Laptop for ArchiCad

[Wokka]

Hi Guys,
I'm a PC, desktop guy but we need to get a good laptop for mostly, showing images, animations etc but we'd also like to run Archicad to show clients in real time model and/or Virtual Building. I've always worked at a desktop so I have no idea when it comes to laptops what to look for except it needs a good screen size. I'll probably just go a name brand ie Dell, HP, etc but don't know where to start. Any advise would be appreciated. Cheers

[Anonymous]

Look at this:
1. HP EliteBook 8740w.....(17.0" WUXGA CCFL (1920x1200) AntiGlare WVA DreamColor; Core i7-740QM Processor (1.73-2.93 GHz Quad Core, 6 MB L3 cache), RAM 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHZ- max. 32GB; Nvidia Quadro FX2800 1GB GDDR3 256bit, DirectX 10.1; 500GB SMART SATA HDD 7200rpm; Li-Ion 8-Cell 68WHr Long Life battery)

2. Dell Precision M6500.....(17.0" WUXGA CCFL (1920x1200) AntiGlare; Intel Core i7-720QM(1.60-2.80 GHz Quad Core 6MB L3 cache; 8GB, 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM Memory (2*4096); NVIDIA Quadro FX2800M 1GB; 500GB SATA HDD (7200RPM); 9-cell 85W/HR LI-ION battery)

[Wokka]

Andro55, Thanks for the great tips! I should have been more specific in my description however.This laptop does not need to perform at the top level, 99.9% of my work will be done on the desktop. Basically it needs to have a great screen and just enough 'grunt' to run ArchiCad at a reasonable speed and obviously $$ is an issue. So I need good 'bang' for 'buck'. Thanks again, any further advice would be great.
Cheers

[vistasp]

When I got a netbook about 18 months ago, I never thought it would have enough power to run AC. Surprise, surprise, it does much better than expected. Admittedly, the projects I tried on it are not that complex and panning in 3D is a little jerky in comparison to my desktop not to mention that the screen size is certainly not presentable.

However, what I'm trying to say is that any laptop which has the minimal config for your version of AC should be good enough for presentation work.

[Anonymous]

Less expensive HP laptops:

1. HP ProBook 4720s i5-480M: Intel Core i5-480M 2,66 (2,93 turbo) GHz, 3MB L3 Cache; LCD 43,9 cm (17.3") HD+LED (1600x900) Anti Glare; Ati Radeon Mobility HD6370 1GB DDR3 Dx11; RAM 4 GB DDR3; HDD 320GB 7200rpm; DVD+/-RW LS; Windows 7 Professional 64bit....under 1000 US$

2. HP ProBook 4720s i5-460M: Intel Core i5-460M 2,53 (2,80 turbo) GHz, 3MB L3 Cache; LCD 43,9 cm (17.3") HD+LED (1600x900) Anti Glare; ATI Mobility Radeon HD 530v 512 MB DirectX 10.1; RAM 4 GB DDR3; HDD 320GB 7200rpm; DVD+/-RW LS; Windows 7 Professional 64bit....under 800 US$

[Wokka]

Thanks guys, the HP 4720s look the go with the big screen! Cheers