Can laptop PC be successfully used for running CAD software?

[Chris333]

Mobile device is really only good for killing time at work 

When I'm on vacation for a week I don't touch my phone and the data bar graph goes flat.

[CodyO]

Would you believe I've never used a laptop in my life.     Heck I've only visibly seen 2. (both at work)

damn, I`ve literally used over a 1,000 laptops doing initial setups and configs

[Chris333]

I must revise my statement. I've seen 3, not 2.

My boss used to bring one to work to watch movies on. He had a mouse and speakers plugged into it and always had to prop it up so the fan could get air or it would shut down.

If I ever had one I would at the very least have a mouse for it.

The other 2 I've seen. One came with a new console at work to re-set it, never needed to use it. It sits in a drawer (maybe I should check to see if someone stole it yet).

The other one was a guy at work would brought it in for me to "fix" I just had him download Malware Bytes and run it. So he fixed it his self.



I could see why people would need one I just never had a use.

[peteski]

Mobile device is really only good for killing time at work 

When I'm on vacation for a week I don't touch my phone and the data bar graph goes flat.

So you do all the Internet browsing on a home PC?  I thought you've surfed the Web, and even accessed TRW on your smart phone.

[Chris333]

So you do all the Internet browsing on a home PC?  I thought you've surfed the Web, and even accessed TRW on your smart phone.

I do...at work...like right now.

[garethashenden]

I have a fairly basic Toshiba laptop from 2013, it was something like $550 new. It runs Solidworks just fine. You can’t do much else at the same time, but it works.

[peteski]

I have a fairly basic Toshiba laptop from 2013, it was something like $550 new. It runs Solidworks just fine. You can’t do much else at the same time, but it works.

But how fast does it repaint the screen when you are rotating the view of something more complex than a cube (like a tank car for example)?  Is it pretty much in real time, or there is a big lag while the image gets repainted?

That sounds like maybe even my current laptop (Dell Latitude  E6410, IntelCore i5 M560 2.67GHz quad core, 4Gb RAM, Intel HD graphic adapter) might work.  Just add more  memory.

[MK]

Peteski, your laptop with an i5 processor will work.  But 4B won't cut it like you said.  Go 8GB or even better, 16GB.  memory is cheap now a days.

[narrowminded]

Go for it, Pete.  If you're not applying all sorts of texture and finish, that is both clumsy, distracting, and of no use to your design, you'll probably do fine with as little as 4Gb of ram.  That is the minimum recommended for my Turbocad 19 PRO.  It has run just fine on my old T60 with 4Gb.  Are you going to be trying to jockey every floor, door, and bathroom faucet in a 100 story office building?  And then do simulated walk throughs?  If not, it'll draw what you want for modelling just fine.  And then, worse case and it's actually troublesome, you can add some ram.

[peteski]

Peteski, your laptop with an i5 processor will work.  But 4B won't cut it like you said.  Go 8GB or even better, 16GB.  memory is cheap now a days.

Good to know. Thanks Mike!  I was mostly worried whether the video card will be up to the job, that was why thought a gaming laptop would be good choice. But when I get to the point I start paying with CAD software, even if my current laptop is not up to the task, I can look for a more powerful laptop.

[peteski]

Go for it, Pete.  If you're not applying all sorts of texture and finish, that is both clumsy, distracting, and of no use to your design, you'll probably do fine with as little as 4 megs of ram.  That is the minimum recommended for my Turbocad 19 PRO.  It has run just fine on my old T60 with 4 megs.  Are you going to be trying to jockey every floor, door, and bathroom faucet in a 100 story office building?  If not, it'll draw what you want just fine.  And then, worse case and it's actually troublesome, you can add some ram.

4 Megs?! Oh mam Mark, you are showing your age!  I had a PC in the '90s which had 1Mb of RAM (4x256k SIMMs). I later upgraded it to 4Mb (4x1Mb SIMMs), and later to 16Mb (4x4Mb SIMMs)!  It was a 486DX2-66MHz PC. 

I know, 4Gb. 

[narrowminded]

I know, 4Gb. 

Megally, giggley, whatever it takes.  But I AM serious.  You'll be fine with what you've got. Certainly to get started with some modelling projects.

[MK]

But how fast does it repaint the screen when you are rotating the view of something more complex than a cube (like a tank car for example)?  Is it pretty much in real time, or there is a big lag while the image gets repainted?

That sounds like maybe even my current laptop (Dell Latitude  E6410, IntelCore i5 M560 2.67GHz quad core, 4Gb RAM, Intel HD graphic adapter) might work.  Just add more  memory.

Peteski, your laptop can only go up to 8GB.  According to Dell:

Dell Latitude E6410 has 2 DIMM slots. The system accepts a memory capacity ranging from 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB. The memory type accepted is DDR3 1066 MHz only. The computer supports a maximum of 8GB* of memory when installed with two 4GB DIMMs.

You might be able to find another 4GB DIMM to match the one that's already there.  Each DIMM runs about $40 +/- on the market.

[peteski]

Peteski, your laptop can only go up to 8GB.  According to Dell:

Dell Latitude E6410 has 2 DIMM slots. The system accepts a memory capacity ranging from 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB. The memory type accepted is DDR3 1066 MHz only. The computer supports a maximum of 8GB* of memory when installed with two 4GB DIMMs.

You might be able to find another 4GB DIMM to match the one that's already there.  Each DIMM runs about $40 +/- on the market.

Thanks for doing the research Mike!

[narrowminded]

4 Megs?! Oh man Mark, you are showing your age!  :

OK, I broke down and fixed mine.   And yours.