In need of a laptop!
 

Hi!

I need help finding a laptop to use for school and most likely I'll be caring it 3x a week. I'm an Interior Design student and in need of a laptop that don't lag on me. Programs I use are: AutoCad (usually big drawings or I'm rendering 3D objects or an interior), the occasional photoshop, sketchup, the basic microsoft words.

One of my friends told me to get an i7 with 6GB+ Ram and high resolution. Another friend told me I can get away with a i5 with 4GB Ram and something 1300 resolution. Both said 15"

The thing is, I'm on a budget as I am paying my own tuition fee + student loan...so any Apple product is a no go for me. I need something under 700 tax included..I've been searching and can't seem to anything in that price..I'm trying to take advantage of Memory Express 25% (if I find a price lower then them)..

What I'm looking for is:

- A laptop that won't lag when I switch between programs
- Render fast while in 3D
- weight doesn't REALLY matter but under 6lb is ok for me
- As long as the program fits within the screen and doesn't cut half of it off, I'm happy.
- Low cost and long lasting!

Also, my friends told me to look into the Asus and Samsung brand

if you are running ACAD Apple is never a "go" anyways.
Sure OSX supports AutoCAD already, but a lot of plug-ins are still PC Exclusive, and it will most likely remain that way.

Get an Asus for sure - their pricing is really good for the price matching the specs.
Samsung is going down the road that apple is - all show but no bang for your buck.

I'd get something that runs Windows 7, and has as much ram as you can find, along with an i7, third gen if possible.
ACAD is a beast of a powerhog.

one last tip: ACAD generally runs a LOT better on Intel machines. AMD chips just don't cut it

Do you have any laptop recommendations? It'll be much appreciated!

Ram isn't super expensive anymore so I would go for 6 gigs or more. I'm biased because I hate carrying a laptop that's bigger than 13 inches so I would rather give up performance for size. You can always plug in a monitor. I prefer laptops with no cd drives as that helps with the weight and thickness. I'm out of the loop with CPU and video card specs so if I post something underpowered I apologize. Copy and paste the chip model into google to see benchmarks.

Vostro 3360 Laptop Details (customizable)
Samsung NP530U4C-S02CA Intel Core i5 3317M 6GB 1TB 14in GT620M DVDRW WLAN Win7 HP Ultrabook 799 (i know its over your budget)
ASUS Vivobook S400CA-RH51T Intel Core i5 3317U 4GB 500GB 24GB SSD 14.1IN Windows 8 Touch Ultrabook 699

I think with Autocad you need a dedicated graphics card. Check Redflagdeals.com every day for a sale.

With what you want $700 won't cut it. Maybe around $900 then you have a lot more options.
I would suggest an Asus or lenovo. I got an HP Envy right now seems very decent but a bit out of your budget.

Make sure whichever laptop you choose, the hardware is certified to run AutoCAD.

Check the Autodesk - Certified Hardware list -
Autodesk - Certified Hardware - Find Recommended Hardware

System Requirements for AutoCAD -
AutoCAD 2013 - System Requirements - Autodesk
- For 64 bit machines, always double up the recommended RAM, it makes a big difference

I have seen high performance laptops, not able to render AutoCAD drawings because the graphics card was not recommended to run Autodesk drawings..

ASUS 14.1" Ultrabook - Black (Intel Core i5-3317U / 24GB SSD 750GB HDD / 6GB RAM / Windows 8) : Ultrabooks - Future Shop

Saw this on redflagdeals. Haven't checked Wormiez links above but that's great advice.

for 3d CAD that card better be kickass too IMO

i work with supporting ACAD users, and what i found is this.
If your using a laptop, it must have its own dedicated graphics card, intergrated isn't going to cut it and make sure its nvidia as ATI will cause a lot of headaches.
i7 is a must and the more ram the better.

Its hard to find the right laptop to run acad smoothly as most people in the industry use desktop vs laptop.

700 dollars is not going to cut it for a laptop maybe a desktop but for sure not a laptop.

under 700 after tax? there is only one website that you can go to

craigslist: vancouver, BC classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

(srs)

What software will you be, actually, using on your laptop, while you're in class? If you don't need a lot of processing power for class, then get a light, entry-level laptop, and then purchase a full desktop for home.

Try a Lenovo ThinkPad. This is the laptop given to everyone that works in architecture -- will work fine for both CAD and Sketchup. For 3DS max and other programs you're going to need a desktop.

Thinkpads come in a variety of configurations. Some would be good for auto cad some would be no good.

Thanks for the replies!

So far, I've looked at some specs on laptops that my friend gave me. I'm try to stalk the pricing to see if it ever goes down..Another thing is that my classmate told me to get a laptop with a spec that's SDD..does that even relate to anythinf between a SDD and a HDD? Sorry not really computer savy

Asus N56VZ-DH71-CA w/ Core i7-3630QM, 8GB, 750GB, Blu-ray Combo, 15.6in FHD, GeForce GT 650M, Win 8 64-bit at Memory Express
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=75869&...acture=Samsung

Those computers aren't bad, but the top one is almost 2x your initial budget, and the second one is about 1.5x more.

If you are able to increase your budget, give us the final number and we can help make a decision.

RE: ThinkPads. I love think pads, but no way you're finding one to do what you want under $700 after taxes..

Solid State has no spinning parts.
Pros: fast, good on battery
Cons: smaller capacity, more expensive

Hard drives are traditional
Pros: large storage, cheap
Cons: slower, makes noise, make crunchy noises if you drop it a lot

There are also hybrids. I have one in my macbook.

Yeah, you don't have much options here at the $700 range. In fact, the video card alone will be your biggest set back.

Typically dedicated mobile video cards that are designed for CAD (usually its just the drivers that makes all the difference) are far more expensive than the CPU and worse, are anywhere from 10-25% worse performing than their respective PC counterparts.

If your able to use a gaming video card to perform your CAD work, then I highly recommend you upping your budget and get into some gaming laptops such as the ASUS G lines. At the very least they are usually installed with a nVidia 560 or better and a i7 CPU.

To switch between tasks easier, that'll be up to you to afford buying a SSD of any kind. But that adds on to the price as well.

Otherwise my suggestion would be this: Dell Precision Mobile Workstations - Performance on the Go | Dell

It ain't the fastest, but its the closes to your price range if you are willing to pay the $150 to upgrade to the Quadro 1000 (which sadly equivalent to a nVidia 540m video card).

Well, I'm planning to finance it through my boyfriend..but since everyone mention that I should up my price, then under $1000? I'm using shopbot to compare prices so if I find one that is in stock and ME has it, I can use their 25% uber price beat which will lower the cost a bit more.

by not that much though, 25% of the difference only. Usually laptop prices do not fluctuate that wildly.

There is a possibility of snagging an older ASUS N53 series laptop for pretty cheap, and some models come with a 2GB Nvidia video card and i7. Can also upgrade them to 16gb of ram easily because they have 4 ram slots. I know a few London Drugs locations still have them running around. Priced around 800? Have to check when I get into work next.
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I can see that cost is a concern, and you should focus on what you really need. For the AutoCAD course, will you be using your own laptop, or are computers provided? The course should have the equipment you need in the classroom. Everything else you need it for can be done on an economical, possibly-used laptop, if you require the portability. Do you have a computer @ home? What are the specs?

They recently changed the courses into computer (so no more hand drafting) and possibly it'll be more on autocad/3d/sketchup. I don't mind it being heavy, since I'll probably just use it 2-3x a week.. I COULD use the school computer (I'm in BCIT NE1, if anyone know where that is) and 95% of the time it's filled till 10pm and then the building closes at 1am. I can't go to ehpod (library) because it doesn't have sketchup (but has autocad) if i'm working in between two programs.

If that's the case, and if BCIT will allow Remote Desktop access, I would rather setup a Remote Desktop server that is capable of performing rendering, and buy Shaw's best upload package and work remotely.

Buying a laptop and specifically using it for CAD for cheap just doesn't go together. It can be done, but at what cost?

This one isn't bad.. i7, GTX 660M: IdeaPad Y580 - Powerful Gaming Laptop PC by Lenovo (US)

You will need to wait for a good sale or coupon code though.

Oh, if your boyfriend is financing you, then without a doubt, I would get this. Its too bad they no longer make the 17" version.

Lenovo W530 Specs | ThinkPad Laptop Tech Specs | Lenovo (US)