Laptop for AutoCAD Mechanical 2011

Hello,

I was looking for laptops to install this program, and I have some options but I am still unsure if they meet all the requirements. This one is $499. I am a beginner and I want to use the laptop for learning and practicing at home. I am willing to pay up to $650. I will draw in 2D only.

Specs:

Processor and Memory

Processor Type: VISION A4 Technology from AMD with AMD Dual-Core A4-3300M Accelerated

Processor Speed: 2.5GHz / 1.9GHz

Cache: 2MB L2 Cache

Memory (RAM): 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 DIMM)

Maximum Memory Expansion: 8GB

Hard Drive and Multimedia Drives

Hard Drive: 500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive (SATA)

Graphics and Audio

Graphics: AMD Radeon™ HD 6480G Discrete-Class Graphics

Display Size: 17.3"

Display Type: High Definition+ HP BrightView LED

Display Resolution: 1600 x 900

Software

Operating System: Genuine Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)

Does it make any difference if I buy 32-bit instead of 64-bit?

I am new here

Thank You

AutoDesk does post recommended minimum specs for all their software. Use that as the starting point for any system.

Do not buy a 32-bit computer. A 64-bit computer running 64-bit software is the preferred standard these days and a 64-bit system can address more memory.

A 7200 rpm hard drive is preferred over a 5400 rpm hard drive.

If you can buy a laptop with a dedicated graphics card rather than an onboard graphics chip you'll be doing yourself a favor as well.

Thanks ReMark

Kiwi: I hope you get a new, faster laptop for Christmas. If it takes you almost four months to type and send a response you definitely need one dude! LOL

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I already bought it

Kiwi: I hope you get a new, faster laptop for Christmas. If it takes you almost four months to type and send a response you definitely need one dude! LOL

I was just going to say that a dedicated graphics card is essential...but it's already been said! I bought a Toshiba laptop in 2007 and in mid-2010 I used it in hospital/recovery for 6 months for CAD use. It did perfectly well with AutoCAD 2004 (32-bit on win XP). The spec was: 2.4GHz Dual Core Intel CPU, 2GB RAM (average frequency), average hard drive (5400rpm) but a 256MB dedicated graphics card. Although it struggled with 3D work, it could do it given a little time. With 2D work though, it was perfectly capable and I still use it occasionally if I'm freelance and don't get a work station.

Just thought I'd say

I would recommend staying away from laptops with 5400 rpm drives and opt for one with a 7200 rpm drive. Come to think of it I don't know why they even bother to put 5400 rpm drives in laptops any more. There can't be that much of a cost difference between a 5400 and a 7200 rpm drive can there?

Come to think of it I don't know why they even bother to put 5400 rpm drives in laptops any more. There can't be that much of a cost difference between a 5400 and a 7200 rpm drive can there?

I'm guessing that difference in price is easy profit to the manufacturers. You've probably seen how they offer PC's with ridiculously large hard drives, because they need big numbers and HDD capacity is the cheapest way to go. They seldom advertise hard drive speed, or suggest that a laptop with an SSD in will be significantly faster. They also don't mention the frequency of the installed RAM, which in many ways can be more important than the amount of RAM.

Mass production will blind the humble PC buyer with pointless spec for at least another 2 decades, and then I suspect everyones' basic knowledge won't include survival skills, personal hygiene, etc. But instead, knowledge about each and every component of a computer, if they're clever they'll go the way of car manufacturers and make the contents of the bonnet/hood so unrecognisable that you'll have to pay 'a specialist' to fix it! edit: it's one of the reasons I've always bought motorcycles that are no less than 5 years old, because I know I can fix most things myself!

I'm sorry, that may have been a rant - shouldn't happen for at least another 4-5 months