Recommend lap top for AutoCAD Architecture 2008

[dzatto]

I may have just talked the boss into getting me a lap top to run 2008 on. I will still be using my desk top at work, this will just be for designing on the weekends and after hours stuff.

We typically use Dell machines. Anyone running 2008 (or 2007 for that matter) on a lap top now?
Any suggestions?

[H-Angus]

I may have just talked the boss into getting me a lap top to run 2008 on. I will still be using my desk top at work, this will just be for designing on the weekends and after hours stuff.

We typically use Dell machines. Anyone running 2008 (or 2007 for that matter) on a lap top now?
Any suggestions?

I've got a Sony Vaio running ADT2007 which runs quite well and I have used Dell in the past. I have had no real problems with either, I guess you just have to make sure the system specs are up to scratch. From memory Dells were a bit cheaper than a comparable Sony.

What OS are you intending to run, XP or Vista? i'd think twice about Vista if you want to run 2007.

[dzatto]

Yeah, I'm thinking the company doesn't want to mess with Vista just yet. We stayed on 2000 pro for the longest before they finally went to XP.

I just looked at a Dell with a 17" wide screen, 4GB memory, and a 2.3ghz processor (I think it was) and it was around $4500!

I thought I could get into one for around 2K. I'm sure the boss won't let me go to 5K!
This may not happen.

[H-Angus]

Yeah, I'm thinking the company doesn't want to mess with Vista just yet. We stayed on 2000 pro for the longest before they finally went to XP.

I just looked at a Dell with a 17" wide screen, 4GB memory, and a 2.3ghz processor (I think it was) and it was around $4500!

I thought I could get into one for around 2K. I'm sure the boss won't let me go to 5K!
This may not happen.

Why 4GB, 2008 (recommended) sys req is 3GB and I thought (probably wrongly) that XP only recognised upto 2GB.

$4500 seems alot to me even from this side of the pond

[dzatto]

Why 4GB, 2008 (recommended) sys req is 3GB and I thought (probably wrongly) that XP only recognised upto 2GB.

$4500 seems alot to me even from this side of the pond

Well, the options went from 2 to 4 GB. I'm sure I can get 3. I just picked a bunch of expensive options apparantly. When my IT guy does it, it will probably have a squirrel in a habitrail for power, and be held together with duct tape. All that for only $50! What a deal!

[david_peterson]

Why 4GB, 2008 (recommended) sys req is 3GB and I thought (probably wrongly) that XP only recognised upto 2GB.

$4500 seems alot to me even from this side of the pond

You would be correct on that one. I don't know about vista. Vista may see more than 2 gigs of Ram. You can run up to 3 gigs of Ram (Well actually you can put 8 gigs or ram in your box) with a switch. But I've heard that the switch makes XP kind of unstable (as if it was stable to begin with). I know that's what lots of people have been trying with Revit.

[BIM BAM BOOM]

The switch is for getting 3GB with Windows XP PRO. All our machine running Revit Architecture have 4GB of RAM with that switch. If you want to address more than 4 GB you need a 64Bit computer using XP PRO64...
$4,500 for a laptop with 4GB is cheap - I got last year the same price for a DELL M90 (17") 2GB of RAM 100GB HD @ 7200RPM and Nvidia 2500M with 512MB of RAM...and t ran well Revit, AutoCAD or AA (formerly ADT)...

You would be correct on that one. I don't know about vista. Vista may see more than 2 gigs of Ram. You can run up to 3 gigs of Ram (Well actually you can put 8 gigs or ram in your box) with a switch. But I've heard that the switch makes XP kind of unstable (as if it was stable to begin with). I know that's what lots of people have been trying with Revit.

[Brian Myers]

What kills you on the price is the RAM. Going from 2GB up to 4GB on a laptop will run you an extra $1000. So you'll need to think if 2GB will be enough? Its enough on this laptop I'm typing on now which has 2GB in it and is running 2008. If you go with XP and 2GB you should be fine. I believe Autodesk might be raising system requirements as much for the "Vista" rating as anything, their programs have not been significantly changed programming wise between 2007 & 2008 as far as I've heard so it seems they may be adding some "Vista" memory requirements to the total to be safe.

On a personal level I'm getting a new laptop too. It's either going to have 3 or 4 GB of RAM (depends on my IT department and budgets) but we are also getting new machines for our training room which will have 2GB of RAM in them and XP (as we've done tests and know they'll work fine for training purposes and likely much more).

[dzatto]

What kills you on the price is the RAM. Going from 2GB up to 4GB on a laptop will run you an extra $1000. So you'll need to think if 2GB will be enough? Its enough on this laptop I'm typing on now which has 2GB in it and is running 2008. If you go with XP and 2GB you should be fine. I believe Autodesk might be raising system requirements as much for the "Vista" rating as anything, their programs have not been significantly changed programming wise between 2007 & 2008 as far as I've heard so it seems they may be adding some "Vista" memory requirements to the total to be safe.

On a personal level I'm getting a new laptop too. It's either going to have 3 or 4 GB of RAM (depends on my IT department and budgets) but we are also getting new machines for our training room which will have 2GB of RAM in them and XP (as we've done tests and know they'll work fine for training purposes and likely much more).

What size processor are you using, and what do you recommend? And what do you think the smallest screen size I can comfortably use is? I really want a 17" widescreen, but that may be too much. I'm only using this to get some stuff done at the house, so it won't be my main machine.

[Brian Myers]

What size processor are you using, and what do you recommend? And what do you think the smallest screen size I can comfortably use is? I really want a 17" widescreen, but that may be too much. I'm only using this to get some stuff done at the house, so it won't be my main machine.

Believe it or not, my current laptop is a Pentium M 1.7Ghz, 2GB machine with a 14" screen! It runs 2008 just fine. But for production work I would go for as much computer screen as you can handle. That being said, you could just as easily get a laptop with a small screen then go out and purchase a cheap 19" or larger monitor and just plug it in at home. The price would be cheaper and your screen would be bigger than most people could hope for on a laptop.

Next, if its just a "house" machine, why not get a desktop unit? Sure it would be tougher to return to work, but at a price of maybe $1,000 (perhaps $1500) it would save your company a ton of cash. But I understand why you (they) wouldn't go that route.

Ultimately I would suggest getting a computer that has the potential for the RAM to be upgraded. If we're talking "budget" computing I'd likely go with the 2GB of RAM that can be expanded, a small screen, and the most powerful processor you can get at an OK price (3ghz would be ideal if you can swing it, the processor is the one piece you likely won't upgrade so it needs to be a long term solution). Then just get another monitor to plug it into at home. Then if you need more RAM in time you can always get them to budget for it down the road if you can show them how slow it is (but I imagine it will be fine for at least the next couple years).

In the end the above setup will likely be less than $2000 with the extra monitor included, perhaps as low as $1500if you low-ball the processor down to 2ghz (which should work fine as long as your models are not enormous and you run WIndows XP).

ps. The new one I'm getting is going to be around $2500, but that is so I can process some very large (100mb) Revit files and do some "basic" 3DS Max rendering... it's needs to be a tougher machine.