think it could be better spec'd but hey it works fine and is not too slow, you cant beat a st. for speed and heat loss...

my laptop spec...

Is a video card with 512meg dedicated ram enough? is 4g of overall RAM enough or should i go higher?

If you can get a laptop with those two features you should be fine.

Well I was planning on get a new Mac Book Pro that comes with 2 GPUs (one on board that utilizes 256m shared an one non with 512m dedicated RAM), 4gb ram, and 2.86 core 2 duo. One of my coworkers seems to think that it might not be enough as he uses a gaming PC thats built to the hilt.

I prefer dedicated graphics cards in my computers as opposed to graphic chips (GPUs). Personal preference I suppose.

4GB RAM sounds fine. What OS will you be using?

How much money are you looking to spend here? Xi Computers has a nicely setup laptop aimed at AutoCAD users but I think it runs about $2500.

Well I was planning on get a new Mac Book Pro that comes with 2 GPUs (one on board that utilizes 256m shared an one non with 512m dedicated RAM), 4gb ram, and 2.86 core 2 duo. One of my coworkers seems to think that it might not be enough as he uses a gaming PC thats built to the hilt.

Won't work on a Mac. You could probably run it in BootCamp which is the Microsoft Windows emulator but I wouldn't recommend it at all. Stick with a Windows machine.

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

I prefer dedicated graphics cards in my computers as opposed to graphic chips (GPUs). Personal preference I suppose.

 

4GB RAM sounds fine. What OS will you be using?

 

How much money are you looking to spend here? Xi Computers has a nicely setup laptop aimed at AutoCAD users but I think it runs about $2500.

$3k is the top of my spending limit.

I was going to run BootCamp/ XP Pro

Xi PowerGo XT - true workstation performance. $2395 before taxes, shipping and handling.

http://www.xicomputer.com/products/PowerGoIntelXT.asp

thanks for the link. it seems all the laptops with comparable internals all are in the range of $3k. any preferences?

Not really. It's time to toss that coin. I call heads.

now is there a preferred video card you guys like to use?

I guess I also failed to mention I plan on using 3D and SolidWorks in the future.

nVidia...the Quadro series is a good place to start.

I was going to run BootCamp/ XP Pro

I would be HIGHLY worried about performance and/or installation issues. Do you have someone who has a Mac Book Pro that you can install a Demo on to test it before spending the money? Maybe call a sales representative might be a good option, too.

nVidia...the Quadro series is a good place to start.

I will look into those.

I would be HIGHLY worried about performance and/or installation issues. Do you have someone who has a Mac Book Pro that you can install a Demo on to test it before spending the money? Maybe call a sales representative might be a good option, too.

A friend of mine actually uses AutoCAD 2008 on his Mac Book Pro and has no issues. But, he doesn't use it as extensively as I would be.

I guess I also failed to mention I plan on using 3D and SolidWorks in the future.

And you're spending your money on a laptop?

That's just a waste of money in my opinion. If you're going to be doing a lot of 3D work, then invest in a good desktop PC with a 64 bit OS, a quad core processor to help with rendering and at least 8GB RAM. You'll be glad you did.

And forget about getting a Mac. Everone I've talked to that tries to run Autocad on a Mac says it's not worth the hassle. It runs slow and doesn't perform well. As Styk said, stick with a Windows PC.

Check my computer Details. The cost was just under $2,400 from XI Computers, and it blows away every other computer that I've ever worked on. Including our machines at work. It actually renders scenes faster than our render farm.