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Gaming laptops for Revit?

7 REPLIES 7
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Message 1 of 8
ruthellenwms
1470 Views, 7 Replies

Gaming laptops for Revit?

I'm looking for a new laptop for Revit 2010 and have read Autodesk and lots of user recommendations. Why is nobody recommending any machines that are being marketed for gamers?

OK, this one is huge (18.4" screen) and heavy (weighs more than my dog) and has that backlit keyboard (red), but it also seems to have processor, ram and video card required for Revit. Price is $1,899.99, which is less than other Toshibas, Dells, HPs that are custom configured to match.

What am I missing???

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/pdet.to?poid=452634

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q850
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
6GB DDR3 memory
320GB hard drive (7200rpm)
64GB solid state drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 250M discrete graphics (1GB GDDR5)
Blu-ray Disc™ ROM and DVD burner
Native 1080p support
802.11n & Bluetooth® wireless
HDMI-CEC port
LED backlit keyboard
7 REPLIES 7
Message 2 of 8
vector2
in reply to: ruthellenwms

of course revit is a game- everyone knows that..

see the image..
Message 3 of 8
ruthellenwms
in reply to: ruthellenwms

yeah - that's the version I have!
Message 4 of 8
vector2
in reply to: ruthellenwms

one thing you would need to do with revit on a widescreen-
is run the ribbon completely closed with the QAT on top..
also with windows 7 you can make the task bar narrower
by selecting "use small icons" in the task bar properties..

you really need a 3:4 ratio display with revit- but they don't
make that for laptops anymore..

the least wide widescreen laptops are 1280 x 800.. those
laptops are 12.1 - 13.3 - 14.1 - 15.4.. take your pick..

if you plan to go places with your laptop- (like on a
train or just out somewhere)- you really don't want anything
bigger than a 15.4- and they say 14.1 is the sweet spot..

smaller displays are in right now anyway.. i had a 21 inch
CRT for a long time- but now i have a 15" Samsung SyncMaster..

the thing i especially like about going small now is that i can
use the 1024 x 768 resolution- (unless the 21 inch was far away)-
that is the standard width for web pages.. and although it cut off
a little functionality on the options bar with the revit classic UI-
it works perfect in every way with the ribbon..

i don't have the laptop yet- but i want a 13.3 inch 1280 x 800
to take out with me and the 15 inch 1024 x 768 display for my
desktop computer..

also those quad extremes run too hot and are way overpriced..
but maybe on a desktop with a water block and gobs of money..

also keep a lookout for the new intel 32 nanometer chip with
the on-chip graphics.. that will really be ideal for laptops..
Message 5 of 8
ruthellenwms
in reply to: ruthellenwms

Autodesk system requirements include monitor resolution of 1280 x 1024. I really want to use a second monitor to get the space I need, but I won't be carrying that around so that's why I'm considering a larger than 15" laptop. I still miss the 21" crt I had some years ago!

Processor heat is definitely a concern - don't really know how to deal with that.

Would like to have the 32 nano, but it won't be out until next year and I have to replace a dead computer before then!
Message 6 of 8
vector2
in reply to: ruthellenwms

the specs on that Toshiba look fine except for one thing:
the old mechanical 7200 RPM drive makes no sense in
a rig like that..

even a raptor 10,000 RPM moves stuff way too slow
these days.. and the only reason most people have
not yet upgraded to a solid state disk is because
those disks are 32 gig.. (not a disk actually)

and most people must fill up their system drive
with over 100 gig of stuff so they can lose it all as soon
as they get attacked from the internet.. in other words-
most people don't understand..

but 32 gig is a good size.. 22 gig for windows 7 and
5 gig for revit- that leaves 5 gig.. who needs to load
more that 5 gig of programs after revit? not me..

and you can have two 300 gig raptor external drives-
one for storage and the other to back up that storage..

and the other thing is that with pulling at least 95 watts
for that i7- there would be no way around the need to
have powerful fans under that monster.. and guess how
long the batteries would last with those big fans running..

i bet looking back from the future we will see that at this
time- notebook computers were not yet practical..

i think the 32 nano chip with bring in the very first
practical notebook computer in history.. 20 watts and
no need for a graphics card and serious processing
speed.. combine that with an SSD and 16 gig of memory-
and now it's time..

it's time for revit at least.. BTW- revit is now an all new
64 bit program.. that's big time..
Message 7 of 8
Anonymous
in reply to: ruthellenwms

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:03:26 +0000, ruthellenwms <> wrote:

>I'm looking for a new laptop for Revit 2010 and have read Autodesk and lots of user recommendations. Why is nobody recommending any machines that are being marketed for gamers?

Well, maybe because machines marketed for gamers usually place emphasis on
things Revit users don't need, like racing stripes, clip-on colored wrist rests,
glo-in-the-dark skull logos and LED CPU fans.

>OK, this one is huge (18.4" screen) and heavy (weighs more than my dog) and has that backlit keyboard (red), but it also seems to have processor, ram and video card required for Revit. Price is $1,899.99, which is less than other Toshibas, Dells, HPs that are custom configured to match.

>What am I missing???

Experience working with a huge heavy laptop with an 18.4" screen, for one.

Because if you had that, you would not be asking the question.

When it comes to specifying a laptop, you look at three things:

1. Portability
2. Screen resolution
3. CPU speed, memory, graphics, expandability, ergonomics, etc.

At 10.23lbs, Your machine is not very portable at all, which tends to defeat the
purpose of a laptop. Furthermore, the screen resolution of 1920x1080 is really
not that great, particularly for that size; WUXGA+ offers a resolution of
1920x1200 and can be had on laptops in the 15.4" range.

Otherwise:
The i7 CPU is sweet, but it sucks down power VERY fast.
RAM is only ok (6GB is a weird size; I would opt for 8GB as a minimum).
A 320GB hard disk is normally fine as is, but this also has a 64MB SSD, which
adds weight and drains power. No one puts two hard disks in a laptop.
The nVidia GTS 250 is only a decent card, but nothing to write home about.
Blu-Ray? Really? Check the specs - chances are it's only a DVD burner, not a
Blu-Ray burner.
802.11n is standard wireless nowadays.
I do like the eSATA/USB combo, but that's becoming more popular as well.
As is the backlit keyboard - that rocks.
Only a 1-year warranty, which sucks.
That 12-cell battery is gonna be HEAVY.
It is probably pre-loaded with tons of craplets you don't need which are going
to be a PIA to uninstall.

Matt
matt@stachoni.com
Message 8 of 8
vector2
in reply to: ruthellenwms

for example the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 notebook has a 64 GB SSD..

64 GB is fine but like i said- maybe all you need is the more common 32 GB SSD..

22 GB for win 7 and 5 GB for revit and 5 GB left for other programs- usually
more than enough space..

but a lot of people want to keep everything they own on that system drive-
like 200 GB of stuff- and i say that's not necessary if you have two EXTERNAL
hard drives to use for both your laptop and your desktop.. the two back up each
other in case one fails.. so anything you create on your system drive (SSD)- gets
moved off to your backup drives when it becomes convenient to do so.. also only
having your main programs on your system drive you won't care too much if an
internet virus causes damage- because especially with an SSD- you can reinstall
everything in seconds- or as fast as your hard disk can transfer to your SSD..

SSDs will fundamentally change the way we manage our computers..
(gee that sounds like a famous quote from somebody- hey wow- maybe
i could famous too)

now watch somebody come along and say something again like: "but how are
you gonna fit two hard drives in a laptop"- oh they will trust me..

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