I'm looking to upgrade to a new laptop. I use my current laptop for PLC programming, drawing electrical schematics in AutoCAD, surfing the web, etc. It's not really equipped for rendering 3D animations in software like Blender or Maya, or for doing 3D modelling in resource-intensive software like SolidWorks, which I would like to do with my new Laptop. The other problem with my current laptop is that I have way too much PLC programming software installed in this single Windows 7 OS. A lot of these programming suites have background processes that start at boot-up and are running all the time, fighting amongst themselves over resources that they don't even need, and making my laptop buggy and unreliable. (I know I can turn them off, and I have, but it's a pain in my ass, and hasn't seemed to make anything more stable).

My idea now is to get a laptop with better specs, and instead of installing all these programming suites into one OS, use VMWare and give each suite its very own Windows OS to run free and frolic alone in. I'm thinking I want the native OS to be Linux since it uses less resources, and there would be more left over for the OSs running in the VMs (I might run 2 or more VMs at the same time).

My question for you guys is: if I want to install a heavy piece of software (like Blender, Solidworks, Inventor, Video processing SW, 3D rendering SW, etc) inside of a VM, how well does that work? If a software's recommended minimum computer specs are (ex.) 8gb ram and 3GHz dual core processor, how much do I need to add to that, in order to for it to work inside a VM inside Linux? would 16Gb of ram and a 3GHz Qaud core processor cut it?

 

The thing about linux is that it DOES NOT use less resources. That's a myth. What it does, it transfers the complexity from OS to the user. If you run into an issue, you, the user, have to figure out how to solve it and implement the actual solution. Which means you spend hours on the net reading forums and blogs. It can be fun if you like to tinker.

 

The thing about linux is that it DOES NOT use less resources. That's a myth. What it does, it transfers the complexity from OS to the user. If you run into an issue, you, the user, have to figure out how to solve it and implement the actual solution. Which means you spend hours on the net reading forums and blogs. It can be fun if you like to tinker.

I can't debate you on the specifics because I don't know enough. What I DO know however, is that I have an Emachines desktop inherited from my late uncle which was an XP machine he upgraded to Windows 7. All he had on it was quicken and excel. It struggled to load the start menu. I wiped the HDD and installed LinuxCNC on it and turned it into a CNC controller. Damn thing doesn't seem crippled at all.

And I had an early 2000's XP netbook that I wanted to give my daughter for christmas. I know she's Just going to watch Netflix & youtube on it and use it for school. Tried to load Netflix, browser is too old. Tried to update browser, no go. Tried to install firefox, no go. So i wiped the HDD and installed windows 7. Its runs like a sloth and won't even play a youtube video through to the end without crashing. So I wipe the HDD again, and install Edubuntu. Damn thing is just as fast as brand new laptop.

Show me a raspberry Pi running full bown OS Windows 10?

 

I've decided to continue using my old laptop for PLC programming and upgrade the RAM to support the virtual machines. And I will build a desktop for my 3D rendering activities.

 

Update:

I waffled back and forth about upgrading my laptop or buying a new one. Decided my 2013 I5 machine should be sufficient so I Spent a few hundred bucks upgrading to 16gb ram and a 500gb SSD. I installed Ubuntu on half of the SSD with VMWare in it, but never did get VMWare to work, gave up on it. Haven't needed to do any 3D modelling yet so that hasn't been an issue. Basically business as usual, but with more RAM.

Fast forward to last week, I managed to finagle my way into doing some work for a rather high-profile semiconductor manufacturer. I travel 4 hours to the site and security is CRAZY. I had to submit to a background check a week in advance just to get on the visitors list, to get into the lobby, before the metal detectors and armed guards. I had to have a contact on the inside file a formal request to the head of security to allow my laptop onto the complex. Had to provide serial number and a picture of the laptop.

3 hours after pulling off the highway and up to gate sentry, I'm finally done with all the paperwork and issued an "escort required" visitors badge. My guy on the inside cannot let me out of his sight; has to escort me everywhere, even into the restroom (I guess the actual stall is where they draw the line. He didn't go into the stall with me).

Now it's time to get my laptop examined. Ran it through the x-ray, not a bomb. Serial number matches that on the request filed. Picture matches. "Ok, now show me your latest virus scan." No problem, here it is, Kaspersky just did a full scan last week. "Sorry you're going to have to run it again" so I go sit down in the lobby for an hour while it scans. She pulls out a 3 page list of Windows update package numbers... "Ok now show me your installed updates and patches".... CRAP. I've had automatic updates turned off since 2014, on purpose. My PLC programming suites are often confounded by OS updates and rendered inoperable.

"Sorry, you can't bring that in here. You can go put it back in your car along with your phone and come back. And don't bring any thumb drives back with you." Well there's no way I can do the work that I came to do, without a laptop. I had to borrow my contact's laptop and install my software on it in the parking lot. It was a huge hassle and pretty embarrassing. But despite that SNAFU they want me to come back in a couple of weeks.

So with that experience and the promise of further work inside Fort Knox, I decided it was worth investing a handsome amount of money into a new laptop. And I decided to do everything inside VM so that I can keep my host OS always up to date with patches and whatnot, while having some old obsolete clunker VMs in the trunk which are what I really use when I get where I'm going.

The new laptop is a Lenovo p70
64gb RAM
2tb of HDD and 1tb of SSD
I7-6820 quad core processor

I just installed a Sierra Wireless 4G LTE option board on the motherboard so I can access the internet when I go back. Because I'm not allowed on their network at all, ever. Unless they hire me. And I'm not allowed to turn on a hotspot inside the gate.

I've spent the past 16 hours migrating (or trying to migrate) various aspects of my life into Virtual Machines on this new laptop.

I just had a breakthrough. Finally after much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I managed to create a virtual clone of my PLC laptop. There was so much wrong with it that it would always fail for some reason or another. But it's in there now! I'm so excited I decided to come tell all you guys about it.

That is all. Good night.

 

My experience with VMWARE is mixed, some stuff works fine, some not.

I primarily do embedded tools, ASIC tools.

You might google the specific client SW along with VMWARE for each item of
interest to see what others have experienced.

Good luck.

Regards, Dana.

 

Update:

I waffled back and forth about upgrading my laptop or buying a new one. Decided my 2013 I5 machine should be sufficient so I Spent a few hundred bucks upgrading to 16gb ram and a 500gb SSD. I installed Ubuntu on half of the SSD with VMWare in it, but never did get VMWare to work, gave up on it. Haven't needed to do any 3D modelling yet so that hasn't been an issue. Basically business as usual, but with more RAM.

Fast forward to last week, I managed to finagle my way into doing some work for a rather high-profile semiconductor manufacturer. I travel 4 hours to the site and security is CRAZY. I had to submit to a background check a week in advance just to get on the visitors list, to get into the lobby, before the metal detectors and armed guards. I had to have a contact on the inside file a formal request to the head of security to allow my laptop onto the complex. Had to provide serial number and a picture of the laptop.

3 hours after pulling off the highway and up to gate sentry, I'm finally done with all the paperwork and issued an "escort required" visitors badge. My guy on the inside cannot let me out of his sight; has to escort me everywhere, even into the restroom (I guess the actual stall is where they draw the line. He didn't go into the stall with me).

Now it's time to get my laptop examined. Ran it through the x-ray, not a bomb. Serial number matches that on the request filed. Picture matches. "Ok, now show me your latest virus scan." No problem, here it is, Kaspersky just did a full scan last week. "Sorry you're going to have to run it again" so I go sit down in the lobby for an hour while it scans. She pulls out a 3 page list of Windows update package numbers... "Ok now show me your installed updates and patches".... CRAP. I've had automatic updates turned off since 2014, on purpose. My PLC programming suites are often confounded by OS updates and rendered inoperable.

"Sorry, you can't bring that in here. You can go put it back in your car along with your phone and come back. And don't bring any thumb drives back with you." Well there's no way I can do the work that I came to do, without a laptop. I had to borrow my contact's laptop and install my software on it in the parking lot. It was a huge hassle and pretty embarrassing. But despite that SNAFU they want me to come back in a couple of weeks.

So with that experience and the promise of further work inside Fort Knox, I decided it was worth investing a handsome amount of money into a new laptop. And I decided to do everything inside VM so that I can keep my host OS always up to date with patches and whatnot, while having some old obsolete clunker VMs in the trunk which are what I really use when I get where I'm going.

The new laptop is a Lenovo p70
64gb RAM
2tb of HDD and 1tb of SSD
I7-6820 quad core processor

I just installed a Sierra Wireless 4G LTE option board on the motherboard so I can access the internet when I go back. Because I'm not allowed on their network at all, ever. Unless they hire me. And I'm not allowed to turn on a hotspot inside the gate.

I've spent the past 16 hours migrating (or trying to migrate) various aspects of my life into Virtual Machines on this new laptop.

I just had a breakthrough. Finally after much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I managed to create a virtual clone of my PLC laptop. There was so much wrong with it that it would always fail for some reason or another. But it's in there now! I'm so excited I decided to come tell all you guys about it.

That is all. Good night.

HI

I use VMware Workstation on a regular basis (every day). Mainly for Active Directory lab work and scripting. But I've tried graphic programs just out of curiosity. If your using any graphically intensive software(like 3D rendering)....don't use VMware. Use dedicated hardware with high performance graphics processor. "Workstation class" laptops are usually designed for this purpose. Each VM guest will also require the same amount of memory as a physical computer. So the type of OS you plan to run for the VM Host as well as the VM guests will matter.

Sorry for the late reply....hope this helps.

eT

 

HI

I use VMware Workstation on a regular basis (every day). Mainly for Active Directory lab work and scripting. But I've tried graphic programs just out of curiosity. If your using any graphically intensive software(like 3D rendering)....don't use VMware. Use dedicated hardware with high performance graphics processor. "Workstation class" laptops are usually designed for this purpose. Each VM guest will also require the same amount of memory as a physical computer. So the type of OS you plan to run for the VM Host as well as the VM guests will matter.

Sorry for the late reply....hope this helps.

eT

Hi, thank you for the input. Like you, I think I will also give it a try. Just for the sake of experiment. I expect it won't work properly, in which case I might clone the OS to another drive and run my modelling software in that local OS and use the original OS to run my VMs. But if with 64gb of ram and a late model I7 processor it does manage to work inside the VM, that will be even better.