6 Best Laptops For SolidWorks 2026 (Latest Update)
The best laptop for SolidWorks should ensure stable, lag-free performance as you viewport, simulate, and model parts.
The hardware requirements depend on the size of your projects.
A small project, under 100 parts, is less likely to crash on laptops with a 2GB vRAM GPU.
However, a large assembly, 500+ parts, is much more prone to lagging or crashing during viewport unless you have a laptop with at least 6GB of vRAM.
Take, for example, the following project:
A consumer, or gaming, laptop with a 2-4GB vRAM GPU can handle it pretty easily.
On the other hand…
Once you’re dealing with part counts in the thousands, like a project from an automobile company, you’ll want to look at laptops with at least 6GB of vRAM.
Basically, the bigger the assembly, the more vRAM you’ll need.
Now…
How do you get reliable information on the GPU you need for SolidWorks?
- The official site recommends certified workstation laptops and certified graphics cards. They definitely perform better than most regular gaming laptops in terms of stability and driver support, but they’re overkill and way too expensive for most people reading this.
2. You could ask for advice on the SolidWorks subreddit. Just be specific about what you’re doing in SolidWorks. The only downside is that a lot of people there will still recommend workstation GPUs no matter what you say.
Now…
I have used SolidWorks since my 3rd year in college and have used the software thereafter on different rigs with increasingly larger assembly sizes, ranging from 50-1000 parts.
Recommended Laptop Specs For SolidWorks
In my company, we have a lab and a personal laptop in the office. The lab gives me access to different rigs with different hardware, and since my assemblies usually range from 100 to 1000 parts, this has naturally forced me to benchmark the software under different hardware configurations.
The following table is based on my experience benchmarking SolidWorks under several different hardware configurations during my lab years. I’ve also adjusted the RAM recommendations for 2026, since SolidWorks now lists 16GB RAM as the minimum and 32GB as recommended. You can still get away with less for very simple student work, but I wouldn’t buy a new SolidWorks laptop with only 8GB RAM anymore.
| Small 100-300 Parts | Large 500-1000+ Parts | |||
| Modeling & Drawing | Simulation & Rendering | Modeling & Drawing | Simulation & Rendering | |
| GPU | 2GB vRAM GPU | 4GB vRAM GPU | 6-16GB vRAM NVIDIA RTX GPU 6-16GB vRAM RTX workstation GPU: Ex. RTX Ada 3000, RTX Ada 5000 |
|
| CPU | 10th-14th gen Core i5 5th-8th gen Ryzen 5 Core Ultra 5 / Ryzen AI 5 |
10th-14th gen Core i5 5th-8th gen Ryzen 5 Core Ultra 5 / Ryzen AI 5 |
Intel Core i7 H 11th-14th gen Ryzen 7 H 5th-8th gen Core Ultra 7 / Ryzen AI 7 |
Latest Core i7 or Core i9 Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 Core Ultra 7/9 |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB-32GB | 32GB | 32-64GB |
[1] More specifically: 100 parts = 4GB vRAM. 500-1000 parts = 6GB vRAM. 1000-5000 parts = 8GB-16GB vRAM. For RAM, 8GB can still work for very basic student work on older versions, but for a new 2026 purchase, 16GB RAM should be treated as the practical minimum.
This table is not very hardware-specific, but as long as you hover around the requirements for your project sizes, you will be alright.
Remember to be strict about the vRAM size according to your assembly size, and the rest of the hardware will take care of itself automatically. These GPUs are almost always paired with the required remaining hardware: CPU, RAM, SSD storage, etc.
Q: Why do you separate Modeling and Rendering?
Modeling is much less hardware demanding. One can model, draw, and design on a less powerful machine, such as a laptop, then use a desktop or even a cloud service to render.
Don’t worry, the following laptops can do both on the same machine.
Top 6 Best Laptops for SolidWorks
Before you buy a laptop, please keep in mind that the requirements for a student are different from the requirements for a professional.
Student: You will only need a 4GB vRAM GPU at most for 100-300 part projects. If you’re in college taking a SolidWorks class as an elective, you may only need a 2GB vRAM GPU or no dedicated graphics card at all, and instead just 16GB RAM for smoother viewport performance.
Professional: The bare-bones minimum is a 6GB vRAM GPU on a laptop with a very recent Ryzen 7/Core i7 CPU.
What about workstation laptops and GPUs?
Stability is needed when you work on very, very large assemblies because the software becomes more unstable as the complexity of the mechanics increases. I go into detail in the last section, so give it a quick read if you’re interested.
1. Acer Nitro V 16S AI
The Best Laptop For SolidWorks – RTX 5060 GPU + 32GB RAM
AMD Ryzen 7 260 Processor
32GB DDR5 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
1TB Gen 4 SSD
16″ WUXGA IPS 180Hz Display
Gaming laptop weight class
2-3 hours under heavy CAD workloads
GPU: RTX 5060 vs RTX 4060 / RTX 3060
For both students and professionals, a laptop with a mid-tier dedicated GPU offers the best balance between price and performance for SolidWorks. In previous years, that meant looking at laptops with the RTX 3060 or RTX 4060. For 2026, the newer RTX 5060 Laptop GPU takes that spot, and this Acer Nitro V 16S AI is one of the better options because it also comes with 32GB DDR5 RAM out of the box.
This is important because the GPU alone does not make a SolidWorks laptop good. You also need enough RAM and a strong CPU to avoid slowdowns when assemblies get larger. The RTX 5060 is more than students need for typical class projects, but the price gap between last-generation RTX 4060 laptops and newer RTX 5060 laptops is not always big enough to make the older model worth it anymore.
If you are a student and you find a cheaper laptop with an RTX 3060 or RTX 4060, that can still be a solid choice. You probably won’t fully use the GPU during your courses unless you are working with large assemblies or heavier SolidWorks projects. However, if you plan to work on company projects soon, investing in a newer GPU like the RTX 5060 makes more sense because it gives you more room to grow.
Just keep in mind that SolidWorks does not work exactly like a game. A stronger GPU helps a lot with viewport performance and large assemblies, but you still need the right amount of vRAM, good drivers, enough RAM, and a CPU with strong single-core performance. If you want to understand when the GPU becomes the limit, check my post on GPU bottlenecks. If you want to understand why GPU wattage matters in laptops, check my post on laptop GPU wattage.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 260 Processor
The cool thing about this laptop is that it does not pair the RTX 5060 with a weak CPU. It uses an AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor, which is exactly the class of CPU you want for a laptop that is supposed to handle SolidWorks beyond simple student projects.
For SolidWorks, the CPU still matters a lot. Modeling, drawing, rebuilding parts, and general responsiveness depend heavily on CPU speed. Rendering and simulation can also use more cores, so a Ryzen 7 CPU is a safer choice than a low-power Core i5 or Ryzen 5 if you expect to work with larger assemblies.
The question is usually whether you should choose a Core i7, Core Ultra 7, Ryzen 7, or Ryzen AI/Ryzen 7 model. For most SolidWorks users, the difference will not be dramatic as long as you stay in this performance tier. What matters more is avoiding weak U-series chips on heavier projects and making sure the laptop has enough cooling to keep performance stable. Check out my post here for benchmarks comparing Core i7 vs. Ryzen 7 performance across several generations.
RAM: 32GB DDR5
This laptop comes with 32GB of DDR5 RAM, which is one of the biggest improvements over the older Acer Nitro 17 configuration. The older model came with 16GB, which is fine for many users, but 32GB is much better for SolidWorks if you want fewer slowdowns and less need to upgrade right away.
You will appreciate the extra RAM if you work with:
- Models with over 1,000 parts
- Multiple SolidWorks files open at once
- Simulation or rendering tasks
- Heavy multitasking with browser tabs, PDFs, Excel, and reference files open
This is why I like this newer configuration more than the older 16GB models. You don’t have to buy the laptop and immediately think about upgrading the RAM. You already start at the amount most serious SolidWorks users should be aiming for in 2026. If you still want to understand RAM upgrades, check my post on how to upgrade laptop RAM.
Going beyond 64GB RAM can be helpful too, but it’s rare to need that much on a laptop. If you do, you’d probably also need more CPU and GPU power, and a desktop workstation might be the better choice.
Display: 16″ WUXGA IPS 180Hz
Another standout feature of this laptop is the display. The older Acer Nitro 17 had a larger 17.3″ QHD display, which was excellent for workspace. This newer Acer Nitro V 16S AI uses a 16″ WUXGA IPS display, so you lose some resolution compared with QHD, but you still get a more useful 16:10 screen shape than a standard 15.6″ FHD panel.
For SolidWorks, that extra vertical space helps. You get more room for the model, feature tree, toolbars, menus, and reference windows. It is not as spacious as a true QHD or 2.5K panel, but it is still better than a basic 15.6″ FHD laptop. The 180Hz refresh rate is mostly a gaming feature, but the IPS panel and larger 16-inch display are useful for CAD work. If you want to understand the display difference, check my post on QHD vs FHD laptop displays.
Storage: 1TB Gen 4 SSD
The 1TB Gen 4 SSD is another major plus. SolidWorks files are not always huge individually, but projects, renders, assemblies, imported models, software installers, and backups add up quickly. A 512GB SSD is workable, but 1TB is much better if this is going to be your main work machine.
You may still want more storage later if you keep lots of projects locally, but 1TB is the right starting point for a professional SolidWorks laptop. If you need more space later, check my post on how to add a second SSD to a laptop.
Performance
This isn’t a laptop I’d recommend for an engineering student who is just starting out in SolidWorks. This is a workhorse for someone already in the field, about to enter it, or taking SolidWorks seriously enough that they do not want to replace their laptop soon.
As for how much this laptop can handle before lagging, I’d say you’ll get smooth performance with up to 1,000 parts on a strong 6GB vRAM GPU, and up to around 1,500 parts or more with this newer RTX 5060 class GPU, assuming the assembly is not extremely complex. By “no lag,” I mean a very smooth viewport as you add, rotate, edit, or inspect parts.
Check out the example in the video below. It’s a bit old, but it’s still great for showing what a large SolidWorks project looks like.
Notice how the user can easily navigate the viewport and part model through the large assembly. Rendering a project of this size might take around 5-10 minutes depending on the exact settings, but this laptop has a major advantage over older 16GB models because it already comes with 32GB DDR5 RAM, a newer RTX 5060 GPU, and a strong Ryzen 7 CPU.
| Acer Nitro V 16S AI | |
| PROS | CONS |
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2. Acer Nitro V 15
Best Budget Laptop For SolidWorks – RTX 4050 6GB vRAM
Intel Core i5-13420H
8GB DDR5 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU 6GB vRAM
512GB Gen 4 SSD
15.6″ FHD IPS 144Hz Display
Gaming laptop weight class
2-3 hours under heavy CAD workloads
GPU: RTX 4050 6GB vRAM vs RTX 3050 6GB vRAM
The older version of this recommendation used the RTX 3050 with 6GB vRAM, which was already a good budget choice for SolidWorks because it had enough vRAM for small to medium assemblies. This newer Acer Nitro V 15 keeps the same important part, 6GB vRAM, but upgrades the GPU to the newer RTX 4050 Laptop GPU.
That matters because the RTX 4050 is not just a renamed RTX 3050. Even if both GPUs have 6GB vRAM, the RTX 4050 is newer, faster, and more efficient. For SolidWorks, the main benefit is smoother viewport performance when rotating, zooming, editing, and working with assemblies that are too heavy for integrated graphics or older 4GB GPUs.
Now, don’t get carried away. This is still not a workstation GPU, and it’s not the same class as an RTX 4060, RTX 4070, or RTX Ada workstation GPU. But for students, freelancers, and professionals working with small to medium SolidWorks projects, the RTX 4050 6GB gives you a very good performance-per-dollar ratio.
This is especially true today because many RTX 3050 6GB laptops are not cheap enough anymore to justify picking them over an RTX 4050 laptop. If the price difference is small, the RTX 4050 is the better buy. You get the same 6GB vRAM, but with better overall GPU performance and a newer platform. If you want to understand when the GPU becomes the limit, check my post on GPU bottlenecks. If you want to understand why wattage matters on laptop GPUs, check my post on laptop GPU wattage.
CPU: Intel Core i5-13420H
The CPU here is the Intel Core i5-13420H. It is not a Core i7, but it is still an H-series CPU, which is exactly what you want in a budget SolidWorks laptop. Avoid low-power U-series CPUs if you plan to work with anything beyond basic student projects.
For SolidWorks, CPU performance matters a lot because part modeling, rebuilding, drawing, and general software responsiveness are heavily tied to CPU speed. The GPU helps with viewport performance, but the CPU still controls a lot of what makes the software feel fast or slow.
The Core i5-13420H is a good match for the RTX 4050. It keeps the laptop affordable while still giving you enough CPU power for small to medium SolidWorks assemblies. If you are doing frequent simulation, heavy rendering, or very large assemblies, then yes, a Core i7/Ryzen 7 laptop would be better. But for this price range, this CPU makes sense. Check out my post here for benchmarks comparing Intel Core vs Ryzen laptop CPU performance.
RAM: 8GB DDR5 vs 16GB DDR5
The main weakness of this laptop is the 8GB DDR5 RAM. For basic student work, simple parts, and small assemblies, 8GB can still run SolidWorks, but it is not ideal anymore if you are buying a new laptop today.
If you work with:
- Assemblies closer to 300-500 parts
- Several SolidWorks files open at once
- Simulation or rendering
- Heavy multitasking with Chrome, PDFs, Excel, and reference files
Then you should upgrade to 16GB RAM as soon as possible. The good news is that gaming laptops like the Acer Nitro V usually make RAM upgrades easier than thin ultrabooks. A tutorial is shown here: How to upgrade RAM on a laptop.
For most SolidWorks users, 16GB RAM is the sweet spot. If you are working professionally, rendering often, or handling bigger assemblies, then 32GB RAM becomes the safer long-term choice.
Display: 15.6″ FHD IPS 144Hz
The display is a basic 15.6″ FHD IPS 144Hz panel. It is not as spacious as a 16-inch 16:10 display, QHD display, or 17-inch laptop, but it is fine for SolidWorks if you are trying to keep the price down.
For CAD work, higher resolution usually matters more than refresh rate. A 144Hz display is nice for gaming, but SolidWorks benefits more from extra workspace. That said, the IPS panel is still a good thing because viewing angles and color consistency are better than cheap TN-style displays.
If you work with SolidWorks every day, a QHD or 16:10 display would be better because you get more room for the model, feature tree, toolbars, menus, and reference windows. But for a budget RTX 4050 laptop, this display is acceptable. If you want to understand the difference, check my post on QHD vs FHD laptop displays.
Storage: 512GB Gen 4 SSD
The 512GB Gen 4 SSD is enough for SolidWorks, school files, several projects, and basic software. It is not huge, but it is not tiny either.
If this laptop becomes your main work machine, you may eventually want 1TB storage, especially if you keep lots of assemblies, imported models, renders, videos, and backups. But unlike RAM, storage is not the first emergency upgrade here. RAM is more important. If you later need more space, check my post on how to add a second SSD to a laptop.
Performance
This is not the most powerful SolidWorks laptop on this list, but it is one of the better budget choices because the RTX 4050 6GB gives you enough GPU power and vRAM for serious student work and some professional work.
As for how much this laptop can handle before lagging, I’d say you should expect smooth performance with small assemblies and many medium assemblies. Around 300-500 parts should be comfortable if the models are not extremely complex and if you upgrade the RAM to 16GB. With very large assemblies, the limits will show faster because this is still a budget RTX 4050 laptop with a Core i5 and only 8GB RAM out of the box.
Check out the example in the video below. It’s a bit old, but it’s still great for showing what a large SolidWorks project looks like.
Notice how the user can easily navigate the viewport and part model through the large assembly. A laptop like this Acer Nitro V will not be as fast as the higher-end RTX 4060/RTX 5060 recommendations, but compared with older RTX 3050 6GB laptops, the RTX 4050 is the more relevant choice today, especially if the price difference is small.
| Acer Nitro V 15 | |
| PROS | CONS |
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3. Dell Alienware 18 Area-51
Best Laptop For SolidWorks – RTX 5090 
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
64GB DDR5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU
2TB PCIe SSD
18” 2.5K WQXGA Anti-Glare Display
Very heavy 18-inch workstation-class gaming laptop
1 hour under heavy SolidWorks/rendering workloads
The latest Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 comes with the new Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX. As of 2026, this CPU and GPU combo is one of the most powerful setups you’ll find on a gaming laptop.
Hardware
As of 2026, the RTX 5090 Laptop GPU is the top dog in the consumer laptop GPU space. There are workstation GPUs that make more sense for certified SolidWorks workflows, but if we’re talking about raw gaming-laptop GPU power, this is about as high as it gets right now.
But the big deal here is not just the GPU name. A laptop like this also gives you 64GB DDR5 RAM, a Core Ultra 9 275HX, and a large 18-inch 2.5K WQXGA display. This kind of power is solid for handling huge SolidWorks projects, even with assemblies in the 5,000 to 10,000-part range, assuming the assembly is not extremely messy, poorly optimized, or overloaded with unnecessary details.
The RTX 5090 is obviously overkill for most students and even many professionals. However, if you work with very large assemblies, use GPU-heavy visualization/rendering tools, or you want the strongest non-workstation laptop GPU possible, this is the type of laptop you look at. Just remember that SolidWorks does not behave like a game. A stronger GPU helps with viewport performance, but CPU speed, RAM, storage, drivers, and assembly complexity still matter a lot.
Performance
I haven’t had a chance to work with projects with thousands of parts on this exact Alienware 18 Area-51, but based on my tests, an 8GB vRAM GPU handled a 2,000-part model at 60fps, and about 3,000 parts at half that framerate. So, my guess is that the RTX 5090 could handle around 5,000 parts smoothly at 60fps, with the framerate dropping gradually as you hit 6,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 parts. All estimates, of course. Hopefully, you won’t ever need to tackle a project that size.
Photorealistic renderers should get a nice boost too, though the GPU advantage will not always scale perfectly with the model size. SolidWorks itself is still very dependent on CPU performance and how well the assembly is built. That’s why the Core Ultra 9 275HX matters just as much as the GPU here. It should help speed up all stages of 3D modeling, especially rebuilds, drawings, simulation, and rendering. For CPU comparisons, check my post on Intel Core vs Ryzen laptop CPU performance.
The 64GB DDR5 RAM is also important. This is the amount I’d expect on a laptop this expensive because once you’re working with massive assemblies, 16GB is not enough and 32GB may still feel tight. With 64GB RAM, you have more breathing room for SolidWorks, large assemblies, reference files, browser tabs, Excel, PDFs, and rendering tools running at the same time.
The 2TB PCIe SSD is another plus. SolidWorks project folders can get large once you add assemblies, imported files, renders, backups, and simulation data. A 1TB SSD is usually enough for most users, but on a laptop this high-end, 2TB makes more sense. If you still need more storage later, check my post on how to add a second SSD to a laptop.
Because this is still a non-workstation GPU, some workstation-specific features, certifications, and plugin behavior may be limited compared with RTX Ada workstation GPUs. RealView can still usually be enabled on many consumer NVIDIA GPUs, but if your company requires certified hardware, this is not the same thing as buying a workstation laptop. If you specifically need certified workstation graphics, check the last section for details.
| Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 | |
| PROS | CONS |
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Quick Workstation GPU Lesson !
The next section will cover three workstation GPUs. Keep the following table in mind when shopping for workstation laptops—it gives you the relative performance of each workstation GPU available in 2024 and newer compared to the more common and affordable ‘consumer’ or ‘gaming’ GPUs. This comparison can help you gauge their actual value and performance.
The takeaway is that unless you’re using special plugins or features that only workstation GPUs can unlock in SolidWorks…
| Workstation GPU | Consumer Equivalent | Cores/Shaders | Clock Speed | vRAM |
| P500 | MX150- | 256 | 1519 | 2GB |
| P520 | MX150 | 384 | 1493 | 2GB |
| K2100M | GT 750M | 576 | 667 | 2GB |
| K3100 | 765M- | 768 | 706 | 4GB |
| P620 | MX250/1050 | 512 | 1442 | 4GB |
| M620M | 950M- | 512 | 1018 | 4GB |
| M1000M | 950M | 512 | 1072 | 4GB |
| Pro WX 3200 | RX 550 | 1082 | 640 | 4GB |
| M2000M | 950M/960M | 640 | 1197 | 4GB |
| M1200 | 960GTX | 640 | 1150 | 4GB |
| P1000 | 1050GTX | 512 | 1519 | 4GB |
| P2000 | 1050Ti | 768 | 1468 | 4GB |
| T2000 | 1650/1660Ti | 1024 | 1785 | 4GB |
| T1000 | 1650- | 768 | 1455 | 4GB |
| RTX 3000 | 2070RTX+ | 1280 | 1380 | 6GB |
| RTX 4000 | 2070/2080 | 2560 | 1560 | 8GB |
| RTX 5000 | 2080RTX+++ | 3072 | 1350 | 16GB |
| RTX A2000 | ~3050Ti | 2560 | 1200 | 4GB |
| RTX A3000 | ~3060RTX | 4096 | 1560 | 6GB |
| RTX A4000 | ~3070RTX | 5120 | 1560 | 8GB |
| RTX A5000 | ~3080RTX | 6144 | 1695 | 16GB |
| RTX A5500 | ~380Ti RTX | 7424 | — | 16GB |
| RTX Ada 3000 | –4070RTX | 4608 | 8GB | |
| RTX Ada 4000 | ==4080RTX | 5120 | 12GB | |
| RTX Ada 5000 | 4090 RTX – | 7424 | 1680 | 16GB |
| RTX 500 Ada | ~3050RTX- | 2048 | — | 4GB |
| RTX 1000 Ada | ~4050RTX- | 2560 | — | 6GB |
| RTX 2000 Ada | ~4060RTX | 3072 | — | 8GB |
| RTX 3500 Ada | ~4070RTX | 5120 | — | 12GB |
| RTX PRO 500 Blackwell | ~3050RTX / 4050RTX- | 1792 | — | 6GB |
| RTX PRO 1000 Blackwell | ~4050RTX | 2560 | — | 8GB |
| RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell | ~5060RTX | 3328 | — | 8GB |
| RTX PRO 3000 Blackwell | ~5070RTX | 5888 | — | 12GB |
| RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell | ~5080RTX | 7680 | — | 16GB |
| RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell | ~5090RTX | 10496 | — | 24GB |
We’ll only go over some of the most recent and powerful workstation GPUs—the purple, teal, and red ones in the table. The rest are too weak and aren’t worth the extra features when you have large assemblies that will lag due to limited VRAM.
4. Dell Precision 7780 Mobile Workstation
Certified Workstation Laptop For SolidWorks – RTX Ada 3500 
Intel Core i9-13950HX
32GB RAM
NVIDIA RTX Ada 3500 12GB vRAM
1TB NVMe SSD
17.3″ FHD Display
Heavy workstation laptop
1-2 hours under heavy SolidWorks workloads
Hardware
RTX Ada 3500 12GB vRAM
Not every workstation GPU is recent. Most of the ones you find online are pretty old. Once you step outside the purple/newer workstation GPUs in the table, or away from the RTX labels, they become too weak—often even weaker than a typical gaming 4GB vRAM GPU.
Even among RTX workstation GPUs, you need to be cautious since the labels and numbers can be confusing. Right now, the RTX Ada workstation GPUs are still some of the most useful workstation laptop GPUs for SolidWorks because they are recent, certified, and much closer to modern RTX gaming GPUs in raw performance.
For the best bang for your buck, the more expensive RTX Ada 5000 is obviously stronger, but the RTX Ada 3500 is still super useful for SolidWorks because it gives you 12GB vRAM, workstation-driver support, and certified hardware without jumping all the way to the most expensive workstation GPU tier.
The other big upgrade here is the CPU. This newer Dell Precision 7780 comes with an Intel Core i9-13950HX, which is much more appropriate for a workstation laptop than the older Core i7 configuration. SolidWorks still depends heavily on CPU performance for rebuilding parts, drawings, assemblies, simulation, and general responsiveness. If you want to understand CPU performance differences, check my post on Intel Core vs Ryzen laptop CPU performance.
You also get 32GB RAM out of the box, which is exactly where a serious SolidWorks workstation should start. For smaller projects, 16GB can still work, but once you’re buying a certified workstation laptop like this, 32GB RAM makes a lot more sense. If you want to understand when RAM starts to matter, check my post on how to upgrade laptop RAM.
Performance
Assuming you’re working with models in the 1,000-part range, this is a good investment if you’re using plugins, certified workstation features, or special functions on 1,000-2,000 part models. The RTX Ada 3500 12GB vRAM gives you more breathing room than 6GB and 8GB GPUs, especially when you are dealing with heavier assemblies and more complex viewport work.
However, outside of those workstation-specific instances, you may still get better raw performance-per-dollar from a gaming laptop with a similar GPU class, especially if it has a high-wattage RTX 4070, RTX 4080, or newer gaming GPU. That’s the tradeoff with workstation laptops: you pay more for certification, stability, drivers, and features, not always for better raw performance. If you want to understand when the GPU becomes the limit, check my post on GPU bottlenecks.
The Core i9-13950HX changes the value of this configuration a lot, though. The older version with a Core i7 was easier to criticize because you were paying workstation prices without getting the strongest CPU tier. This version is more balanced: workstation GPU, Core i9 HX CPU, 32GB RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD. That is much closer to what a real mobile workstation for SolidWorks should look like.
The only thing I don’t love is the 17.3″ FHD display. The large size is useful, but FHD on a 17.3-inch workstation is not as sharp or spacious as QHD, 2.5K, or 4K. For SolidWorks, more resolution means more room for the model, feature tree, toolbars, menus, and reference windows. If you want to understand why that matters, check my post on QHD vs FHD laptop displays.
| Dell Precision 7780 Mobile Workstation | |
| PROS | CONS |
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5. Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 – RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell
Certified Laptop For SolidWorks – RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, 24 cores
64GB RAM
NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell
4TB SSD
16″ WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) Non-Touch, 800 nits
Heavy workstation laptop
1-2 hours under heavy SolidWorks workloads
6. Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 – RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
Most Powerful Certified Workstation For SolidWorks
Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, 24 cores
64GB RAM
NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell
4TB SSD
16″ WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) Non-Touch, 800 nits
Heavy workstation laptop
1 hour under heavy SolidWorks workloads
Performance
As we talked about before, the RTX PRO Blackwell series is currently the most powerful workstation GPU series you can find on laptops. The previous laptop with the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell was already an absurdly powerful certified workstation, but this one goes one step higher. This is the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, which is the most powerful workstation GPU option I’d look for on a SolidWorks laptop right now.
This is the laptop you buy when money is not really your problem. If your company gives you a huge budget for workstation equipment, and you work with massive assemblies, certified workflows, special plugins, simulations, and professional-level SolidWorks projects, then this is the kind of machine that actually makes sense. If you are paying out of pocket, this is almost certainly too expensive and probably unnecessary.
Pretty much any laptop with an RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell should handle huge SolidWorks assemblies with much less lag than lower-tier workstation GPUs. I’d estimate it can manage models in the 5,000-10,000 part range before viewport performance starts becoming a serious issue, with the warning that this depends heavily on the actual model. A clean 8,000-part assembly can feel smoother than a messy 3,000-part assembly if the geometry, mates, and simulation behavior are more optimized.
You should be warned that some models, despite staying below 10,000 parts, may still lag depending on the mechanics behind the simulation, how each part interacts with the others, and how complex the geometry is. SolidWorks performance is not only about part count. Assembly structure, rebuild behavior, imported parts, simulation load, and display details can all change the result.
If you are truly dealing with very complex models every day, you’re probably still better off buying a desktop workstation. A desktop is much cheaper and can be about 2x-3x faster than a laptop with the same CPU and GPU names because desktop parts run at much higher power limits and have much better cooling. For a mobile workstation, though, this is about as powerful as it gets.
RAM, and SSD:
Now… this particular model is extremely overpriced, but that’s just how these workstation laptops cost. You may find cheaper RTX PRO 4000 or older RTX Ada 5000 models, but it will be very hard to find a laptop with this level of workstation GPU and CPU power at a reasonable price unless it is refurbished, discounted, or bought through a company purchase program.
One way to save cash on these types of laptops is by choosing the models with the lowest amount of RAM and storage, then upgrading later. However, this sometimes may void the warranty, and with company equipment, you may not be allowed to modify the laptop yourself.
As for the amount of RAM: 64GB. That is the right amount for a workstation laptop like this. It may seem excessive at first, but when you’re dealing with heavy high-part-count assemblies, renders, simulations, and multiple project files open at the same time, it becomes a blessing. RAM can speed up rendering and prevent slowdowns significantly, especially when your projects start pushing beyond normal student or small-business workloads.
The 4TB SSD is more than enough for saving hundreds of projects, large assemblies, renders, simulation data, backups, and company folders. For most people, 2TB is already the sweet spot. 4TB is a luxury, but on a laptop this expensive, it makes sense if the machine is meant to be a long-term company workstation.
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell | |
| PROS | CONS |
|
|
Warning: Xeon CPUs
Before we wrap up, let’s talk about models with Xeon CPUs instead of the Core i9 shown here.
You may see these laptops priced higher than those with the Core i9. Be cautious with these, as they aren’t necessarily better than Core i9 or Ryzen 9 CPUs for tasks like part modeling or viewport work.
While Xeon CPUs can be useful for faster rendering due to their extra cores with higher speeds, most of your time in SolidWorks will be spent part modeling or designing—not rendering—so the Core i9 will usually be the better choice.
Solidworks Laptop Hardware Guide
This section is all about SolidWorks’ hardware utilization. We’ll go over the four major computer components (CPU, GPU, RAM, and SSD) and how SolidWorks uses each one for different functions like rendering, drawing, modeling, and viewport performance.
This info can come in handy if you’re looking to maximize performance for tasks like viewport with a large model, or if you just want to get the best bang for your buck when shopping for a SolidWorks-compatible laptop or computer.
A few questions you must ask yourself before you read any computer guide on solidworks are:
- How much CAE software and how many will I be using?
- How large are the typical assemblies in my school or company?
- Will I use thirdparty renders like keyshot?
- What do my typical renderings look like?
The following is based on this solidwork performance guide here.
1. CPU
As you can see in the picture below, CPUs come with lots of features & charateristics.
Most specs aren’t too important for our purposes, except for max clock speed and core count (highlighted in red).
Cores: These are like the ‘processing entities’ in a CPU—basically, each core acts like an individual worker. The more cores, the faster calculations can be done, especially for tasks that can be broken into parts. But some calculations have to be done step-by-step, so they won’t benefit as much from more cores.
Frequency: This shows how fast a processor can handle calculations, measured in GHz. The higher the clock speed, the faster the calculations.
Clock Frequency vs Cores: Which one to focus on?
When shopping for a CPU, it’s tempting to go for the one with more cores.
In an ideal world, more cores would speed up every aspect of the software—rendering, viewport, drawing, and all those loading bars. But, unfortunately, that’s not how it works. More cores only help in certain situations.
However, clock speed (or clock frequency) is always useful in every instance of SolidWorks.
The reason? Like other 3D modeling applications, SolidWorks uses parametric modeling, which means calculations have to be done step-by-step in certain areas: part modeling, opening and saving assemblies, most toolbar actions, and the viewport.
Step-by-step processing means you have to finish one step before moving on to the next, so having more cores won’t speed things up in these areas since you still have to wait for each calculation to complete sequentially.
When are the #cores useful then?
The two most important tasks where cores matter are rendering and simulation. You’ll also see a bit of a performance boost when working with multi-sheet drawings.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation: The mechanics and physics calculations behind moving parts in a simulation are multi-threaded, meaning they can use multiple cores effectively.
Rendering: No matter the plug-in, software, or rendering method you use (e.g., PhotoView360), rendering is always a multi-threaded process. The more cores you have, the faster it’ll render. In fact, performance for rendering tends to scale with each added core—if it takes 10 minutes on 2 cores, it should take about 5 minutes on 4 cores.
While it’s often said there’s no limit to rendering performance with more cores, benchmarks by Puget Systems show otherwise. They found that 10 cores (20 threads) is generally the sweet spot for performance gains.
Most laptops come with 4-6 cores, while the latest Ryzen 9 and Core i9 models offer up to 8 cores.
Recommended CPUs (Laptop) For Solidworks
Intel CPUs
| CPU | Base | Turbo | Cores |
| i3-1115G4 | 3 | 4.1 | 2 |
| i3-1215U | 3.3 | 4.4 | 2/4 |
| i3 1305U |
3.3 | 4.5 | 1 / 4 |
| i5 1115G4 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 4 |
| i5 1235U | 3.3 | 4.4 | 10 |
| i7 1165G7 | 2.8 | 4.7 | 4 |
| i5 1235U | 3.3 | 4.4 | 2/8 |
| i5 1240P | 3.3 | 4.4 | 12 |
| i5 1345U |
3.5 | 4.7 | 2/8 |
| i5-11300H | 2.6 | 4.4 | 4 |
| i5 11260H | 2.6 | 4.4 | 6 |
| i5 12450H | 3.3 | 4.4 | 8 |
| i5 12500H | 3.3 | 4.5 | 8 |
| i5 13420H | 1.5 | 4.6 | 8 |
| i5 13500H | 1.5 | 4.9 | 8 |
| i5 14450HX | 2.0 | 4.8 | 10 |
| i7-11375H | 3.3 | 5 | 4 |
| i7 1260P | 3.4 | 4.7 | 12 |
| i7-11370H | 3.3 | 4.8 | 4 |
| i7-11800H | 3.3 | 5.0 | 6 |
| i9-11900H | 2.5 | 4.9 | 8 |
| i9-11980HK | 3.3 | 5 | 8 |
|
i7-12800H
|
3.7
|
4.8
|
6/8
|
|
i7-12700H
|
3.5
|
4.7
|
6/8
|
| i7 13650HX | 3.6 | 4.9 | 6+8 |
| i7 14700HX | 1.9 | 5.4 | 8+12 |
|
i9 12900HK*
|
3.8
|
5
|
6/8
|
|
i9 12900H
|
1.8
|
5.0
|
6/8
|
|
i9 13900H
|
4.1
|
5.4
|
6/8
|
|
i9 14900HX
|
2.2
|
5.8
|
8+16
|
AMD CPUs
| CPU | Max Speed | Cores(Threads) |
| Ryzen 9 8945HS | 5.3 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 9 7940HS | 5.2 | 8-16 |
| Ryzen 9 6980HX | 5 | 8 – 16 |
|
Ryzen 9 6900HS
|
4.9
|
8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 7 8845HS | 5.1 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 7 7745HX | 5.1 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 7 7840HS | 5.1 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 7 6800HS | 4.7 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 7 6800H | 4.7 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 9 5900HX | 4.6 | 8 – 16 |
| Ryzen 7 5800H | 4.4 | 8.- 16 |
| Ryzen 5 7535HS |
4.5 | 6 – 12 |
| Ryzen 5 5600H | 4.2 | 6 – 12 |
| Ryzen 5 4600H | 4.0 | 6 – 12 |
| Ryzen 3 7320U | 3.7 | 4 – 8 |
| Ryzen 3 5300U | 3.8 | 4 – 8 |
| Ryzen 3 4300U | 3.7 | 4 – 8 |
**Note the colors on the table don’t mean anything. For performance comparison check out my post “Intel vs Ryzen CPUs performance comparison“. Also you can ignore the column with #cores or #core/threads if you want to estimate the multi-thread performance. You should check my post above and go to the multi-thread benchmark sections to see more accurate estimates of multithread performance.
If most of your work in SolidWorks involves designing, drafting, drawing, or modeling, go for the CPU with the highest clock speed.
Students
Since you’ll still be experimenting and learning the software before diving into heavy-duty work, you’re likely to spend most of your time designing and part modeling rather than rendering. So, if you’re on a budget, go for higher clock speeds over more cores.
Professionals
Rendering & simulations of mechanical parts can get quite complex and some may even get up to 1000 parts. Thus…
As for rendering you don’t have to worry because the above laptops are limited to 6-8 cores for which after rendering starts to show diminishing returns and almost no returns beyond 10 cores (thats a number relevant for desktops).
2. RAM
Laptops generally come with 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and sometimes even 64GB of RAM.
But RAM isn’t usually a big concern since it’s almost always upgradeable—unless you go for a super-thin ultrabook, which can be tricky to upgrade. So, if you start with 8GB and find you need 16GB later on, you can just grab an extra RAM stick and either upgrade it yourself or have someone else do it for you.
How much RAM do you need?
It depends on:
- Size of the assembly
- Whether you’re using multi-sheet drawings
- How many windows you have open
- What other software is running in the background
- Whether you’re rendering
The two biggest factors here are the size of the assembly and rendering.
Size of assembly
RAM is basically another word for memory, and your computer uses it to temporarily store your simulation. The larger your simulation or model, the more RAM you’ll need for smooth performance—like when rotating, zooming, or adding parts
**Small Assembly Sizes: 8GB**
For simple parts and assemblies (under 50 parts), 8GB of RAM will do just fine.
**Large Assembly Sizes: 16GB+**
Once you’re working with assemblies in the hundreds of parts, you’ll need at least 16GB to avoid lag. If you’re running data-heavy simulations, plenty of RAM is essential.
If you have multiple models open and the system runs out of RAM, it will start using your storage drive as ‘emergency RAM.’ When this happens, you’ll experience a major slowdown—this process, called hard-drive caching, is exactly what you want to avoid.
RAM vs Size of Models
| 8GB | Entry Level | Simple parts, small assemblies, single page drawings |
| 16GB | Midrange | Complex parts, larger assemblies, multi-sheet drawings |
| 24-32GB | High End | Very complex parts, very large assemblies, |
| 64GB | Extreme | All of the above with the addition of very complex simulations |
RAM vs File Size
Another way to look at it is by file size. Larger data files usually mean more complex simulations, which require more resources to handle smoothly
| Assembly size | <500MB | 500MB-1.25GB | 1.25GB-3GB |
| Minimum RAM capacity | 8-16GB | 32GB* | 64GB* |
You can still work with large file sizes even if you have less RAM—it’s really a case-by-case situation. So don’t worry too much if you think skipping 64GB RAM means you’ve wasted money. There are ways to mitigate the effects of lower RAM, like eliminating errors, using SpeedPak, and activating Large Assembly Mode.
3. GPU (Graphics Card)
You might have heard something like this:
Only the last part is accurate—you can’t remove or replace the graphics component in most laptops. But the first part is a myth! SolidWorks actually supports all video cards, including consumer gaming cards, not just workstation GPUs.
.Certified vs Non-Certified GPUs
The main difference is that certified ‘workstation’ GPUs are designed to run error-free, which becomes especially important as assemblies grow in size. The complexity of physics equations in larger assemblies increasingly relies on the floating-point architecture of workstation GPUs.
However…
While you might encounter occasional errors with consumer gaming GPUs, it doesn’t mean you can’t continue your project. These errors won’t crash the software—you’ll just click “OK” and keep working.
Now…
I’m not saying everyone should favor gaming GPUs over certified ‘workstation’ GPUs, but chances are you don’t fall into the category where a workstation GPU is essential…at least not right now. If you did, you probably wouldn’t be reading this post.
My advice is to start with a gaming GPU with as much VRAM as you can afford, and only consider a workstation GPU if you’re unsatisfied. If you’re a beginner or intermediate SolidWorks user, you likely won’t find workstation GPUs necessary. If you’re a pro, trying out a gaming GPU isn’t a big risk; workstation laptops with high VRAM are several times more expensive. Think of it as a low-cost experiment.
| Name | Cores | vRAM | Speed |
| MX150 | 384 | 2GB-4GB | 1532 |
| MX250 | 384 | 2GB-4GB | 1582 |
| 1050 | 640 | 2GB-4GB | 1493 |
| 1050Ti | 768 | 4GB | 1620 |
| 1650 | 1024 | 4GB | 1560 |
| 2050 | 2048 | 4GB | 1477 |
| 1060 | 1280 | 6GB | 1670 |
| 1660 Ti | 1536 | 6GB | 1590 |
| 1070 | 2048 | 8GB | 1645 |
| 1080 | 2560 | 8GB | 1733 |
| 2060 | 1,920 | 6GB | 1680MHz |
| 2070 | 2304 | 8GB | 1620 MHz |
| 2080 | 2944 | 8GB | 1710 |
| 2080 Ti | 4352 | 11GB | 1650 |
| 3060 | 3840 | 6GB | 1702 |
| 4050 RTX | 2560 | 6GB | 237 |
| 3070 | 5120 | 8GB | 1620 |
| 4060RTX | 3072 | 8GB | 2370 |
| 3080 | 6144 | 8GB | 1710 |
| 4070 RTX | 4608 | 8GB | 2175 |
| 3080Ti | 7424 | 16GB | 1590 |
| 4080 RTX | 7424 | 12GB | 2280 |
| 4090 RTX | 9728 | 16GB | 2040 |
AMD
| Name | Shaders | vRAM | Speed | NVIDIA Equivalent |
| Radeon 610 | 320 | 2GB | 1030 | Intel UHD 620 |
| Pro RX 555X | 768 | 2GB | 855 | MX150/MX250 |
| RadeonRX 540 | 512 | 4GB | 1219 | ~950M |
| Radeon RX 550 | 640 | 4GB | 1287 – 1476 | +950M |
| Radeon RX 560X | 1024 | 4GB | 1172 – 1275 | 1050GTX |
| RX 580 | 1536 | 6GB | 1077 | ~1060GTX |
| RX 5500M | 1408 | 8GB | 1327 – 1645 | ~1660Ti |
| RX 6700M | 2304 | 10GB | 1792 | ~3060RTX |
| RX 6800M | 2560 | 12GB | 2116 – 2300 | ~3070RTX++ |
a) University Student: A 2GB VRAM GPU should be enough for typical student projects, which are usually around 100 parts or less. Even if projects occasionally exceed that, a 2GB GPU will still work. Since 2GB GPUs are often priced similarly to 4GB options, aim for the latter if possible.
Examples: MX450 (min), RTX 2050 (max).
b) Engineer: You’ll want at least a 4GB VRAM GPU, though a 6GB VRAM GPU is ideal. If budget is tight, consider older generation GPUs with the same VRAM capacity.
Examples: RTX 3060 vs. RTX 4050 (both have 6GB VRAM), RTX 4060 vs. RTX 3070 (both have 8GB VRAM).
c) Pro Company Engineer: Go for GPUs labeled “purple,” ideally with 8GB-16GB VRAM. This will ensure smooth viewport navigation and part modeling for models with thousands of parts.
Workstation GPUs: Warning!
Not every workstation card is actually faster than a regular dedicated ‘gaming’ graphics card.
This is a key point because…
Check out the table below for a rough idea of how workstation GPUs compare to gaming GPUs.
| NVIDIA Quadro | Cores | Clock Speed(Hz) | vRAM(GB) | Equivalent |
| P500 | 256 | 1500 | 2 | MX150 |
| P600 | 384 | 1620 | 4 | MX150 |
| p520 | 384 | 1493 | 2 | MX150 |
| P620 | 512 | 1442 | 4 | MX150/1050 |
| P1000 | 512 | 1519 | 4 | 1050 |
| T1000 | 768 | 1495 | 4 | 1650- |
| P2000 | 768 | 1468 | 4 | 1050ti |
| T2000 | 1024 | 1785 | 4 | 1650/1660 |
| RTX 3000 | 1920 | 1380 | 6 | 2070- |
| RTX 4000 | 2560 | 1650 | 8 | 2070/2080 |
| RTX 5000 | 3072 | 1770 | 16 | 2080RTX |
| TX A2000 | 2560 | 1200 | 4 | ~3050Ti |
| RTX A3000 | 4096 | 1560 | 6 | ~3060RTX |
| RTX A4000 | 5120 | 1560 | 8 | ~3070RTX |
| RTX A5000 | 6144 | 1695 | 16 | ~3080RTX |
| RTX A5500 | 7424 | 1695 | 16 | ~3080Ti RTX |
| RTX Ada 3000 | 4608 | 8 GB | 4070RTX– | |
| RTX Ada 3500 | 5120 | 12GB | 4070RTX- | |
| RTX Ada 4000 | 7424 | 12GB | ==4080RTX | |
| RTX Ada 5000 | 9728 | 1680 | 16GB | 4090 RTX – |
– slower, + faster, ++much faster, –much slower, = almost the same, ~approximately
As you can see from the table, no workstation GPU offers more VRAM or CUDA cores than a gaming GPU. VRAM helps with larger mechanical simulations, while CUDA cores can provide some acceleration in rendering.
So, going for a workstation GPU with low VRAM and fewer CUDA cores is often pointless—you could get a gaming GPU with much more VRAM and CUDA cores for a fraction of the price.
When to buy a workstation GPU?
The only time you should consider a workstation GPU is when you’re looking to max out on VRAM and CUDA cores—essentially, when its specs are almost on par with the most powerful gaming GPU at the time.
With a workstation GPU at that level, you’ll have a much better chance of reducing errors and bugs compared to a gaming GPU.
Not sure what I mean? Think of it like this: imagine two buckets of the same size. When both are filled to the top, one might be more stable to prevent any spilling. In this example, the water represents your model, and the bucket represents your GPU.
Apart from the scenario described above, workstation GPUs are the better choice in these specific SolidWorks cases. If the specs (like VRAM and CUDA cores) are equal between a gaming GPU and a workstation GPU, you’ll see performance gains with the workstation GPU in the following situations:
- Photorealistic rendering
- Animation
- Simulation post-processing (especially CFD fluid flow post-processing, visualizing streamlines, particle flow, etc.)
NVIDIA vs AMD?
NVIDIA GPUs are a bit better for rendering, especially for photorealistic rendering with SOLIDWORKS Visualize. While rendering is usually CPU-dependent, certain renderers (like Visualize) rely on the GPU too—meaning that the more CUDA cores your GPU has, the faster it can render.
AMD GPUs aren’t supported by Visualize. If you go with a laptop that has an AMD GPU, it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use Visualize, but you’ll miss out on the performance boost that comes from GPU-based rendering.
Last tips:
RealView works with any GPU as long as you activate it using one of the available methods. Whether you choose a workstation or gaming GPU, just go for the one with the highest VRAM you can afford.
If you run into any issues with your GPU, try updating the drivers or switching to a different driver set that’s more compatible with SolidWorks. Sometimes, this might mean downloading an older driver version. This is mostly a concern for older generation GPUs (like 9th and 10th gen), and it’s rarely an issue with modern (RTX) GPUs, such as those in the laptops listed above.
4. Storage
Solid state drives are universal on laptops these days so we’ll mostly focus on that. HDDs are almost non-existent on laptops unless you buy much much older rigs due to budget constraints.
Storage Speed: SSD is fastest
Even if you end up with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) as your main drive, it’s essential to upgrade to an SSD eventually; otherwise, SolidWorks will be significantly slower when launching, opening, saving files, or doing any task that relies on reading/writing data.
According to Puget Systems’ benchmarks on SolidWorks:
- HDDs are much slower at loading interface tools, toolbars, and SolidWorks itself.
- When launching SolidWorks, the software has to wait for HDDs to “wake up,” which adds loading time.
- If you go idle in the software, it will again need to “wake up” the HDD, which can take about 10 seconds.
All of these delays disappear once you switch to an SSD.
Since you’ll be opening and closing the software frequently and booting up your machine often, these extra seconds can add up to hours over weeks. Keep that in mind.
Faster SSDs for Solidworks
Most laptops now come with a PCIe NVMe SSD as the main drive, and often a secondary M.2 SSD, so you don’t need to worry about an HDD slowing down your laptop’s performance.
PCIe NVMe SSDs come in different generations: 3.0, 4.0, and the latest 5.0, each offering double the transfer speeds of the previous one. As of late 2024, PCIe 5.0 is available.
The benefits of faster storage drives are most noticeable when working with very large assemblies (over 1,000 parts). For medium or small assemblies (fewer than 1,000 parts), there’s no significant difference between the types of SSDs.
Comments?
If you have any questions, suggestions, or if something isn’t clear, please leave a comment below—I’ll make sure to get back to you and update the post as needed
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- I am physicist and electrical engineer. My knowledge in computer software and hardware stems for my years spent doing research in optics and photonics devices and running simulations through various programming languages. My goal was to work for the quantum computing research team at IBM but Im now working with Astrophysical Simulations through Python. Most of the science related posts are written by me, the rest have different authors but I edited the final versions to fit the site's format.
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Thank you so much for your recommendations! I’ve been really looking for a clear answer about workstation GPU versus gaming GPU and you guys have given a great explanation.
I do my 3D modelling in Solidworks and a lot of renderings in Keyshot, and especially renderings of translucent materials is a huge headache and a time killer. I have fallen in love with new Nvidia RTX4090 GPU (which is not cheap, but still affordable comparing to the ridiculously expensive A6000), but wasn’t sure how it would work with Solidworks. Now I dare to give it a try 🙂 My Solidworks models are never more then 100 parts, so I guess it should work just fine.
Again, thanks a lot!
That is kind of overkill. I don’t think you need that much power for solidworks. Hope you didn’t go for it