Will any of these laptops run Inventor well?

[Anonymous]

I am a student looking to get the student version of Inventor.  My current computer is not powerful enough to run Inventor, so I have listed the laptops I am considering buying below.  I have narrowed the list down to only laptops as I will need to be able to easily transport the rig around campus.  I am also wanting to get a rig that can play games.  So, workstations are off the list.  The main thing I am concerned about is the graphics card.  The laptops below have basically the same specs, except for the graphics card.  Anyway, here is what I have come up with so far:

1.  ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VT-DS74

     Display: 1920 x 1080 15.6" FHD display

     Processor: Quad Core Skylake i7 6700hq 2.6 GHz (up to 3.5 w/turbo boost)

     Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M 6 GB GDDR5

     RAM: 16 GB DDR4-SDRAM

     Storage: 1 TB HDD(7200 RPM) plus 128 GB M.2 SSD

2.  ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VT-DS71

     Display: 1920 x 1080 15.6" FHD display

     Processor: Quad Core Skylake i7 6700hq 2.6 GHz (up to 3.5 w/turbo boost)

     Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M 3 GB GDDR5

     RAM: 16 GB DDR4-SDRAM(2133 MHz)

     Storage: 1 TB HDD(7200 RPM) plus 128 GB M.2 SSD

3.  ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VY-DS71

     Display: 1920 x 1080 15.6" FHD display

     Processor: Quad Core Skylake i7 6700hq 2.6 GHz (up to 3.5 w/turbo boost)

     Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M 4 GB GDDR5 (also an 8 GB 980M version, but really out of my price point) 

     RAM: 16 GB DDR4-SDRAM(2133 MHz)

     Storage: 1 TB HDD(7200 RPM) plus 128 GB M.2 SSD

Any and all suggestions are welcomed.  Price wise, I have been looking on amazon.com, but would be open to other buying sites that offer any of these laptops for cheaper than amazon.  I am also open to other computers besides the ones I listed, so if you have a laptop you recommend, please feel free to do so.  Also keeping in mind that I don't have $2000+ to blow on a new laptop.  I'd like to spend no more than $1500, but am willing to flex to $1700 if a GTX 980M is the recommended graphics card.  Ideally, I'd like to not have to pay more than $1300, but again I'll flex if need be.  I'd like to be able to get a 980M, but if a 970M will do the trick, I'll go with the cheaper option.  In terms of size, anything thicker than an inch is not an option.  For example, I originally was thinking about getting an Acer Predator, but scratched that option when I found out it was an inch and a half thick.  I'm not saying I want something ultrabook thin, I just really don't want something Predator or Alienware thick.  My major concerns are graphics card and portability.  Feel free to give suggestions, tips, and opinions.  Thanks!

[mcgyvr]

IMO.. all of those are fine and will run Inventor just fine.. 

But I'd recommend solid state hard drives vs dumping more on a top notch graphics card

Processor speed is slow"ish" too but its a laptop so there isn't too much you can do..

I've found processor speed and lately memory speed to be more important than graphics card..

Any non-integrated graphics card thats directx 10 compatible should run Inventor just fine..

Personally I really think the limiting factor with those 3 systems will be the processor vs the graphics cards.. 

And solid state drives are great when you are working/saving locally vs network..

[mdavis22569]

you should be fine with any of 

but I like 3

3.  ASUS ROG STRIX GL502VY-DS71

     Display: 1920 x 1080 15.6" FHD display

     Processor: Quad Core Skylake i7 6700hq 2.6 GHz (up to 3.5 w/turbo boost)

     Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M 4 GB GDDR5 (also an 8 GB 980M version, but really out of my price point) 

     RAM: 16 GB DDR4-SDRAM(2133 MHz)

     Storage: 1 TB HDD(7200 RPM) plus 128 GB M.2 SSD

I have an almost identical Asus system as this ...

I just have 12gb of ram vs your 16

[CCarreiras]

All of them will work well (for these range of price).

Advice: The most RAM better ask the price for 32Gb RAM, and also a bigger SSD Disk (256Gb). Nowadays,the SSD disks will boost performance a lot. The graphic cards will work.

The best PC's to professional work are Workstations, with nVidia Quadro series, but if you want to use the pc for a misc (home media center + work), maybe is not a good choice for you... Workstation are expensive.

[Anonymous]

Since I probably won't be making 1000+ parts models is it really necessary to have 32gb of RAM?

[Anonymous]

I plan on replacing whichever drive doesn't have the OS with a larger SSD. I'm pretty sure the OS is on the 128gb SSD, so I'd get a 500gb SSD to put in place of the HDD.

[CCarreiras]

If you have 32Gb, the PC will have better behavior, now and in a 3 or 4 years. With 16Gb, will work well in a 3 or 4 years? Will you be able to buy RAM memory at that time to upgrade this PC? Maybe yes, but it will more expensive than now.

The applications run better, if you install them in the same local where you installed windows (C:\) . The other disk is only for storage.

Why do you need a expensive SSD 500Gb only for storage???!!! Use it as the main disk!!! and for storage, any HDD is suficient.

[mcgyvr]

I have 16Gb and do 500 part assemblies without issue..

I've never seen above 8-10Gb of usage

[dgorsman]

RAM is pretty cheap these days, although 32 GB can be overkill for most users especially on a laptop.  You might save a little bit of money by going with 16 GB but not much.

Watch out for system drive space.  Not only is the operating system installed there but critical program components.  You'll be installing at least one version of Inventor (possibly several, over several years of classes) and probably a host of other programs.  Even a 256 GB drive can run out *real* fast.

[Anonymous]

So the best option would be to replace the 128 gb SSD with a 500gb SSD? Then i'd have to move the OS over, which I've never done before, but that probably won't be too difficult.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking of going with a 500 gb SSD.

[Anonymous]

All three of the systems I listed can support a max of 16gb of RAM. Considering it's DDR4 RAM, it should work well now and in 3 to 4 years. Also, I am trying to balance cost, portability, and speed of the system. The systems listed above nicely balance all three of the categories. I could go with an MSI GS60, which has a max of 32gb of RAM and is highly portable, but it's out of my price point. Or I could go with a Predator or Alienware, which are very upgrade-able , but they are like bricks.

[Anonymous]

The GTX 970M and 980M support up to directx 12 according to the specs on Nvidia's website, so should be good on the front.

[mdavis22569 · Accepted solution]

12 gig's and I work on 2000-3000 piece assemblies and render in Inventor studio no problem.

I have a 1 TB hd that works fine...  

If you were getting int simulations, FEA, CFD etc, I might look at the i7 6700 4.0 but for a student version and gaming he should be fine.

[Anonymous]

I actually have a pretty old ROG G75VW (https://www.amazon.com/G75VW-17-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-VERSION/dp/B009M2XB3U) and it runs 17 flawlessly. These all will be more than enough for inventor.