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Current state of laptop workstations?

Question asked by Gary Garrison on Aug 9, 2019
Latest reply on Dec 12, 2019 by Marshall Wilson

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Are laptop workstations good enough now to serve as a desktop replacement today?

I will be splitting my time coming up between our two buildings and I will likely need access to SW at both locations. My tasks outside of our main building will not be CAD related, but as projects come in I may need to work drawings for them.

So the question is as I am working for the next few months out of both buildings is a workstation laptop viable? We will be adding a second SW license and will be adding a new workstation anyway.

Jeremy RIEDEL Dec 12, 2019 10:45 AM

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Gary Garrison

You should work with your VAR to determine a proper solution. This page SOLIDWORKS Hardware Certification | Hardware & System Requirements | SOLIDWORKS is built for the purpose of assisting users in purchasing new workstations and as you can see on the webpage, many of them are Mobile Workstations.

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Frederick Law Aug 9, 2019 5:06 PM
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Few here used laptop only.

I use laptop to check drawing and model.
Also personal stuff.
Mine is Dell E7240 with touch screen. Touch allow pan, zoom and rotate of model.
i7-4600U Intel 4400 graphic, 16GB RAM 1TB SSD
I copied what I need to the laptop.

I use SW online license.
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Heiko Sohnholz Aug 10, 2019 4:59 AM
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Hi,
i'm working on laptops only since 15 years now.
Back in the days this was compromising in terms of performance. But today you'll have almost the full performance for everyday tasks. (If you choose not only a laptop but a "portable workstation").

I've used Dell Precision's for over 12 years but now i have a HP ZBook 17 G5 with a six core i9 up to 4,6 GHz turbo, a Quadro P4200, 32GB RAM, m.2 SSD and so on. Works pretty well!

Only if you need the highest performance, you'll have to stick with a desktop workstation. Rendering with Visualize on high end GPUs, Flow Simulation on 8-core (and up) CPUs, or handling the largest assemblies when every MHz core speed counts...

Go for a portable device!
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Dillon Troxell Aug 14, 2019 9:22 AM
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I've got a new Dell Precision 5530. Aside from transitioning between my (3) 27" monitors and a 15.6" laptop, I see no performance difference between this and my work station.
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- Gary Garrison @ Dillon Troxell on Aug 14, 2019 12:00 PM
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  The monitor issue could be remedied with the right docking hardware.
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Ken Maren Aug 14, 2019 9:29 AM
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As an admin for the last 7 years, I have pushed all of engineering to go to laptop only. That's two separate companies. At the last company, we had an engineer that insisted he needed a faster desktop and spent 3x the cost of our laptops only to be proven that his crappy methods were what caused the issues. After I fixed his assembly and used proper large assembly methods (that he refused to use) the laptops were much faster. To me, it would be a very rare occasion that there would be a need for a desktop workstation over a laptop.
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Roland Schwarz Aug 14, 2019 10:19 AM
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Laptops fine for CAD. Using mine for NX and SW. Get a real CAD laptop with good graphics card, not a gaming box.

FEA is still noticeably faster on the big box.
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Dan Golthing Aug 14, 2019 11:18 AM
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You would probably need a workstation class laptop. I used one for five years with no problems.

in some cases the laptops are faster than a desktop because shorter buss length, all other things being equal.
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Matt Lombard Aug 14, 2019 12:06 PM
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I second the 5530. The screen is small enough to be actually portable. I've had 17" laptops before, and they are murder to move. The dock connects to large monitors and other peripherals that stay on your desk.
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Heiko Sohnholz Aug 15, 2019 3:51 AM
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I own the predecessor - the 5510 - wich is a very compact, robust, beautiful and lightweight portable workstation. But i would recommend this only for simple tasks. It doesn't offer performance as 17" laptops can do. It's not just about the components, but also about the heat development / cooling system.
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Matt Lombard Sep 3, 2019 11:27 AM
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Just to add, the 5530 and its related laptops have been criticized for getting overheated. They have addressed that to some extent with the 5530, but after living with mine for a couple of months, I bought a Targus cooling pad. 17-inch Laptop Cooling Pad with 4-Port Hub | Buy Direct from Targus – Targus US
It has 2 big fans that are relatively quiet, and direct the heat away from the keyboard. It also angles the computer (adjustable angle) to make typing easier and it has 4 additional USB ports. It's also very light in case you want to put it in the bag and take it with you. It really helps make the 5530 a better tool all the way around. It's a little pricy, but it is well worth it, in my opinion.
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Jeremy RIEDEL Dec 12, 2019 10:45 AM
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Gary Garrison

You should work with your VAR to determine a proper solution. This page SOLIDWORKS Hardware Certification | Hardware & System Requirements | SOLIDWORKS is built for the purpose of assisting users in purchasing new workstations and as you can see on the webpage, many of them are Mobile Workstations.

JR

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Marshall Wilson Dec 12, 2019 10:42 AM
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I've been using a 17" HP Zbook G4 for the past few years and have been extremely happy with the performance. It has 32G ACC memory with Quadro P4000 GPU and a solid state drive (and maybe another drive which I use only for backups). At the office I have it hooked up to 2 external monitors with an external keyboard. Since I often need to travel while maintaining a high workload this setup has served me very well. Only downside is .... no ... can't think of any. I was going to say upgradablility - but by the time I would be ready for any upgrades chances are the base tech would be different and I'd need a new motherboard anyway.
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Current state of laptop workstations?

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