What to look for in a laptop to run SketchUp

[Judson Green]

Am going to be purchasing a new laptop in next few weeks and was wondering what the Skechup users here thought I should look for specification wise. And not going $$$ crazy. I'd like to stick to a 15.6" screen just cause its the smallest/most portable I've seen with a separate number pad. Might run another monitor, dual screens.

[Myk Rian]

Sketchup is not a resource hungry program. Anything will run it.
Just buy whatever you like.

[Mike Henderson]

I just bought a new laptop (not a top of the line unit) and I'm amazed at how fast it is. One suggestion is to get a SSD (solid state drive). That will speed up your PC significantly.

The only disadvantage to SSDs is that they tend to be smaller (less capacity) than mechanical disk drives. But much, much faster. If you need big, get an SSD for your operating system and get a external mechanical drive connected via USB3.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

I'm running a Dell M4700 with a docking station that drives two monitors. It does nearly as well as my desktop unless I get a highly detailed, multi-scene drawing going and try to alter perspective and jump between scenes and so forth. Still, very workable but, I would hate to run SU on it without external monitors.

[Judson Green]

How much RAM have you guys got?
How speedy is your processor?
Separate video card? How much RAM?

I don't image myself to be a power user, just drawing up furniture and such.

[Chuck Wintle]

Am going to be purchasing a new laptop in next few weeks and was wondering what the Skechup users here thought I should look for specification wise. And not going $$$ crazy. I'd like to stick to a 15.6" screen just cause its the smallest/most portable I've seen with a separate number pad. Might run another monitor, dual screens.

Get the laptop with an SSD drive, this will significantly speed up the load time for the program. Get as much ram and video as you can afford.

[Mike Henderson]

My new laptop has 4GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD and a 4 core processor running at about 1.5GHz. I got a deal so I took that, but I would have preferred to have 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD. I suppose I can upgrade the RAM and SSD but I'll wait and see if I run out of disk space first. The computer has a slot for an SD card so I could get a 64GB or even a 128GB SD card and put some of my data on that at less cost than replacing the SSD. And the SD card would look like a disk drive.

It has a good WiFi radio - up to the latest standard. One USB2 and one USB3 and an HDMI for an external monitor. Battery life is suppose to be about 5 hours - I haven't tested it yet to see how long it will last.

Mike

[Mark Bolton]

I would agree with the other posts that most any computer will run sketchup effectively with the exception of very large and complex files. That would be the main question in my opinion. If your talking about running sketchup for woodworking, hobby level, and even full kitchens and large cabinetry projects with many many components, dynamic components, textures, and the like, than most any machine is going to work.

If however you are talking about huge files, entire buildings and contents, terrain, topography, and so on, then you may need to begin thinking about hardware.

I recently replaced a laptop and have had some issue with very large files and as has been stated even the low end machines today are so fast its amazing. I had thought about SSD but wound up with a machine with a 1TB hd and it boots completely in less than 10 second. At the login screen within 4-5 seconds of hitting the power button. I cant imagine needing faster.

[Dave Lehnert]

How much RAM have you guys got?
How speedy is your processor?
Separate video card? How much RAM?


+1 on this question.
How much RAM do you have and Hard Drive size? Would be helpful to know what the average is so I don't over buy.

[Pat Barry]

Sketchup is not a big processor or memory drainer but you will want to invest in a mouse. Doing Sketchup on a touchpad is really not a good way to go.

[Judson Green]

For sure! Never used Sketchup but having been a AutoCAD user and 20/20 I definitely know a good mouse is needed.

[Matt Day]

It's not that hard to navigate sketchup with the touchpad, maybe easier than you'd think.

At any rate, my 5 year old ASUS laptop runs Sketchup without any problem, and so did my 10 year old Dell desktop before it finally got retired last year.

Point being, I think any computer on the market is going to run SU just fine. Don't over think it.

[Larry Browning]

Point being, I think any computer on the market is going to run SU just fine. Don't over think it.

+1 to this! I think the best thing to do is to go down to wal-mart and pick out one you like the color of or how the case looks. It really doesn't matter, they ALL will do the job and then some. Take the money you will be saving to get a good high quality monitor and really nice mouse, that's where you need to put your money and research time.

[Larry Browning]

It's not that hard to navigate sketchup with the touchpad, maybe easier than you'd think.


Maybe for you! For me, a touch pad is totally useless for any application. I absolutely HATE those things! In fact the only pointing device that I can comfortably use without having to concentrate on using it is a regular mouse. My point is that a pointing device is one of the things that comes down to personal preference. What works great for one is a nightmare for someone else.

[Greg Peterson]

My five year old laptop, with 4 gig of ram and dual core processor has no problem running Sketchup. Sketchup doesn't require workstation like power for rendering rendering because you are typically designing an item, not a large building or complex components.

Just by the most computing power you can afford. Three years from now it will begin showing its age.

[Judson Green]

Yep! I've done some CAD in a pinch with a touch pad, something to be avoided if possible, at least by this guy.

I know this is off topic but with SU can you zoom with the scroll wheel? Pan by pressing the scroll wheel? Other cool features to look for in a mouse for SU? My current mouse can tip the scroll wheel left and right but I've no application that benefits from that.

[Judson Green]

OK so I see a deal at BB for $350 for a Tosh with 6gb ram and 750gb hd. Not the speedyist of processors but is expandable to 16gb ram.

Below is the pertants;

4th Gen Intel Core i3-4005U processor Features a 3MB cache and 1.7GHz processor speed. •Intel Core i3 processor Features smart 4-way processing performance for HD quality computing. Intel HD graphics provide extra graphics power for your laptop when you need it. •6GB DDR3L memory For multitasking power, expandable to 16GB. •Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media; also supports DVD-RAM. •15.6" LED-backlit TFT high-definition widescreen display With TruBrite technology, 1366 x 768 native resolution and native support for 720p content showcases your favorite movies, games and other visual media in crisp, stunning clarity. •750GB Serial ATA hard drive •Mobile Intel HD graphic. Feature shared video memory for lush images with rich, intricate detail. An HDMI output allows simple connection to an HDTV or other high-definition display. •Built-in high-definition webcam with microphone Makes it easy to chat with and send video mail to family and friends. •Multiformat media reader Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, SDXC, miniSD, microSD and MultiMediaCard formats. •1 USB 3.0 port and 2 USB 2.0 ports For fast digital video, audio and data transfer. •Built-in high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n) Lets you rapidly connect to the Internet without wires. •Built-in 10/100 Ethernet LAN With RJ-45 connector enables quick and simple wired Web connection. •Weighs 4.9 lbs. and measures just 1.1" thin For easy portability. The standard keyboard with a 10-keypad facilitates comfortable typing and data entry. •Textured resin finish in jet black •Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system preinstalled Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more. •Software package included With Adobe Reader and more. Includes 1-month trial of Microsoft Office 365.

[Larry Browning]

That will work fine, probably a little over kill if you ask me. I don't know what your budget is, but I would now shift my focus to finding a good deal on a 24" monitor and a premium mouse. Another $300 - $350 should cover that quite nicely.

[Judson Green]

The computer above is a bundle (with stuff I mostly don't need but whatever) and I've got a good mouse better than the one that's included.

Was trying to be in the $300 to 400 range. Spotted one at $300 with 4gb ram but the user ratings weren't very good. This one has 2 more GB RAM and much better ratings.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for a monitor.

[Larry Browning]

I know this is off topic but with SU can you zoom with the scroll wheel? Pan by pressing the scroll wheel? Other cool features to look for in a mouse for SU? My current mouse can tip the scroll wheel left and right but I've no application that benefits from that.

I use that scroll wheel feature to scroll left and right in spreadsheets and web pages all the time. It's one of my favorite features of my logitech mouse. Mine also has a button just above the wheel that will release the clicking resistance on the wheel that will allow free wheeling vertical scrolling that is way more handy than had originally thought. I have the Logitech M500 wired mouse, but they make a wireless version M705 which would be my choice for a laptop.

[Larry Browning]

I may be a little high on the pricing of the monitor. It looks like you can get a pretty nice 24" monitor in $150 - $200 range.
http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VS248H-P-24-Inch-Full-HD-LED-lit/dp/B0058UUR6E/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1410535789&sr=1-2&keywords=24+inch+monitor

http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VA2446M-LED-24-Inch-LED-Lit-Speakers/dp/B00D601UC8/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1410535915&sr=1-9&keywords=24+inch+monitor

[Mark Bolton]

Yep! I've done some CAD in a pinch with a touch pad, something to be avoided if possible, at least by this guy.

I know this is off topic but with SU can you zoom with the scroll wheel? Pan by pressing the scroll wheel? Other cool features to look for in a mouse for SU? My current mouse can tip the scroll wheel left and right but I've no application that benefits from that.

Yes, scroll zoom in SU. Im running a logitech M705. Six buttons including the mouse wheel, smooth and indexed scrolling on the wheel with a click of a selector button on the mouse. Very versatile for sketchup though sketchup doesnt have a tremendous versatility for multifunction mice though I could be wrong. I havent honestly looked into it much. Scroll wheel and l/r are most all I use.

[Jim Becker]

I would give the same advice to anyone, for the most part, even if SketchUp wasn't in the mix...RAM is your friend; nothing less than the 6-8GB that is common even on lower-mid-range machines is the best idea. A dedicated video processor chip, while not required, will enhance rendering speed and quality for on-screen display of graphics...remember, with SketchUp, you're manipulating that screen often. While and SSD (solid state drive) isn't essential, either, with the cost coming down, an SSD or a hybrid SSD/hard-drive can really speed things up that are memory intensive as well as for faster, more enjoyable boot up times. It comes down to budget and I'd put these three things in the order I mentioned them or flip the last two, perhaps, in order of importance.

[Myk Rian]

It will probably have Win 8 on it, so 8gig RAM will be nice.
You DO NOT need to have an SSD on it. It's just an added cost for a small drive.
Again, anything you buy will run SU.

[Mark Bolton]

I dont mean this in any way, but my gosh, can anyone believe that we are contemplating the best machine to run sketchup and the option is there for a $350 machine from a department store that will run sketchup in its sleep compared to 10, 15, 20, years ago? Man, it just gives me future shock.

My laptop that crashed running vista was a first gen convertible. HP, 12.1" touch screen (I think), swiveled around and laid flat on the keypad, stylus, perhaps 8 years old or more. The thing likely cost 1200 or more but I cant recall.

I just replaced that machine with acer Ezel, 15+" HD, 2.3ghz i5, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HD, I spent $835 and felt like I was probably going to regret it (being too cheap).

Needless to say, compared to the old machine Im in happy land.

Just mind blowing.

Again, to the OP, you'r not going to push any machine with sketchup until you get into entire structures or massively complex models.

[Greg R Bradley]

I dont mean this in any way, but my gosh, can anyone believe that we are contemplating the best machine to run sketchup and the option is there for a $350 machine from a department store that will run sketchup in its sleep compared to 10, 15, 20, years ago? Man, it just gives me future shock.

My laptop that crashed running vista was a first gen convertible. HP, 12.1" touch screen (I think), swiveled around and laid flat on the keypad, stylus, perhaps 8 years old or more. The thing likely cost 1200 or more but I cant recall.

I just replaced that machine with acer Ezel, 15+" HD, 2.3ghz i5, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HD, I spent $835 and felt like I was probably going to regret it (being too cheap).

Needless to say, compared to the old machine Im in happy land.

Just mind blowing.

Again, to the OP, you'r not going to push any machine with sketchup until you get into entire structures or massively complex models.

Well, things have changed a bit over the years. I paid $73K for my first computer, about the same as my house at the time that today is work around $600K. It had 128K of RAM and a 6.8Mb hard drive. It weighed around 600 pounds. I still have the hard drive that I used to upgrade it. I paid $9,700 for a 32Mb hard drive that is over a foot long, 9" wide, and 5" tall, plus a couple thousand dollars for the cabinet that had the other stuff necessary to make it run. Today, my iPhone in my pocket has 32Gb, or 1000 time the storage. A 64k ram upgrade was $4k. Later they had an option option for the much slower dynamic RAM but you could buy 1Mb for $4k, or only about the same price as a nice car.
Here is a real mind blower: It ran 12 terminals that each weighed about 125 pounds and 3 printers that weighed around 200 pounds each.

[Sam Murdoch]

Sketchup is not a big processor or memory drainer but you will want to invest in a mouse. Doing Sketchup on a touchpad is really not a good way to go.

Yes, you really need a mouse with a scroll option and a few click buttons.

[Dave Richards]

Yes, you really need a mouse with a scroll option and a few click buttons.

Agreed but it doesn't need to be a fancy or expensive mouse. I use very basic Logitech wireless mice with SketchUp pro on both my PC and Mac. They work just fine.

[Jeremy Treibs]

Computer nerd here.

I will agree with most that SketchUp is not a power hungry program.

If you want more memory, you will have to get a machine that has 64 bit operating system. The max memory recognizable from a 32 bit system is about 3.5 megabytes. On a 64 bit system, significantly more. (Looks like the one above is using 64 bit 8.1)

SSD drives are very nice and are getting quicker and larger by the week. However, they are still not as reliable as non SSDs. I tend to recommend loading your OS and programs from the SSD but having a platter HDD for file storage (get at least 7200 RPM if you get HDD). Edited : Generally a non issue if you have a basic laptop that only accepts one drive bay. In this case, get a SSD but back up your important files).

My only issue with the above machine that you list is the max screen resolution... 1366x768 might cause you to hate life sooner than later.

[Curt Harms]

Maybe for you! For me, a touch pad is totally useless for any application. I absolutely HATE those things! In fact the only pointing device that I can comfortably use without having to concentrate on using it is a regular mouse. My point is that a pointing device is one of the things that comes down to personal preference. What works great for one is a nightmare for someone else.

SO true! For me, I wouldn't buy a laptop without an 'eraserhead' (IBM/Lenovo trackpoint) pointer between the G&H keys. Others consider them a waste.

[Larry Browning]

SO true! For me, I wouldn't buy a laptop without an 'eraserhead' (IBM/Lenovo trackpoint) pointer between the G&H keys. Others consider them a waste.
Include me in the eraser head waste camp! Those are worse than the touch pads and I HATE touch pads. Do they even sell a laptop without a touch pad or eraser head? I might buy one just on principal.

[Jim Becker]

I miss the "eraser head" pointing accommodation...it was intuitive and compact. The touch pads on every single Windows-based machine I've ever used were pretty much useless. While I generally use a rodent with my Macs, I do find the Apple TrackPad to be a whole lot more usable that "110%" of all the other touch pads I've used previously combined. :) The Apple Magic Mouse is pretty much a combination rodent and touch pad all in one device and it eliminates wheels, buttons, etc., in the process. That all said, this is a very, very subjective thing and each of us has our own preferences for sure!

[Curt Harms]

Include me in the eraser head waste camp! Those are worse than the touch pads and I HATE touch pads. Do they even sell a laptop without a touch pad or eraser head? I might buy one just on principal.

I hate touch pads except for scrolling web pages. I find them too slow and imprecise though perhaps I've never had a 'good' one. For me, the IBM/Lenovo 'ultranav' with both trackpoint and touchpad are my preferred solution. I haven't seen a laptop without some sort of built-in pointing device in -- decades, I guess.

[Matt Schreiber]

I am using a Logitech mouse with several additional buttons. I have set the use of the buttons to work with sketch up and to select often used tools. So clicking left and right gets you the tape and the push/pull tool. Three other buttons get you the cursor, line tool and rectangle tool.

On the other side I have a Space Navigator, and I am shocked no one has mentioned this, yet, in this thread. This is a mouse meant to navigate 3D drawings like in Sketch up. So with mybleft hand I toggle this joystick like mouse that is the zoom/pan/orbit tool all in one. I NEVER select ANY tool to navigate. I can draw something while moving through the drawing. These two 'mice' have made my drawings come together in a fraction of the time it took before them. I draw everything I spec for every customer and this saves me mountains of time. The navigator is about $100 and worth every penny. I think he company is called 3D Conexxion...or something like that.

I know a few have said that multi button mice don't matter, but I am looking for one with more. SU goes much faster when you aren't constantly moving to change tools.

[Dave Richards]

I have two Space Navigators. I bought one and one was a gift. Both are sitting in their boxes. I tried using one for navigating in SketchUp but the default options of scroll wheel and CMB are much smoother for me. I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts so my left hand is always sitting on the left end of the keyboard so it's no big deal to hit Shift for panning with the CMB.

I created custom toolbars and left most of the navigation toolbars off.

[Larry Browning]

As long as we are talking mice. I am about as left-handed as any right-handed person is right-handed. Anything that requires good hand-eye coordination I always do it with my left hand. Years ago when I was first learning how to use a mouse I started using my left hand to control the mouse, I soon learned that I would have put down my pencil to operate the mouse and then let go of the mouse to pick the pencil back up to write with it. So I decided to start operating the mouse with my right hand so I could hang onto my pencil all the time. From then on I have used my right hand to operate the mouse. You would be amazed at the amount of time it can save. What I can't figure out now is why right-handed people don't operate their mouse with their left hand. It would free up their right hand to write stuff down and anything else they might want to do with their dominate hand. Any of you righties have any thoughts on this?

I know this thread is not about mice, but hey, it's really old, so I'm hijacking!

[Dave Richards]

Larry, I'm as left handed as you are but I learned to use a mouse on computers that were shared among a number of users. I hadn't ever thought about if before but like you, I do find it sometimes useful to have a pen or pencil in my left hand and the mouse in the other.

[Larry Browning]

Larry, I'm as left handed as you are but I learned to use a mouse on computers that were shared among a number of users. I hadn't ever thought about if before but like you, I do find it sometimes useful to have a pen or pencil in my left hand and the mouse in the other.
It has always seemed to me that a left-handed mouse should be used by the right hand (Sort of like a left-handed baseball glove fits on your right hand). It just seems logical that a right-handed mouse should be operated by the left hand.

I'd like to see some of you righties chime in here.

[Judson Green]

I know this thread is not about mice, but hey, it's really old, so I'm hijacking!

Hijack all you want, totally cool with me. That's how conversations, ideas evolve.

[Judson Green]

It has always seemed to me that a left-handed mouse should be used by the right hand (Sort of like a left-handed baseball glove fits on your right hand). It just seems logical that a right-handed mouse should be operated by the left hand.

I'd like to see some of you righties chime in here.

Guess I never gave it much thought, perhaps I should try mousing with the left.

[Steve Baumgartner]

The only way that your computer will be an issue in SketchUp is if you create models with vast amounts of geometry. For woodworkers, the most likely way you could get there is by modeling complex curved parts to a fanatical level of detail. SketchUp does not have native curved shapes, only straight edges and planar faces, so it approximates curves using them, which can cause three-dimensional curves to use a lot of little bits.

For complex models, the most important aspect is the quality of your graphics card and its OpenGL drivers. There are many reports on the SketchUp discussion boards about sluggish performance and occasional outright crashes using the Intel integrated graphics instead of a separate card, and there are also issues with drivers from some vendors. Search on, for example, sketchUcation for info about a specific graphics card you may be considering.

[Mark Bolton]

I am using a Logitech mouse with several additional buttons. I have set the use of the buttons to work with sketch up and to select often used tools. So clicking left and right gets you the tape and the push/pull tool. Three other buttons get you the cursor, line tool and rectangle tool.

On the other side I have a Space Navigator, and I am shocked no one has mentioned this, yet, in this thread. This is a mouse meant to navigate 3D drawings like in Sketch up. So with mybleft hand I toggle this joystick like mouse that is the zoom/pan/orbit tool all in one. I NEVER select ANY tool to navigate. I can draw something while moving through the drawing. These two 'mice' have made my drawings come together in a fraction of the time it took before them. I draw everything I spec for every customer and this saves me mountains of time. The navigator is about $100 and worth every penny. I think he company is called 3D Conexxion...or something like that.

I know a few have said that multi button mice don't matter, but I am looking for one with more. SU goes much faster when you aren't constantly moving to change tools.

I have wondered about his and have been personally using a Logitech M705 mouse but have never been able to figure out how to set it for specific sketchup functions? I have the latest software from Logitech and when I go into the settings where you set the mouse for specific tasks for an application Sketchup isnt in the list of course. So I select ADD and then point it to sketchup but I still dont get any sketchup specific options. I am able to make the mouse behave differently than in other applications but nothing with regards to sketchup specifically (orbit, tape, and so on)

Any thoughts?

EDIT: sorry guys, I see that it allows for a keystroke assignment. Got it figured. Thanks

[Larry Browning]

I hate touch pads except for scrolling web pages.

I have a logitech mouse with a button just behind the wheel that releases the resistance on the wheel to make it pretty much "free spinning" You can spin it to scroll very fast through long documents or web pages. It will scroll as long as the wheel is spinning. I have learned to really like it for scrolling not only web pages, but large word documents or spread sheets. I deal with spreadsheets containing a hundred thousand rows or more. So it is really helpful to me.