Civil 3D on a Laptop?

My work computer is a laptop. I have been using it for a year and a half. This is the processor and memory: Intel Core i7 @ 2.20 GHz with 32 GB RAM. Graphics card: NVIDIA Quadro P1000.?ÿ

-Geoff

I'm running a Precision 7530, also with a 6-core i7 2.6GHz and 32 GB of RAM. Aside from the occasional ~1GB drawing containing stupidly large surfaces, this laptop will handle anything C3D can throw at it.

I used to do large point cloud visualization/registration on a Lenovo Thinkpad - cannot remember the model off the top of my head, but it was a ~2017 up-spec factory model without any third-party upgrades.

Before I landed at my current company, I was given a gaming-specific laptop with absolutely insane components. It didn't handle C3D any better, and it was so massive it was hard to call it a "laptop". Couldn't even fit into the large-size laptop bags...

i9-8950HK CPU 2.9GHz

32GB Ram

nVidia graphics card Quadro P3200

When I'm out of town I use my Surface Pro 5 i7 w/ 8 GB ram and a 237 GB drive.?ÿ It is not the fastest thing but it has no problems.

I use a laptop w/C3d. I've been using a laptop nearly exclusively for almost 20 years now. I7, a graphics card, and plenty RAM (8 Gb about minimum, 16 Gb better, above that is gravy). SSD for reliability and speed, preferably the nVME M.2 type, rather than SATA. All things that can be had without spending heroic amounts of money.?ÿ ?ÿ?ÿ

Second go around with an ASUS right now. Probably go MSI for next one.

When I'm shopping for one I google "best laptop for Civil3d". Same 2-3 products change places for best ranking.

?ÿ

BTW - Dell Precision. I've had a couple of Lenovos that were good too. Started with HPs, but I would not recommend them now. 

Currently running:

?ÿ

Lenovo Legion Y720

Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060

NVMe Samsung SSD boot drive

WDC rust disk for storage/apps

Intel Core i7-7700HQ @ 2.80GHz (8 cores)

16gb of RAM

?ÿ

It has handled grading of a 300 lot subdivision in Civil3d using multiple corridors, featurelines, surfaces, grading tools, etc.?ÿ Not super powerful, but it works well enough for my purposes.?ÿ Would likely need more grunt if doing lots of point cloud processing.?ÿ Quite happy w/ it.

?ÿ

Due to license lock issues, my C3D 2015 is locked to a Dell Inspiron i3 on Win7 with 8 gb?ÿ ram. It runs smoothly for the number of points that it needs to process which is around 10-15k survey points. Afraid to mess around with the OS itself so it's not on auto update. I was told if the laptop dies, so will the license.

Holy crap. Some of your guys specs, you either bought the shelf or are trying to import point clouds to latptops.

I been a PC geek for along time. Overclocked and underpaid.?ÿ?ÿ

?ÿ

16 GB I just upgraded to, and not even for C3D in my desktop... cuz chrome got bitchy. I am anti-Autocad. Their convoluted CAD software, just annoys me. I was told when a project need micro station that, it was gonna be tough cuz its so hard to use. Umm. no it was created by surveyors. its simple. 45 minutes of playing around and I could do everything I wanted.

?ÿ

I am sure AutoCAD is great, i am just stupid. I only have a 137 IQ. So not a genius by any stretch (Except MENSA wanted me, but their test is easier than normal) Microstations icon driven display was simple and worked. Autocad's hidden menu display and misnaming of things, not so much. Best thing about Autocad, not being able to click on points you imported because they don't snap to a grid.... Its like linux on steroids. You cant grab three points and rotate, you have to visually rotate them in some opposite angle to make it trilinear. (WTF) Why not compare it to another point angle.?ÿ

?ÿ

Its a shame that with all the advances in Computers that surveying had really become eye based computer wise, since you cant rotate points to points.

?ÿ

Best bet, find a survey CAD software that exports to DWG. F*** autoCAd in there stupid whore ass. JM2C Leave it to the underpaid CE EITs to figure out.

?ÿ

EDIT: Sorry had a few beers and am still googling how to figure out 2015 C3D

?ÿ

?ÿFunnything I used my first CAD software in the late 70s. And word star in the early 80s.?ÿ So much easier, when things where explained in English and not klingon.?ÿ

?ÿ

?ÿ

First company I worked for used sitecomp for UNIX, into the 21st century. 20 years of surveys fit on a DVD. At roughly 500 jobs a year.?ÿ

Might have been more years than that, they were using sitecomp for basic before that. Did everything modern day autocad needed to do for a simple title survey. Had options for elevation and contour lines, hatching, POC/POTs. We did only survey for each job. Legal, title block and such was done on a separate box and we mocked everything up on a screened page and photocopied it. Average survey was 8-12 points and lots of tedious field notes.

File size was about 500 bytes for a large job.

?ÿ

?ÿ

Any laptop with these specs will run C3D

i5 or i7

32 GB of Ram

Dedicated Graphics, Workstation is best but any dedicated will work.

1TB SSD (No Mechanical drives)

You are looking at at around $1,200 to get the specs needed.

I purchased a Lenovo P52 along with a docking station a couple of years ago.?ÿ I have been running Civil3d 2018 without any trouble.?ÿ I replaced the 2nd HD with a 1 TB SSD.?ÿ I travel from Southern CA to overseas 4-6 times a year and it has worked great.?ÿ My only comment is that if you travel a lot, it might be a little too heavy.?ÿ?ÿ

I also purchased a used Lenovo T480s and increased the ram to 24 GB.?ÿ I'm running C3D2018 and haven't had any problems.?ÿ It's lighter but I am using a portable 1 TB HD for all of my files.?ÿ?ÿ

?ÿ

?ÿ