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Macbook Pro 13 vs 15" for engineering?

K

kwazyjoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
10
0
Hello!! I am planning to go back to the graduate program to major in mechanical engineering. I plan to invest a new laptop that will allow me to use numbers of CAD software such as Pro-E, SolidWork, AutoCAD,etc. as well as other engineering programs. More likely, I probably use the Bootcamp to access these CADs.

The question is, which macbook pro shall I go for? 13" with dual core or 15" with i5? Please help. Thank you for your time.
 
J

JCCash

macrumors regular
Apr 20, 2008
114
0
kwazyjoe said:
Hello!! I am planning to go back to the graduate program to major in mechanical engineering. I plan to invest a new laptop that will allow me to use numbers of CAD software such as Pro-E, SolidWork, AutoCAD,etc. as well as other engineering programs. More likely, I probably use the Bootcamp to access these CADs.

The question is, which macbook pro shall I go for? 13" with dual core or 15" with i5? Please help. Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...

The video design engineers I work with use CAD as well as VidCAD and they like larger monitors and their notebooks are 15" and 17". Make sure you max out the RAM.
 
P

picklesmand

macrumors member
Jun 10, 2009
41
0
Definitely get a 15", preferably the hi-res model. Trust me, the 13" will be way too cramped as far as screen real-estate goes. As for processing power, I'd image the base i5 would run those programs fine.
 
T

Tsquare

macrumors member
Feb 10, 2008
87
4
Cad operator here. I just switched from a Windows Machine to a Mac. I got the 13.3 MBP first and Autocad was not too bad. Revit was slow. This was all through bootcamp. I took it back and got the 15" i5 2.53GHz model. It runs AutoCAD MEP 2010 and Revit 2011 just fine, and Solibri is pretty fast in it too. I actually ran AutoCAD in Parallels yesterday without a problem. The 15" screen is just about perfect too for fast and furious work. I will still use dual monitor setup for extended work though.
 
K

kwazyjoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
10
0
Tsquare said:
Cad operator here. I just switched from a Windows Machine to a Mac. I got the 13.3 MBP first and Autocad was not too bad. Revit was slow. This was all through bootcamp. I took it back and got the 15" i5 2.53GHz model. It runs AutoCAD MEP 2010 and Revit 2011 just fine, and Solibri is pretty fast in it too. I actually ran AutoCAD in Parallels yesterday without a problem. The 15" screen is just about perfect too for fast and furious work. I will still use dual monitor setup for extended work though.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input on this. Look like I am leaning toward to 15". I do like the 13" because it's portable. But based on the performance of using any CAD software, then I guess the 15" is a way to go.
 
K

kwazyjoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
10
0
Thank you all for your input. I hope to make a purchase sometimes on this weekend. I will be using the student discount. :D It will be my first Mac. Can't wait.
 
entatlrg

entatlrg

macrumors 68040
Mar 2, 2009
3,385
6
Waterloo & Georgian Bay, Canada
If you're going to be working from the notebook screen more than with an external monitor go 15 or 17" for sure.

As far as standard res or hi res, glossy or AG take your time in the store then choose what you think you'll be most comfortable with.

Post back what you end up buying.
 
K

kwazyjoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
10
0
entatlrg said:
If you're going to be working from the notebook screen more than with an external monitor go 15 or 17" for sure.

As far as standard res or hi res, glossy or AG take your time in the store then choose what you think you'll be most comfortable with.

Post back what you end up buying.
Click to expand...


I will be using an external monitor at home. But, I am at school or elsewhere, then it will be portable.

Will post once I make a purchase. :)
 
K

kwazyjoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
10
0
Look like the 15" is the answer. Now, I have to decide which processor, i5 or i7, and how much ram I need, 4G or 8G. Hmmmm....
 
T

Tsquare

macrumors member
Feb 10, 2008
87
4
kwazyjoe said:
Look like the 15" is the answer. Now, I have to decide which processor, i5 or i7, and how much ram I need, 4G or 8G. Hmmmm....
Click to expand...

I have the 2.53 i5 as stated before. I have 4GB ram. So far it is fast enough. I will be upgrading to 8GB ram when I get more funds though just for the Revit/Solibri use. Autocad runs fine with 4GB.
 
K

kwazyjoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 8, 2010
10
0
Tsquare said:
I have the 2.53 i5 as stated before. I have 4GB ram. So far it is fast enough. I will be upgrading to 8GB ram when I get more funds though just for the Revit/Solibri use. Autocad runs fine with 4GB.
Click to expand...

That what I am thinking. I plan to go to i5 with 4GB RAM. Plan to upgrade to 8GB RAM aftermarket in the near future. (And, never hurt to upgrade the SSD ;). ) Again, thanks!
 
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