Forums >> Workflow & Implementation >> Hardware >> Please help me find a piece of S#!T laptop that I will hate!

lforteleoni

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Joined: Sun, Mar 16, 2014
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I will try to make this brief: I am a student. Next quarter, I will be taking some classes that will require me to use Autodesk Revit. Despite what the website claims, I have heard from professors and classmates that Revit 2014 runs very poorly in Windows 8 (and and way worse in a Mac running Windows 7/8 & parallels). They tell me the ideal place for this finicky program to run is in windows 7. I even found a list of graphics cards that should be avoided... Is any of this stuff true?! Optional Reading: I mention this because I own a mid-2009 MacBook Pro. I wish I could use it for this class because I am very happy with it. Also, next July(ish?) I will be looking at the new lineup of MacBook Pros to replace it. This will undoubtedly be a large expense. So, to say the least, I am not happy about shelling out a few hundred bucks for a piece of s*** PC that I will only use for this program (and probably hate). Bottom line: I think at this point need a cheap Windows 7 laptop. I would like to keep it under $700. Screen size for this program counts so a 15" screen is an ideal minimum. Storage space is not an issue so a tiny 128GB SSD would be nice if not only for battery life & weight. I will carry this to class every day. Questions: Will Revit 2014 perform reliably on my aging Mac with 100% functionality? If so, can you recommend a configuration? If not... Do I need i7 or can I get away with i5? I know it's easily upgradeable but how much RAM should I have? I don't think I need a fancy graphics card for this program. Or do I? I found this Lenovo for about $680. Is it any good? What are your recommendations? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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teafoe5

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Here is a link to the minimum requirements to run Revit 2014 http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/System-Requirements-for-Autodesk-Revit-2014-Products.html 

If you search laptop in the forums you will get some similar articles that may point you in the right direction.

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DonDay

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I'd stick to nvidia quadro cards for mobile.  you can go with GTX gamer cards for desktops, but on a laptop, the drivers work better.  i've heard similar issues with windows 8 and revit 2014 but i thought they were resolved, especially by now.

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Donald, AIA, LEED AP

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lforteleoni

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Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I have done a bit of further research and I have spoken with the people at the Revit forums as well and I think I will end up getting a used Windows 7 laptop for the time being. I will use it exclusively for these classes and most likely resell the thing when I am done. This XPS15 L521x is what I am most likely doing to get. I found a used one on eBay for about $750.My next step will be to buy and install Win 7 Pro on the thing. (This is the part where I will call an IT guy I know to help me out.) From what I hear, the the tiny 32GB SSD used for the OS, commonly accessed files, etc, is not big enough. So before I do this I need to acquire a slightly less tiny one. At which point I would have to make some BIOS tweaks, do some AHCI formatting, cloning, install 7 Pro, pop the new drive in there, and voilà...Could it really be that simple? or am I entering a world of pain?Side note: I don't need lots of storage space. Do I really need both drives for some reason? More specifically, does this machine require a separate SSD for the OS? Why not remove and sell both drives, and spring for a 256GB SSD (or similar) and use this as the computer's only drive?

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hugh

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32GB is way too small. So is 64GB. Win7 Ultimate SP1, Office 2013, Revit 2103, Visual Studio 2010 and a few other less space-hungry apps occupy 85Gb of the 128Gb Intel SSD I used to replace the HD in my Lenovo T420s [1]. Conversion was very easy using Intel's migration tools and a USB3-SATA cable and all the promised speed improvements ensued.

My mSATA port has a phone in it so I installed a standard SATA drive. The Dell offers you more options as to what SSD to put in. http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/50015566

Upgrading your version of Windows[2],  I'd buy a SSD, 120GB or bigger (Intel or Samsung 840), pull the old drives out of your new pride&joy, pop in the SSD, boot to/check BIOS settings, install Windows Pro and MSE. The pain then comes with Windows Update <grin>.  You can recover some of the space chewed up once SP1 is in by running a post-SP1 cleanup utility from Microsoft.  You could put the mSATA back in but 32GB is way too small to use as a Windows C: drive without going to extrordinary lengths that believe me aren't worth the effort. Just buy a big-enough SSD. 

Make sure the SSD will fit. Some lappys only take the thinner 7mm form factor.

[1] (I don't render or work on huge models so this machine is just fine but for my modest purposes - and it's light - you'll probably make good use of the extra graphics grunt in the heavier XPS).

2] Revit 2014 will be out very, very soon and it's a sure bet it will run on Win 8.1 that students can pick up from MS quite cheaply.  http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.288769600?WT.mc_id=WOL_Win8ProStudent

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Hugh Adamson

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Want to buy a Laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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What is the best laptop for using revit like software?

1

I HATE REVIT! [ 1 2 3 4 ]

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cheap gaming laptop suggestions pls

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old laptop

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