Hello:

   I was thinking about getting a laptop, for Solidworks, etc., but I wanted to keep it quite modest in price. I stopped by Best Buy, & they recommended two machines, because of the gaming capabilities.

   The graphics card for one Asus unit was ATI mobility Radeon HD 5870 graphics w/ 1 gb gddr5 dedicated memory.

   Another for a Toshiba wa NVIDIA GeForce 310M Graphics w/ 512mb didicated Memory.

   I also looked at an HP, with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 switchable graphics with 512MB dedicated DDr3 and up to 2202mb total graphics memory.

   The laptops ranged from \$900-\$1300. Would these units handle most applications of SW. I know they're not heavy duty machines, but some were saying that because they work for the gaming, that they would be adequate, & if I have to go 2 to 3 times the amount, I may not get one any time soon.

   Also, if these are completely off base, any complete laptop recomendations?

   Thks for any input.

   Rob_d (2010 sp4)