Anyone tried working with Intel ARC integrated graphics?

[jmcewen]

I am looking for an ultra-portable laptop for work on the road.  My current travel machine is a desktop replacement workstation that is pushing 9 lbs.  For most of my drawings needs while traveling it is overkill, but it was meant to last through a couple years as both my primary rig at home and travel rig until I could afford both.

 

I recently talked to a draftsperson using a Core Ultra 9 MSI Prestige 16 AI with no dedicated graphics card, only Intel ARC, and he loves it.  It is only a bit over 3lbs.  He primarily uses AutoCAD, and I recognize the system requirements are not the same, but I am jealous of his light backpack.

 

So has anyone tried using just ARC graphics?  Will shaded rendering bog it down?

[Jeff Prince]

If history is any indicator, get a MacBook Pro if you need a lightweight high performance workstation.  Anything less will leave you disappointed.  If you must stay on intel/windows, pick light weight or high performance… you can’t have both.

I think you will need direct counsel from Vectorworks on this topic.  They don’t currently recommend integrated graphics on Intel, so something would have to change on their end to make their software work on that hardware solution.

 

[Pat Stanford]

From the Hardware Requirement document for VW2024:

 

Quote

Some integrated graphics cards, such as Intel Iris Plus/Pro/Xe series, are acceptable for simple models/drawings, but a dedicated graphics card is preferable.

 

 

[Bas Vellekoop]

I can recommend the zephyrus g14 of asus, take the top model in the serie.

 

https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-zephyrus/rog-zephyrus-g14-2024/

 

Dedicated nvidia chip up to 4060 if im correct

Great screen

Greats size 

Great processor if you do some rendering

Looks are nice as well

 

Take the one with minimum of 32 gb ram and best grahpics card and processor 

 

I have 2022/2023 model. Its lightweight and small enough for my daily travels from and to the studio by bike. It is my workhorse and have no separate desktop.

 

Biggest complaint is battery time, it is like 2 hours. If thats is a problem then go for a Apple macbook, because all intel and amd based laptops with some punch have this problem.

[jmcewen]

11 hours ago, Bas Vellekoop said:

Biggest complaint is battery time, it is like 2 hours. If thats is a problem then go for a Apple macbook, because all intel and amd based laptops with some punch have this problem.

That Zephyrus is what I was looking at before I saw this MSI prestige AI 16 Evo, but battery time is part of what I liked about the ARC powered laptops.  A lot of them are boasting 10-12 hr battery life (my buddy was on his for 10  unplugged the day I saw his.) 

 

I have seen reviews for ARC claiming to be just a bit below a 3060 but with a significantly lower power draw. Granted there are greater cards than a 3060, and those reviews were for gaming workloads rather than VWX but it gives me some hope.

 

And the ARC graphics also seems far more robust than the Iris Xe.

 

I mostly just need to be able to navigate in Shaded, which really seems to be the heaviest lift for a gpu in Vectorworks since most of the fancier rendering is handled by CPU.

 

Maybe it is too risky.  I am out of the country now anyway so I have time to stew on it. If only I had a lightweight portable laptop to do some research on.....

[Derek Epstein]

I'm curious what computer you got and how it worked out. 

 

What kind of work/ files do you create? What size and complexity. 

[jmcewen]

12 hours ago, Derek Epstein said:

I'm curious what computer you got and how it worked out. 

 

What kind of work/ files do you create? What size and complexity. 

I ended up getting a MSI Stealth 16 AI Studio, 96GB RAM, I9 Ultra 185H, RTX 4070.  I did not make the jump all the way to ARC, but I can turn off the 4070 for reduced power consumption.  I am actually drawing on it for the first time right now, so i have not really gotten to put it through its paces.

 

I draw for the entertainment industry, mostly cruiseline and amusement park shows.  I do some rendering, but it is not the main focus of my work.  I bridge the gap between design and technical. Depending on the day and who is paying for my work, I range from designing the pretty pictures, to doing construction drawings for the shop floor, to doing storage layouts of the finished product when there is more than one show using the theatre.

 

So far the machine is a bit warm, but not hot.  It is quiet as well, which runs counter to a complaint I have often heard of on MSI machines. My screen is a bit smaller, and the keyboard layout is a bit different form what I am used to but I should adapt to that fairly quickly.  Now I have room in my bag to bring a second screen so ultimately i will probably have 75% more screen real estate than i used to have.  i still need to figure out how to change the twinkling backlight of the keyboard.  

 

All told, though, it weights enough less than my old laptop that i can pack a second screen and my Streamdeck XL and still be lighter than what my old rig weighs.

 

This machine is mainly for when I travel to installations or do site surveys.  My desktop is where most of my work happens, but travel has become such a regular part of my work that this has become necessary.  It is not  uncommon for me to be away from home for a month at a time.