I am looking at getting a new Dell computer but don’t know it the graphics card it has installed is right for what Sketchup 2024 needs. Here are the specs for the Inspirion 24 All-in-One:
Processor - AMD Ryzen™ 5 7530U (19 MB total cache, 6 cores, 12 threads)
Memory - 8 GB: 1 x 8 GB, DDR4, 3200 MT/s
Storage - 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive
Graphics - AMD Radeon™ Graphics
Any advice will be appreciated.
Which version of SketchUp are you using? Please complete your forum profile.
I am using Sketchup 2024. I don’t know where to go to complete my profile.
I don’t know the specifics for the particular hardware you are looking at getting, but a great source to compare the components such as Motherboards, CPUs, GPUs, Memory and Hardrive Read/Write speeds is:
A few years ago I built my computer selecting the fastest of each component I could find on this site that were of course compatible with each other. The result was great. They have a benchmark program you can download to compare how your system ranks against others on the market.
The main thing for the CPU, is to get one rated as near the fastest for Single Thread Processing. Most CAD software, including SketchUp, do not utilize multi-threaded CPUs, However, many CPU based rendering programs and plugins will, so it depends what your overall software environment looks like.
In my case I am using a strong Nvidia GPU and rendering software that utilizes that (Enscape), so for the CPU, I bought the one with the highest Single Thread speed available at the time.
My system is getting a little dated by today’s state of the art, but still performs well overall.
Also also a tip regarding how much to invest:
In my opinion, if your daily works depends on your ability to finish your projects as fast as possible and you manage to earn a good living doing it, than I say go for the latest state of the art hardware available. The time saved not waiting for your system to respond to tasks will pay for itself.
If you are on a tight budget and can’t go for the latest and greatest, than consider finding or building a system that has components that are at around the top 25% mark. This usually yields the best performance for the amount of money spent and gives you a system that will perform well for a while. The one exception might be the CPU, in that for whatever reason, the CPU with the fastest Single Thread Processor (STP) tends to not cost as much as the crazy mega-threaded processors. So it still might be worth getting the fastest STP CPU available.
Browsing this forum, reports about problems with AMD graphics cards seem more frequent than with Nvidia products.
Also, processor-integrated graphics are generally worse than “separate” ones. The graphics in the Dell seem to be integrated.
thanks for the info but this doesn’t answer my question. I am not looking to build my own computer. I just want to buy one with the features I need.
So my question remains: is this graphics card sufficient to run Sketchup 2024? Or is there a better option at Dell? I have tried calling their experts but don’t really think they understand my question. I am not married to Dell, if there is another brand that can do the job I will consider it. I went to MicroCenter and asked the same question, guy wanted to sell me a gaming computer that stopped just short of having a Disco ball attached.
Well, based on Dell’s own recommendation,
And SketchUp’s listed minimum/recommended requirements:
I’d say the AMD Radeon Graphics does not seem like a good fit for SketchUp:
I’d go with the NVIDIA® GeForce® MX570A with 2GB GDDR6 graphics memory Version of this computer, assuming it falls within your budget.
I agree with Anssi and I think the person at the store was on the right track. I’ve used Alienware (owned by Dell) computers because they’re a bit less disco ball-like and have discrete Nvidia graphics cards. Some of the Razor gaming laptops have a lower percentage of disco ball influence too. Integrated Christmas lighting is the bane of good computers!
+1 for the AMD opinion as I agree but my Dell XPS doesn’t have any integrated GPU. It has an RTX 3060. They have options available
SketchUp doesnt need a mega powerhouse PC, but the spec you posted is pretty much the low end of the range. Most people go for something that’ll last a 4-5 years before becoming obsolete.
Safest option: intel i5 or i7, or ryzen 7, an Nvidia RTX. 32GB RAM.
“Mid range gaming” is about right for SketchUp. You can turn off all the pretty lights if you dont like them.
Probably best to give us a few options within your budget. Laptop? Desktop?
Ah computer advice, I personally love to see these threads but as a SketchUp team member I can’t technically offer any endorsement of a brand, but you are on the right track with the advice in the thread so far.
Mid range gaming is a good way to describe what you are looking for if you are just running SketchUp but if you are doing additional tasks like rendering, make sure that you have also met the requirements for those programs or extensions too as sometimes those can be higher than SketchUp. Just remember that recommended specs are just recommendations. Aim to exceed them in the most critical areas for your workflow if your budget permits it.
Also, as previously mentioned, Speed of the CPU is more important than core count for SketchUp so there is no need to go with a super high end one for the extra cores.
Really, the biggest thing that you need to decide is if you want a desktop or a laptop. Desktops tend to have a better performance for the price and offer some paths for upgrades later on so they can last longer too. You can’t exactly take them with you though so if you expect to be on the road, a laptop may be a better idea.
