SEU, a program provided by SE Solutions, LLC

Laptop Specifications for BIM

In a previous SE Magazine article (February 2012), we wrote about system requirements for laptops – which originated from an SEU BIM Forum session presented by Dave Pluke of BIM Ready. Because having a mobile workplace is becoming more common, we wanted to share information about the system specifications needed to successfully run BIM Programs on a laptop, which would be helpful in making a purchasing decision.

We recently asked Dave if he would be able to update this list of specifications to include the most up-to-date information. Dave begins his recommendations by outlining the options for two different levels, or grades, of laptop machines:

One is to consider the laptop a disposable commodity that will be replaced fairly often.  (“Home User” Grade) 

The other is to attempt to utilize productively for 3 or 4 years.  (“Desktop Replacement” Grade)

Note that, if one is using a “Cloud” concept of BIM production, considerably less horsepower (and investment) is required. The following assumes that the user will be authoring BIM files directly on the laptop.

The complete list of updated specifications is included in the Laptop Specifications for BIM document.