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Is the Dell M4800 good enough to run Solidworks?

Question asked by Jimmy Kuan on Jan 9, 2019
Latest reply on Apr 11, 2019 by Christian Chu

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My budget is $500 and a used M4800 runs between $400-$500. I've been using this laptop at my previous work and it runs fine I guess. I'm now a freelance industrial designer and I do lots of surfacing. I have Solidworks 2016, does it work with Win 10 or just Win 7? Do you think M4800 is the best option for my budget? Thanks!

off topic, how do you change your email here? I still have my previous work email for this account, but I no longer work there. I tried going to edit profile but email is not editable.

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Frederik Herløw Jan 9, 2019 2:19 AM
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Hey Jimmy.

You can see this link to change email: How do I change my name or e-mail address in the SOLIDWORKS Forums?

Whats inside that M4800? Its alot easier to help if we know the pc specifications
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Heiko Sohnholz Jan 9, 2019 3:25 AM
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Hi,
$500 is not really much money when it comes to a workstation...
The M4800 is configurable, so without the specs of the special computer it's even harder to say...
The M4800 was released in late 2013 so it's really old for a computer. The battery won't work, the keyboard will be worn but all-in-all it is still a robust computer. We use even older M6600 and M6700 on our company for education purposes.
Keep in mind to upgrade the RAM to 16GB and change the HDD to a SSD (because the HDD is at end of life and slow).
I would try to find a newer consumer notebook with a GeForce graphics and more modern components. Years ago we had some cheap Inspirons wich worked well with SWX - for a fraction of the price.
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aditya kadam Jan 9, 2019 7:01 AM
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Yes it is and below is the reason why it is goiod fopr Solidworks.
Dell Precision M6800 – The Mammoth!
This is a mammoth in the laptop arena by every measure. CADing is a very pleasant experience taking into account the Quad-core Intel i7. Referring to the last article, you know “why Intel!” With that Quad-core processor you get the option of clocking speeds varying from 2.0 – 3.1 GHz. A 2GB GDDR5 AMD card (yes, I know) accompanies the board coupled with 32GB of RAM. The performance as always a Dell trademark is exceptional with a smooth wheezing feeling to all animations and motion-blur renders. The amount of RAM and the number of CPU cores would prove rather handy to those who are responsible for part assemblies because of the size of datasets and bulk of calculations. The simulations & virtual tours/walkthroughs would benefit most from the amount of RAM whereas the rendering itself will be handsomely entertained by the CPU/GPU duo.
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- Frederik Herløw @ aditya kadam on Jan 9, 2019 10:19 AM
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  But he's talking about the M4800 and not the M6800..
  The M6800 is a newer model than the M4800.
  
  B&H Photo Video
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- Heiko Sohnholz @ aditya kadam on Jan 9, 2019 7:57 AM
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  Aditya Kadam
  Is this a commercial? Or a press text? And what has this to do with the M4800? The M4800 has different configurations / CPUs and graphics card, than the M6800...
  So Jimmy Kuan please name the specs of the M4800...
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Jim Riddell Jan 9, 2019 8:07 AM
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I run SWX 2018 on an 2011 Dell XPS w/ Win7x64 (modeling & linear static analysis). Even though it is not even rated as 'ok' it seems to work fine. I did upgrade to a SSD but it only has 8Gb RAM and nothing special.
If it runs and does what you need you should be OK.
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Frederick Law Jan 9, 2019 8:11 AM
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Good enough is relative.
Depends on what you need to do.
My e7240 is 'good enough' using SW 2018.
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John Lhuillier Jan 9, 2019 8:29 AM
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Yes the M4800 will run Solidworks. I had that laptop when it first came out & was a good laptop for Solidworks. If you're able to max out the memory in it do that as well. Also look on Amazon as they have some refurbished M6800s there for around 600 if you want a newer laptop with a larger display.I replaced the M4800 with that & glad I did. The extra 100.00 is worth it if you're able to swing it.
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Jimmy Kuan Jan 9, 2019 12:05 PM
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Thanks for all the replies! I'm open to other suggestions as well. I'm just trying to get the most for my $500 budget. I heard the 6800 is a lemon? Any truth to that?

This is the M4800 I'm looking at on eBay.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F163452705545
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- Jimmy Kuan @ Jimmy Kuan on Jan 9, 2019 12:08 PM
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  Also, can I run SW 2016 on win 10?
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  - Frederick Law @ Jimmy Kuan on Jan 9, 2019 12:08 PM
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    Yes.
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- Heiko Sohnholz @ Jimmy Kuan on Jan 9, 2019 12:41 PM
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  i7 with 4 cores and max. speed 3.8 GHz sounds good.
  SSD inkluded is also very good.
  8GB RAM and K1100M is okay.
  Good condition and working battery is also very good.
  I would recommend this notebook for the usage with SWX! Maybe a little RAM upgrade will help for handling Win 10 and/or complex models.
  I would recommend to deactivate the intel HD graphics in the bios to avoid trouble with the drivers. And than have fun!
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- John Lhuillier @ Jimmy Kuan on Jan 9, 2019 1:18 PM
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  Jimmy Kuan wrote:
  
  Thanks for all the replies! I'm open to other suggestions as well. I'm just trying to get the most for my $500 budget. I heard the 6800 is a lemon? Any truth to that?
  
  We use the M6800s at work docked & have had zero issues with running them with Solidworks both when they had Windows 7 on them & since updating them to Windows 10. They have been a workhorse for us.
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Jimmy Kuan Jan 9, 2019 3:32 PM
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Should I get the M6800 over there M4800 if I could up my budget to $600?
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Jimmy Kuan Jan 9, 2019 4:19 PM
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This M6800 or this M4800?

Look at this on eBay
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F202561551028

https://forum.solidworks.com/external-link.jspa?url=https%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F0%2F0%2F0%3Fmpre%3Dhttps%253A…
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- Heiko Sohnholz @ Jimmy Kuan on Jan 10, 2019 2:23 AM
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  Of course the M6800. A slightly better CPU, are significantly better graphics. A larger screen but lower price. Windows 10 installed instead of Windows 7. I would go for that one - but i don't travel that much...
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Duncan Gillis Jan 9, 2019 6:28 PM
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I've been working (my contract business) on a Dell M4700 (16Gb RAM, i7-3740QM 2.7GHz, K2000M, SSD HDD with secondary HDD in the DVD slot) for the last few years and have thrown a lot at it. Very large assemblies was its downfall, but everything else was no problems. Definitely a good laptop. my only complaint is the weight. try travelling with the thing!
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Ajay Mehra Jan 10, 2019 11:37 AM
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According to the official website, the system requirement for running Solidworks 2016 is the RAM should be 8GB or more, Also the operating system must be 64 bits. Check it out here http://www.solidapps.co.uk/blog/2015/10/changes-to-system-requirements-for-solidworks-2016/
In M4800 I believe the processor i7 4th gen is no good, as you can achieve better performance in an i5 6th generation. Also, the laptop has an old Windows. I would suggest going with a budget minimum of around $1000. In this price segment, you can expect some seriously good machines for your work. If you are really serious about your work and take it to some good level you must invest in the hardware. You may find some suitable options Best Laptops for SolidWorks 2019 (Top Picked) - LaptopDiscovery here.
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- Frederick Law @ Ajay Mehra on Jan 10, 2019 11:43 AM
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  Most Dell laptops could update to Windows 10, free.
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Roy Hunter Jan 10, 2019 6:19 AM
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I have been using my M4800 with 32Gb Ram and K1100 Graphics and Win 7.0 for 3 years with virtually no performance issues. We use Solidworks 2016 and we only get occasional crashes on complex configurations. One thing to watch though is that you use the correct power supply. I was supplied with a slightly less powerful one from my IT department and the laptop gradually ground to a halt before we worked out what was going wrong. We also have some M4700 running with Windows 10. Personally I have found the windows 10 Solidworks installations to be less robust than the windows 7 installations but there are too many variables involved with each installation to back this up.
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Rick Becker Apr 11, 2019 4:09 PM
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This was posted 4/10/2019...

What Hardware Should I Choose for my CAD applications?
The BEST PC and laptop hardware specifications for Solidworks 3D CAD (2019) - YouTube
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Christian Chu Apr 11, 2019 5:52 PM
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Jimmy Kuan wrote:

My budget is $500 and a used M4800 runs between $400-$500. I've been using this laptop at my previous work and it runs fine I guess. I'm now a freelance industrial designer and I do lots of surfacing. I have Solidworks 2016, does it work with Win 10 or just Win 7? Do you think M4800 is the best option for my budget? Thanks!

off topic, how do you change your email here? I still have my previous work email for this account, but I no longer work there. I tried going to edit profile but email is not editable.
if you already own a M4800, what's budget for?
Is this your M4800 specs
if yes, then you'll be ok and you can upgrade to wins 10
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Is the Dell M4800 good enough to run Solidworks?

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Dell Precision M6800 – The Mammoth!

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