Laptop around $750 - 17.3" for 3D CAD?

Looking for some recommendations on a 17.3-inch laptop around $1667.

It’s mainly for work—CAD design and 3D modeling.
I need a solid warranty, preferably at least 2 years.
Battery life matters too; if I can get about 4 hours, I'm happy.
Needs to come with Windows 10 pre-installed.
No gaming for me.
I’m willing to sacrifice screen quality for better performance, though obviously, I don't want to go blind...

Anything but HP!

Don't really care where I buy it from, just want to avoid the shady retailers. I've usually had good luck with places like Best Buy, Staples, or CDW...

Thanks in advance!

For that kind of work, you really need a fast processor (something H or HQ series), a decent GPU like a GTX 950 or 960, Full HD resolution, a fast hard drive or an SSD, and as much RAM as you can afford.

You won't even find the bare minimum of those components for $500, let alone a copy of Windows. It's just not happening.

http://www.nabava.net/prijenosna-rac...+ove+kriterije

The best thing you'll find for around $500 is an Asus f:

http://www.nabava.net/prijenosna-rac...-ghz__18070311

It’s got a mediocre 5200u processor, a pretty weak GT 940 for CUDA tasks, but it does come with 8GB of RAM and a fast drive. No Windows included, obviously.

The cheapest setup that actually includes Windows would look like this:

Keep in mind the CPU and graphics card here aren't exactly great either. If you wanted something that actually works well, you'd look at this:

But that's way over budget, and again, it doesn't come with Windows. Unfortunately, that's just the reality of it.

darkowl72, thanks a ton!

If you're down, I might need a little more help... 😁

Look, I could definitely beef things up, but I don't want to pay for stuff I won't actually use.
For context, here’s my current desktop setup from three years ago. It works perfectly fine for what I do:

- AMD CPU Desktop PC FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box FD8320FRHKBOX
- Spire TherMax III univ. high-end cooler. spi-uni-thermax3
- Motherboard Asus M5A97 R2.0
- 2 x Transcend JetRAM 4GB DDR3 1600 DIMM CL11 512Mx8 JM1600KLH-4G
- Hard drive Desktop TOSHIBA DT01ACA050 (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600) DT01ACA050
- INTEL 330 Series Solid state drive 2.5" SATA III-600 6 Gbps, 60 GB, 25 nm, Sequential Read: 500 MB/s, Sequential Write: 400 MB/s, IOPS max: 20500, MLC, Retail with 2.5”-to-3.5” adapter and SATA cables SSDSC2CT060A3K5
- MSI Video Card GeForce GT 650 GDDR5 1GB/128bit, 1071MHz/5000MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, HDMI, DVI, VGA, Cooler (Double Slot), Retail N650-1GD5/OCV1
- Optical drive -RW RAM LG DualLay SATA LGE-GH24NS95
- CORSAIR Power Supply, Computer model CX 80+ Bronze, 430 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, Product version CP-9020046-EU

Here's what I'm wondering:

a) would those cheaper setups (the $1667 tier) you mentioned in your post actually be an upgrade over this machine?

b) can this (the $2000 tier) hold its own against my current desktop?
http://www.dell.com/inspiron-5759...81ADM/product/
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/artikl.aspx?lid=208600
or
http://www.architecturalfirm.com/shop/index.php...ducts_id=12600

c) or can this (the $2333 tier) compete with my desktop?
http://www.architecturalfirm.com/shop/index.php...ducts_id=13154
http://www.magazine.com/laptop-lenovo...06318/product/

Like I said before, I'd trade screen quality for performance, so I don't strictly need Full HD resolution.

Or if this is getting too complicated or off-topic... 😁 just give me a spec suggestion under $2333 (including Windows) based on the fact that my current desktop gets the job done.

😵
🙏

Look, I won't overthink it too much, but I think I've made my choice regarding

that you mentioned.

I need Windows, and adding that to the price of this

pushes it up toward $1,400, which is just way too much for me.

The modeling work I do isn't super intense, and since my current 5-year-old HP struggles through it just fine, this should be plenty...

Thanks again!

darkowl72 said:For that kind of setup, you’d need a fast processor—something with an H or HQ suffix—paired with a decent GPU like a GTX 950 or 960. Stick to Full HD resolution, throw in a fast SSD, and just cram in as much RAM as you can...

$5k won't even cover the cheapest parts on that list, let alone Windows... Unfortunately...

The specs on this laptop are decent if you can find them at the right price... might be worth looking into depending on the final bid.

Honestly, if you've got around $5k to drop, you can't beat an Asus f...

I can't really make sense of this link... looks like some random laptop listing from overseas. If you're looking for actual specs on an American retail site, just send me the direct link next time...

A weak 5200u processor, some modest GT940 graphics for CUDA, 8GB of RAM, and a fast SSD... plus no Windows, obviously...

The cheapest way to go with a Windows build would be this...

Check out this link to the Architect shop... looks like they've got some gear worth looking at...

Just a heads up, that CPU and GPU combo is pretty weak again. The move would be more like this...

Check this out... http://www.architect.com/shop/index.php?products_id=12283...

That's way out of my budget, and besides, it doesn't even come with Windows. Sadly, that's just how it is...

Would it even make sense to go with something else instead of what you suggested... Check this out... [link]
Grab this one...
Check this out... http://www.architect.com/shop/index.php?products_id=13184...

So, should I grab a better GPU even if it means less RAM? Everything else feels pretty much the same to me...

Look, this whole topic is a complete non-issue. It’s really not that complicated. 👍

Look, it’s a fool's errand to compare desktops and laptops. They aren't even playing the same game. The whole point of a laptop is portability and battery life, so every single component is engineered specifically to hit those targets. Everything is throttled—speeds are lowered and voltages are dialed back just to squeeze out a few extra minutes of juice. You don't deal with that nonsense on a desktop. Take the hardware, for example. An i7-8320 can pull 125W easily, and if you decide to overclock it, you're looking at pushing 150W without breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, an i7-5500U? Even with undervolting, you're hitting a hard ceiling around 15W. That should be enough for anyone to get the point. It’s the exact same story when you look at the GPU, the RAM, or the SSD. The math just doesn't work the same way.

It all really boils down to the software. You have to look at whether it leans more toward AMD or Intel, if it’s heavy on the CPU, or if you can offload work to the GPU via CUDA cores. Then there's the question of whether it actually utilizes video memory. The reality is that while the 940M is technically a newer card, it's stuck with a 64-bit bus and relies on DDR3 memory. I'm honestly not sure which versions of DirectX or shaders it supports, or if the 940M has any newer tech baked in since the chip itself is more recent. It's hard to say how that's going to impact whatever specific programs you're running.

The laptop has 12GB of RAM, which will definitely come in handy, but the desktop still has a fast drive plus an extra SSD on top of that!

There are just too many unknowns here. There’s way too much ground to cover and testing to do before I could even think about giving a definitive verdict. 🤷

Look, if you decided to go with a high-end configuration, then you did what you had to do—within the limits of your budget, anyway. You can always upgrade the laptop with an SSD, either by buying a new one or just repurposing that one from your desktop if you’re done with it. You just pop it into the DVD drive slot using an adapter. I don't know what to tell you. If you're looking for a caddy, just go find one. I'm not here to do your errands for you.Look, you can actually speed that thing up significantly if you just do it right.

Look, there's no debate here—the GPU is significantly better. It’s got twice as many CUDA cores and a 128-bit bus. Sure, it's still running on DDR3 memory, but even with that limitation, the jump in performance is massive. Based on what's listed, this model is definitely on the way, and it looks like it might even feature a slightly better LCD panel at 300 nits, so it'll be brighter. It could just be a typo, but Architect is usually pretty meticulous about their specs...

Yeah, that one seems like the smarter buy. If you can swing a little extra (there's never enough money anyway 😬), you could probably ask them to swap out that 4GB RAM stick in the slot for an 8GB one to get you back up to 12GB. The price difference should be roughly $67, if I remember correctly...

If you end up going with the Asus, make sure you sign up for Asus Promotions.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

That's exactly what I'm gonna do, just hoping this one isn't shipping from overseas 🙂 because I really need a laptop in hand within ten days

Thanks again 👍

👍

It’s already the end of January, so the first shipments are probably stuck at customs by now...

Wrapping this thread up 🙂
Picked up this ASUS with the beefier GPU.
http://www.bestbuy.com/products/id=13184
They told me if I want more RAM, I have to take it to an authorized service center since they have to tear the whole thing apart, so I’ll just deal with that later (maybe toss in an SSD then, too).
Got all my software installed and everything runs smooth as silk. Just gotta get used to this keyboard layout (or fix it somehow)... on my old HP, I had my standard US layout, but things feel a bit off here—some symbols aren't where they should be, like the @ sign. Might've messed up a setting during the initial setup. Anyway, typing away from the new rig now.
Happy times 🙂
darkowl72, thanks again!

I have to say, I'm a little... actually, scratch that, I'm genuinely baffled that the keyboard isn't localized... 🤷 Report him for Asus Promotions, definitely, and while you're at it, shoot their support team an inquiry about getting the letter layout fixed.

darkowl72 said:I gotta say, it's honestly weirding me out that the keyboard isn't localized... 🤷 Report it to Asus Promotions for sure, and while you're at it, hit up their support team about getting the right letter layout.

Hmm... why do you think they didn't localize the keyboard?

Anyway, I signed up for Asus Promotions and sent them an inquiry about this, so we'll see what happens.

Funny enough, I actually memorized the American layout, so touch-typing isn't much of an issue now, but I really wouldn't want to feel like I bought a laptop slapped together from leftover parts...