Hello everyone!!!
welcome back and thanks for clicking on the blog. Selecting the right machine for your tasks is important because that will be your tool for more than 3 years and will help you generate revenue or get good grades at university.
Whether you’re buying your first laptop or simply replacing an old one, here we will run through our pick of the best laptops for architects, architecture students and architectural visualizations.
While shortlisting these laptops, due consideration has been given to the specifications and features of the laptops. The minimum hardware requirements to run digital drafting software includes at least an intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, at least 2GB of GPU VRAM, a full HD screen of minimum 15” size and at least 512 GB of storage space.
The other metric to take into consideration is the operating system. I have picked all the laptops with windows operating system since it is capable of supporting a large number of application types as compared to Mac or Linux systems.
PROCESSOR: 10th Gen Intel Core i5 -1035G1
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: Integrated GDDR5
WEIGHT: 1.85KG
OS: Windows 10 Home (Pre-Installed)
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen with (1920 x 1080) full HD display & Anti-Glare technology
STORAGE: 1TB HDD + 256 GB SSD
PRICE: 50K
If you’re looking for something in a budget of 50k this is a laptop you should consider. It has the required RAM and can handle your basic AutoCAD/ Sketchup/ Lumion works. A package of a decent battery life, 19.9mm thickness & weighing 1.85kg. It comes with a narrow bezel, antiglare screen & privacy shutter in the webcam. A setup of dual speakers of 1.5W of Dolby Audio, Bluetooth & WIFI connectivity.
VERDICT
A package of power and performance in mid-range segment at a great price. This laptop is recommended for students of architecture and people who travel a lot and need a laptop on the go. Heavy rendering is not recommended on this laptop.
PROCESSOR: 9th Gen Intel Core i5 -9300H
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: 3GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
WEIGHT: 2.2 KG
OS: Windows 10 (Pre-Installed)
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen with (1920 x 1080) full HD display & Anti-Glare technology
STORAGE: 1TB HDD + 256 GB SSD
PRICE: 69K
It comes with some kind of symbolic 180° hinge, I am not sure what will somebody do of that feature, but people tend to get creative with the features provided. The keyboard is Backlit. While selecting my own laptop I was of the opinion why to consider Backlit feature and I avoided it, very soon while working at night I realized that a backlit feature is a must for an architect.
This laptop is a bit on a heavier side as but offers a good graphics card which can handle heavy renderings. So if you’re someone who’s into 3DSMAX, RHINO, LUMION then this is the machine for you. This comes with a bunch of USB, HDMI, AUDIO, ETHERNET and even Microphone Ports.
You might feel that you need to turn your body a little to the left to type or use the trackpad as everything is a bit left-aligned. This isn’t really a problem and shouldn’t cause an issue.
VERDICT
A perfect product for someone who’s in their final year of architecture or for fresh graduates. It doesn’t go heavy on your pocket and still offers you a product with some balanced configuration in laptops.
In my book, this one is an absolute win and is probably the best laptop for a budding architect.
HP ZBook 15v G5 Mobile Workstation
PROCESSOR: Intel CoreTM i7-8850H
RAM: 16 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA P600 4GB GDDR5
WEIGHT: 2.14KG
OS: Windows 10 Pro
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen (1920 x 1080)
STORAGE: 1TB HDD
PRICE: 149K
You won’t be surprised when I say that this laptop resembles to some rival whose name you might find ‘ALIEN’ated. They have partnered with software providers like Autodesk and Solid works to ensure laptop is optimized for peak performance.
While the specs are above average and one which I would include in the premium segment I was expecting a 512 SSD in this price range. But a 4GB graphics card sums up for that. Multiple ports, backlit keyboard and other features become a basic at this price point.
VERDICT
Aimed at students & small business owners this is the go-to device. The ergonomics of the laptop is managed well. The CPU performance is on the higher end of mediocre, but you can upgrade it to make it more powerful.
PROCESSOR: AMD Ryzen 5 – 4600H
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti – 4GB (GDDR6)
WEIGHT: 2.36KG
OS: Windows 10 Home
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen (1920 x 1080)
STORAGE: 512GB SSD
PRICE: 81K
This variant comes with a AMD Ryzen 5 processor. A feature for a connection with upto 3 external monitors, a full HD IPS panel and also supports dual 5K display. It comes with a competitive thickness of 22.5mm and smallest footprint in a 15inch laptop segment category. This laptop comes with a 512GB PCle NVMe M.2 SSD.
(FACT: SSD’s are 30% faster than normal Hard drives)
Added features have a backlit keyboard, 1.5mm key travel and an enlarged touch-pad making it more gaming centric Laptop. The CPU and GPU boost-up under performance mode .
VERDICT
If you already have a laptop and considering for an upgrade in a budget this is the best value for money. Little details of key travel and an enlarge touch-pad creates an edge over other laptop. It is already at a competitive price range which you will find in other laptops.
PROCESSOR: 10th Gen Intel i5- 10300H
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti 4GB GDDR6
WEIGHT: 2.3KG
OS: Windows 10 Home
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare, IPS FHD Display.
STORAGE: 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD
PRICE: 79K
A gaming-oriented laptop with capacity of decent graphics. This laptop offers Alienware command center, Nahimic 3D audio. Dell promises for 10 hours of battery life making this is an ideal laptop for long usage. It has plenty of ports – USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with power share, USB 2.0, HDMI, SD-card slot, RJ45 & Headset ports.
The 15.6-inch screen is equipped with a 1920 x 1080 display. It is an anti-glare with a very wide view, which makes for added convenience. Color quality is above average at 72% NTSC, which means details in architectural plans will be clearly visible.
VERDICT
A perfect combination of setup for beginners’ gamers, architecture students who are in their 3rd year, can invest in this as this will be perfect machine till final year of architecture or more than that. If you are someone who likes to play games and work this will be something you should go for.
PROCESSOR: 8th Gen Intel i7- 8750H
RAM: 16 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR6
WEIGHT: 2.5KG
OS: Windows 10
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare, IPS FHD Display.
STORAGE: 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD
PRICE: 115K
It looks pretty neat in the Matt black finish, and the 15.6-inch screen helps it stay fairly lightweight. Performance wise, the Intel core i7-8750H is extremely powerful. When it comes to RAM, it can be upgraded to a maximum of 32GB. It provides 128GB SSD which makes it even faster.
As far as external connections go, this one has a USB 3.0, HDMI, Audio out, ethernet, microphone, card reader port.
VERDICT
If you are someone who’s starting his own practice and needs to get everything done by himself, then this is the perfect machine from AutoCAD to Google SketchUp to V-ray renderings. It’s on the heavier side but it provides a higher graphics of 6GB.
PROCESSOR: 10th Gen Intel i5- 10300H
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti 4GB
WEIGHT: 3KG
OS: Windows 10 Home
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen (1920 x 1080) Full HD
STORAGE: 1TB SSD
PRICE: 100K
The Strix G15 comes with an intel i5 – 10300H processor, a Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti 4GB memory and a storage of 1TB SSD WITH A Full HD display. Asus smacks an electro-punk theme on the Strix G15 with a Pink ROG logo over a flaux – aluminum hood and pink trim surrounding the lid. There’s a thin cutout on the lid, revealing the deck and LED indicators. It features decent number of ports, USB type A ports, headphone jack. Instead of remaining ports being located on the right side, they are on the back of the laptop and include a power jack, HDMI port, and Type-C port.
VERDICT
The Asus ROG Strix G15 is a solid gaming laptop. It features strong performance, a comfortable keyboard and a nice design, but the life is subpar, while the speakers and display are simply awful. If you’re looking for something of higher configuration at a best price this is go to laptop for you.
PROCESSOR: 9th Gen Intel i5- 9300H
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GTX 1650 Max Q, 4GB GDDR5
WEIGHT: 1.86KG
OS: Windows 10 Home
SCREEN SIZE: 15.6-inch screen (1920 x 1080) Full HD
STORAGE: 512GB SSD
PRICE: 68K
This MSI laptop features a NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Graphics Card, an Intel Core i5-9300H and 8GB of RAM. You get a 15.6-inch screen laptop which for a gaming setup is mid-size. The laptop weight is 1.86kg. Some of the biggest PC games can run on this laptop.
VERDICT
If you’re looking for something in a budget with good speed, then this is something you should go for. A balanced configuration of i5 processor and 512 GB SSD memory it is recommended for gaming as well as architecture software’s.
What’s important in a laptop for architects?
Certain key factors should be considered when looking for the best laptop for your individual needs. Whether you are an architecture student, young architect or experienced practitioner, the following specs are worth investigating for each option:
CPU (Central Processing Unit): Any architecture student or professional architect will be running powerful CAD and modeling software. It is wise to get at least Inteli5 or above to avoid any hassle.
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): You may be using hardcore graphic software like Rhino, 3ds Max, ArchiCAD, Revit or Vectorworks, all of which require a formidable graphics card. Thus, the ideal laptop for architect will have at least a 4GB vRAM GPU for smooth processing.
RAM: Architectural software will account for a big chunk of your RAM, particularly when multitasking and producing high quality renderings. Therefore, a computer with at least 16GB of RAM is preferable, though 8GB is sufficient for the majority of purposes.
HDD vs. SSD vs. Hybrid Drive: Architectural design files often require significant space, so the higher the storage, the better off you are. SSD (Solid State Drive) is faster and more reliable than a mechanical hard drive but comes with a higher price tag. To enjoy the pros of both SSD and HDD, we recommend getting a hybrid drive. You can install the OS and architecture software in SSD and all other files in HDD for optimum performance.
Mac vs. Windows: In terms of hardware and operating system, it all comes down to your personal preference. High-end Apple and PC laptops are well geared to handle the challenges offered by the job. Windows 10 is arguably more user friendly as it supports a wide array of software but is exposed to more viruses than Mac. The MacBook Pro in particular is well perceived by professionals as being great for graphic applications but is considered by many to be overpriced.
Gaming laptops: An increasingly popular choice among architects and designers, laptops primarily aimed at gamers can also be ideal for creatives that use programs with high demands on graphics and processing power. While their aesthetics might not be to everyone’s taste, the cost-to-performance ratio of many gaming laptops can be hard to argue with.
Screen Size and Resolution: Considering the level of mobility yet without ignoring the necessary attention to detail, a laptop with a screen size between 15 and 17 inches is the best size for architectural rendering. FHD (full high definition) resolution should be enough for the work involved; however, higher resolutions such as UHD (ultra-high definition), 4K or 5K prepare you for the upcoming future trends.
Ports: Consider how many USB ports, Ethernet ports and other specialist ports you might need; this will vary depending on your preference for wired or wireless peripheral such as computer mice, touch pads and external hard drives.
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