topic Re: Which computer to buy? in AutoCAD Forum

Which computer to buy?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 00:17:43 GMT

Hello, I am not sure which conputer to buy. I am a first year engineer student and am hoping for a computer that would run autoCAD smoothly for whatever programs I will have to use in the future.
There are two options a 13 inch dell or a 15 inch.

13 inch=> Video card = Intel® HD graphics 620 with Shared Graphics Memory; Processor =7th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-7200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)

15" => Video card =AMD Radeon™ R7 M445 Graphics 4GB GDDR5; Processor = 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7500U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz)

Will the 13 inch run just fine? That is preferable as it is smaller and lighter. But if the 15 is way better I will buy that one, thans

Re: Which computer to buy?

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 00:35:35 GMT

Check this System Requirements for AutoCAD.

Maybe If you work with a complex 3D entity, Then 15inch is a good option for you.

13inch also works well for 2d Drawing.

But I recommend set certified hardware to process AutoCAD.

See this Certified Hardware

Re: Which computer to buy?

pendean — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 13:03:43 GMT

Basic AutoCAD system requirements for an average user:
An i5 or i7 processor running at 3GHZ or higher native clock speed.
8GB Ram
A video card with 2GB Ram or more.
If a laptop, 15" screen minimum size: if you want to use it with an external monitor (so you can get a smaller laptop screen), you need to make sure the external monitor can be run at HD display settings (not the low end 1024x768 common on cheap laptops).
A harddrive large enough to hold all of your files: 500GB is good, 1TB is better.

My personal 'upgraded' suggestions for 90% of users out there (you can always add more if you feel you can justify it):
Desktop: i7-7700 clocked up to 4.2Ghz, 16GB, 512GB SSD (minimum), GTX1080 4GB or Quadro M2000 4GB
Laptop: i7-6820HQ, 16GB, 512GB SSD (minimum), Quadro M2000M 2GB or FirePro W5170M 2GB

Re: Which computer to buy?

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 18:22:45 GMT

Hey thanks so much for the reply. The laptop I am currently looking at has the following.
Video card = Intel® HD graphics 620 with Shared Graphics Memory; Processor =7th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-7200U Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz). This is a laptop I'm gonna use for engineering at university, most likely software or maybe chemical. Would this be enough? If not please let me know what I would need to upgrade, thanks a lot

Re: Which computer to buy?

ChrisRS — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 01:54:50 GMT

What is the screen resolution of each computer?

Here is a HD (1920x1080) screen shot of AutoCAD. A lot of people use pallets and fly outs that take up screen space. so this is the most open workspace you will see. I suggest that you save this image to a USB drive and view it on the computers you are considering, or computers with similar screens.

I think AutoCAD needs as much screen area as possible. AutoCAD is not good at scaling the UI (User Interface) so you need a screen you can work on comfortably. I think 13-inch is too small unless you are planning on an external monitor for AutoCAD. I would steer clear of any resolution higher than 1920X1080 on the 15 inch version (The UI is too small). (I am 64 years old, so your eye sight must be better than mine.)

What does the school you are going to recommend? What other software will you be using? MS Office requirements are less than AutoCAD, but a lot of Autodesk software have greater requirements.

Good luck.

Re: Which computer to buy?

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 02:27:53 GMT

For purpose work 2D drawing, Its hardware is to enough.

But To work 3D, You need to set certified video card or similar device as @pendean.

Nowadays, Intel presents to release 8th CPU. It can better ability than 7th.

See this Video.

Another option is AMD CPU series also better than Intel CPU.

It more Cheaper and has more core than Intel.

Re: Which computer to buy?

ennujozlagam — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 02:37:09 GMT

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