Considering these are so closely priced, which one of these would you prefer?
The main differences are between the processors (i9 vs i7) the RAM (32gb vs 128gb!!) and the Graphics card (Quadro RTX 4000 8GB vs. Quadro P3200 6GB)
To put it another way, does a hell of a lot of RAM make up for a slightly inferior processor/graphics card?
Lenovo P73: $2924
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i9-9880H with vPro™ (2.30GHz, up to 4.80GHz with Turbo Boost, 8 Cores, 16MB Cache)
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64
• Display Type: 17.3" UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS, anti-glare, 400 nits, Dolby Vision™ HDR
• Memory: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 16GB)
• Hard Drive: 1TB Solid State Drive PCIe-NVME OPAL2.0 M.2
• Warranty: 1 Year Depot or Carry-in
• Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 8GB
• Camera: IR & 720p HD camera with ThinkShutter
• Fingerprint Reader: Fingerprint Reader
• Keyboard: Backlit Keyboard with Number Pad - US English
Wireless: Intel® AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.0
Lenovo P72: $2680
• Processor : 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-8850H 6 core processor with vPro™ (2.60GHz, up to 4.30GHz with Turbo Boost Technology, 9MB Cache)
• Operating System : Windows 10 Pro 64
• Display : 17.3” UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS anti-glare, 400nits
• Memory : 128GB (32GB x 4) DDR4 2400MHz
• Graphic Card : “VR-Ready” NVIDIA Quadro P3200 6GB
• Graphic Dongle : Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort
• Camera : IR&720p HD Camera with Microphone
• Keyboard : Backlit Keyboard with Number Pad - English
• Battery : 6 cell Li-Polymer 99Wh
• Hard Drive : 512GB Solid State Drive PCIe-NVMe OPAL2.0 M.2
• Wireless : Intel® 9560 vPro 802.11AC (2 x 2) & Bluetooth 5.0
• vPro Certified Model : vPro Certified
• Base : NVIDIA Quadro P3200 6GB GDRR5
It is a Lenovo choice. All the “mobile workstations” from major PC vendors like Lenovo and HP come with Quadro-series graphics. Somehow the manufacturers distrust “gaming” cards.
32GB RAM should be enough (and I am guessing there should be 2 empty RAM slots, so you could add 32GB more later). Personally I prefer desktops, but if I had to use a laptop for portability reasons then I would buy the most portable one possible for the power I need and if possible save money by getting just an HD screen, and then also get a big external monitor and keyboard / mouse for when I am at the office.
Well, apart from tbe significant premium charged for “workstation” cards realtime rendering is the growing trend for architectural presentations and VR… which RTX cards are optimised for…
I am not quite versed in the latest Nvidia cards but I would guess that the Quadro RTX… cards are “professional” versions of the GeForce RTX ones.
My choice of a machine for SU use wouldn’t be for a “workstation” model either. But usually if you have to get a computer for work your IT department gives you the option to get either a standard office laptop (Intel graphics only) or a “workstation”.
Being a Cad Manager for 10 years I know that most IT will tell there executive to buy the best ( no one ever got fired buying IBM, its not their hard cash they are using) and most Exec have no idea about computer hardware… For bangs for bucks, never buy the bleeding edge or premium hardware… buy 1 step down… my approach was always it have more people on mid range hardware than a few people on high end hardware… but always focused on biggest screens for the best cad productivity.
PS, thanks for corrected the Quadro RTX… nevertheless… I am sure there is a substantial premium for them… I doubt if any user can really perceive the performance benefits of a Quadro, there are vastly more other factors that affect a users performance than the difference between equivalent Quadro and gaming RTX cards
Maybe this comparison is of interest - Quadro twice the cost, less performance and very small user base [eg driver / support scarcity]
Generally right, but I remember that the latest big Nvidia driver bug that affected SketchUp users only affected Geforce. It is already some years ago, and it was fixed in the next release.
I always tell folks who are in your position to get the most RAM and the most VRAM you can afford in a reliable machine with a great warranty. Keep in mind software requirements increase as technology develops. Know what you’ll use the machine for, and purchase according to your wallet and your desired specs. That’s my unsolicited advice.
Here is another build that doesn’t fall in the “workstation” line. Lenovo claims that their Quadro line of graphics cards are better for CAD / rendering work than the GeForce line. This is the best graphics card they offer in the X1 series.
ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2
Part No: 20QV000FUS
● Processor Intel® Core™ i7-9850H with vPro (2.60GHz, up to 4.60GHz with Turbo Boost, 6 Cores, 12MB Cache)
● Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64
● Display Type 15.6” UHD (3840 x 2160) 500 nits, IPS, anti-glare, Dolby Vision HDR 400
● Memory 32GB DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 16GB)
● Hard Drive 1TB Solid State Drive M.2 PCIe-NVME
● Warranty 1 Year Depot or Carry-in
● Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Max-Q 4GB
● Camera IR & 720p HD Camera with microphone
● Fingerprint Reader Fingerprint Reader
● Keyboard Backlit Keyboard - US English
● Wireless Intel® AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.0
Most ‘CAD’ is just lines. In SketchUp, you always work and model in the ‘result’ making it an app closer to a game then cad-application.
Did you know Epic took over Twinmotion?
If it is just for SketchUp, go for a Geforce.