Computers & Tablets

[wyowill]

well do you know one like that that has a 15-16" screen, cause id be travaling a lot. tacking it places stuff like that, a 17" might just get tiresome after a while carring it places

[Entropy]

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@hockeycanuckjc wrote:

I remember something someone told me a long time ago when we discussed Auto Cad is that ATI was designed for Auto Cad designing. But then again those were Fire GL cards. I wonder how these hold up. 

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Some CAD software requires (or at least benefits significantly) from a few special features not present in gaming GPUs, such as line antialiasing.  These niche features (and tons of video RAM) are usually what sets apart "workstation" GPUs from "gaming" GPUs.  In the past, sometimes the silicon was the same and the only difference was the card's PCI ID (which the drivers keyed functionality off of) - this was the basis of "SoftQuadro" years ago.  Nowadays, NVidia and ATI have taken measures to prevent hacks like SoftQuadro.

Both NVidia and ATI have CAD-oriented GPU lines.  For ATI, it's the FireGL series, for NVidia, it's Quadro.

So for CAD you may need a FireGL or Quadro.  You will not find these in any system sold by BBY to my knowledge.  (Except for maybe Best Buy for Business?)  Dell sells systems with Quadros using the "Precision" name.

[Nokia]

But then you lose some gaming capability, as generally those cards aren't as good at gaming functions.

[CrimsonRain]

You mentioned gaming and CAD software... pretty much two of the most demanding types of software you can get in computing. As Nokia stated, you're looking to spend in the $1200+ range for a laptop. If you wanted to keep the cost low, you should consider a desktop.

[wyowill]

but i cant tack a desktop places with me, i need a laptop that i can take and do work on the go and stuff, i would mind a desktop if i wasnt moving around a lot :/....im just looking for one that would give me the best ability for what i want in the price rang, yes i know it not going to be all that great but that something i can deal with

[Entropy]

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@Nokia wrote:
But then you lose some gaming capability, as generally those cards aren't as good at gaming functions.

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Agreed, but if you need CAD, you need CAD.

[ITechGuy16]

Hi Wyowill,

I would suggest you search for a laptop with an Intel i5, or i7 new core processor. The processor is the brain of your computer and determines your laptops ability to "process" any action you request. Investing in a strong processor will ensure that your computer continues to function down the line and is able to handle new technology. The i5 and and i7 have 4-way and 8-way mutlitasking (hyper-threading) and turbo boost, which speeds up your computer when you need more performance!!! Here is a list of computers at Best Buy with i5 and up within your price range!!! 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%...

[Nokia]

It'd be useful to post a list of CAD programs that are multicore-enabled.

[Entropy]

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@ITechGuy16 wrote:

Hi Wyowill,

I would suggest you search for a laptop with an Intel i5, or i7 new core processor. The processor is the brain of your computer and determines your laptops ability to "process" any action you request. Investing in a strong processor will ensure that your computer continues to function down the line and is able to handle new technology. The i5 and and i7 have 4-way and 8-way mutlitasking (hyper-threading) and turbo boost, which speeds up your computer when you need more performance!!! Here is a list of computers at Best Buy with i5 and up within your price range!!! 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%...

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You're leaving a lot of important information out here, especially since for graphics intensive applications like CAD, the CPU is often not as important as the GPU.  (See previous discussion.)

A large portion of the laptops in your "recommended" list in your link have Intel integrated graphics and not discrete graphics - Integrated graphics is wholly unsuitable for CAD.  In fact, depending on the specific CAD package, even "gaming" grade graphics (ATI Radeon or NVidia GeForce) may possibly be unsuitable and "workstation" grade graphics (ATI FireGL or NVidia Quadro) may be required.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that you will find a laptop suitable for CAD work in the original poster's price range.