Suggestions for a PC computer?
I use solidworks at school with their PCs, and I have a Mac at home which can't run solidworks so I need to buy a PC laptop and I would like some suggestions. Take into consideration that I'm fourteen and can't afford anything too fancy.
2 answers
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57ff1644 12 months agoThe big problem with SolidWorks on PC laptops is their graphics cards are more geared to gaming than to CAD. Any CAD program makes huge demands on a PC graphics card, and CAD rated graphics cards cost a lot more than gaming cards. That is why they are seldom installed on low-end laptops. The same thing holds true for desktops, as well, but you get more choices for customizing desktop components, like graphics cards, than you do for laptops; for a lot less money, too. Actually, building your own desktop PC from components is not that difficult and you can save about 60% of the cost compared to store bought equivalents. Check out the Kits found at www.tigerdirect.com. I've been "rollin' my own" for the last 20 years and have saved a bunch of money. The thing to remember is you'll need lots of RAM, not less than 4 Mb, and you'll need a CAD rated graphics card that you can choose from a list found on SolidWorks web site, www.solidworks.com/.
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57ff1644 12 months ago
I made a typo; the 4 Mb of RAM, minimum, should have been 4 Gb. On my own system I've installed 16 Gb. For overall increase in CAD performance, increase RAM first, then your graphics card, and then your CPU. - Rio
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Rodger.H 12 months agoIf you have a minimal budget, a second hand desktop is a good starting point. Check eBay, an HP XW6400 or Dell Precision 490 with dual Xeon 5160 CPU's and an nvidia quadro fx3500 graphics card would be a very capable machine.
