Solved! Laptop for CAD, FEA, programming and games

admeteora

Honorable
Mar 16, 2013
4
0
10,510
Hello, im looking to purchase a laptop in the coming weeks. I am currently looking at:

SAGER NP9172 (clevo P775DM3)
17.3” FHD 16:9 IPS LED-Backlit Display with Matte Finish w/ G-SYNC Technology (1920x1080)
7th Generation Intel® Kabylake™ i7-7700K (4.2GHz - 4.5GHz, 8MB Intel®
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 (8GB) GDDR5 (Pascal) DX12
32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory
256GB Intel 600P NVMe M.2 SSD
1TB 7200RPM [SATA II - 3GB/s]
Intel® Dual Band AC 8260 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0 [M.2 Chip]
Windows® 10 Pro 64-Bit Edition
. However I also see mobile workstations for around the same price (actually slightly higher), for example the msi WS72 or WT72 with xeon E3-1505M processor and a quadro M2000M graphics card.

Those workstations seem to be much weaker than the gaming pcs like the one i posted above when I look at benchmarks, should I invest in a gaming laptop or a mobile workstations for my applications, see details below?

I would like to thank everyone in advance that will reply, it helps a lot.


1) What is your budget?
~$2500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: None particularly, best for price/quality is what im looking for
b. Dislike: None really however i prefer non flashy brands

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
No

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
1st priority:
CAD (Solidworks, autocad, NX) 3D (with animations) and 2D, finite element analysis (ANSYS), some minor fluid dynamics simulations, programming (MATLAB, python mainly), etc...

2nd priority:
games (applications above are much more important, i dont mind having games not run well)

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
different places but always on a desk

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
probably if it is possible, no games in mind at the moment.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
as much as possible but performance is much more important. ~2h is probably fine.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
at least some pictures or reviews available.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
windows 10 pro

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. (Scroll down to see screen resolution information.)
1920 x 1080, larger is not needed and drives up the price quite a bit even though it would be nice to have.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? (Scroll down to see explanations.)
matte

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
somewhat, i don't like laptops that look like spaceships though. I think lenovo thinkpads are super ugly too

15) When are you buying this laptop?
coming weeks before mid February

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
hoping for 5 years using programs above

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
at least 250GB ssd and 1TB hdd

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
no

Other requirements:
- upgradable is very important to me, RAM, storage especially
- not too loud if possible, as I work in a quiet environment. either in a lab or in the library
 
Solution
Definitely go with a mobile workstation. While the GPU's are weaker compared to desktop GPU's spec-wise, the drivers for them are optimized for exactly the sort of programs you are using and will see huge advantages over desktop GPU's in those programs. You will still be able to play games with the workstation, but you wont get high frame rates.

snurp85

Distinguished
May 6, 2009
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18,590
Definitely go with a mobile workstation. While the GPU's are weaker compared to desktop GPU's spec-wise, the drivers for them are optimized for exactly the sort of programs you are using and will see huge advantages over desktop GPU's in those programs. You will still be able to play games with the workstation, but you wont get high frame rates.
 
Solution

Johnson Mike

Honorable
May 4, 2016
101
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10,710
It's simple. Consider your primary needs first and secondary afterwards. As CAD is your primary need for this laptop, there's no point to choose gaming laptop over workstation laptop. Of-course gaming laptop would score higher than workstation laptop in tests but that score tells us "how good that laptop is in gaming". So, as far as you are going to do 2D and 3D modelling, CAD and programming on your laptop, I think you should buy a workstation laptop for yourself with better keyboard (for programming).

The one which I like and recommend to you is - https://www.amazon.com/MSI-WS60-6QJ-025-WORKSTATION-NOTEBOOK/dp/B016E8071I/
It costs $2520 but it is complete beast for doing CAD works and even good for gaming.

 

admeteora

Honorable
Mar 16, 2013
4
0
10,510
I see thanks for the replies, I was a little reluctant to get a workstation simply because a Xeon e3-1505m with a m2000m is slightly more expensive than a 7700k with a GeForce 1070. The workstation parts seem way weaker than the GeForce of the same price. Maybe the optimization for CAD modeling makes up for it.