Finding the right solidworks laptop can be difficult.
Solidworks is a very flexible software; various hardware specifications will be needed depending on the type of project being worked on.
Most users (such as engineering students) may work on projects that need little more than a consumer grade laptop with a dGPU (which costs about $700), while other professionals (such as those working for an automotive company) will need to purchase a workstation laptop with a workstation GPU and plenty of vRAM (which can cost anything between $1500 and $4000).
That's where things normally get complicated...
Which kind of consumer am I? What hardware requirements would my projects require? We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
A more pressing concern, however, is...
Where can I get reliable and accurate information without wasting thousands of dollars on a machine that clearly cannot manage the scale and complexity of my models?
For starters,
You could begin by visiting the official website, which will include a list of certified workstation laptops, and there is nothing wrong with their recommendations.
However, the official website will only provide you with that information. They are not as informative as you would like. They don't tell you which workstations are the best bang for your buck or if you still need those heavy bricks.
And there's a good chance you won't.
So, what are your options?
Talking to people who have used the app on both standard computers and workstations is the best thing you can do.
I'll be honest: I don't use Solidworks on a daily basis, but I do work on projects of various sizes on various machines from time to time.
So I have a pretty good idea of what CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage specs you need based on your user class (student or pro), the size of your projects (creating/modifying large assemblies with +1000 parts or simple parts+low assemblies with some drawing), or the tasks you perform most frequently (modelling, drafting, or rendering w/ simulations).
SolidWorks Hardware Recommendation
To cut through the jargon and make it simpler for you, I've created a table with the requirements you'll need for a model of a given size.
If you want all the data, use the TOC to skip to the last section.
If this is going to be your primary tool for work, I think it will be beneficial to learn why Solidworks needs this or that.
Take care. It's not only lengthy, but also very advanced, so you'll need to know a few computer words beforehand. If you're new to computers, I'd suggest starting with my articles on the sidebar.
Anyway....
The laptops mentioned here can be divided into two categories: student laptops (for people just getting started with Solidworks or using the programme for an engineering class) and professional laptops (those working for a company or just dealing with very large assemblies).
A SolidWorks student is not required to purchase any workstations. They can make do with most gaming/consumer laptops for less than $800.
Professionals can only consider purchasing workstation laptops after conducting extensive research and determining that they will need the unique features and reliability of “workstation GPUs,” so chances are they will be fine with a consumer laptop above $1,000, which is significantly less expensive than a good/recent workstation laptop.
This table isn't completely detailed, but it should give you a good idea of the specs you should be looking for based on the models you're working with.
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