Subject: [PC] Ansys on a Dell laptop Author: Christiane Caouette Date: 2008-10-09 16:45:43Dear Experts,
I am calling on your experience in running Ansys on different system types. I need a computer to be able to run simulations for my PhD thesis; my advisor and I pretty much agree on that point. It seems, however, that getting me a new desktop computer is impossibly complicated (Canadian Red Tape! The grant my project is own doesn't allow him to buy me a computer, even if it will pay for any other lab material I might need, at almost any price). He told me he could get me a used Dell laptop (quite recent, but I don't know anything else about it).
So, would any of you consider solving models of about 100K DoF on a regular basis on such a computer? These are non linear static simulations with contact and interface elements, they will probably run for hours. I think I risk having heat problems (maybe), hard drive failure (there's only one drive in there, no RAID, so no extra protection), and it will be slower than a desktop. I think it's a bad idea, but I need some more evidence.
If any experience you or someone else had with Ansys on laptops could help me confirm wether or not this Dell laptop will do the job, I would greatly appreciate hearing about it.
Thx in advance, Christiane Caouette, Jr Eng and PhD Student at École de Technologie Supérieure --