[OP]
Member
What to look for in a laptop to run SketchUp
Am going to be purchasing a new laptop in next few weeks and was wondering what the Skechup users here thought I should look for specification wise. And not going $$$ crazy. I'd like to stick to a 15.6" screen just cause its the smallest/most portable I've seen with a separate number pad. Might run another monitor, dual screens.
I got cash in my pocket. I got desire in my heart....
Contributor
Sketchup is not a resource hungry program. Anything will run it.
Just buy whatever you like.
Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night
Contributor
I just bought a new laptop (not a top of the line unit) and I'm amazed at how fast it is. One suggestion is to get a SSD (solid state drive). That will speed up your PC significantly.
The only disadvantage to SSDs is that they tend to be smaller (less capacity) than mechanical disk drives. But much, much faster. If you need big, get an SSD for your operating system and get a external mechanical drive connected via USB3.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
I'm running a Dell M4700 with a docking station that drives two monitors. It does nearly as well as my desktop unless I get a highly detailed, multi-scene drawing going and try to alter perspective and jump between scenes and so forth. Still, very workable but, I would hate to run SU on it without external monitors.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
[OP]
Member
How much RAM have you guys got?
How speedy is your processor?
Separate video card? How much RAM?
I don't image myself to be a power user, just drawing up furniture and such.
I got cash in my pocket. I got desire in my heart....
Member
Get the laptop with an SSD drive, this will significantly speed up the load time for the program. Get as much ram and video as you can afford.Originally Posted by Judson Green
Contributor
My new laptop has 4GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD and a 4 core processor running at about 1.5GHz. I got a deal so I took that, but I would have preferred to have 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD. I suppose I can upgrade the RAM and SSD but I'll wait and see if I run out of disk space first. The computer has a slot for an SD card so I could get a 64GB or even a 128GB SD card and put some of my data on that at less cost than replacing the SSD. And the SD card would look like a disk drive.
It has a good WiFi radio - up to the latest standard. One USB2 and one USB3 and an HDMI for an external monitor. Battery life is suppose to be about 5 hours - I haven't tested it yet to see how long it will last.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
I would agree with the other posts that most any computer will run sketchup effectively with the exception of very large and complex files. That would be the main question in my opinion. If your talking about running sketchup for woodworking, hobby level, and even full kitchens and large cabinetry projects with many many components, dynamic components, textures, and the like, than most any machine is going to work.
If however you are talking about huge files, entire buildings and contents, terrain, topography, and so on, then you may need to begin thinking about hardware.
I recently replaced a laptop and have had some issue with very large files and as has been stated even the low end machines today are so fast its amazing. I had thought about SSD but wound up with a machine with a 1TB hd and it boots completely in less than 10 second. At the login screen within 4-5 seconds of hitting the power button. I cant imagine needing faster.
Member
+1 on this question.
How much RAM do you have and Hard Drive size? Would be helpful to know what the average is so I don't over buy.
"Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
- Rick Dale
Contributor
Sketchup is not a big processor or memory drainer but you will want to invest in a mouse. Doing Sketchup on a touchpad is really not a good way to go.
[OP]
Member
For sure! Never used Sketchup but having been a AutoCAD user and 20/20 I definitely know a good mouse is needed.
I got cash in my pocket. I got desire in my heart....
Contributor
It's not that hard to navigate sketchup with the touchpad, maybe easier than you'd think.
At any rate, my 5 year old ASUS laptop runs Sketchup without any problem, and so did my 10 year old Dell desktop before it finally got retired last year.
Point being, I think any computer on the market is going to run SU just fine. Don't over think it.
Member
+1 to this! I think the best thing to do is to go down to wal-mart and pick out one you like the color of or how the case looks. It really doesn't matter, they ALL will do the job and then some. Take the money you will be saving to get a good high quality monitor and really nice mouse, that's where you need to put your money and research time.
Last edited by Larry Browning; 09-12-2014 at 9:30 AM.
Larry J Browning
There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.
Member
Maybe for you! For me, a touch pad is totally useless for any application. I absolutely HATE those things! In fact the only pointing device that I can comfortably use without having to concentrate on using it is a regular mouse. My point is that a pointing device is one of the things that comes down to personal preference. What works great for one is a nightmare for someone else.
Larry J Browning
There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.
Member
My five year old laptop, with 4 gig of ram and dual core processor has no problem running Sketchup. Sketchup doesn't require workstation like power for rendering rendering because you are typically designing an item, not a large building or complex components.
Just by the most computing power you can afford. Three years from now it will begin showing its age.
Measure twice, cut three times, start over. Repeat as necessary.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote