What laptop to use?

[KMI]

I have been having trouble getting laptops to verify properly. I have a Compaq 725CA. It has windows xp, athlon4 1.3g,256mb ram,32mb video ram with a S3 graphics card. It works great until I try to verify then it screws it all up. I have downloaded all the latest drivers and updates but no help. I will buy what ever laptop will work. I would like to hear from anyone out there that has been using a laptop. What make and model will work. Thanks for the help.

[cadcam]

Look at the Dells www.dell.com you can get then with good Nvidia grapgics cards and have used them in the past work well.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Dell's Laptops are very good. Their service/support is second to none if you were to ever have a problem. I have two Dell's at home. If I were to buy a Pre-Built computer I would not consider anything other than a Dell. Gateway is a NEVER BUY, you don't even get software with your computer.

 

JM2C

[Rick Damiani]

I'm using a Gateway Solo 9550 for MasterCAM v8 and v9 and it works very well. It's got an Nvidia Gforce2 GO video board, which is about as good as it gets in notebooks.

 

For CAD/CAM use, I'd limit myself to the higer-end desktop replacement notebooks. The other types tend to have slower and less capible shared-memory video boards, and those can give you trouble.

[Trevor Bailey]

I have used Gateway, fully loaded with all software/bells & whistles(sp) just because they are cheaper than Dell. However, I am now getting a Dell laptop workstation because I do not have to pay for it . Seems as though Dell is the perfect fit for CAD or CAM power-users.

[Thomas Wingate]

hi.

 

my post about the redraw errors on an ati radeon card sort of guides the choice.

the conclution was to stay away from any machine with a graphicscard that doesnt fully support open gl.

there are laptops with pro ogl graphics like the quadro. think dell has one.

all the geforce family cards seem to do an exelent job with mastercam and other cad software i have used. not so with some highend animation softwares, but thats a different story.

i think you can safely go for any major brand machine with a geforce card.

 

thomas w

[Charles Davis]

I have owned two Dell laptops. Currently I use an Inspiron 8000, 1Ghz, 256MB, 32MB Nvidia GE Force GO, 15" screen. CD Burner for backup.

 

The keyboards are great, Dell's are rugged, and the big monitor and high end graphics are needed for CADCAM. Prices are still more than a desktop of comparable power, but are pretty reasonable now.

 

My next laptop will also be a Dell. You can now get these in 1.7ghz, and 64mb video.

 

The only complaint is sometimes the shaded graphics have an extraneous black or shaded square that you need to refresh to clear. I've tried EVERYTHING to get rid of that, but no luck.

 

Dell's are a bit heavy, so you may want to go with something else if you travel a lot. Most of my travel is between my office at work and my office at home!