Smallest Footprint Laptop

I'm looking for something small to run Solidworks on - no bigger than a
12" display, altough smaller would be better as I'm fed up with lugging
around my 17" widesreen Alienware monster when I only need to work on
parts.

In general I know these ultra-potables tend not to have beefy (quadro)
graphics cards but does anyone run SWX successfully on one?

What's the smallest laptop anyone is using successfully???


Kev

 

At a recently CalgarySWUG meeting one of the presenters was working off
a Mac. It rant quite nicely. I think it was a 14" model, but they make
some nice small units with lots of crankpower.

 

The only real downside I've seen from the MacBook/MacBook Pro is the
slightly different keyboard requires some choices in how to diddle with
the solution you pick for a workaround.

I also use a BlueTooth 3 button scroll mouse (mine from RadTech) as it
is small & easily carried w/no wire.

I do use a separate keyboard at times, but that isn't fun to carry
around, & I don't.

Bo

 

I bought a cheepie laptop (NZ$950) in an after Christmas sale that we
intended to use as internet hack/homework machine around the house. It has
wifi and plays DVDs fine.

I decided to load SW 2006 on it to see how it ran and was most impressed
that it ran OK. It opens multiple windows... and appears to me only
marginally slower that my home Quadro4 980 XGL.

It's a Toshiba Satellite A100 15.4" wide screen
Centrino Solo 1.86
515mb with and extra 1 GB added by me to load my larger models.
Graphics are integrated Intel 950 that uses up to 128 of the main memory.

Plugs into my Samsung Syncmaster 213t and runs that without problems at 1600
x 1200.

No real view, but who cares. I,m real pleased those days of trying to get a
Gforce to open multiple windows with Riva tuner are over!

I'll be looking at a laptop for my home work machine on my next upgrade and
I'm not so sure that it'll be a Dell M90 now.

 

I too love the M90, but given the shifts in the world, I think I'm
going to be running one of the Apple laptops, as I need flexibility.

Having said that, both Parallels & VMWare have been hinting that they
will be able to run Mac OSX on HP & Dell boxes (or probably are doing
it in house), meaning that running Mac OSX in virtualization inside of
Win XP Pro seems possible.

It may be close to the day when you can run any damn OS on any box you
want.

Bo

 

Well,
I'd not thought about a Mac - but it is a possibility and the prices
are reasonable too.

It looks like the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is man enough
to handle SWX parts and this is common in many models - so that opens
loads of options

I'm pleasantly surprised the Toshiba Satellite A100 runs OK but I'm
still looking for something 12" or under.

Thanks for the heads up guy's

Kev

 

Just about any notebook with a Core2 Duo CPU at 2GHz or higher will
provide tolerable performance for SolidWorks running in Software OpenGL
mode.

Still, I'd suggest the Lenovo ThinkPad T60p. It is certified for
SolidWorks and can be configured with a 14" screen and ~5lb travel
weight.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...orkflow:LoadRuntimeTree?sb=:00000025:0000008D:

 

Yep,
But I'm still looking for something 12" or under.

Kev

 

Word on the street today is that leaks have appeared noting that a new
MacBook Pro with a 12" screen is due to be announced 'soon', and rumors
say a Feb. 20 announcement is planned by Apple, so guesses abound.

Bo

 

Look for the Asus U1F (11.1'', led backlight) - If you can wait, anounced
for april.

 

Thanks for the heads up BO & JM

- I can wait

- both look as though they will worth looking at.

Cheers,

Kev

 

Supposedly, the next generation products from Apple are going to start
coming down the production line with LED backlighting and flash memory
for faster startups-reboots, but only time will tell.

Bo

 

HMMMM, I wonder if SWX would run on a Sony UX180p Micro Computer with a 4.5
wide screen, you would need reeaaallly small fingers.

Mike

 

I think it starts to come down to having to run Microsoft Windows to run
SolidWorks...

 

Right...& if a 12" MacBookPro hits the shelves in the Spring 2007 time
slot, that will open up opportunities for safe Internet & network
activity PLUS running Windows XP w/SolidWorks in a relatively safely
isolated environment.

Anything much smaller than a 12" screen starts reminding me of an old
MacPlus or worse, a monochrome PC.

Bo

 

Got this link in my inbox the other day:

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=14738

anyone know anything about them?

Kev