Thread: Does this sound like good specks for a laptop?

Hi everyone, im new to the forum, i have read a couple of threads and have done some research on
laptops that can run revit/autocad. Some of the info i see here is a little bit overwhelming since im
not a super expert on computer components, just the basic processor type, ram, hd memory and
display. Here are the specks for a HP im planning to buy. I work full time but will be doing some
other projects on the side after obtaining my registration as an architect, nothing big, it will
basically be residential and small commercial application.
Thanks
Yahaira

HP dv7tqe

• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3610QM Processor (2.3 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)

• NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 650M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5 memory [HDMI, VGA]
• 16GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 750GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• NO mSSD Hard Drive Acceleration Cache
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• 17.3-inch diagonal Full High Definition Anti-glare LED-backlit Display (1920 x 1080)
• Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam
• 802.11b/g/n WLAN
• Backlit Keyboard with numeric keypad
• Included 2 Year Warranty

The processor is not great, but should be fine for small projects. The hard drive is slow, but that should only affect file open/save operations. The rest of the specs are good.

Hi, thank you very much for your reply. Which one you think is more important to have, more ram or a faster processor?
I saw another one that has the turbo boost up to 3.4 ghz but it has 8gb of ram, and it can not be upgraded without
affecting the warranty.

I bought HP dv7tge in May last year for $1325 (w/ tax), should be cheaper now.

- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- 3rd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3820QM Processor
- NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GT 650M Graphics with 2GB GDDR5 memory
- 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
- 750GB 7200 rpm Hybrid Hard Drive
- 17.3-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit Display (1600 x 900)

Overall not bad. Build quality is not so good though compering to Dell, but it’s fast and working well with Revit RFOBenchmark 2013 results post #6.
I would go with a better processor and 8GB of memory. I work on similar projects as you do, single family, small commercial, files not bigger than 100MB and 8GB is plenty.

Thank you very much, the faster processor adds another 400 but i can then leave the 8mb on the ram.

Originally Posted by need4mospd

The processor is not great, but should be fine for small projects. The hard drive is slow, but that should only affect file open/save operations. The rest of the specs are good.

An i7 is SLOW? I am confused now. I thought that they were the fastest processors currently for laptops and desktops? Is it just that particular model of i7 is a lot slower than most or what? I started looking at laptops to use at home for REvit (since I discovered that the desktops I would need were getting to be the same price as a good laptop!) and I saw the same one discussed above here (on sale at HP for $800 if you leave the memory at 8 mb !) and it sounded pretty good to me. Now I need to start looking all over?? Almost every single laptop in my price range that had an i7 had that processor. Would I be better off with a higher end i5 or an AMD??? I liked this model HP because it allowed you to upgrade from the GT 630m to the GT 650 for "only" $75. (You answered my post on the gpu thread and mentioned that the GT 640 was the "worst of the bunch" so I figured I better upgrade to the GT 650M if I go with that lap top.

By the way--do laptops in general hold up as well as a comprable desktop for cad use? I mean, will a lap top "bite the dust" quicker?
Thanks! (I don't mean to steal this thread, by the way.)

Originally Posted by Fun2Learn

An i7 is SLOW? I am confused now.

Intel makes it confusing. There are fast and slow i7's, relatively speaking. There are i5's out there that are faster than some i7's. There are some i7's that are more than 3X the performance of some of the laptop i7 processors. There are so many different model numbers, that just getting an "i7" means absolutely nothing. The clock speed(Ghz) is what's important. It's not as noticeable on desktops because most of the i7's have a high clock speed, but the laptops will often get low powered i7's, which aren't NEAR the performance as the typical desktop i7.