Solidworks on MacBook Pro 13?

[pmangels17]

I have a late 2011 model MacBook Pro 13 inch. It has a 2.5 ghz dual core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, and Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics.

So my question is, can Solidworks Student run on this system?

Obviously i will need to run Windows through Boot Camp.

Is a Virtual Machine Better? If so, which software is best?
Is there anything I can do to my laptop to make Solidworks run better? (probably going to have to change the RAM)
Which version of Windows is best for this? Will Home Premium Win 7 work?

Thanks for any and all assistance, I am trying to plan this so I can buy the software and figure it out before kickoff, and balance it with 5 AP and IB classes.

[pmangels17]

Also, which version of Solidworks student should i buy? (2011-2012 or 2012-2013)

[mplanchard]

Paul

Visit the "administrator" section on forum.solidworks.com. You will find some answers to your hardware questions.

Also, we will begin shipping 2012-2013 SolidWorks Student software to sponsored teams in September. Go to www.solidworks.com/sponsoreddesigncontest and fill out an application for your team.

If you are just looking for something now to get you through the summer, go to www.facebook.com/solidworkseducation and apply to receive the SolidWorks Summer edition. This will help get you started and good design tips too. If you feel strong enough to take the CSWA exam, send me a PM on CD and I will send you a code.

With all those AP classes, learning SolidWorks this summer is a good idea. I would also review math now too.
Strong math skills in algebra, trig, geometry will help you with calculus and physics (I taught all of these). Try basic skills with no calculator. On line you can find old AP exam questions so you can start to understand the test format.

Happy summer.
Marie

[pmangels17]

Thanks so much for the help! I wasn't even aware that there was a summer edition and 271 will definitely apply for a sponsorship. Also, thanks for the math tips.

[mplanchard]

SolidWorks has helped 1000's of robot teams around the world and we will help any FIRST team or their mentor that comes to us for Sponsorship. We ship directly to teams at a school address pending US export compliance.

2012-2013 contains
SolidWorks Premium
Photorealistic Rendering, Animation, Electrical Routing, CircuitWorks (from electrical boards), Toolbox (nuts, bolts, cams, beams), TolAnalyst
SolidWorks Simulation Premium (FEA/Thermal/Frequency/Drop Test/Composites/Non Linear)
SolidWorks Sustainability (Enviromental simulation)
SolidWorks Flow Simulation, HVAC and Electronic Cooling Simulation
SolidWorks Costing (cost to create sheet metal/machined part based on feature)
Workgroup PDM for drawing revision control

1 installation - 1 interface - 1 form to fill out for sponsorship.
Let us know on how we can help you in training the rookies.

Marie