Okay, I have been in the market to buy a Laptop that can run SolidWorks and still function so that I can work at home or most anywhere. If you are up on SolidWorks or most any 3D design software, you probably know that these programs seek a lot of resources in order to operate.

After talking with the tech support guys at my work, they recommend a Dell Precision M60 of M65 hands down. After looking into it, I also was sold on it but the sold is the only issue…around $1000+ worth of cash that I don’t have to spend right now. During this search, I spoke with a guy that is contracted to do work and he is looking to upgrade from his current laptop to a much better Dell M90 (yes even better than the M60 I was looking at). Well he’s looking for design help on the side and is willing to give me his old laptop in exchange for working for him. This laptop would be a Toshiba Satellite M115-53144, it works for him, and he just wants a bigger screen and faster machine that he can use in place of all the desktops he has at different businesses.

I don’t see why I shouldn’t do the swap unless there is some big issue with this machine that I don’t know, and he’s not the type of guy to pull a fast one just to get ahead. Any advice guys?

-NorthernFirepower

P.S. Once I get a laptop, either way I'd like to supply my internet with a mobile provider. Basically, instead of buying a land line or buying cable, I want to use my mobile service provider as my internet access. Anyone know anything about this area?

 

First off Toshiba makes a pretty good laptop computer. Second of all if you plan on using your cell phone as internet provider don't expect anything great, Internet from your mobile provider is not only slow but it's basically 56k.. except you can get it basically anywhere you get service with your cell phone.

 

Yeah, I kinda figured that mobile would be a lot like dialup. I'm not in a position to afford DSL anyway so I figure that wireless would be a good option. I'm going to call again but last I checked, in order for me to get internet thru landline it was going to run me around $50-70 for dial-up alone so it's a horse a piece.

 

Depending on where you live cell companies have pretty good speeds. I have Verizon and I get DSL speeds even out in the sticks. As I get closer to better covered areas the speed jumps up very nicely. Take a look at some of the coverage maps and see what is availible to you. Looks like in Wisconsin its mostly covered with national access which is very decent and broadband access near most of the cities. Take a look, you might be supprised.

 

We run solidworks my work, I do the installs and upgrades. From my experience solidworks is going to run like a dog on a sub $1000 notebook, which I think you already know. So with the Toshiba being your only real option I would say if it really does work for him now there should be no reason it wont work for you, unless he is running an older verison and you will be putting a more recent version on.

Also, how complex the actual designs are will affect how the machine will handle solidworks.

As for cellular wireless speeds, it greatly varies, just like normal broadband speeds do. Strength of signal will affect speed as well as the technology that your local towers are using. For example, if your using Verizon and your are in a "Broadband Access" area your speeds should be pretty good. Similarly, AT&T has EDGE and HSDPA coverage for their broadband data services.

 

I wouldnt work for that guy unless it was for cash. You might end up not liking that laptop and you wasted your time. You need to save up for like $2000 because $1000 for a lappy a cheappy.

 

I usea DellM90 for Pro-E. It handles it really well, but I wouldn't want anything less powerfull.

 

For SolidWorks, anything will work out ok, but it depends on what kinds of designs and assembly work you'll be doing. For single parts that aren't too difficult, anything will work. But when you start an assembly from different parts, that's when it will really start to bog down.
I run a 6 year old pentium 4 1.5 ghz with average memory and it works ok for me.

 

you want fast processor and minimum of gig of ram otherwise ur laptop will be a dog

 

I checked at my college to see if I could get some kind of assistance and they have “up to” 12% discount thru Dell and this discount doesn’t even include the M60-M65 series. I’m thinking that I’ll go with the used Toshiba for now so that I can actually work on the side for some extra cash and then upgrade later to some top of the line if I see fit. Money is the biggest issues at this time so as long as it works decent, I’m gonna go with it. Thanks for the replies.
-NorthernFirepower