Revit NEWB need help!

[rojallad]

Hello,  I am an interior designer and I am purchasing Revit 2013 lt and AutoCad lt 2013 software.  I do not yet have a machine to use and I am wondering what to include.  I think I understand that I need at least 6gb RAM, and I am going to use an i7 processor (unless otherwise suggested here), I just dont know how important the video card is and what I should be looking for.  The "approved ist"  has a million different options and its overwhelming.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

RJ

[rojallad]

any reason why the machine listed below would not work?

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My System Details OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 7 Professional, Media, 64-bit, English edit PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Home and Business 2013, English, French and Spanish edit SUPPORT PLAN 3 Year ProSupport with 3 Year NBD Limited Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis edit SECURITY SOFTWARE Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security, 30 Day edit My Accessories ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM PROCESSOR 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7-3740QM Processor (2.7GHz, 6M cache, Upgradable to Intel® vPro™ technology)   SYSTEM RECOVERY OPTIONS Resource DVD - Contains Drivers   MEMORY 8.0GB, DDR3-1600MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS   FINGERPRINT READER OPTION Internal Swipe Fingerprint Reader, USH and Contactless Smartcard Reader   LCD 15.6" UltraSharp™ FHD (1920x1080) Wide View Anti-Glare, Premium Panel Guarantee, USH   CAMERA/MICROPHONE Integrated HD video webcam and noise reducing array microphones   GRAPHICS CARD NVIDIA® Quadro® K1000M with 2GB GDDR3   RAID CONFIGURATION No RAID Configuration   HARD DRIVE CONFIGURATION 750GB 2.5" 7200rpm Hard Drive   INTERNAL KEYBOARD Internal English Backlit Keyboard   OPTICAL DRIVE 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load   BATTERY OPTIONS 9-cell (97Wh) Primary Lithium Ion Battery, (3.0Ah) ExpressCharge Capable   A/C ADAPTER 180W 3P, A/C Adapter   WIRELESS CARD Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 802.11n 3x3 Half Mini-card   WIRELESS-PAN Dell Wireless™ 380 Bluetooth 4.0 LE Module   DELL PRECISION M4500 BASE Dell Mobile Precision M4700 (FCG1)   ENERGY STAR & EPEAT No ESTAR Enabled   SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT No Out-of-Band Systems Management   RSS Label Thank you for choosing Ships Fast from Dell   Processor Branding Intel Core i7 Label

[rosskirby]

Hi RJ, and welcome to the forum.  Just for future reference, if you're going to ask for advice on hardware, you don't need to copy/paste the full specs of the computer, especially the things that have no bearing on the performance of the machine (i.e. integral camera, a/c adapter, etc.).  It just makes the post hard to read.  All we need to know is the OS, RAM, hard drive, video card, and processor you're considering.  Also, a brief description of the type of work you do would be helpful.

All that being said, for Revit you'll need, at a minimum, (based on my own experience):

• OS - Windows 7 professional (64 bit) [you can get Windows 8, but make sure you install all the updates to Revit, otherwise there will be a conflict with the .NET version, and the ribbon will be messed up).
• RAM - 4 GB minimum, and that's only if you work on really small projects.  I'd recommend at least 8, but 16 would be better, and make sure the computer has the capacity to upgrade to 32, because you're only ever going to need more memory, and RAM is cheap (comparatively speaking).
• Hard drive - get whatever the best value is at the time.  If you have a separate server/external hard drive where you're going to be storing data, then go with a 64 or 128 GB SSD drive.  Your computer/programs will startup faster, and the read/write times will be faster.  That being said, it's not a huge improvement over a typical hard drive, so if money is an issue, and you need more storage space, at least get a 7200 RPM drive.
• Processor - get the best i7 you can get for your money.  Revit uses multi-core processors on more and more tasks every year, so if you opt for a higher number of cores at a slightly slower speed, it would be a good tradeoff for future-proofing your machine, rather than getting a processor with fewer cores and a higher speed.
• Video card - This one is complicated.  If you're not doing a lot of rendering in Revit, then pretty much any consumer-grade video card (1 GB) will do.  Don't go out and spend a fortune on some super high-end card unless you're going to use some program other than Revit to do your renderings.  Revit uses your processor, not the graphics card, to do rendering, so the video card is really only for generating on-screen graphics (panning, rotating, etc.).  And don't worry if the card isn't on the Autodesk-approved list.  

Obviously all of the above is rather generic, and a lot will depend on your budget, working method, and type of projects.  However, I built some brand new machines (towers) a few years ago for about $750 apiece, and Revit 2010 ran like butter on those things.  Today, I'd expect to spend a little more, given the fact that there are better processors available now than there were then, so maybe in the $800-850 range, especially if you go with an SSD (my recommendation, if it fits your budget).

Hope you found all that helpful, and please, feel free to ask questions if you want more info or didn't understand something, and good luck with Revit!

[rojallad]

Thanks for the input ans sorry for the clutter inmy previous post.  All of your information was very helpful.  I actually found a Lenovo that fits the bill per the Autodesk "approved list".  it has this processor: Intel Core i7-3630QM  (6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz), 8gb ram and a 500 GB 7200 rpm HD.  All of those are good according to you and the "list".  My only quesiton is stil the video card.  YOur post did clafiy to some degree but left a question.  With regards to rendering, I dont want to limit myself here.  My projects will be residential and commercial interior design projects.   With that said i have the follow options: NVIDIA Quadro K1000M or the K2000M.  $250 difference between the two...  Thoughts?

Thanks again RJ.

[rosskirby]

No worries about the formatting.  It was just a suggestion that might help you elicit more responses in the future.

Regardless, I think your Lenovo build is pretty solid with either video card.  The thing to remember with laptops, though, is that you can't really replace/upgrade the video card if something doesn't work the way you plan.  In this case, then, if the better card is within your budget, and you want to be able to render in the future with something like 3DS Max, then go with the K2000M.

Personally, I just recently purchased 2 laptops for running Revit (HP Elitebook 8570, see attached PDF specs).  It has the capability of being upgraded to 32GB of RAM, and it's got a solid video card, although this won't be used for rendering purposes.  It should be useful for the next 3-4 years, at least.

Good luck to you, and report back here to let us know how your new hardware works out for you.

[rojallad]

Ross,

thanks for the update.  I think I will just go with the K2000M up front.  Its another $250, I would just hate to be limited at some point down the road.  Thanks for your help!!!

[Bob_Zurunkle]

I'd like to add that I hope your are getting the Suite (includes both Revit LT and AutoCAD LT) and that you are going with the subscription...

[rosskirby]

Any time.  And to add to what Bob says above, make sure you're getting one of the suites so that you get the most bang for your buck.  Talk with your reseller or post here to let us help you decide which suite is best for you.

[raspunzela]

I have Windows 7 Profs. I installed two components of Revit 2013 but I could not install Autodesk Design Review, someone can help me on this? The error in the log is: Installation aborted, Result=1603.

Thanks,

Raspunzela

[Bob_Zurunkle]

...and I'd like to point out, to be careful of installing Sketchbook Designer for AutoCAD, if it comes in the suite. It is  aknown issue in 2012 and 2013 that this will make it impossible to select grips in wipeouts, which made all of my blocks with wipeouts useless, until I uninstalled it. Fro those who want to use SD, it can also be installed separately as simply Sketchbook Designer, and that has no issues...