Buying a notebook to run SolidWorks

I have to get a notebook computer to work at a customers site and I have
narrowed the choices down to two.
A Dell M60 or a HP ZD7000.

The differences:

Processor:
Dell: Pentium M 2.0 Ghz.
HP: Pentium 3.2 Ghz. Extreme Edition

Memory:
Dell: (1) GB DDR SDRAM
HP: (2) GB DDR SDRAM

Graphics Card:
Dell: Nvidia Quadro FX Go1000 (128 MB)
HP : Nvidia GeForce FX Go5700 (128 MB)

Display:
Dell: 15.4" WUXGA
HP: 17.0" WXGA+

the rest is either the same or inconsequential

The price:
Dell: $3,820.00 US
HP: $3,824.00 US


Can anybody make any comments about the differences?
Or any recommendations?

Thank You

 

I'm use to a resolution of 1280 x 1024 on my 21" CRT
The assemblies I work on can slow my current workstation to a slow crawl.
(2.2 Ghz processor w/ 1 GB RAM, ATI FireGL2 graphics card)

HP has a notebook that is very similar to the M60 it's called the ZT3000
series.
The only bad thing is the graphics card that comes with the system: ATI
Mobility Radeon 9200 (blah)
The interesting thing is that a similarly equipped HP ZT3000 system is about
half the cost of the Dell at $2,300.00!

I'm looking at the HP ZD7000 series because you can get the Nvidia graphics
card with it.
What I don't know about are the processors:
Pentium 4 3.2 Ghz. E.E. vs. Pentium M 2.0 Ghz.
And of course any other caveat of owning a notebook to do SoildWorks on.

 

Hello Jacob-
Have you looked at any of the "Mini" computers? My Shuttle (P4 2.8, 2Gb RAM,
Quadro FX500, Dual SATA HD's w/RAID) works much better than my laptop.
Best Regards,
Devon T. Sowell
www.3-ddesignsolutions.com

 

I have an HP 7000 notebook (great display) with Wildfire 1.0...this thing
runs rings around the one year old Dell 530 workstations we have. No video
issues (Nvidia 5600). The only down side is that the fan runs all the time
but it is a P4 so that's what you get.

 

The thing you asked about is SW...I have 2001+ on the big HP and have
absolutely no issues with up to bout 10 windows open on 2000+ part
assemblies.

 

I would go with the HP. HP has been working with Solidworks to make their
machines work very well with all of thier software. I just had a chance to
play with an HP running Solidworks 2005 at the MSUC (Midwest Solidworks User
Conference).

Richard

 

HP vs Dell: I own a Dell M60 (& an Inspiron 8000)

I would suggest that the choice may have more to do with what features
are really important to you.

1. Screen size: If I could have picked a 17 inch screen, I would
have done it in a heart beat.

2. High speed Ethernet, FireWire, & Wifi/802.11 and BlueTooth is
mandatory for me and I want it built-in.

3. Keyboard & Trackpad & buttons: I want the easiest for me to use.
Dell's could be better, sorry to say.

4. Extended warranty fix or replace policy and time: Dell guarantees
me a repairman on site in <24hrs, and they have delivered on that
every time I needed it (screen cabling and keyboard issues).

Bo

 

I don't mean to be facitious here, but why would you possibly even hesitate,
buying
30% more speed, 100% more memory, and 2" more view for $4.00, assuming the
rest is equal. Kind of a no brainer, don't you think?

G. De Angelis

 

It isn't as simple as that.

The processor:
According to Tom's Hardware (www.tomshardware.com) a 1.6 Ghz Pentium M will
keep up with and in some cases surpass a 2.2 Ghz Pentium 4 M.
So the 2 Ghz. Pentium M might out perform a 3.2 Ghz Pentium 4 E.E.???

The graphics card:
According to Nvidia's web site (www.nvidia.com) :
The GeForce is more for "Entertainment" and the Quadro is for
"Productivity".
With all the postings and information here a "SoftQuadro hack" could
even out the differences between the two when it comes to SolidWorks.
But I'm not sure of the differences between 3D gaming and 3D CAD when it
comes to graphics cards.

The screen:
The 2" difference isn't!
The 17" on a notebook is different than a 17" CRT or flat screen.
From what I have found:
The WSXGA+ 17" notebook would have a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 1440 x 900
resolution.
The WUXGA 15.4" notebook would have the same 16:10 aspect ratio but would
have a 1920 x 1200 resolution!

Thank you for your response.

 

Jacob,

I spent a lot of time looking at the same laptops as you mention. I
even bought two of the HPs (eventually returned them). I ended up with
a Dell Inspiron 8600 with the 1920 x 1200 screen. The only thing I miss
from the HP was the keyboard with the Number Pad! I have a workaround
that is a wireless number pad from Targus, but it is not as convenient
as built-in. Sony has it best with a pop-out number pad. My main
complaint about the HP was the miniscule battery life. The Dell's
Pentium M is way better, but not as good as they say - maybe because of
running SWX

I've been happy so far - especially with the screen. I think the
wireless setup was a bit better on the HP, tho. I usually end up
plugging in a CAT5 cable.

Sincerely,
Jerry Forcier

 

I went through the exact same process two months ago. My primary
intended use was to run SW2004-2005SE. The Dell M60 was my first
choice. I watched the price yo-yo on the Dell website for months, but
the configuration I wanted never fell below $3200, and was sometimes
nearly $4000 (I'm in the states). And I really wanted a 17" screen
and a numeric keypad. In the end, I bought a ZD7000 through Costco
for about $2600. 6 month cash return policy; no questions asked.

I went with the 3.0 P4, 1G DDR SDRAM, 128 MB Nvidia GeForce Fx Go5700,
Win XP Pro, 60GB 7200rpm hard drive, and the WSXGA BrightView Screen
(1680 x 1050).

IMHO, the screen is absolutely magnificent. It's one of the nicest
screens I've ever seen, desktop or notebook. Super rich, liquid-like
colors. Extrememly sharp. The resolution is perfect for me – tons of
real estate for big CAD assemblies; Word documents displayed with two
pages side by side are a breeze to read because the text is so sharp.
I probably wouldn't want to go too much higher on the resolution
though, as the icons on the task bar at the bottom of the screen are
already pretty small. Yes, you can enlarge them, but then they're too
big! Hi-Definition DVD IMAX Coral Reef Adventure looks fantastic on
this screen.

I haven't run any really big assemblies yet. Currently I'm working on
one with, oh, 40 – 50 parts, including a couple that are quite
complex. Combo loft/sweeps, with lots of fillets; shelled. I've got
the Options/Document Properties/Image Quality/'Shaded And Draft
Quality HLR/HLV Resolution' slider maxed out and I can spin the
assembly super fast; no problem. Sometimes zooming produces a few
nanoseconds delay.

Drawbacks: No RealView. Trying to open multiple parts usually
crashes SW. Fortunately it restarts in seconds. In fact, the whole
notebook boots up super fast. From the time I press the 'Start'
button until the desktop is fully up and ready to rock is only about
45 seconds. Yeah, baby! Nevertheless, I wish I could find a driver
that would enable the Go5700 to emulate a Quadro. That's really my
only complaint. Oh, and it's a big ass notebook; I use it as a mobile
desktop and wouldn't want to have to fly with it regularly. The power
supply is about the size and weight of a brick. I've forgotten to
plug it in once or twice and find I get about an hour to an hour and a
half running SW on the battery.

For my purposes it's a great notebook, and Logitech makes a really
nice wireless optical mouse that almost matches the color of the HP!
FYI, rumors on the Dell forum suggest Dell may come out with a 17"
notebook Nov./Dec.-ish.