Best cheap laptop for design work

Question

I am looking for a new laptop to use to run Solidworks and other programming and design software on. I want something decently cheap that will also work well and not get bogged down. I have a regular laptop so this one would be just for programming.

Answer 1

Hi Katie, the basic requirements are here which is different for each version of SOLIDWORKS.

I'd recommend first printing out the following links

https://www.solidworks.com/support/system-requirements

https://www.solidworks.com/support/hardware-certification/

The most important item I would spend money on or not spend too much money on is the graphic driver. That's because some graphic drivers are expensive and made specifically for gaming. This is the biggest mistake an individual can make. In the link above, you can see the sets of graphics cards and drivers that are recommended and approved for the graphics that CAD specifically uses.

However, a more straight forward answer will be given to you depending on what you shop for. If for example, you select Dell, then look at the work stations. Customize the cheapest work station with the information you have from the link above. If the link above does not show, then just Google "solidworks system requirements" in that page is the link for "certified cards and drivers"

Answer 2

When I started in graphic design, I simply purchased the first laptop that was available to me. However, I recommend that you carefully consider the specifications of the laptop you plan to buy. Ideally, you should look for a laptop with ample storage and a minimum of 32 GB of memory. I hope this helps.