As an architect, you want a laptop that can handle running graphics-intensive apps, crunching hordes of data, and even video-editing large files in 4K when need be. This is why we've curated a list of the best workstation laptop for architects.
You want the best laptop that you can use for design and 3D rendering work. However, you've likely encountered being knee-deep in work as the deadline approaches only for your laptop to crash. Naturally, we wouldn't want a repeat of such a scenario. Therefore, we've considered all the factors that make up the best laptops and created this list.
We'll look at these factors later on. Now, let's look at this list.
1. Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U Processor (Up to 3.4GHz)
- 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-lit IPS Display
- 8GB Dual Channel Memory & 256GB SSD
- Up to 15-hours of battery life.Adapter: 65 W
- Windows 10 Home
Our first best laptop has a processor of Intel Core i7-8550U, a clock speed of Quad-core 1.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, a storage capacity of 256GB, and NVIDIA GeForce MX150 with 2 GB VRAM graphics card. This best workstation laptop for architects is great on a budget. You will also get the best value for your money than you have ever seen, and you'll be able to get a laptop for architecture that looks not only good on the outside but also works great.
There is a reliable USB 2.0 port on the laptop's right side that you can use and an 8X DVD-RW double-layer drive. In addition, you'll find a VGA input, HDMI port, USB-3.1 Type-C port, a Kensington lock, and two USB 3.0 ports on the left side. The display of this laptop is a cool 1080p and covers 62.3% of the sRGB color range. This 2800 mA battery can last for up to 8 hours if you are not doing heavy work.
However, if your goal is to get a laptop with an amazing display, you may want to pick another option as this one does not seem that colorful or vibrant. When it comes to performance, these laptops for architects do a great job of giving you value for your money. You can run anything, including the heaviest design software you can think of, and it will still be fine. The best part about this laptop for architecture is that you can run it as long as you like as long as you keep the graphics low.
2. Microsoft Surface Book 2
- Microsoft Surface Book 2 Features a 8th generation Intel Quad Core i7 Processor, 512 GB of storage, 16 GB RAM, and up to 17 hours of video playback
- Enhanced Graphics performance with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 discrete GPU w/6GB GDDR5 Graphics Memory
- The fastest Surface Book yet, with 4x more power
- Vibrant PixelSense Display: now available with a new 15" touchscreen. Weight : Starting at 4.2 pounds including keyboard
- Four versatile modes of use and new USB-C port
The specs of this laptop for architecture include a 16GB RAM, Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, 512GB storage, and Quad Core 1.9 GHz clock speed. This Microsoft Surface Book is great even for architecture students who want to ace it in the design world. Therefore, if you are searching for a laptop for architecture students, you can get this laptop with an impressive operating system.
These best laptops for architects are made of aluminum which gives them a sleep look. If you want to know what makes this best laptop for architecture very popular, it is its dual-mode usage. You can twist the display back behind the keyboard and use the processing power of this laptop as a touchscreen. This allows you to do design work that requires using the laptop surface pen on the screen instead of the mouse and keyboard.
Another aspect that makes these best laptops for architecture very cool is their display. The 1080 display of these laptops makes them the best in this category. Although the 3:2 aspect ratio may be troublesome for some people, this contrast will give you the best experience that money can buy while designing. In addition, the performance of this best laptop for architecture is one of the best among laptops and mobile workstations for architects.
3. Dell G5587-7866BLK Laptop
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor (6-Core, 9MB Cache, up to 3.9GHz w/Turbo Boost)
- 16GB 2666MHz DDR4 up to [32GB], (additional memory sold separately)
- 128 GB (SSD) Boot + 1 TB 5400 RPM [SATA] HDD Storage
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB GDDR5 Graphics memory
- Be more productive. Windows 10 is the best for bringing ideas forward and getting things done.Turbo Frequency: up to 4.10 GHz
This best laptop has an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, a clock speed of 6-Core, up to 3.9GHz, 16GB RAM, storage capacity of 256GB (SSD) Boot + 1 TB 5400 RPM [SATA] HDD Storage, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB memory graphics card. The display of this cool laptop is 15.6-inch LED Display. This 5.6-inch LED Display is anti-glare and supports a supports 1920×1080 resolution. If you are a fan of stylish displays, you'll love the licorice black and red color scheme that this Dell G5 comes in.
This RAM 16GB budget laptop's left side has the ports you need for a smooth working experience. The SD card reader and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port can be found on this side, while the right side has one Thunderbolt 3 port, one USB 3.1 Type-A, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a headphone/mic jack. The drawback of this laptop is that the contrast isn't all that great compared to even the basic gaming laptops. So although the disk space is bigger than most mobile workstations, you may want to get another laptop if contrast is important to you.
This best workstation laptop for architects is another cool option if you are an architectural student. The fact that it is a gaming laptop means that it can handle powerful CAD and modeling when need be. The price tag is also not that high, making this option a great laptop for architecture students. This quad-core i7 processor makes the laptop able to handle multiple applications at the same time. However, avoid running several video rendering tools and high-end CAD software when working on these best laptops for architects.
4. Toshiba Satellite E55T-A5320 Ultrabook 15.6" Touch Screen
- 4th Gen Intel Core i5-4200U Processor 1.6GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz.
- 15.6" LED-backlit TFT high-definition widescreen touch-screen display
- 4GB DDR3L Memory / 500GB Hard Drive / Mobile Intel HD graphics
- LED-backlit keyboard allows comfortable typing, even in low-light conditions.
- Intel Wireless Display Wirelessly transmits streamed or downloaded movies, TV shows, music, photos and more from your laptop, network or the Internet to your TV (NETGEAR Push2TV adapter required, not included)
These best laptops for architects have a 4th Gen Intel Core i5-4200U, a RAM of 4GB DDR3L Memory, Mobile Intel HD graphics card, a 15.6-inch LED-backlit TFT display, a clock speed 1.6GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz, and a 500GB Hard Drive for storage. This best laptop for architecture is great for making drawings and maps of your models. In addition, it has a good battery life which makes it great for working on the road. Although this laptop's operating system and power are not the greatest, you can still boost the already powerful machine you have.
You'll find that this Toshiba Ultrabook looks similar to other regular laptops, even if it has a cool touchscreen display. The brushed aluminum look gives it a stylish look that makes you feel good as you are working. The keyboard is backlit, and this makes it great for working at night. The 2 USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 2.0 port that comes with this laptop make it great for designing on the road. The brightness of this screen is bright enough to work in the sunlight.
The drawback of these best laptops for architects is that they lack a dedicated graphics card. If you want to run a complex AutoCAD software, this may not be the best mobile workstation to do that on as the RAM is only 4GB, and its CPU can boost up to 2.6 GHz. On the other hand, the 3-cell lithium-polymer battery enables this best workstation laptop for architects to keep power for as long as 5 hours if you are not running heavy architectural software.
5. HP ZBook Studio G5 15.6" LCD Mobile Workstation
- Processor Manufacturer: Intel
- Processor Type: Core i7
- Processor generation: 8th Gen
- Processor model: i7-8750H
- Processor speed: 2. 20 GHz
Our final pick has a smooth touchpad and a comfortable keyboard that allows you to design in peace. The specs include an Intel Core i7-8850H processor, Intel UHD Graphics 630 or the Nvidia Quadro P1000 graphics card, 6 Core 2.6 GHz clock speed, 512GB SSD storage, and 6GB DDR4 RAM. Although the CPU on this laptop makes it hard when using hardcore graphic software, you can choose to upgrade it.
You can comfortably use CAD and modeling software when working with this laptop, especially if you are an architecture student. This is actually one of the most architectural student-friendly laptops on this list. Many softwares get supported when you buy this HP laptop. The design is neat, and you can choose from the silver and grey designs. The performance of this laptop is great, and the cores have a clock speed range of 2.2 to 4.1 GHz.
You can upgrade the RAM of this best workstation laptop for architects to a maximum of 64GB. 32GB of RAM also works well for ArchiCAD, Revit, or Vectorworks. You will not struggle with a CPU that heats up as this one does not. The bright 4K display allows you to work well and enjoy the vivid contrast that this laptop comes with. Rhino 3ds max ArchiCAD can run here with no problem. You also get Bang And Olufsen speakers that can enhance your design experience as you work.
Factors to Consider When Getting the Best Laptop for Architects
1. Graphics Card (GPU)
As an architect, you understand that the small and minute details often carry a lot of weight. This is why getting a laptop that has a high-quality graphics card is very important. Especially when you are rendering and editing 3D models, you should get a graphics processor with a memory of at least 2GB.
If you are an architecture student, getting a graphics processor of more than 960M will also be good for you. The Nvidia Quadro or the AMD FirePro series cards are designed to fit architects' best workstation laptops. This is because they can handle digital content creation (DCC), computer-aided design (CAD), and computer-generated imagery (CGI), among others.
2. CPU
As an architect, you will be using and running hardcore CAD and several other modeling software. The last thing you want to happen is for your laptop o lag in the middle of drawing an important line. If you've had experience with losing hours of work, you know how bad that feeling is.
Therefore, ensure that you choose laptops for architects with a high-end CPU that will not fail you in the middle of the design. Get a quad-core or more CPU and a laptop that has a bigger clock speed. All of the options above meet these criteria because we want you to get nothing but the best.
3. Storage
Storage comes in various forms. Let's look at some.
a). Hard Disk Drive Storage
This first option ensures that you can comfortably store your files without worrying that you will lose work. Architectural software, models, and 3D drafts often take a lot of space. Therefore, getting at least 500GB of storage can be good for you.
You can also get an external hard drive if you need more space than the laptop can provide. The one drawback to these storage types is that they are prone to physical damage. If your laptop gets damaged somehow, you can lose all your work.
b). Solid State Drive
If you don't want to lose any work on your best workstation laptop for architects, getting the Solid State Drives are much better than the Hard Drives. Another perk of this type of storage is that it gives you a faster and more reliable experience than the option above.
Getting a hybrid HDD and SDD can be one of the best decisions that you can make. This allows you to store the non-essential files that you are not currently using and store the vital ones in the SSD storage space.
4. RAM
Architects and designers understand that most of the software you use takes up a lot of your RAM. Even the screen size does not affect your experience the way that the RAM does. Therefore, ensure that you get not less than 8GM RAM when you are choosing the laptop you want.
Whether it is a MacBook Pro, Lenovo Thinkpad, or Dell XPS, ensure that the choice of RAM will not fail you. Suppose you can get 16GB RAM, the better.
Conclusion
We hope that you can now comfortably choose the best workstation laptop for architects to help you ace your design work every time. Remember to choose a machine that has more than 8GM RAM for a smooth working process.
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