# CAD Student requesting suggestions!



## kunalgujarathi (Feb 15, 2014)

Questionnaire for laptop/notebook purchase:




1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
75k max

2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would 
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen



3) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook? 
CAD CAD & CAD only
Softwares-
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Indesign

Autocad LT 2014
Autocad Raster Design
Autocad Civil 3D
Auto cad Revit Architecture


5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
I7 Quad Core
Graphics suitable for above software


4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like:
b. Dislike:Apple,HP


6) Anything else you would like to say?
Screen resolution ( 768p (HD) / 900p / 1080p (Full HD) )
1080p best bet!

Battery back up ( normal (3-4hrs) / extended (5-7hrs) )
4 hrs is enough

Purchase place ( Online (eg - flipkart, infibeam) / Local / Abroad (do mention the country) )
Online or Store India

I am eyeing M4700/M4800 from abroad but I can't jack!

Basically if buying from India
I have only two options!
-Y510p
-Dell 3537
Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop (4th Gen Ci7/ 8GB/ 1TB/ Win8/ 2GB Graph) Rs.60000 Price in India - Buy Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop (4th Gen Ci7/ 8GB/ 1TB/ Win8/ 2GB Graph) Black Online - Dell: Flipkart.com


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## seamon (Feb 15, 2014)

Contact HP for either of the 2 laptops:-

HP Mobile Workstation- ZBook 17 | HP® India

HP Mobile Workstation- ZBook 15 | HP® India

If the ZBOOK 17 doesn't fit in your budget, then the ZBOOK 15 should, try to keep the specs to the min.

I suggest core i7 4700MQ, NVIDIA QUADRO K1100M or NVIDIA QUADRO K2100M, lowest hard drive possible. Opt for normal FHD screen not BrightView or something which costs ~1 lakh and this custom laptop should fit in your budget. HP executives are extremely efficient. In normal usage(gaming,movies etc) this laptop will perform similar to Lenovo Y510p while at the same time providing cutting edge performance for CAD.


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 15, 2014)

seamon said:


> Contact HP for either of the 2 laptops:-
> 
> HP Mobile Workstation- ZBook 17 | HP® India
> 
> ...



Dude it may start from 1 L Rs.
Still I will contact them!


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## seamon (Feb 15, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> Dude it may start from 1 L Rs.
> Still I will contact them!



Yes, no loss in trying but I think it should fit in your budget. If it doesn't then try to reduce some more components. A Quadro card is a huge help in CAD programs as it is designed specifically for that purpose.


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 19, 2014)

seamon said:


> Yes, no loss in trying but I think it should fit in your budget. If it doesn't then try to reduce some more components. A Quadro card is a huge help in CAD programs as it is designed specifically for that purpose.



Ok I talked with customer care and they told me that:
HP Zbook 15
-Range from 1.5 L with normal specs(1080p screen,i7 quad core,K210M,1TB HDD,ISV Certificate)
No inferior model or customization options
-Another solution-
HP Probook 4540.... Blah blah
(I5 4th gen,720p screen,1 GB DDR3 8780M,1 TB HDD )

So what do you think?

I guess Dell with 8850m will serve me better than Probook!(I don't need that HP Client Protection Software and all that softwares ;Just ability to run CAD softwares)

Again I need 1080p so here Lenovo comes in picture!


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## seamon (Feb 19, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> Ok I talked with customer care and they told me that:
> HP Zbook 15
> -Range from 1.5 L with normal specs(1080p screen,i7 quad core,K210M,1TB HDD,ISV Certificate)
> No inferior model or customization options
> ...



Go for lenovo y510p if it fits in your budget.


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 19, 2014)

seamon said:


> Go for lenovo y510p if it fits in your budget.



Will I be able to run Autodesk Infrastructure & Adobe CS6 Suites?
Better than 8850M?


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## seamon (Feb 19, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> Will I be able to run Autodesk Infrastructure & Adobe CS6 Suites?
> Better than 8850M?



I have no idea what these softwares are,what they do or what their requirements are.
Y510p has a much better(2.5x better) processor than Inspiron 15/15R.
GT 755m's gaming performance is equal if not better than AMD 8850M.
Suit yourself. I can't help anymore as I have no knowledge about the requirements of your work.


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 19, 2014)

seamon said:


> I have no idea what these softwares are,what they do or what their requirements are.
> Y510p has a much better(2.5x better) processor than Inspiron 15/15R.
> GT 755m's gaming performance is equal if not better than AMD 8850M.
> Suit yourself. I can't help anymore as I have no knowledge about the requirements of your work.



Ok Let me explain you!
Autodesk-
Autocad-Basic Engineering software to render graphics
Revit Architecture-Designing orientation & aesthetical features of buildings
Civil 3D-Designing of structural members-beams,columns,etc.

Adobe-
Photoshop
Indesign Flash
Etc

Basically designing softwares of web and graphics and animation,etc.


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## seamon (Feb 19, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> Ok Let me explain you!
> Autodesk-
> Autocad-Basic Engineering software to render graphics
> Revit Architecture-Designing orientation & aesthetical features of buildings
> ...



Answer these questions:-

1. Do these softwares require a powerful processor and do they support multiple threads?
2. Do these softwares prefer higher no. of parallel processing cores with low frequency(8850M) or do they prefer low no. of cores with almost double the frequency(GT 755M)?
3. Do you plan to overclock OR Is overclocking a priority?
4. Is the weight of laptop a deciding factor?

Hint:- The Y510p will almost always beat the Inspiron 15/15R save for Bitcoin mining(AMD cards give better performance than Nvidia cards-much better).


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 19, 2014)

seamon said:


> Answer these questions:-
> 
> 1. Do these softwares require a powerful processor and do they support multiple threads?
> 2. Do these softwares prefer higher no. of parallel processing cores with low frequency(8850M) or do they prefer low no. of cores with almost double the frequency(GT 755M)?
> ...



Ok so
Yep powerful processor needed!
See actually Nvidia made GTX series and removed OpenGL/CUDA supports!(Basically languages run by these softwares)

And hence despite higher clock rates 755 underperforms in comparision to 8850M!

1080p needed to avoid scaling issues.

No need of over clocking!

Weight not a problem!


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## seamon (Feb 19, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> Ok so
> Yep powerful processor needed!
> See actually Nvidia made GTX series and removed OpenGL/CUDA supports!(Basically languages run by these softwares)
> 
> ...



I think GT 755M supports CUDA.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

Do your applications support multiple threads or multiple cores in a processor? Answer this.


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## AbhMkh (Feb 19, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> Ok so
> Yep powerful processor needed!
> See actually Nvidia made GTX series and removed OpenGL/CUDA supports!(Basically languages run by these softwares)
> 
> ...



8850M supports Open CL 1.2 whereas 755M does not, also 8850m has higher number of shader processing/texture mapping units whilst having a lower clock speed.

I also found this online

Looking for the best graphic card to run autocad [Solved] - Graphics Cards - Graphics & Displays


"AMD cards actually run creative software better due to their wonderful OpenCL support, CUDA is kind of falling off, and nvidia hasn't caught up with the open standards yet. If you can't afford a Quadro or FirePro, go with an AMD 7700 or 7800 series."


Hope this helps


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## seamon (Feb 20, 2014)

AbhMkh said:


> 8850M supports Open CL 1.2 whereas 755M does not, also 8850m has higher number of shader processing/texture mapping units whilst having a lower clock speed.
> 
> I also found this online
> 
> ...



Cad on a 1366x768 lappy coupled with a very weak(compared to quad core i7s) would definitely suck otherwise I would have recommended the Inspiron 15/15R. 

Yep AMD cards have more shader units running at lower frequency whereas Nvidia cards have low no. of shader units running at higher frequency(Kepler shifted slightly towards the AMD approach as opposed to Fermi which offered ridiculously low no. of shaders at ridiculous clocks). This is the reason why AMD cards mine bitcoins so fast.

There's another very good option for OP............convert your GeForce GT 755M into a quadro.........no kidding it is possible.

Nvidia GeForce GT755M is based on the GK107 architecture with 384 shader units. Nvidia Quadro K1100M is also based on the GK107 architecture with 384 shader units.

It is possible to soft-mod a Geforce card into a Quadro card with same architecture and shaders using this guide:-

Tech ARP - NVIDIA GeForce To Quadro Soft-Mod Guide Rev. 4.1

According to the guide some applications showed more than 100% increase in performance.


From notebookchecknet
"The Quadro series offers certified drivers that are optimized for stability and performance in professional applications like CAD or DCC. OpenGL performance, for example, should be significantly better than with GeForce graphics cards of similar specifications."

Once you install Quadro drivers using the mod, you will get Quadro level of Open GL support. Hope this helps .


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 20, 2014)

seamon said:


> Cad on a 1366x768 lappy coupled with a very weak(compared to quad core i7s) would definitely suck otherwise I would have recommended the Inspiron 15/15R.
> 
> Yep AMD cards have more shader units running at lower frequency whereas Nvidia cards have low no. of shader units running at higher frequency(Kepler shifted slightly towards the AMD approach as opposed to Fermi which offered ridiculously low no. of shaders at ridiculous clocks). This is the reason why AMD cards mine bitcoins so fast.
> 
> ...



+1 for share!

So I have closed down to Y510p!


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## seamon (Feb 20, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> +1 for share!
> 
> So I have closed down to Y510p!



Oops looks like there's a problem, this mod is not compatible with laptops. I just tried in  mine. Sorry to disappoint you man.


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## omega44-xt (Feb 20, 2014)

Get Y510p....... 8850M of Dell is bottlenecked due to i7 ULV


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## kunalgujarathi (Feb 20, 2014)

seamon said:


> Oops looks like there's a problem, this mod is not compatible with laptops. I just tried in  mine. Sorry to disappoint you man.


 
 No problem!



anupam_pb said:


> Get Y510p....... 8850M of Dell is bottlenecked due to i7 ULV



Yep I know that but for my applications we have such a competition

i7-4700HQ+HD4400 (755M is least used)
                 Vs
I7-4500 U+8850M


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## seamon (Feb 20, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> No problem!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



GT 755m has openCL support.
GeForce GT 755M | Specifications | GeForce


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## omega44-xt (Feb 21, 2014)

kunalgujarathi said:


> No problem!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You can force your dedicated GPU to be used instead of Intel one, if u want, for the applications you want from NVIDIA control panel


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