7 Replies Latest reply on Nov 30, 2017 9:15 AM by Michael Van Dorp

    Graphic card compatibility

    Elliott Hanlon
    Elliott Hanlon Nov 14, 2017 7:39 PM

      Laptop spec: Is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 2GB graphics card compatible with solidworks? I am on the market for a new laptop of under £1000 as i am a student, is there anything you would recommend when buying? I have been looking at this laptop, ASUS ROG Strix GL753 Gaming Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer  is this something that would be capable of running general solidworks. I wont be running massive documents but I need it to be able to run sw and other photo rendering programs at the same time.

      Thanks

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        • Re: Graphic card compatibility
          Dave Bear
          Dave Bear Nov 14, 2017 8:03 PM (in response to Elliott Hanlon)

          Hi Elliott,

          Firstly let me start by saying that the general consensus (proven) is that 'gaming' spec computers (graphics) are not that suited to CAD and vice-versa, so steer away from a gaming spec computer. There is a lot of information in this forum on this subject as well as suitable PC's and laptops that you can find easily find by using the search magnifying glass which is at the top right-hand corner of your screen and using the appropriate keywords to search by.

          Also, you can check out specs and compatibility here..... Hardware & System Requirements | Support | SOLIDWORKS

           

          This should get you started at least........

           

          Dave.

            • Re: Graphic card compatibility
              Elliott Hanlon
              Elliott Hanlon Nov 15, 2017 6:41 AM (in response to Dave Bear)

              Hi Dave,

               

              Thanks for your response.

               

              I am currently running a 'intel(R) HD Graphics 4000' on a intel core i3 processer with 8GB RAM and it is running ok, I am only doing very basic solidworks for uni based assignments with fairly few renderings, nothing over 100 parts. Would the 'Dedicated GeForce GTX 1050 4GB Graphics' be adequate? I am looking for a low budget laptop of about £1000 and I have found this online. FX753VD-GC256T, ASUS Gaming FX753VD-GC256T .  Would this be suitable for the level I require or is there another machine you would recommend? All there spec points for other applications are perfect only the graphics card is my only worry, based on reading info on the forum.

               

              Regards,

               

              Elliott

                • Re: Graphic card compatibility
                  Dave Bear
                  Dave Bear Nov 15, 2017 7:36 AM (in response to Elliott Hanlon)

                  Hi Elliott,

                  You might find that it will run fine (probably) but there have been a lot of folks who have falked out money for high end gaming computers (or budget versions) because they thought that if they could handle games they'd be able to handle CAD software easy. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way..........

                   

                  Put simply, if you don't have the recommended gear to run SolidWorks you're asking for problems sooner or later!

                   

                  Dave.

                  • Re: Graphic card compatibility
                    Ian Worrall
                    Ian Worrall Nov 15, 2017 7:53 AM (in response to Elliott Hanlon)

                    For SW use, you really want a Nvidia Quadro or AMD Firepro graphics card. These are generally found in "Mobile Workstation" laptops.

                     

                    Have you considered a refurbished Dell precision laptop like this one? (I used UK site as you gave your budget in £)

                     

                    http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfb1&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=6&fid=1755

                    • Re: Graphic card compatibility
                      Michael Van Dorp
                      Michael Van Dorp Nov 30, 2017 9:15 AM (in response to Elliott Hanlon)

                      The asus (FX753VD-GC256T, ASUS Gaming FX753VD-GC256T ) that you linked will work better for you. The main thing to look for with solidworks is single core processor speed. Having the 3.8ghz single core boost speed will work pretty decent. People here are mentioning workstation graphics cards.... really only starts to matter when you are rendering, opening multiple files or very large assemblies. My home computer is running a GTX760, which is similar performance to the GTX1050 and it handles solidworks more than adequately for small projects.

                       

                      Keep in mind you aren't running the software all day every day. It's not going to kill your productivity to lose a couple of extra minutes for each hour you are using solidworks. Over the duration of your course if you use solidworks for 40 hours you might save 30minutes-1 hour. The majority of that lost time isn't going to be lost though unless you are at the point where you don't have to think about which commands to use and how you want to make the model.

                  • Re: Graphic card compatibility
                    Erika Ray
                    Erika Ray Nov 30, 2017 7:20 AM (in response to Elliott Hanlon)

                    Hello, Ian Worrall,  ASUS ROG Strix is looking good. I also had ASUS K501 gaming laptop. Well, 1050ti and 960M graphics card results are same, but my laptop is the little bit expensive rather than ASUS ROG Strix Check both specs and prices. I think ASUS K501 is the better option for you.