Need advice on new laptop purchase

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 06-06-2020, 11:02 AM
mbenner mbenner is offline
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Will become one of The Village People on 7-22-16
Posts: 6
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default Need advice on new laptop purchase

It's time for a new laptop. I want to be able to run a moderately robust 2D cadd program, (not necessarily AutoCad) not for a professional office, just for me. I'm a licensed Architect, but retired. I am not intending to market architectural services, just do some fun projects for myself and maybe help others who need some minimal assistance.

My research suggests I may need a gaming computer. If you have some recommendations, especially for a particular Brand/Model, I'd love to hear from you. Budget is a big consideration. I'd like to limit my investment to $1k if possible.

Please speak up!

Thanks in advance.
  #2  
Old 06-06-2020, 11:09 AM
villagetinker's Avatar
villagetinker villagetinker is offline
Sage
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Village of Pinellas
Posts: 9,585
Thanks: 2
Thanked 5,996 Times in 2,197 Posts
Default

I am running a 6 year old Toshiba that will do everything you are after, except possibly the very high resolution possibly required for your cad package. I have both 2D and 3D cad packages that work fine. this is an 8 core Intel i7 with 8 gig of memory and 500 meg drive. IMHO, you probably want to pay attention to the graphics capability and the possibility of running a second 4k (HDMI) monitor for your cad work. A gaming computer might be over kill, but maybe necessary for the graphics capability.
__________________
Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV.
  #3  
Old 06-06-2020, 12:14 PM
mbenner mbenner is offline
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Will become one of The Village People on 7-22-16
Posts: 6
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default

Thanks VT, you've given me helpful advice before and I value your feedback. Can you tell me what sort of cadd work do you do on your Toshiba?
  #4  
Old 06-06-2020, 12:27 PM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is online now
Sage
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 13,947
Thanks: 2,274
Thanked 13,417 Times in 5,108 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mbenner View Post
It's time for a new laptop. I want to be able to run a moderately robust 2D cadd program, (not necessarily AutoCad) not for a professional office, just for me. I'm a licensed Architect, but retired. I am not intending to market architectural services, just do some fun projects for myself and maybe help others who need some minimal assistance.

My research suggests I may need a gaming computer. If you have some recommendations, especially for a particular Brand/Model, I'd love to hear from you. Budget is a big consideration. I'd like to limit my investment to $1k if possible.

Please speak up!

Thanks in advance.
If you are buying a new laptop, I would get at least an I7 processor and 16GB of RAM. But, I think your budget is a little too low. If you also buy a 4K monitor, that alone will blow about half of your budget. Of course, you could save a lot of money if you get a desktop, and a cheap tablet or Chromebook for other tasks.
  #5  
Old 06-06-2020, 12:53 PM
Pinball wizard's Avatar
Pinball wizard Pinball wizard is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 532
Thanks: 420
Thanked 320 Times in 139 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123 View Post
If you are buying a new laptop, I would get at least an I7 processor and 16GB of RAM. But, I think your budget is a little too low. If you also buy a 4K monitor, that alone will blow about half of your budget. Of course, you could save a lot of money if you get a desktop, and a cheap tablet or Chromebook for other tasks.
2D CAD should NOT require a 4K monitor nor extremely high power graphics. I would recommend the following, trying to keep it at your budget of $1K

Configure

This has the latest generation (10th) Intel i7 (for speed) and 8GB of memory which I think will be enough. It's usually easy to add additional memory if needed. It also has an entry level discrete graphics card which will enhance your 2D performance. I don't believe you need a 3D discrete card.

Another possibility is:
Configure

This has the latest AMD processor (Ryzen 7), the same graphics, but 16GB of memory.

They both have 15.6" screens but I suspect you will want/need a larger screen at home on your desk.
Closed Thread

Tags
laptop, research, assistance, gaming, computer

Thread Tools

You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:13 PM.