Choosing the Right Laptop: Tips and Personal Experiences

[ME_student]

So I have been doing tons and tons of research on laptop computers. I have not found one that I like yet, but I know two brands I am leaning towards, Dell and Asus.

One of my friend is a computer fanatic. He keeps on telling me to get a laptop with the i7 2nd gen processor and at least six to eight GB of ram or memory?

I plan on using the laptop strictly for school and work. I want a laptop that can handle a lot of software, plan on downloading CAD programs to the laptop. I like to hear your own personal opinion and share your experiences with the laptops computers you dealt with before, thanks!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I used to be a Dell person, now I'm loyal to ASUS. How intense of CAD are we talking? If professional grade then we could be talking a very expensive laptop.

This would prolly do
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YZA7SE/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[turbo]

I used to be a Dell person, now I'm loyal to ASUS. How intense of CAD are we talking? If professional grade then we could be talking a very expensive laptop.

This would prolly do
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YZA7SE/?tag=pfamazon01-20

I have that ASUS machine and it is a very capable laptop. It is heavy, and I'd hate to lug it around to classes, etc, but is does more than my old desktop could. I have to keep a mouse plugged into it, because I hate touch-pads in general, and this one is no different. Still, an i7 with lots of RAM is a potent combination.

 

[ME_student]

Why did this thread get moved?

 

[ME_student]

I used to be a Dell person, now I'm loyal to ASUS. How intense of CAD are we talking? If professional grade then we could be talking a very expensive laptop.

This would prolly do
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YZA7SE/?tag=pfamazon01-20

My budget is in between $500-$1200 max. That is a nice laptop though.

 

[ME_student]

I have that ASUS machine and it is a very capable laptop. It is heavy, and I'd hate to lug it around to classes, etc, but is does more than my old desktop could. I have to keep a mouse plugged into it, because I hate touch-pads in general, and this one is no different. Still, an i7 with lots of RAM is a potent combination.

Since this laptop is out of my price range would there be another laptop that is a little cheaper you would recommend?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Since this laptop is out of my price range would there be another laptop that is a little cheaper you would recommend?

You won't find a quality laptop with 8gb memory and a video card capable of decent CAD animation for $1200.

 

[ME_student]

You won't find a quality laptop with 8gb memory and a video card capable of decent CAD animation for $1200.

 

[ME_student]

Hmmmmmm okay well is there another laptop you recommend?

 

[turbo]

Since this laptop is out of my price range would there be another laptop that is a little cheaper you would recommend?

I have not researched them thoroughly, and I was shooting out of your price-range anyway. If you want one in that price range, it will almost certainly be a PC (vs Apple), and it will likely not have a potent-enough combination of CPU/RAM to handle lots of CAD work. I could be wrong about this, as there may be leaner CAD programs than I was used to. Sorry not to be as helpful as I would have liked.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It's critical to know what you're going to be doing with the CAD software. Can you do the rendering on a school lab computer?

 

[ME_student]

Is this the same laptop?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=828010&Q=&is=REG&A=details

 

[ME_student]

It's critical to know what you're going to be doing with the CAD software. Can you do the rendering on a school lab computer?

Most likely. I wanted a laptop that could run CAD in case I ever wanted to download a CAD program on my personal computer.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Is this the same laptop?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=828010&Q=&is=REG&A=details

Just about, good find! That should be good enough for most student work. Hopefully any intense rendering can be done on a lab computer. Good luck!

 

[ME_student]

Just about, good find! That should be good enough for most student work. Hopefully any intense rendering can be done on a lab computer. Good luck!

Thanks for your help.

 

[Topher925]

Me ol' Samsung X460 notebook which only has a C2D7350 and 3GB of memory runs CAD programs just fine. I mainly do somewhat small projects but it will run just about anything in reason as far as any kind of coursework or projects you would do in uni. If you're modeling thing that needs more than that you shouldn't get a laptop anyway but workstation.

Focus more on something that has a good light weight chassis, good battery life, and quality components (aka, not Dell, Toshiba, HP, Compaq, Lenovo, etc). Asus makes some nice machines except they've been slipping on quality with their lower end machines lately.

I'd recommend something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006KYY0PQ/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[rishi.sharma]

Well if you are not willing to stick to specific brand , then you can check these two laptops from MSI.

MSI G Series GT600NC-004US Notebook:
Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz)
15.6" 1080p Display
12GB DDR3 1666mhz Memory
1TB HDD 7200rpm
DVD Super Multi
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M 3gb GDDR5 GFX card

This one is having a very high configuration inn terms of hardware along with 1080p HD Screen.
Its priced at ~1400$.

There is a similar version with a little bit lower specs :

MSI G Series GE70 0ND-033US Notebook
Intel Core i7 3610QM(2.30GHz)
17.3" 1080p
8GB Memory DDR3 1600mhz
750GB HDD 7200rpm
DVD Super Multi
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M 2gb DDR5
6mb l3 cache

Its priced @1200$ approx.

 

[ME_student]

^^^Thanks, I will look into those laptops.

I have not decided yet. I am leaning towards the Asus know since I found one that will suit me... I probably won't be buying until I start working again, currently unemployed.