Need help: Autocad laptop? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Table 5 · 10-29-2010, 08:23 AM

So we're more or less a Mac family, but my gf is taking a few Autocad licensing courses, and since it's a PC program, I'd like to get her a cheap laptop (don't really have room for a desktop) so she doesn't have to go to school after work to do her homework. The problem is I honestly haven't kept up on my PC news since the late 90s (a Pentium was my last machine), so I have no idea what the latest processors etc are that I should be looking for.

Anyone out there who uses Autocad know what features are necessary or good to have? I assume a dedicated graphics card would be one of them, but what else would a decent, if not perfect, Autocad machine require? What's the minimum Ghz? I know PC laptops are pretty cheap these days, but can I get away with a $500-750 machine?

Btw, I realize there is Autocad for Mac now, but apparently it's not that great and the machine you need to run it has to be really new, and Id rather not buy another mac considering we already have 3 in the house.

Table 5 · 10-29-2010, 08:25 AM

Also, when it comes to PC laptops, what brands would you recommend to look at, and which ones to stay away from?

sclitheroe · 10-29-2010, 08:56 AM

I would test running it in Fusion or Parallels first - I have CAD users that run their SolidWorks CAD in Fusion no problem. It's not quite as fast as native, but it's good enough for them on the road. And these guys are designing real-world gear, not student course level stuff, so I would assume performance would be even better for your gf.

Table 5 · 10-29-2010, 09:05 AM

Hmm, you know I remember her trying that a while ago (although I'm not sure which one), and it was running dog-slow on her machine. It might work better on my year old iMac, but her laptop isn't that old either (maybe 1.5-2 years), so I'm wondering if it would be any different.

Mazrim · 10-29-2010, 09:49 AM

Is she doing 2D or 3D work? If it's mainly 2D work, you can get a bargain basement video card in an average computer and it will just fine. Do you know what version they'll be using? The newer ones require a much better computer, but if you can get away with vanilla AutoCAD 2008, again you can have a dirt cheap computer run it fine.

I've used AutoCAD for years on crap computers and it's totally bareable. Once you get into 3D modeling though, things go downhill quickly.

Table 5 · 10-29-2010, 10:04 AM

She works for an interior design firm, and while they do some architectural elements for clients, I don't think it's anything overly complicated (I highly doubt they do any 3d work). It's mostly floorplans.

Rathji · 10-29-2010, 10:07 AM

Could always boot camp it. Way better than buying a new machine just for a single program, especially if the MAC is reasonably new. Copy of Windows 7 runs about $120 from Mem express.

It has been a while since I have done anything with AutoCAD but you pretty much need just a reasonable graphics card. Could probably pick up an entry level Dell Inspiron for $500 (Core2, 4GB RAM, 250HDD) and add a video card. Would probably run about $650.

edit: I lied, doesn't appear you can add a video card to the Inspirons so you are looking at probably a minimum of $800 for a model that can have one.

sclitheroe · 10-29-2010, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Hmm, you know I remember her trying that a while ago (although I'm not sure which one), and it was running dog-slow on her machine. It might work better on my year old iMac, but her laptop isn't that old either (maybe 1.5-2 years), so I'm wondering if it would be any different.

Accelerated graphics support has vastly improved in both products, it might be worth investigating again, or Bootcamp as Rath pointed out.

silentsim · 10-29-2010, 10:15 AM

Parallels 6 performs admirably, but I would still recommend using Boot Camp instead

Mazrim · 10-29-2010, 10:15 AM

Anything ahead of a built-in graphics card will work just fine for floorplan drawing. You'd be wasting money getting anything higher. AutoCAD uses the processor more than the graphics card, and the newer versions have hardware acceleration as well if you're noticing some slowness while working.

Ironhorse · 10-29-2010, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Is she doing 2D or 3D work? If it's mainly 2D work, you can get a bargain basement video card in an average computer and it will just fine. Do you know what version they'll be using? The newer ones require a much better computer, but if you can get away with vanilla AutoCAD 2008, again you can have a dirt cheap computer run it fine.

I've used AutoCAD for years on crap computers and it's totally bareable. Once you get into 3D modeling though, things go downhill quickly.

Agreed.

Table, what kind of work do you think she'll be doing? Most school programs now teach 3D as part of their AutoCAD courses, and I can tell you that 2D drafting is really taking a backseat now.

At the very least, run a 64bit Win7 box with at least 4 Gigs of RAM and a resemblance of a video processor-- that should cover you for most school situations.

Edit: Purpose already answered above, that's what happens when you leave the reply window open too long. Ask away, this is my industry.

Table 5 · 10-29-2010, 12:11 PM

Thanks for all the help guys. I need to do a little more sleuthing about what she needs so I can answer some of these questions better, but I can't ask directly as I'd like it to be a surprise.

The company that she works for does really high end interior design for people with way too much money, but from what I hear the autocad portion is kept very simple, so I highly doubt they are doing any 3D at all (in fact, if i remember, their copy of Autocad is the Student version). It's mostly floorplans for private houses, custom-made furniture to send to producers, and relatively simple things like that etc. They're definitely not doing a Gehry.

But either way, she's taking this certification in order to be able to do more advanced things in case she needs to move on to another firm at some point. So I think being able to do 3D, even if not necessarily for work right now, would be smart.

Table 5 · 10-29-2010, 12:12 PM

Btw, does HD speed matter a lot? Does it make sense to get a 7200RPM or higher, or will the 5400rpm suffice?

FanIn80 · 10-29-2010, 12:13 PM

Wait. Isn't Autocad available for the Mac now?

Edit: Doh, I see you already know...

(She can get it for free though, if you want to try it: http://students.autodesk.com/?nd=mac4students)

FanIn80 · 10-29-2010, 12:16 PM

Mazrim · 10-29-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Btw, does HD speed matter a lot? Does it make sense to get a 7200RPM or higher, or will the 5400rpm suffice?

Not for the work she'll be doing. It only matters with large drawings with lots of reference files. The floorplans I did in college were like...500KB. The models I work on today are 40MB.

Rathji · 10-29-2010, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Btw, does HD speed matter a lot? Does it make sense to get a 7200RPM or higher, or will the 5400rpm suffice?

I can't see how it would given the system reqs. (From here)

Quote:

Microsoft® Windows®
For Windows Vista or Windows 7: Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® dual-core processor, 3.0 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology; for Windows XP: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon dual-core processor, 1.6 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
2 GB RAM
1.8 GB free disk space for installation
1,280 x 1,024 true color video display adapter 128 MB or greater, Microsoft® Direct3D®-capable workstation-class graphics card
1,024 x 768 display resolution with true color
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later
Install from download or DVD

The only reason HDD speed would matter a lot is if you are constantly loading a large file. Video editing is a prime example of where this is important. Unless the file is too big to be entirely held in memory the only thing a faster hard drive would do is probably make opening a file faster.

edit: Actually looking at those required specs you might even be able to get by with an integrated laptop card, but it wouldn't be pretty.

Table 5 · 10-31-2010, 10:59 AM

Hmm, now I'm thinking one of these might do the trick.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...X_B_21_5_.html

Is there a big difference between the i3 and i5 processors?

Rathji · 10-31-2010, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Hmm, now I'm thinking one of these might do the trick.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...X_B_21_5_.html

Is there a big difference between the i3 and i5 processors?

If it doesn't have to be a laptop then you could easily get a Vostro 230 Desktop and add in a video card and just KVM it to your current computer set up. About $600 total including a KVM switch and cables.

edit: Just realized that as a Mac household there is a good likelihood that you don't actually have a separate monitor. so would need to add in the cost for a monitor as well. It raises an interesting question though, how are iMacs etc set up for dual monitors? Might be worth it to add the monitor for that purpose as well.

Teh_Bandwagoner · 10-31-2010, 02:34 PM

So long as she's not doing any Solidworks, Civil 3D or Studio work of the sort, the minimum reqs Rathji put up is more than sufficient.