Laptop or Desktop? What Do You Run SolidWorks On?

• Robin Capper
  Am I the only one who'd like a workstation spec tablet pc with touch screen to design on?
  
  Most users here are still desktops but I work on a HP 8710 laptop. Also have a shared tablet PC and I miss the tabletness on conventional machines. Pity is nobody makes workstation tablet PCs!
• Josh M
  I'd like a Wacom Cintiq 21US
• Brian
  Oooo! Ever since I saw the Cintiq on Pixel Perfect a couple of years back, I've wanted one!
• Josh M
  I haven't had a chance to play with one yet... but I'm working on it!!
• Rod_Uding
  It looks pretty interesting, have you had a chance to play with one?
• Rod_Uding
  The rack technology appears to be rather interesting. With the access device, could one have one in the cube and one at home for access?
• Josh M
  I believe it's possible. I have some friends setting this up and they have a lot of offsite employees. I'll let ya know when I find out.
• Ryan
  My boss talked me into the laptop about a year ago +. I think he liked the idea that I would be able to work from home now and then and to putter around on work when the kids are in bed. I lost the argument completely when the gap between the laptop and desktops for performance and price seemed to have narrowed.
  
  We got a solid platform Dell M90 with 4 GB RAM. I have to say that it does very well, though I know that a person could do a little better for the same money for a desktop - and I now run dual monitors.
  
  The real benni though - I have way more time to learn more SolidWorks stuff on my own.
• Rod_Uding
  I am chained to a Dell 470 Precision running 32x XP with 2GB. I would rather have a laptop so I could work from home at least one day a week.
• Brian
  I had finally gotten a laptop at my previous job (M6300) and now have a hot-rod desktop at my main desk with a dinky Latitude laptop for offsite/travel use. Hopefully, if my budget got approved for this year, I will be getting an M6400 with 8GB RAM!
• tyler524
  I use my desktop while at work but while at home, I use my laptop. Occasionally when I try to open one of my huge projects from my desktop on my laptop I have some performance issues. Wait, what am I saying? I have quite a few performance issues here at work even with an upgraded desktop. Screen size it what pulls me to my desktop.
• mingsish
  screen size is kind of a big deal. I wish they made 22" screen laptops. I know it makes them slightly less mobile but i wouldn't mind at all. The big screen would make it all worth while.
• bigmikeo
  You need the Dell XPS M2010
• Brian
  The M2010 is an awesome looking machine - 20" screen, wireless bluetooth keyboard and mouse. But the case is a small suitcase (that I doubt could be checked on flights) and not necessarily spec'ed for running CAD.
• Rich Hall
  My company uses laptops for the engineers due to our travel currently I have a dell M90 that works ok but is not ideal for large assys. I would like to have a killer desktop in the office and a nice laptop for travel. But I don't see my company or many others doing this to a lowley engineer.
• idesignhaus
  For the performance per money, the desktops still win in workstation-level systems (by maybe 3-4x). I like the desktop because I use a great keyboard (wireless), killer mouse (with nasty big pointy teeth), and uber-monitor 3,000. Many laptops claim certain clock/bus speeds, but the ones I've seen--when compared to desktops of the same statistics--are dramatically slower. On the other hand, it's tough for me to lug around this 80-lb system in any sort of "portable" way.
• Josh M
  8 years ago I use to lug a workstation/CRT monitor combo around to do SolidWorks demos on. Ooooo, there were painful moments. just last year, I ran SolidWorks of a 4GB Flash drive. granted, on a workstation, but what a difference in 8 years.
• idesignhaus
  CRT? Ow.
  
  Yeah, I think we'll see decreased size in tech gadgetry as time goes on, eventually getting to the point of being too small for practicality--at which point, we'll simply combine stuff like phones, computers, cameras...wait, we've already done that.
• burhop
  I clicked "Laptop" but its only like 60/40. High(er) end graphics on my workstation makes complicated geometry sooo much better.
• mingsish
  I'm liking that rack system, but how amazing would it be if companies (especially the one i work for) switch to laptops. This makes me dream of a world where we aren't chained to led encrusted balls with cd-roms as we sit despondent in push pin walled cell. We would be free...maybe even to leave the premises and work from home most of the week
• robert
  This.
• Matt Lombard
  I used laptops for a few years, but found it about twice as expensive as using a desktop. I'm also conflicted because I love portability, but I also love large dual displays and to add/replace components.
  
  In the end, I have both, but my serious SW work is done on the desktop.
• Josh M
  It's eally hard to beat the larger displays. I can't get away from that. My perfect system would include a laptop that could tie into a larger display, to have portability and dual display. For the time being now, major SW work done on the desktop for me as well.
• David M
  The new Dell Precision mobile workstations support up to 2 30" LCD's via the Dell E-Advanced Port Replicator.
• JeffMirisola
  I've used SW on both desktop and laptop. I prefer laptop because of the portability. The desktop I'm using right now should be a fast machine (Dell T3400, 8 GB RAM, Nvidia FX3700), but I've had just as good performance on my M4300.

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