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what can I do to fortify my laptop?

what can I do to fortify my laptop?

what can I do to fortify my laptop?

(OP)
I am running Solidworks on my laptop, an IBM A31 2652 with a Pentium 4 processor and 512Mb of RAM.  It is slow.  What can I do to speed it up a bit?  (in sheepherder, plz)

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Buy a Dell M-series!

Best Regards,

Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SW2005 SP 5.0 & Pro/E 2001
Dell Precision 370
P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NIVIDA Quadro FX 1400
      o
  _`\(,_
(_)/ (_)

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." - Henry Ford



 

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

How much RAM on your graphics card?  How large are your models?

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

That should have an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 - 32MB, which is not recommended for use with SW.  Depending on the type of files you are working with, there isn't much you can do.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

My experience with all laptops is that the primary limit to performance is the graphics card--hence the suggestion to spend exorbitant amounts of money on a Dell M series (which has the appropriate graphics card options).


Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

(OP)
Well, rats - but thanks.  Would adding more RAM help?

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

If you are working from the hard drive, it's probably only a 4200rpm drive, and no ammount of extra ram is going to help with that speed.  With that said, more memory will help, especially if you can hear your hard drive being accessed while you work in SW (disk paging).

You can also try runing in Software OpenGL mode to verify if you graphics card is up to the job.  This makes SW render the graphics instead of your graphics card.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Video card will be your biggest Bottle neck, Ram would help, but not nearly as much as supported video card and drivers.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

boffin5,

In my experience, unsupported video cards and/or drivers have caused more problems than anything else.  Spend the extra $$$ to get something that is supported by SW.

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

BOffin,

I, like you.. am stuck with a laptop, however I have a Dell M-60.  Ram is a biggie for sure, I'd get a gig if if I were you.  However the biggest and baddest wolf of all in the mix is video card.  See if you can upgrade it, and while your at it get something 64Mb or better.  and best of all find one that is supported.

Check with your computers documentation and see whether or not you can replace the vid card component... some laptops have that stuff right on the main board making it impossible to change the graphics adapter.

Happy hunting



Regards,
Jon

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

With most Laptops Upgrading the Graphics card is impossible... at least from the way I understand Laptops... but I have been wrong b4.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Say it isn't so, Scott!  You?  Wrong?  You just blew my image of you!

Garland

Garland E. Borowski, PE
Borowski Engineering & Analytical Services, Inc.
www.borowskiengineering.com

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

I can't tell if you are being sarcasitc or serious?

Anyway, the Laptop I have I can't change the video card and from most of the people I have talked to they couldn't either, but my laptop is like 3 years old so take that for what its worth.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Definitely Sarcastic...I certainly don't know you well enough (at all, for that matter...I don't think reading your posts qualifies "knowledge" of someone) to say something like that seriously.  Besides, I was referring to you having "been wrong B4".

Garland E. Borowski, PE
Borowski Engineering & Analytical Services, Inc.
www.borowskiengineering.com

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

I gotcha now! The Power of Emoticons is a wonderful thing!

       

      



Best Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Sorry, haven't taken the time to dive in to the vast array of emoticons...I'll take a little better care to write my emotions in the future.

<img src=&#104;ttp://&#119;ww.tipmaster.com/images/poke.gif BORDER=0>

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

OK...so I'm a "hacker" trying to "cut and paste" one of your emoticons...I'll try to take the time to do it right eventually!

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Likewise, Scott.

RE: what can I do to fortify my laptop?

Enter the contest Solidworks has going to win a powerhouse Laptop from Dell, complete with a seat of SW !!!

Or don't  (increases my chances....)

John

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