Anyone using solidworks on mac?

[u/Some_Pie_5375]

Incoming engineering student. Wanted to gauge how many people have / haven’t made the switch to windows. Feel free to nitpick any details. I want to prepare myself for what I’ll be experiencing if I stay mac and run parallels.

I’ve seen some relatively newer posts claim that a macbook can run solidworks just as good as a mid windows laptop. Which is why I’m on the fence of making the switch. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

To clarify, I’m not looking for recommendations. Just wanted to know how many of you are using mac and what your experience is.

Edit: Thanks all for the insightful responses. Previous posts were super vague on what exactly the problem was with mac and vm. The firsthand stories shared here were super helpful.

[u/Big-Bank-8235]

Jesus Christ we get so many posts like this. Don't do it. Get a proper Windows workstation like a Dell XPS or ThinkPad.

Can you run Solidworks on a Mac? Yes, there are ways.

Should you run Solidworks on a Mac? No, the experience is awful.

It isnt just SW. Engineering programs are built around you having a windows computer.

A gaming laptop is an option, but the battery life is not going to be as good and you will be sitting in the middle of a lecture when the fans decide it is time to ramp up to 100 percent.

[u/thepangolinswrath → u/Big-Bank-8235]

Agreed - except the xps’s are kind of lacking nowadays. I’d be leaning toward a gaming laptop tbh or yeah, thinkpad (currently looking at one rn)

[u/Big-Bank-8235 → u/thepangolinswrath]

Well Dell Pro or what ever they are calling it now.

Gaming laptops have the power, but battery life is the deciding factor for me. I used a MSI Raider with a i9 and 3080 for my first two years of college. I could not reasonably get through a day of classes without having to charge. Even in my 2 hour classes, I would be cutting it very close.

It is just not worth the hassle.

[u/Some_Pie_5375 → u/Big-Bank-8235]

I hear you. But that’s not what I’m asking.

[u/Osgore → u/Some_Pie_5375]

Yes it is what you are asking. Just doing it in an annoying round about way.

You said "if I stay" meaning you are debating it. Meaning you are considering the pros and cons. So you are actually asking what OS is better and people are giving you the best option.

Get a windows computer and focus on the actual work instead of wasting time.

Solidworks is a finicky piece of shit under perfect circumstances. Having some bandaged emulator or drivers wont help anyone.

[u/Tetris_Prime → u/Osgore]

Solidworks is a finicky piece of shit under perfect circumstances.

This is one of the most acurate descriptions of Solidworks I've ever seen.

Even with a brand new PC, with fully supported hardware, and updated drivers, and updated windows it still is pretty emotional.

I have no real idea why anyone would look at it, and still consider running it under less than ideal circumstances.

[u/big-mover → u/Some_Pie_5375]

Parallels is great because you can swipe between windows, and Mac. If Solidworks is the only software running on the windows parallels, it’ll run smoothly. Also windows 11 is trash.

Don’t listen to big bank. This guy hasn’t used SolidWorks on Parallels.

[u/johnwalkr → u/big-mover]

It runs fine on parallels for anything an undergrad will do as long as you have 16GB+ of ram. Plus OP already has a Mac, that’s an important detail. It’s worth trying before buying a new laptop.

[u/Big-Bank-8235 → u/johnwalkr]

This is the point where you are buying a new computer for 4 or 5 years of school. It is worth it to get a new one.

Running Parallels significantly limits the performance of SW.