Autocad and surface pro 2018

[Anonymous]

Good morning,

I would like to know if some of you has installed autocad on the new surface pro microsoft 2018 and if the program works well. In particular I refer to the

Surface Pro 2018 with LTE Advanced - Intel Core i5 / 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM / Intel HD Graphics 620

or to

Surface Pro 2017- Intel Core i7 / 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM / Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640

Also, 8GB RAM is enough to use all the potential of autocad?

Thank you.

Francesca

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Up up 

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

What kind of work do you intend to do on this computer?  The video and RAM are rather limited so if you are expecting to handle large and complicated files it might be better to look at other devices.

It might be adequate for taking on-site for walk thrus and such but I would hesitate to consider this for full-time production or serious modeling.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous]

Good afternoon,

I would like to buy this device for its lightness and performance. I am a student of architecture and I would like to do 2d and 3d design work. I would like to use some rendering program. Are 16 GB RAM and intel core i7 OK?
Thank you.  

F.

[pendean]

AutoCAD is not designed to be finger or pen friendly, you still need to use a keyboard and a mouse to do work: have you had a chance to use the program close to full time yet? That's going to be your biggest limitation on that device, other than the tiny screen and AutoCAD's giant Ribbon/Toolbars need as well.

Otherwise the processor and RAM are just fine for student work.

[JPomeroy]

I use a Surface Pro, and @john.vellek is absolutely right.  It is great for site visits and field work, where you are primarily referencing existing drawings.

But if you are looking at this as a primary drafting tool, I would STRONGLY suggest you build a desktop with the horsepower necessary for 3d drafting.  Forget about rendering on your Surface; no way.

The Surface is great, and I love mine, but it augments a strong desktop rig.  It would NOT replace one.  You will spend a lot of money and be disappointed if you see this as your primary drafting tool.  Too small of a screen, not enough ponies under the hood.  As @pendean notes, AutoCAD doesn't work too well with touchscreen or pen interface.  Plan on using a mouse.

[Anonymous]

@JPomeroy @pendean  grazie per le tue risposte. Quale desktop pc da abbinare alla superficie per usare autocad? @JPomeroy  hai mai provato un connettere il tuo @JPomeroyPro a uno schermo più grande? Ho questa idea in mente. Che tipo di Ram e processore ha la tua superficie professionale?

ps. Non riesco a capire cosa significa "pony sotto il cofano".

F.   

[Anonymous]

@JPomeroy @pendean thanks for your answers. Which desktop pc to combine with the surface to use autocad? @JPomeroy have you ever tried to connect your surface to a bigger screen? I have this idea in mind. What kind of Ram and processor does your surface have?
 
ps. I can not understand what "pony under the hood" means.
 
F.

[Anonymous]

I am using at work a Microsoft Surface Pro i7-7660u-16gb-512gb-iris plus 640 graphics. 

It is docked to two 27 inch displays (used as primary work station). It moves Autocad 3D and inventor (large, complex files) like nothing. 

The entire company's engineering departments (100+ workstations) are using this setup. 

Before this I had a HP Elitebook 8760w with dedicated Nividia Quadro graphics. Surface is better. 

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous thank you for your detailed reply.

Your experience helps my choice. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your excellent expelination but how about Maya is it the same .. will do you think Maya or Autocad in near future be a finger or pin friendly ?

[Anonymous]

Thank fie great explanation but will be in finest future to finger and pin friendly. App like Maya and auto as ?

[Anonymous]

What is most troubling in the response here is how Autodesk continues to rely on more and more powerful ram and computing power to use a simple design program. I want to see Autodesk get back to simplicity and get away from requiring their program to become some advanced computer gaming program. It's a waste of an engineering designers resources to continue to pay so much for a new computer and a new design software every year and continue to have a program that continues to crash all the time because it wants so much stupid rendering computing power. I really really really really really want an Autocad that will just run and work out surface and volume data for surfaces and work out 2-D views (plan and profile) for my civil engineering needs without all the stupid extra graphics that nobody needs or wants.

My 2 cents.

-Cory Jones, PE

[dgorsman]

Being able to do those civil tasks *does* require more than a budget computer.  It's not an arbitrary decision of "Make them pay more".

And be careful of declaring what "everyone" or "nobody" wants or needs.  You'll find quite a few who do require the bits and and pieces you don't want, and others who feel that parts you need should be thrown away instead.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

In the end I bought the Surface Pro 6 i7-8650U, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB.

2D and 3D Autocad (2019) easy layers run well, but I still have to do checks.

Regards

[s.borello]

bump up your ram and get an external monitor... you will still need a keyboard and mouse.

[Anonymous]

A keyboard is included with this Surface. There is a casing for it. Yes, I need an external monitor! There is also an USB port to plug the mouse. 

[bsegafredo]

"What is most troubling in the response here is how Autodesk continues to rely on more and more powerful ram and computing power to use a simple design program. I want to see Autodesk get back to simplicity and get away from requiring their program to become some advanced computer gaming program."

That's the entire point of AutoCAD, its a complex design program.  It was never simplistic.  Even in the DOS days it still had insane system requirements for its time.   If you want a 'simple design program', then AutoCAD is not the route you want to go down. 

[pendean]

Amen to that: the hardware specs on those 386s/DOS 3.3 PCs (and monitors/graphics cards) were well above average back in the day, nothing much has changed today.

[Anonymous]

Were you able to run Autocad on your Surface Pro 6 (Core i7, 16gb, 256gb)? I am looking to buy the surface pro.

Thanks!