Dell notebook for NX

[sitti]

Hello Everybody,

I am planning to buy a notebook, but I want an Nx 7.5 compatible one. And if it is working fast is an advantage.
I am hesitating between these:

1; Dell Vostro 3550A-2640M-4GH75DW9S Silver
Intel Core i7-2640M, 4GB, DDR3, 750GB, AMD Radeon HD 6630M, WEBCAM, Bluetooth, Card reader, 15,6", 1366x768, Windows7 Home Premium, HDMI, eSATA, 1xUSB, WLAN, Gigabit, AUDIO, DVD-RW, 2,47Kg, Silver, 9cell, 2xUSB 3.0

2; Dell Vostro 3550-15 Silver
Intel Core i5-2430M, 4GB, DDR3, 500GB, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6630, WEBCAM, Bluetooth, Card reader, 15,6", 1366x768, Windows7 Professional, HDMI, eSATA, 2xUSB, WLAN, Gigabit, AUDIO, DVD Super Multi, LED, Silver, 9cell, WWAN+Mobile Broadband, 2xUSB 3.0

3; Dell Vostro 3550-128678 Silver
Intel Core i5-2520, 6GB, DDR3, 500GB, AMD Radeon HD 6630, WEBCAM, Bluetooth, Card reader, 15,6", 1366x768, Windows7 Professional, HDMI, 3xUSB, WLAN, Gigabit, AUDIO, DVD Super Multi, 2,47Kg, LED, Silver, 6cell, D-SUB

Which do you think is better buy?

Thanks in advance?

 

[DaSalo]

I don't believe that any of the Radeon family of graphics cards are officially supported by NX. None of those configurations you mention would be officially "NX 7.5 compatible." It is still possible that NX will run just fine but you might want to make sure you can return the computer if things don't work out as you hope. You can find all of the information you might ever need to decide on a supported NX hardware configuration on the GTAC support website and by searching older posts on this forum. There have been quite a few posts on this topic over the past year.

NX 7.5.4.4, NX 8.0(Evaluating)
Tecnomatix Quality 8.0.1.3

 

[Walterke]

don't think the i7 will give a much better performance then the i5 since most of NX doesn't support multithreading (though this could depend on what you're using it for)
more ram=better, I'm surprised 6gb is the max you can get.

For the graphics card, I'd check google and hope someone has already tested its compatibility.

I wouldn't go with a 15" screen for any CAD purposes, unless you're getting an external screen, but then your graphics card may become a problem again.

also: don't really know where you're planning on purchasing this laptop, but IIRC, there is a lot more customization possible on the dell website, so you don't have to chose between those 3 alone. (eg.: I don't see why you can't get 6GB ram and a 9cell battery, though build-in place may be a problem here)

NX 7.5
Teamcenter 8

 

[CADadm]

If working with 3D CAD. NEVER invest in nothing else than a dedicated "workstation" PC model. If it is HP it need to have "w" or "z" in his model name. If it iss DELL it has to be an Precision model. And DONT use anything else that Nvidia Quadro graphic card in those machines. Everything else of PC models or graphic cards is designed and intend to be used to something else. This is based on 11 years of experience with 3D CAD hardware.

 

[dtharrett]

For what it's worth, I am running NX7.5 on a laptop as I need the portability. Roughly half the time I have it docked with dual monitors, the rest of the time at home or in a conf room.

I run a Dell Precision M4500 w/ 8GB RAM
Intel i7
Windows 7
NVIDIA Quatro FX 880M video card

When I first got this laptop, I ran it up against some dedicated workstations (basically timing it against opening some large assemblies...nothing too scientific). It was a few percent slower but still respectable considering the size of the files. At a later date, I did the 3GB switch thing which seemed to help a bit. My gut feel is that we are RAM starved (still 32 bit here).

 

[markrief]

As said above, you need a workstation, not a PC.
I have had several Dell Precision models, all very good for running NX. Currently I have a M4600.

Mark Rief
Product Manager
Siemens PLM

 

[ewh]

I had successfully worked on moderately complex files running NX on a 64 bit Lenovo W51 laptop with an approved nvidea card and windows7 for almost four years... largest problem was data transfer time, which was a network issue and only occurred when working away from the office. Docked to a larger monitor, I seldom noticed any other difference.
Workstations may be ideal, but to dismiss laptops out of hand is to miss out on some huge benefits in portability.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[ewh]

Mr Baker, it's been a few years since I had the honor of seeing one of your demos... what do you run them on currently? Surely your not still packing a workstation?

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[Toost]

To add a few notes to the above,
1) If you run a "Siemens NX certified" computer, you can submit IR's on errors wich are dependent of the hardware, if not, the response from Siemens support will be "good luck, try another driver."
It might run perfectly fine, but if it doesn't you are all alone.

2) NX needs a minimum graphics resolution of 1280x1024.
else you will not see the full menus. The higher the better but it will push harder on the graphics adapter.

3) In case you will be doing vizualisation work, avoid the "entry level graphics boards".

In other words, skip the Vostro models and look at the Precision series.

If you will use an external monitor most of the time, 15' is ok. If not select a 17' laptop. ( the pixels on the 15' in 1920x1080 resolution are very small.)