Greetings,
I just ordered a X-50 and am receiving a 12 mo subscription of Carveco Maker. Can i please get a recommendation of laptops under $500 if doable? Thank you in advance!
Requirements here:
Kind reg.
I don’t use Windows, but I am certain you can find something in that price range; however, I don’t know how long it will last and how will well it will perform in the real world. I’d recommend something with at least 16GB of RAM and a good graphics card that does not have shared memory.
Quick check of Newegg shows a number of laptops in that price range, but I have no experience with any of them (except the POS HP laptop I used to have for work) so I can’t make a good recommendation. Certainly it seems you will be limited to last gen CPUs though. There is one from Acer that seems to have good review for gaming, which should work for CAD.
Alternatively, look for something used or refurbished.
Hope this helps.
-Tom
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Hi Brandon,
when you buy a computer, especially for use with graphical applications, RAM cannot be replaced by anything, because it is the only type of memory that the processor has direct access to. If a computer has too little RAM and the application requests more, then the computer starts to swap memory to the hard drive, and then any computer becomes slow and you get annoyed.
To have enough RAM, it is good to know the laptop’s manufacturer’s page or fan pages, such as thinkwiki pages, and check if RAM can be upgraded or retrofitted and what type to buy. Often used laptops are offered with the RAM slots not full, it’s definitely worth getting those full then.
Image 1: Checking RAM slots on your computer
The other thing I find important is that the batteries are not built-in, because lithium-ion batteries often last only a few years when the device is used mobile, sometimes only one year. The bad habit among manufacturers to solder batteries in permanently and among users to throw the device in the trash when they are dead has unfortunately become more and more common. Devices with removable batteries limit one to older model years, but they are often powerful enough.
If the device is not used mobile, I would not buy a laptop. A stationary PC is cheaper with the same performance and you can replace everything if something is defective, which is often not possible with a laptop. However, a PC needs a separate UPS, which is always integrated in a laptop.
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