CAD Forum

If you had $2k for a new solidworks laptop, what would you get? brand? processor? ram? video card? etc.

What would you get if you had $3k?

Something like a Surface Book with detach screen. I do want USB port on the screen. For 3D scanner.
Dell might have something similar.
Light weight under 5lb. My 12" E7240 is 3lb. Good enough to bring it on trips. Not that I do work when I'm away :p
i7, maybe newer gen i5. 16GB RAM, SSD drive.
Intel HD graphic on the E7240 works well even on 4k. So I'll see if a nVidia fit in the price.

VTmechie wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:11 pm If you had $2k for a new solidworks laptop, what would you get? brand? processor? ram? video card? etc.

What would you get if you had $3k?

I went to Dell with a $3000 budget, and was a little disappointed with what I could get. But then I went to their refurbished site, and I got way more than I was looking for for less money. Still had the warrantee of new equipment. I personally think refurbished is the way to go if you're on a budget. Just because of the service and warantee I think Dell is the best choice.

I got a 5530, Xeon E2176 with 32 gb ram with the nicer touch screen, Quadro P2000 and onboard intel P630, with a Lightning docking station for about $2500. This was about 2 years ago. Since it was refurb, it was in stock, no waiting.

matt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:24 pm I went to Dell with a $3000 budget, and was a little disappointed with what I could get. But then I went to their refurbished site, and I got way more than I was looking for for less money. Still had the warrantee of new equipment. I personally think refurbished is the way to go if you're on a budget. Just because of the service and warantee I think Dell is the best choice.

I got a 5530, Xeon E2176 with 32 gb ram with the nicer touch screen, Quadro P2000 and onboard intel P630, with a Lightning docking station for about $2500. This was about 2 years ago. Since it was refurb, it was in stock, no waiting.

When we transitioned to 3D, we bought a HP Workstation laptop with about 19 inches of screen, 32 GB Ram, an old Quadro model graphic card that I don't recall specifically which it is and the darn thing had better specs then our own workstations lol. Thing's heavy as hell!

I never got to see the price tag on it but it must have been astronomic, concidering the HP Workstation we buy are around 2500$(Canadian). But in the end it was worth the price since one of our shop is about 300 miles away and the other is in Ontario, about 700 miles away.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:01 pm When we transitioned to 3D, we bought a HP Workstation laptop with about 19 inches of screen, 32 GB Ram, an old Quadro model graphic card that I don't recall specifically which it is and the darn thing had better specs then our own workstations lol. Thing's heavy as hell!

I never got to see the price tag on it but it must have been astronomic, concidering the HP Workstation we buy are around 2500$(Canadian). But in the end it was worth the price since one of our shop is about 300 miles away and the other is in Ontario, about 700 miles away.

Way back I bought a 17" "portable workstation". They left out the pickup truck it would take to make it portable. I took it to SW World one year, and came back shorter on one side than on the other. It was worse than carrying my trombone on the school bus. It was really heavy, but it was one fast mofo for a laptop. The fans would have levitated a small child. The power brick itself was 5 lbs. It was about $4500 (15+ years ago). I don't buy rigs like that any more.

matt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:10 pm It was worse than carrying my trombone on the school bus.

You've just brought back years of bad memories. I'm heading off to find a safe space...

[/thread drift]

matt wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:10 pm Way back I bought a 17" "portable workstation". They left out the pickup truck it would take to make it portable. I took it to SW World one year, and came back shorter on one side than on the other. It was worse than carrying my trombone on the school bus. It was really heavy, but it was one fast mofo for a laptop. The fans would have levitated a small child. The power brick itself was 5 lbs. It was about $4500 (15+ years ago). I don't buy rigs like that any more.

Sounds very similar to ours, haha! When I went to Ontario to draw some trailers for the shop over there, I was all bent up when I came in to workbecause I had been walking for 15 minutes with it hanging from my shoulder, from my hotel to the shop.

You can imagine the shop guys looking at me coming in all bent up "Ha! Typical office guy! Can't even carry a laptop!"

Frederick_Law wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:50 pm Something like a Surface Book with detach screen. I do want USB port on the screen. For 3D scanner.
Dell might have something similar.
Light weight under 5lb. My 12" E7240 is 3lb. Good enough to bring it on trips. Not that I do work when I'm away :p
i7, maybe newer gen i5. 16GB RAM, SSD drive.
Intel HD graphic on the E7240 works well even on 4k. So I'll see if a nVidia fit in the price.

What do you have for a 3D scanner? is it useful?

SPerman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:24 pm You've just brought back years of bad memories. I'm heading off to find a safe space...

[/thread drift]

I'm still recovering from the baritone saxophone I played in middle school.

Where's the saxophone emoji ?

VTmechie wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:49 pm What do you have for a 3D scanner? is it useful?

https://www.amazon.ca/3D-Systems-Sense- ... B00HLJFMMO
Got it used for $200.
It's not easy to get good scan.

Frederick_Law wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:06 pm https://www.amazon.ca/3D-Systems-Sense- ... B00HLJFMMO
It's not easy to get good scan.

IMG_20171123_124753.jpg
IMG_20171126_151134.jpg
IMG_20171126_193319.jpg

That looks like a really good scanning there though. The bumper surface seems "flat" as it should be,. We tried a few scanners, maybe we didn't know how to use them properly but the triangulating on it was just awful. Flat surfaces would triangulate all over the place and the files were like 600mb if I recall for a rather small component scanned (12"x6"X6")

It doesn't look flat up close.
The scan software can smooth them.
It can also fill it up to make a solid.
That's what I did and used it to cut the canard.
Whatever different will be take up by mounting tape :p

I think that's the only good scan I got.
Tried to scan side mirror, rear bumper and spoiler and they didn't come out good.
The scanner keep losing tracking and throw surface all over the place.

AlexLachance wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:01 pm When we transitioned to 3D, we bought a HP Workstation laptop with about 19 inches of screen, 32 GB Ram, an old Quadro model graphic card that I don't recall specifically which it is and the darn thing had better specs then our own workstations lol. Thing's heavy as hell!

I never got to see the price tag on it but it must have been astronomic, concidering the HP Workstation we buy are around 2500$(Canadian). But in the end it was worth the price since one of our shop is about 300 miles away and the other is in Ontario, about 700 miles away.

Sounds like my current HP Z-Book 17 G4. Bought it in early 2018, for over $3k. It has been well worth the $ because it is faster than my old workstation, and I can bring it everywhere (I do end up working a lot when I travel to see family etc). Yes it is darn Heavy and the AC Adapter is huge, but it is built like a brick, is reliable as heck and is fast enough that I can say "no problem I can work from the road".

Currently looking to upgrade but If I had to stick with this awhile longer It would be OK.

m2shell wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2021 10:47 pm Sounds like my current HP Z-Book 17 G4. Bought it in early 2018, for over $3k. It has been well worth the $ because it is faster than my old workstation, and I can bring it everywhere (I do end up working a lot when I travel to see family etc). Yes it is darn Heavy and the AC Adapter is huge, but it is built like a brick, is reliable as heck and is fast enough that I can say "no problem I can work from the road".

Currently looking to upgrade but If I had to stick with this awhile longer It would be OK.

Gotta love these bricks!