Good laptop for interior design (autocad)....

[mtnman2888]

My gf is going to school for interior design and we are looking for a good laptop for her. It is going to have to run autocad and some other types of 3d software so it needs to have a good graphics card as well as a sufficient amount of ram and processor speed. I have been thinking of going with one that has a pentium core duo/centrino duo processor, what does everyone think of those? I figured that they were the best out right now but i could be wrong. We were looking at the sony vaio with these specs:

Intel Core Duo processor (1.66GHz)
100gb hard drive
1GB of DDR2 RAM

I was thinking of actually expanding the memory by another 1gb, maybe less to make sure it could handle everything. So what do you think, is this a good computer or are there better ones out there? She is just starting and will be in school for at least 3 years so we want one that can handle everything she will need while she is in school, nothing that will be outdated too soon. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[The_Other_One]

Definetly go with Intel for this... They are better in general for mobile stuff, but as you probably know, they are typically the best with desktop computers for such apps... However, I don't know if duel core would really be very helpful fur such software or not. It realyl depends if it's made to utilize multiprocessors or not(as most software isn't...yet)

RAM, I would think a gig would be more than enough, but I've never really used any autocad software.

Video card probably won't make a HUGE difference as usally, with such software, much of the stress is simply on the main CPU... Probably should check the requirements on that, and see what the software calls for.

 

[TEKKA]

Maybe try and get a better processor 1.8GHz-2GHz thats what i would do
all the rest seems Cool.

 

[Dylanj123]

Well I just bought an Acer Aspire 5612 laptop with those specs but am yet to install my CAD program on it (I learn CAD at school) I got it for for very good price (AU$2350) and I think cheaper then any Vaio with those specs but hey if your money can strech that far I'd go with a 2GHz Dual Core PM, 1GB and 100GB hard drive and probally somthing like a Vaio, but if you want Bang for Buck go the Acer or Asus.
Dylan

 

[mtnman2888]

Thanks for the help guys! I just figured that the intel core duo processor was the best out there right now, i could be wrong. I don't really know that much about it but i've read just a little bit and everything sounds like it's the way to go right now. So the specs look good, the only suggestion is to maybe get one with a faster processor? Is 1.66GHz going to run everything smoothly or do i need a faster one? If anyone here is in interior design, do you use all 2d autocad or some 3d too? The reason i ask is i just went to autocad's website and to run the 3d version you need an intel processor of 3.0GHz or greater!!!! That's impossible for a laptop right now, i think. Oh well, thanks for all of your input, i really appreciate it.

 

[ICANSEEYOU7687]

Well if I was going to get a laptop based on graphics, id definately go with an AMD, I really wanted to get an AMD Turion 64 over the duo I just got, but the duo is a great extremely efficient processor by itself.

I dont believe autocad takes that much to run, but ive only seen it run a smaller model, so I cant really say.

Good idea on the ram, the DDR2 is definately worth it. The processor you choose is good, but I would put the extra money in for atleast a 1.86.

Also, make sure you upgrade the video card to to a 128 meg radeon or something, dont use the on board chipset graphics, make sure to get a card.

If you dont mind me asking, how much u is that sony you are looking at?

 

[mtnman2888]

Thanks for the input! The sony is $1399 US. Is the intel core duo really the way to go? If there is something out there, such as the amd, that is better or equal, then i would love to get the because the core duo is so expensive right now. I don't know much about processors so any insight will really help me out. Thanks again.

 

[tweaker]

Core duo is the best really, if you've got the money.

 

[ICANSEEYOU7687]

well if yuo want the best, you should go with an AMD Athlon FX-60, which is dual cored too, but that will run you abuot 1000$ for the processor alone, haha, i dunno about you but thats out of my range.

I can't say that the duo is the best, but I could agree that it could be the best for your buck, power and the dual core efficiency without an expensive price tag.

But that price sounds about right. But you might also want to look at the Dell Inspiron 6400. Typically I try and stay away from dells, but I just recently ordered one of these for myself for college.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=i6400hi&s=bsd

although when I ordered it, it had a few more rebates, still a decent price. Make sure you get a video card, and not just on board memory

 

[Johnnyboy0056]

alright, check it out. I took architecture for 3 years and have run rhino and autocad and a couple other no name programs for design. autocad has come a long way and the capapbilities are endless now.
i recommend u up the processor to at least 3.0 and the 1 gb ddr2 is def a good idea. the rendering speed will be greatly assisted by the ddr2.
u dont need the core duo, as autocad, even being a top of the line product, will not utilize the processor in a way to max out the performance of the processor. go with intel, and go 3.0 or higher (yes, they make it for laptops).

btw, where (which school) ur gf going to study?

 

[mtnman2888]

She's going to the Art Institute

I haven't seen any laptops with 3.0GHz speed, where can i find one??? Another questions, so if we get one with a regular intel centrino or pentium m processor, that would be sufficient??

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[LaptopExtreme]

The duo core processor at 1.66 would be enough for you and will blow away any Turion processor. As for graphics and any other vector based design, you can use a cheap graphics card for. If you're rendering 3D, then a dedicated gpu would be nice too, but you dont have to go over board on it. If you're working with Autocad and mostly working vectors, the most basic would be best for you. But like any design program (whether it's Autocad or Photoshop) it's CPU and RAM that counts. I'd get a duo core processor and max out on the RAM... but of course everyone's budget is different. So I'm just saying don't skimp out on the RAM.

 

[mtnman2888]

So that sony vaio with the core processor (1.66ghz) will be enough? I was already planning on adding about 1gb of ram to it, with room for more in the future. Is there any other specs i should be concerned about with it running autocad and other similar programs? Again, thanks alot. Y'all have really helped me out big time!

 

[LaptopExtreme]

Well if you're buying a newer Sony, I'm sure there it'll be coming with a good size hard drive, I think that's more than suitable for you and you tasks. Only thing is, do you think that you'll be doing much 3D rendering? If not, it should be more than enough.

 

[mtnman2888]

Don't quote me on this, but i believe she will be using some 3d rendering later on down the road. I figure that these specs will be good enough, but i'm not that good with computers, so that's what y'all are for! Like i said, it comes with 1gb of ddr2 ram and i think i'm gonna upgrade and add another 1gb, is it easy to install?? Overall though, do you think this will be a good computer for her?

 

[ICANSEEYOU7687]

Duo blows the turion out of the water? well if someone ran some numbers and found it was superior, id believe it, but I dunno about blowing out of the water...

But anyways...thats neither here nor there....

A few things you need to consider...

Price - If your gonna get a 3.0 ghz processor your gonna have the be willing to pay a hefty price for the laptop, Id say well over 2500$ I think you'd be ok with a 2.0 ghz, a decent video card, and atleast a gig of ram. But as I have mentioned I have not used the program a whole lot, so some of these other guys might be right on needing a new system.

And about your harddrive.
You really dont need much, Id say 60-80 gigs on your harddrive, more then that gets expensive quick. A simply computer harddrive and a USB 2.0 HD Enclosure is a great way of making a cheap external hard drive, and it works great. I actually have a spare 120 gig HD sitting right beside me that I plan on putting in a 20$ enclosure for my laptop when I run off to college.

A lot of the people here seem to be intel fanboys, where I guess I am an AMD Fanboy. It's hard to listen to someone tell yuo what company to go with, so the general information would probably seem best for you. I like amd a lot, its best suited for gaming and thats what ive always done on my computer. That's just how my preferences came about

 

[mtnman2888]

I don't really know much about the different brands of processors so any unbiased information would be very helpful. I've always had intel in my computers, so i know a little bit about that. I don't know much about amd's processors, although like you said, i heard that they were better for gaming. She won't be gaming much, if any, so i just need a good all around processor mainly to run the autocad type programs and imaging software for interior design.

As far as budget goes, we're looking at spending somewhere around $1500-$2000. After looking around a bit, i think we can stay in that price range. That sony vaio i listed earlier is well in that price range, my only concern is that the processor's speed (1.66ghz) isn't quite fast enough for full optimization of certain software.

 

[apj101]

ok the Intel Core Duo processor (1.66GHz) will be ok to run the stuff you listed, the spec given by autocad website is crap and meaningless.

Now comes my honest opinion, you need to really think hard about the need for a laptop. I mean really question it, many universitys say you need one for the course, and they can be fashionable, but at the end of the day 90% of non-work laptop users just end up sticking them on there desk using them there and never moving them. Really consider wether or not she is really going to cart here laptop with her to the library, or classes, or do cad work at lunch time? In workshops the university should provide desktops to use.
If you choose a desktop you can get a much more powerful machine for much less money, and you can increase the all important screen size.

Just my opinions

 

[Dylanj123]

Well I stated before that I bought an Acer Aspire but at the last second I was convinsed to go Dell and looking over the specs am happy. I'kk tell you what I got andyou can decide if thats what you want.
Dell Inspiron 6400
AU$2,252
1.83GHz Intel Dual Core (Better then 1.66 )
1GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM
100GB 7000rpm Preformance drive
256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
15.4" Widescreen with 1680x1050 max resolution (Because I love squinting)
DVD Burner
9-Cell Battery
Dell Bluetooth Module
Leather Carry Case

I'm sure that would easily fit in your price range becasue I know prices are alot more here. And for you apj101 that has lots of space on the screen.
Anyway if your afraid of proccesor problems you can get a 2.0GHz Duo for and extra AU$200 now that computer would fly.
Hope that helps.
Dylan

 

[LaptopExtreme]

...If your gonna get a 3.0 ghz processor your gonna have the be willing to pay a hefty price for the laptop, Id say well over 2500$ I think you'd be ok with a 2.0 ghz, a decent video card, and atleast a gig of ram...

I think he meant an equivalent to a 3.0 P4 processor. So if a Pentium M is 1.4 it's power is similar to a 2.4ghz P4 chip. So a 2.0 P-M would be just as good. But you can use Autocad with the lowest Pentium M or duo chip and it should work fine.