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NickMc



Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
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Solidworks computer
First off I’d like to say PCs are like black magic to me, I’ve had Macs for a long time now and don’t really use them for much more than browsing the web.

I’m looking for a cheap desktop or laptop that will just be running Solidworks. Not running any simulations or doing massive assemblies.

Can anyone give me a few pointers on what to look for or some links? Maybe looking at a refurbished machine even.


Thanks,

Nick
Post #793161 15th Sep 2019 4:54pm
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
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What version of Solidworks are you looking to run? I am assuming the latest 2019 revision?

Have a look here at the system requirements for a start:
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html

Cheers,
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Post #793166 15th Sep 2019 5:19pm
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NickMc



Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
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Yeah Steve 2019
Post #793167 15th Sep 2019 5:24pm
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
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If you arnt doing anything too fancy then a Windows 10 machine with a reasonable processor and 16Gb of RAM would be fine. Make sure you get a machine with a graphics card that is supported by Solidworks though.

I would personally go for a Desktop machine as you will probably want to use it with a bigger screen, keyboard and mouse; in which case a laptop will be a bit pointless.

Cheers,
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Post #793172 15th Sep 2019 5:43pm
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NickMc



Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
Location: Norn Iron
Posts: 1568

Northern Ireland 2006 Defender 90 Td5 HT Bonatti Grey
Thanks Steve, what are you running it on?
Post #793195 15th Sep 2019 7:29pm
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
Location: Cumbria
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I don't use Solidworks very often, i use Autodesk inventor most of the time now (as work dictates). Both bits of software have similar hardware requirements though.

I my work laptop is a Core I7 with 32Gb RAM with Windows 10. Its an Nvidea graphics chip but dont know what it is.

It does get very hot when doing large assemblies or rendering though (hence why i would recommend a desktop instead) 02' 110 TD5 Double Cab Rebuild Thread
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Post #793210 15th Sep 2019 8:12pm
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OsloBlue



Member Since: 14 Jul 2018
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Hey Nick you won't need just RAM for solidworks.

More importantly you will need VRAM (video memory)

I used to have a two draughtsmen under me and had to get them setup so they could have solidworks.

We had Two 32GB RAM, I7 processor and 4GB of VRAM, with SSDs for a reasonable setup.

they were about £1400 computers, without even starting of solidworks, autocad, trimble, office, monitors, mice, keyboards ect...

more importantly why do you need £3K worth of cad software and can you even use it? can you justify using it? will autocad suffice? I'm on IG: https://www.instagram.com/osloblue42/
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Post #793211 15th Sep 2019 8:15pm
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
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I disagree slightly with that Oslo. I have run it on much lower spec graphics cards and find that it works fine as long as you dont ask too much of it and dont try and do any ray tracing or reflections or complex compound surfaces.

If the graphics performance is set to a lower quality a lower spec graphic card will suffice for simple modelling and assembly of mechanical systems.

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Post #793212 15th Sep 2019 8:22pm
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OsloBlue



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then the problem you have is overheating or overclocking which causes wear and tear on systems.

We tried pushing a 500mb ram, celeron & integrated graphics onto trimble and the thing degraded quicker.

how many polys do your typical models contain? I'm on IG: https://www.instagram.com/osloblue42/
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Post #793214 15th Sep 2019 8:27pm
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rallysteve



Member Since: 10 Feb 2014
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500Mb is too low obviously but 1Gb or 2Gb should do the job.

I generally do isolated mechanical or structural items but currently working with large full facility models which push the limits or Inventor anyway (i find it very unstable with huge assemblies). These have a lot of surface details as the base model has come from 3D scan pointcloud. For very large models we generally use Catia anyway.

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Post #793219 15th Sep 2019 8:39pm
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OsloBlue



Member Since: 14 Jul 2018
Location: Essex
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What i'm getting at is that solidworks is a beast even when working on low poly stuff,

It was designed for integrating jet turbine physics and jet airframe physics with millimetre precision.

What kind of assemblies are talking about here? are we talking about structures, parts, tools or machinery? I'm on IG: https://www.instagram.com/osloblue42/
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Post #793222 15th Sep 2019 8:46pm
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NickMc



Member Since: 01 Oct 2014
Location: Norn Iron
Posts: 1568

Northern Ireland 2006 Defender 90 Td5 HT Bonatti Grey
Back to school late in life so just starting out using it. That means I get the student version for nothing though, hopefully that makes a bit more sense.
Post #793227 15th Sep 2019 9:00pm
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