Base Frequency - System Requirements

[carl_oscar_lundqvist]

I am about to buy a laptop, and are now comparing Intels i7 CPUs. I will use both AutoCAD and Naviswork, in AutoCAD I will work mostly with 2D-drawings, and in Naviswork I will work with 3D-models.  If i read the system requirements it recommends base frequency = 3 + GHz.  I have decided that I want a dedicated GPU, minimum of 16 GB in RAM, but I don´t know how to decide what CPU i need. Much have happened over the last years with Intels CPU, and now they have P-cores and E-cores, they also have plenty of cores. But the "base frequency" (P-core) is lower than 3 GHz for all their mobile CPU for the 13th (and 12th) generation, see link below:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/processors/core/13th-gen-core-mobile-brief.htm...

How do I compare modern CPUs (12th and 13th generation) to the old CPUs e.g. I7-1185G7, and do I really need a base-frequency of 3 GHz?

[rkmcswain · Accepted solution]

This may seem a little old, but the basic premise is the same today. For most operations, AutoCAD is only going to use one core, so you are going to want the highest clock speed you can get on that one core (hence the 3+ recommendation).

We still have some i7-7700K @ 4.2GHz machines here, from 6+ years ago, and they are still good CAD PCs due to that high clock speed.

[Valentin_CAD · Accepted solution]

@carl_oscar_lundqvist ,

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@carl_oscar_lundqvist wrote:

I am about to buy a laptop, and are now comparing Intels i7 CPUs.

... but I don´t know how to decide what CPU i need. ...

How do I compare modern CPUs (12th and 13th generation) to the old CPUs e.g. I7-1185G7, and do I really need a base-frequency of 3 GHz?

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A good read:

• Best Laptop for AutoCAD – Our top 10 pick for 2023