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Laptop for 3D cad/rendering etc - €700 budget - advice on what i picked?

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  • 07-09-2011 2:35pm
    #1
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭


    posted this in laptops but i want some of your expertise.:cool:


    My specifications require:

    15" but no bigger, (needs to be portable)

    RAM - lots, but 8gb kit can be got cheap so maybe a laptop that would support 2x4gb sticks??

    preferably a quad core, or minimum a sandy bridge dual core or AMD equiv.

    big HDD

    nice screen

    dedicated graphics.

    run CAD, Solid Works and Pro-Engineer well.

    ______

    what is the AMD A6-3400M Quad-Core like? would it handle rendering etc? seems very lame @1.4ghz

    so far ive settled on the Lenovo G570 from saveonlaptops.co.uk. is there a better online store? how much do they charge delivery?

    any other advice/suggestions?


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    #2
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    looks like the A6 is a dog.

    Acer Aspire 5750G is looking good.

    anyone want to advise me on which to get, the Lenovo G570 or the acer 5750G. i assume the lenovo has better build quality but the acer has a better GPU. bluray isnt important.


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    #3
    Moon54
    Registered Users Posts: 1,242 ✭✭✭Moon54


    That Lenovo looks a better deal with the Blu Ray reader built-in.
    Yeah, the Lenovo will have far superior build quality over the Acer one.

    The only thing that would slightly bother me with both of them, is the 1366 x 768 resolution.
    For doing the CAD stuff, will that be a issue?
    Would a 1600 x 900 screen or a 1920 x 1080 screen be better?


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    #4
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    I'd definitely prefer a higher Res but can't find anything good in the budget. Any suggestions? How important is the gpu in cad etc?


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    #5
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    Anyone any advice? I need to order this today.


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    #6
    heid
    Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭heid


    The Lenovo G570 seems like a good choice, is this for undergrad or postgrad course?


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    #7
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    heid wrote: »
    The Lenovo G570 seems like a good choice, is this for undergrad or postgrad course?
    Both. 4Th year biomedical engineering and postgraduate after. Its not for me. Just out of interest, why no love for the Acer?


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    #8
    heid
    Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭heid


    Didn't see the acer link till now. The acer has a better gpu plus some programs support cuda (solidworks).
    I'm looking for something similar myself for postgrad, but with a 17" display instead.


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    #9
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Laptops aren't the best for CAD now due to the sucky screens on the current and last generations :( Only the 17" models have decent panels and they weigh a ton :o

    Sadly the best deal was probably the Dells that were on offer previously (i3+HD5650 ~€400) but I think they're gone now :(


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    #10
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Oh yeah... not sure if this is the cheapest but there are cheaper versions of the 5750G with reduced CPU/RAM/HDD; find the cheapest with an i5 and the GT540m and just upgrade the RAM yourself. Nowadays you can get an 8GB DDR3-1333 kit from MemoryC for well under €40 shipped ;)


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    #11
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    Funny you say that, ill link you to this post of mine in the other thread and I'm wondering if the moneysaved is worth it.

    Can you find a reliable source suggesting that it can take a 2x4gb kit? I'm worried that with all the variations ill end up with a 3gb model that doesn't support 8gb. Not really a problem with the 6gb models...

    Also I think I spotted the old dell still for sale somewhere but I was a bit worried it wont be uptown the taste as its an older i3. Thoughts?


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    #12
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Pricier versions of the 5750G have 6GB and 8GB of DDR3. Same chipset, same RAM capacity. Decent HDD on that model too, didn't realise it had a smaller battery though.

    The old 15R is still going for under €450 albeit with 3GB RAM. It actually has the fastest Clarksdale i3 so the lack of Turbo isn't really that big an issue; 4 logical cores going at 2.53GHz is pretty decent for a laptop! HD5650m not as good as GT540m though, nor is there CUDA. Did I mention there's only pink left? :o:pac:


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    #13
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Ugh. Looking at reviews and it seems the 5750G has bad cooling and severe heat issues :(


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    #14
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    Solitaire wrote: »
    Ugh. Looking at reviews and it seems the 5750G has bad cooling and severe heat issues :(
    Blast! Reviews I read were good but lacked detail so I should have been more skeptical. Back to the Lenovo so? I'd be willing to drop some hardware level to get a better screen but it must be 15"

    Any suggestions?


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    #15
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,079 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    This just popped into my inbox, haven't looked at reviews but on the face of it it looks a pretty good deal. 600 bucks + free delivery for a 15.6" Asus with an i7-2630QM, GT540m, 6GB Ram and 640 HDD. Usual Komplett US keyboard rules apply :)

    http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/21_15/productdetails/80002569/Asus_15_6_X53SV_SX288V_NL_i7_2630_6GB_640GB/90N3GYD45H2136VL133Y/default.aspx


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    #16
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    marco_polo wrote: »
    This just popped into my inbox, haven't looked at reviews but on the face of it it looks a pretty good deal. 600 bucks + free delivery for a 15.6" Asus with an i7-2630QM, GT540m, 6GB Ram and 640 HDD. Usual Komplett US keyboard rules apply :)

    http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_02PC/02_NOTEBOO/21_15/productdetails/80002569/Asus_15_6_X53SV_SX288V_NL_i7_2630_6GB_640GB/90N3GYD45H2136VL133Y/default.aspx
    that looks fantastic for the price. cant find any reviews on it though, especially anything in english...

    ASUS are pretty solid though when i occasionally come across it. besides, 4 cores and 8 threads beats the crap out of any i5 duallie.

    might buy 2.


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    #17
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,079 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    Tea_Bag wrote: »
    that looks fantastic for the price. cant find any reviews on it though, especially anything in english...

    ASUS are pretty solid though when i occasionally come across it. besides, 4 cores and 8 threads beats the crap out of any i5 duallie.

    might buy 2.

    What happened to the budget :D


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    #18
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    marco_polo wrote: »
    What happened to the budget :D
    one is for a housemate who needs a new laptop. but ill use it myself mostly and report back on it. it should be able to mildly game :cool:


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    #19
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    That spec is similar to the top-of-the-line Acer 5750G.

    Once again it looks like current-gen laptops are being shipped with sub-par coolers - even though the TDP has gone down, overheating and throttling seem to be very common on any Sandy-based laptop that's used for anything more than browsing the web :o The Asus isn't nearly as bad as the Acer but it can still happen.

    Good offer though.


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    #20
    FireHydrant
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16 ✭FireHydrant


    http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/21_15/02_NOTEBOO/ZKB_02PC/productdetails/80002572/Asus_15_6_X5QSF_S1123V_i7_2630_6GB_750GB/90N5FI2D9H5512VL133U/default.aspx

    This... Is a decent laptop for the price!


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    #21
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Only a hundred quid out of budget... :p


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    #22
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    Its nice but not worth the extra 200 euro. Too late anyway, I've already ordered the other ASUS. I should charge commission.


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    #23
    heid
    Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭heid


    Looking for a laptop aswell for cad. Either the asus 15.6" or the asus 18.4"


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    #24
    Tea_Bag
    Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    The 18.4" is a beast @4.11kg!!
    It can fit an SSD and a desktop HDD though.

    Consider a mATX desktop for similar money and portability while being way more powerful.


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    #25
    heid
    Registered Users Posts: 106 ✭✭heid


    The laptop will stay at the college accomodation mostly, maybe moved once a week to college and for long trips maybe twice a month. Yes an matx build would be better but transporting it would be difficult from galway to dublin. It needs to be portable so i can show the lecturer my work.


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    #26
    cherryghost
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 17,134 Mod ✭✭✭✭cherryghost


    That Asus 15" looks like great value to me


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