Autocad Running Super Slow

I'm running Autocad Architecture 2013 on a Inspiron 15 7000 series:

-Windows 8.1

Intel Core i7-4510u CPU @ 2.0 GHz

-8.0 GB memory

-64 bit operating system

I have a 80 MB file with lots of walls, doors, windows, and trees. When I publish, it takes about 40 minutes to create 5 pages (2 pages plans, 2 pages with 4 elevation viewports, 1 page with 1 perspective view). If I open task manager when publishing, I've noticed the "Memory" and "Disk" max out (or stay close to maxing out.)

Autocad also runs pretty slowly in general, especially with the trees unfrozen.

I'm not up to speed when it comes to computer hardware. Is this something I can fix by adding/replacing hardware? Is this something I might help by using an external hard drive to store files? Is this something that will remain a problem as long as I'm on this laptop? Should I check for spyware?

I appreciate any help.

Check your graphics card make sure its supported try 16GB memory more memory makes a huge difference.

Your disk usage you see in Task Manager is not disk usage volume, but number of read/write transactions as a percentage of the maximum the system can push through the circuits, so your little box is readin' and writin' as fast as it possibly can to keep up. It is having to PAGE or overwrite a small virtual memory allocation quite a bit.

Maybe you could go to control panel >> System >> Advanced System Settings >> Advanced Tab >> Settings Button >> Advanced Tab (again) and increase the size of your paging file (virtual memory). Don't let Windows do it automatically.

There is a rule of thumb. Ten times the RAM should be allotted to virtual memory if you can. I have 6 gig of RAM, so I set my paging file to 60,000 meg, which is 60 gig. Of course it all depends on how much free space you have on your drive. I have a 1 terrabyte drive with 700 gig free, so it won't be an issue for me for a while to let virtual have 60 gig.

More free space in virtual memory makes it so the system doesn't have to "page" or overwrite virtual memory so much, thus reducing disk access transactions. RAM is physical memory, the disk paging file is virtual memory, or fake RAM.

When you publish to pdf, try checking Don't Include, for layer info and block info in your publish options. That will not only speed up publishing, but reduce the size of your output files by a huge amount, especially in 3D Architecture which is loaded with complicated blocks, (every wall, door, and window to name a few).

To second the above reference to physical memory, bigger is better, and it is relatively cheap.

Oh, wait. You have a Dell Laptop. Add-on's are limited with laptops. You just can't fit a lot in there. The Dell Inspiron and XPS lines are not exactly hotrods in the CAD world. I have a Dell XPS L502X laptop, I5 @ 2.3 Ghz, 4 gig RAM, that has an Invidia GT 525M aftermarket graphics card with 3 gig of its own and it barely holds its head up running AutoCad LT 2009. I've had it become unresponsive trying to edit a 5 meg drawing.

laptop + 80MB dwg.... i wouldn't even attempt it.

The actual rule-of-thumb for virtual memory is somewhat less than 10 times. Try 1.5 to 3. And if you are going to change your virtual memory settings make the min and max settings the same as this will freeze virtual memory at a set size rather than allowing it to shrink and grow.

I too agree that 8GB of RAM on a laptop trying to push around an 80MB drawing is going to tax the system. What is the max amount of RAM that can be installed in this laptop? You can also try disabling certain Windows features, disable any programs running in the background along with your Internet browser and even you anti-virus software and see if that makes any difference.

Have you tried doing a -purge on the drawing?

Have you run Overkill on the drawing?

Have you run Audit on the drawing?

Are there an overabundance of scales used in the drawing?

Are you using layer filters?

Did you enable hardware acceleration via the 3DConfig command?

That 3x rule of thumb has been around since the days of Win 3.0, and the the 512 kb disk drive. I personally changed it to 10 times by Executive Order. I guess 10x is a little bit of overkill.

Before one changes the page file size, one should take a look at the current available free space on the C:\drive and decide what to use. I'm thinking about 2 to 3 percent of the free space would be enough, maybe.

A terabyte of SSD is a redickiemoose amount of space the average person can't even conceptualize anyway, so use some of it. If somehow the terabyte gets tight one day, the page file can always be shrunken back down. I guess now that everyone selfie's all day long, the disk may get full sooner than I might expect though.

Not sayin' Remark is incorrect, just different.

Rules of thumb are like opinions and that smelly thing.

Remark mentioned something I forgot to. To reiterate him, make the max and min page file size the same. Windows spends way too much time analyzing the data load and deciding how big the file should be. If it is stopped by a hard limit, it doesn't waste time doing so. Even dual and quad processors can only execute one single bit of instruction code at a time.

You should do some of the above stuff even if AutoCad is running like white lightning.

The OP would be better off plugging a spare flash drive in his laptop and using that to boost memory. I can't recall the actual name for this technique but it is bound to come to me sooner or later.

Readyboost.

Looks like you can go up to 16GB RAM on that Laptop.

I agree 80MB is pretty big file for a Laptop with 8GB RAM, but I wouldn't think it would be such a problem as described for Publishing, 40 minutes, something sounds off.

Never hurts to check for Adware/Malware etc.

What Graphics card?

Are you publishing in the background? That can take an enormous amount of time since the operating system will start prioritizing it below almost everything else that is running. It will stop for every email, every AutoCad edit, network access, and every screen change. Anything GUI gets top run time priority.

You think laptops are tough to find aftermarket parts for, try looking for a good graphics card for an all in one system like my desktop. It is just a giant laptop with everything stuffed into the back cover of the monitor.