Laptop advice needed

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Laptop advice needed

graham007

221 posts

Master Geek

#310840 26-Nov-2023 11:10

I want to buy a quality laptop i7 , 1tb. , 64 GB ram.

I went to a shop just laptops Albany Auckland , they had one on their site

But when I went there , the tech told me they have a model which needed to be upgraded to that ram spec

Am not sure is this common practice? Has someone done this before.

Can someone help who have done this before. Is warranty still valid .

Any other shoppes here who do the same ? Is it safe.

Thanks.

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1014 posts

Uber Geek

#3163937 26-Nov-2023 11:23

Can I ask why you need 64GB?

Ex-lease Lenovo Thinkpads or HP EliteBooks are the best value around (unless you need a dedicated GPU).

Adding RAM is easy, safe and doesn't void warranty afaik.

HP PCs - Upgrading memory (RAM)

Thinkpads TradeMe

EliteBook BidBud

graham007

221 posts

Master Geek

#3163941 26-Nov-2023 11:45

Thank you . I want to do Revit cad modelling and I want to future proof it for 5-7 years so thought better to future proof it

SATTV

1648 posts

Uber Geek

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#3163946 26-Nov-2023 12:03

There are some HP with 64GB RAM as standard, they are not cheap.

We sold one to a client against our advice but they said they needed it for CAD and to be portable ( Zbook with Xeon and graphics card suitable for CAD - on paper ).

Within a month or so of buying it they wanted to upgrade the video card.

A laptop CPU and GPU are often a lower power version as they can create a lot of heat.

External graphics cards do exist, might have to factor that into your budget.

If you are wanting to do CAD and last 5 - 7 years you need to go to a Z series workstation.

IMO of you get a laptop for CAD, you will be regretting that decision very quickly.

John

I know enough to be dangerous

K8Toledo

1014 posts

Uber Geek

#3163952 26-Nov-2023 12:31

SATTV:

There are some HP with 64GB RAM as standard, they are not cheap.

We sold one to a client against our advice but they said they needed it for CAD and to be portable ( Zbook with Xeon and graphics card suitable for CAD - on paper ).

Within a month or so of buying it they wanted to upgrade the video card.

A laptop CPU and GPU are often a lower power version as they can create a lot of heat.

External graphics cards do exist, might have to factor that into your budget.

If you are wanting to do CAD and last 5 - 7 years you need to go to a Z series workstation.

IMO of you get a laptop for CAD, you will be regretting that decision very quickly.

John

I agree.

@graham007

You really do need a Workstation not a laptop. CAD on a laptop your CPU/GPU will be pegged at 100% load and 95c.

graham007

221 posts

Master Geek

#3163954 26-Nov-2023 12:33

Thanks for your kind replies

I might have to travel at times so thought of laptop

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/laptops/gaming-laptops/msi-gaming-laptops/msi-gf-series/msi-thin-gf63-12ve-044nz-rtx-4050-i7-12650h-16gb-512gb-gaming-laptop

Was considering this with 64gb ram upgrade

Any advice pls

gzt

17104 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3163957 26-Nov-2023 12:38

graham007: Is it safe.

Generally safe if they're using HP supplied RAM ordered for the specific model.

Having said that, using RAM from a different supplier or manufacturer is usually perfectly reliable. In general terms there can be cases where there is a subtle and unexpected spec clash and the outcome is not what it could be.

gzt

17104 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#3163958 26-Nov-2023 12:40

Just seen the update. Computer Lounge I'd trust them to know exactly what they are doing as other forum members here do.

Equinox IT

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K8Toledo

1014 posts

Uber Geek

#3163963 26-Nov-2023 12:49

gzt:
graham007: Is it safe.

Generally safe if they're using HP supplied RAM ordered for the specific model.

Having said that, using RAM from a different supplier or manufacturer is usually perfectly reliable. In general terms there can be cases where there is a subtle and unexpected spec clash and the outcome is not what it could be.

HP RAM is manufactured by Samsung. :)

Brands like Kingston are OK provided the timings are compatable.

Qazzy03

477 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3163964 26-Nov-2023 12:54

Looking at Revits specs

https://icn.nl/pdf/system-vereisten/System-requirements-Autodesk-Revit-2022.pdf

If you are wanting to use Revit® 2022 it looks like CPU seems to be the most important spec.

CPU:

Intel® i-Series, Xeon®, or AMD® equivalent. 2.5 GHz or Higher

That laptop you linked is:

Base 2.3 GHz Frequency
and 4.7 GHz Boost Frequency

Meaning your laptop would always be boosting, which will generate a bit of heat and slow the preformance without really good cooling.

I did a quick reddit search and one solution was running a server running virtual PCs that laptop user(s) remote into.
If you didn't have to travel a lot and you were doing CAD for work, it might be an idea to have a dedicated PC for it and remote into it if you have to travel, that way laptop doesn't matter as much.

Just 2cents.

graham007

221 posts

Master Geek

#3163965 26-Nov-2023 13:02

Very good valid point . Appreciate the research 😸

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

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#3164035 26-Nov-2023 16:23

i don't suppose your program runs on Mac OS?

i'd recommend M2 macbook for anything that works on it

Lias

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#3164050 26-Nov-2023 17:32

I second that a workstation is the better answer here, but if really want the portability and performance, +1 for HP Z-Book but be prepared to pay a hefty premium for the privilege.

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup.

K8Toledo

1014 posts

Uber Geek

#3164060 26-Nov-2023 18:11

graham007:
Very good valid point . Appreciate the research 😸

Laptop CPU's tend to be handicapped by low TDP, compounded by inadequate cooling.

A FX505 "gaming laptop" (Oxymoron imho), was given to me recently with no display. HDMI out worked fine though, pointing to a fried GPU..

The owner played Cities II all day long, commenting on the noisy fan.

So I started Cities II -the CPU load shot to 100% on all cores, CPU/GPU temps stayed at 95c and clock speed dropped to ~3.0GHz.

The owner later told me the laptop cost $2,500 from Barrells, it replaced an Acer also bought from Barrells which "just fried" after several months.

$2,500 would buy a monster desktop system.

FX505

darylblake

1162 posts

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#3164479 27-Nov-2023 16:22

I think you should consider getting a laptop that can take that much memory. So you can upgrade it later and dont worry about future proofing it right now.

But to be honest 32GB should be plenty for nearly every workload imaginable to be performed by a portable machine such as a laptop.

If this is in-sufficent then perhaps consider getting a workstation.

graham007

221 posts

Master Geek

#3164484 27-Nov-2023 16:29

If I were to rephrase my question,

My budget is about 2k , main activity being Revit cad , and want to future proof performance for 5-7 years

What would be the best option for me

I got a quote done MSI laptop thin 11uc 1410nz rtx3050 _ i7 11800h _16gb _1tb , upgraded to 64 GB ram all up comes to $2130 NZD ( comp lounge akl )

Is it worth it . / Wil it be fit for me.

Or do you suggest any other brands which I shud consider given my 2k price range.

Thank you

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