Welcome to our article about the best laptops for architecture students and professional architects! In the past when the computer aided design (CAD) works were rendered in 2D using only Autodesk AutoCAD, choosing a computer for your needs was plain and simple.
After the introduction of 3D modeling, architecture firms find it hard to ignore the perks of various Building Information Modeling (BIM) softwares like Revit, Vectorworks, and ArchiCAD.
Due to the adjustment, USA professional architects community nowadays uses a combination of AutoCAD, Rhino, Revit, 3ds Max or other BIM softwares depending upon style of designing or nature of the project.
What is the difference between AutoCAD, Inventor, and Fusion 360? AutoCAD is desktop-based design, drawing, drafting, and modeling software widely used in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries to create building plans, service and design schematics, and other layouts that can be represented in both 2D and 3D.
As all these softwares vary in its hardware requirements, one can find them in a maze flooded with laptops while shopping for an ideal architecture laptop. To make things simple and easy, we have primarily divided this article into two following sections.
- Things to be considered while buying an ideal architecture laptop
- 7 Best laptops for architecture students and architects
Take a peek at our list of top 7 best laptops for architecture students and architects
Laptops | Key Spec | Price | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
NVIDIA GTX 1060 | under $3000 | Read me! | |
NVIDIA Ouadro M1200M | under $2100 | Read me! | |
NVIDIA GTX 1050 | under $1600 | Read me! | |
NVIDIA GTX 1050 | under $1200 | Read me! | |
NVIDIA GTX 1070 | under $2500 | Read me! | |
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 | under $800 | Read me! | |
NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti | Starting from $1700 | Read me! |
Top 6 things to be considered while buying an ideal architecture laptop
Processor
[Recommended: Intel i7 or top of the line i5 or Quad core processor clocked @ 2.8 GHz with hyper-threading]
This is one of the most important aspect to consider while getting a laptop for your architectural work. As architecture software like Revit, 3ds Max are power hungry application, you should make sure the processor inside your laptop won’t bottleneck while performing your day to day activity.
However, it doesn’t mean paying more for extra performance that you won’t likely to use. So, what is the best processor for architectural works?
To better understand your needs, lets break down what’s inside the processor and how much of it is adequate for you?
Clock speed
Measured in MHz or GHz, clock speed is simply how fast your processor can perform your instruction. In theory, higher the clock rate, faster the execution of instruction. Practically it will be difficult to throttle a processor boost clocked @2.8 GHz.
Only single threaded applications can benefit from higher clock rate processor. Many BIM softwares like Revit; SketchUP uses multi-threaded application while AutoCAD is a single threaded application.
Hence, for those who primarily use larger datasets in AutoCAD, we recommend getting a laptop with processor boost clocked @3.0GHz or moreand for others 2.8GHz would be enough.
Turbo Boost
It is a technology that actually allows the processor to run faster than their normal base clock speed. As of July 2018 all of the Intel 8th gen i5 processors can reach more than 3.0GHz in turbo boost mode and 4.0GHz for 8th Gen Intel i7 processors.
No of Cores and hyper-threading
Number of cores stands for the number of processors. This is the primary reason why Intel i7 cost more than i5. Now one might relay higher no of cores with high performance of a laptop. Theoretically, its right, but practically it depends on types of software.
For instance, if you are gaming, then it will benefit from higher clock speed than the no of cores. This is because most games are based on single threaded workload. Simply, it means for “b” to happen “a” needed to be completed.
Hence, the task “a” & “b” cannot happen concurrently. So in such scenario having more cores doesn’t help you much. But if you are using your laptop for multi-threaded workload like video editing, Revit, Rhino rendering, having more no of cores will certainly help and actually saves considerable waiting time.
Hyper-threading is a way to trick the operating system into seeing two logical processors for one physical processor. It is a good feature to have in your processor. Before, 8th gen Intel processor, only i7 used to have this feature, but now you can find it in Intel’s i5 as well.
We recommend at least a Quad core processor with hyper-threading to be the best for architectural needs.
There is more to the processor than above 3 specs, but this would be enough for you to understand the perks of any processors. Hence, we believe any top of the line Intel i5 processor with at least 2.8 GHz boost clock speed with quad core would do the trick for light to medium architecture work.
But if you really deal with the complex and high workload, we recommend seeking for Intel i7 or Xeon. Intel Xeon can cost you a lot more than Intel i7. The main differences between them are the Intel Xeon has more cores and is professionally proven to withstand the test of time than i7.
Graphics Card
GPU is a specialized processor to handle the graphics part of the software. Architecture software like Revit, Rhino, 3ds max are graphic intensive softwares. You might want to consider right GPU for hassle free productivity. When you are shopping for a GPU that suits your architecture works, it all comes down to two different types of GPU.
Integrated GPU
You can find this graphic card embedded within your CPU. With such graphics card you can expect your laptop to be light, thin and portable, but at the expense of reduced performance.
Unless you want something thin and portable as a secondary laptop, we don’t recommend getting one of these. But if you must, then go with the top of the line Intel i7 processor as it usually carries the best integrated graphics card.
Till this date, the best-integrated GPU you can find on Intel processor are Iris Plus Graphics 655 on the 8th Gen and Iris plus Graphics 650 from the 7th Gen. These graphics cards can sustain light to medium modeling and rendering.
Dedicated GPU
Dedicated graphics cards are the best option for running BIM softwares. If you’re looking for one you may come across two types of dedicated GPU.
- Game Friendly GPU
- CAD Friendly GPU
Gaming GPU for architectural rendering
The gaming GPU market is dominated by GTX line from Nvidia. These types of GPU are primarily designed to achieve higher and faster frame rate, which is the must for hardcore gaming. Despite its gaming design, one can’t ignore its admirable performance and affordability compare to CAD friendly GPUs.
If you don’t want to go heavy on your wallet yet still be able to do all your rendering in supercharged speed, gaming GPU is the way to go. You may find this laptop heavy and bulky, but its performance will make up for its limitation.
However, just to keep thing simple buy a laptop with at least Nvidia GTX 960M or 1050 or more. Anything below GTX 960M is barely capable to handle your rendering needs.
For, architecture students who are on a tight budget, we recommend getting a laptop with the NVIDIA GeForce MX150. It’s not the best, but for the beginners, it will get the job done.
CAD GPU for Architecture work
The Quadro line from Nvidia and FirePro from AMD are the best CAD friendly GPU. CAD GPU is our first recommendation. It is the best GPU capable of running any BIM softwares.
Designed particularly to fast calculate the mathematical computation required by rendering, you can expect considerably less waiting time from these GPUs. Many leading vendors, including Autodesk, Adobe and more endorse CAD GPU for optimum use of their software. Please check the certified hardware link for ISV certification
A laptop that harbor one of these can cost twice as much as gaming GPU laptop. But for professional and even architecture students, it is the must have gear.
RAM (8GB Vs 16GB)
RAM is a bridge that connects your CPU with the Storage. Regardless of powerful CPU and fast storage, without adequate RAM, lagging while performing multitasking will always hassle you.
Many architecture works with large project needed a significant amount of RAM on its own and when you add a couple of more programs in the background the 8 GB RAM is likely to hit its full capacity. Hence, we concluded 16GB RAM as the sweet spot for architectural work.
Storage
While choosing a laptop for architecture you really should be able to answer two questions that is how much space do you need? And what type of storage is balanced for your work?
Many architecture program files and folders plus your entertainment gears will add up to considerable space over the long run. It will be wise to get a laptop with at least 500GB of storage or higher. It will prevent you from expensive storage switching cost in the future.
SSD vs HDD
Mechanical hard drive and Solid State Drive (SSD) are the two types of storage available on today’s laptop. Comparatively, the only positive aspect of Mechanical HDD is its affordability.
SSDs are relatively expensive than Mechanical HDD, but has many better features. With a SSD you can expect your laptop to run at least 10 times faster than mechanical HDD. Also SSDs are more energy efficient and have high durability.
Hence, it will be in your best interest to see a laptop with SDD than HDD even it means paying a little extra. SSD is a future proof piece of tech to have that offers the best price to value ratio.
Screen Size and Resolution
Architecture work requires great attention to details. Hence, having a big screen is always a great plus. Hence, we recommend getting 15 inch or 17 inch laptop.
Resolution
We consider high resolution as good to have spec than must have feature. For architecture work, we believe FHD resolution is more than enough. Nevertheless, you are always welcome to get a laptop with 4K, or QHD resolution, as it will gear you with upcoming future trends.
I/O
This is one of the most important features yet is often ignored. The types of I/O you want completely depends upon your style of working. If you are an architect or a student who likes to connect your laptop to an external monitor for that needed extra real estate, then an HDMI 2.0 port is the must have port.
Also, it will be good to have a USB type C port or even thunderbolt 3 ports if you are someone who is interested in hooking up multiple monitors or external GPU. Beside that some of the basic must have I/O is USB 3.0, and Bluetooth 4.0.
We hope our recommendation was brief and clear. Now lets take a peek at our 7 best laptops for architecture students and architects. After going through a wide array of laptops, we concluded the following 7 laptops as the ultimate contender for your needs.
1. Microsoft Surface Book 2
Best windows laptop for architecture students 2019
To find a meticulously designed thin portable yet high performance laptop is a dream come true for any architecture students. Microsoft surface book 2 just might be the answer to those who seek a powerful laptop with great mobility.
Featuring 8th generation Intel core i7-8650U quad core processor with the turbo boost clocked @4.20GHz; it can overcome every challenge with super smooth efficiency. We can see on average of 40 percent improvement in Intel 8th gen CPU over their previous 7th generation. This is a huge upgrade from Intel in almost last 7 years.
The significant thing you will find in this laptop is its 6GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GTX 1060 GPU. Microsoft somehow figure out the way to insert GTX 1060 video card in such a thin laptop.
It’s commendable how Microsoft kept the CPU behind their screen and GPU on the keyboard part of the laptop. It is one tough and expensive engineering challenge to overcome. This is why we guess Microsoft surface edition is one of its kind.
Its other architecture friendly attributes include 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, battery life up to 17 hours and 4K resolution in its 15-inch touch screen.
Weighing about 4.2 pounds this laptop has the best mobility aspect of its class. Its push-button to transform into tablet coupled with surface pen is what makes this laptop handy for students as they often find this feature crucial tool in their daily workflow.
Priced under $3000, this is one expensive laptop. You can find a similar laptop for around half the prices if you are willing to cut its key features like thinness, tablet mode, surface pen and 4K display.
Specifications for Microsoft Surfacebook 2
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8650U 1.90 GHz (turbo to 4.20 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15 inch Touch IPS (3260 x 2160) Ultra HD display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.2lbs/ 0.9 inches |
| Battery | Up to 17 hours |
| Price | Under $3000 |
| Additional feature | Stylus pen |
| I/O |
|
Powerful thin and light 2-in-1 laptop
Long battery life
Excellent display
Great keyboard and touchpad
Comparatively expensive
No thunderbolt 3 support
2. Lenovo ThinkPad P51
Best workstation laptop for architects 2019
If you are a professional architect looking for an ultimate powerhouse, then look no further than Lenovo P51. Backed by ISV certification there is no doubt that many leading independent vendors like Autodesk had thrown some demanding testing before accrediting this beast.
Featuring 7th gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad core processor clocked @ 2.8-3.8 GHz, it offers that optimum performance and software stability demanded by 3D modeling software like Sketchup. Further, its processor harbors hyper threading and 6M caches which make this CPU, hard to bottleneck even with large and complex projects.
Like we mention above it is armed with CAD friendly GPU from NVIDIA Quadro. Its 4GB of NVIDIA Quadro M1200M is tailored to fast calculate your 3D modeling and rendering with high level of accuracy.
Many 3D modeling software are designed to run via GPU, which could eliminate the hassle of power sharing between CPU, thus giving you the supercharged performance you always desired.
The next appealing feature is its 32 GB of DDR4 RAM (upgradable to 64GB). Now you can perform as much as multitasking you can. Actually, it is more than what we have recommended for but its always good to have more than less.
You will enjoy the perks of huge space and fast speed with its 1TB solid-state drive. Its addition features like fingerprint scanner, spill resistant keyboard, 15.6 FHD IPS display, thunderbolt 3 even makes it better contender for architecture laptop.
This powerhouse will cost you around $2000. This might be little expensive for those who are on a tight budget, but we still think it is the must have gear for professional architects and architecture students as it covers all the bells and whistle required by any architecture software.
Specifications for Lenovo ThinkPad P51
| Processor | 7th Gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.80 GHz (turbo to 3.80 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA Quadro M1200M GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 1TB SSD |
| Display | 15.6 inch FHD IPS display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 5.9 lbs/ 1.02 inches |
| Battery | Up to 9 hours |
| Price | Under $2100 |
| Additional feature | Fingerprint reader |
| I/O |
|
Robust performance
Good battery life
Backed by a 3 year warranty
ISV Certified
Dim display for the price
Heavy & bulky
Expensive
3. Dell XPS 9560
Best dell laptop for architecture students 2019
Designed with the mindset of work-oriented activities, Dell XPS 9560 might be the your answer to deal with that power hungry application without breaking your bank.
Dell XPS 9560 is probably best in the class. It is geared with Intel i7 processor and Nvidia 1050 graphic card yet it weighs only 4.26 lbs and 0.86 inches tall. It’s probably the best thin & light powerful laptop. With this powerful fusion of Processor and graphics card, it sure can pull some heavy project rendering without a glitch.
It comes with 16gb RAM needed for repetitive multitasking. Its best in class exterior built is complimented by excellent trackpad and good lighting keyboard. It wouldn’t be a work-oriented laptop if its battery life sucks. You can expect to last for at least 8 hours on a full charge even under heavy stressed workload.
To seal the deal, it has the top of the class IPS panel that can display 4K content. Its 4K panel has above standard 350 nits brightness. Thanks to its infinity edge display; it has excellent color accuracy with true to life image quality derive from 99 percent RGB coverage and 99 percent Adobe RGB coverage.
With hdmi port, thunderbolt port, USB type C, the port selections in this laptop are pretty standard for its price.
Everything in this laptop looks exceptional except for few glitches. One of the major problems is its thermal limitation. If you push this device little hard it will hit the thermal throttle.
Considering its thin and light size with the GTX 1050 its thermal throttle is expected. To be honest at this time, if you want thin & light powerful laptop, even with some level of thermal throttle Dell XPS 9560 is still the best in its class.
Specifications for Dell XPS 9560
| Processor | 7th Gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.80 GHz (turbo to 3.80 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15.6 inch Touch IPS (3840 x 2160) 4K Ultra HD display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.26 lbs/ 0.86 inches |
| Battery | Up to 12 hours |
| Price | Under $1600 |
| Additional Feature | Fingerprint Reader |
| I/O |
|
Great work oriented powerful laptop
Good battery life
Arguably the best display in the market
Awesome design with excellent keyboard & trackpad
Thermal throttle
Bad webcam placement
Mediocre speaker for the price tag
4. Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD
Best budget architecture laptop for students 2019
Priced under $1100, this 17 inch thin laptop quiet doesn’t fit the idea of the best budget at the first glance. But if you look carefully and compare its specs with other laptops you will soon realize it is the special one.
Asus VivoBook Pro weighs around 4.6 pounds and is only 0.8 thin. For its extra portability, thinness and 8 hours battery life, it is still able to pack a powerful performance with 8th generation Intel core i7-8550U (1.8Hz to 4.0GHz) processor and 4GB of Nvidia GTX 1050.
Now, many manufacturers are using Intel core i7-8550U 15W TDP instead of power hungry 45W TDP i7-7700HQ in their latest version laptops. This is the sole reason why Asus VivoBook Pro is thin yet delivers a stunning performance with great battery life.
It comes loaded with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and Combo storage of 256GB SSD plus 1TB HDD. It would be great to see 512GB of SSD instead of 1TB HDD, but we guess Asus have to cheap out somewhere to keep their laptop under this price point.
Still the combo drive storage is not as bad as it looks. Architecture students can install the OS and program files in the SSD and use the HDD for files and folders.
The use of plastic frame with the accent of brushed aluminum on the palm rest and the display lid doesn’t strike as a premium laptop but overall built quality is good. Its keyboard and trackpad is not the top of the line yet the layout feels ok and many average people find them decent enough to get the work done.
The Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705UD uses a mediocre IPS panel displaying FHD resolution. However, with the 350 nits brightness, 100 percent sRGB coverage, and 1440:1 contrast ratio, the picture quality is excellent.
The port selection includes headphone combo jack, RJ45, a HDMI port, 2 x USB 2.0, a USB 3.0, a USB 3.1 type C (Gen1) and SD card Reader. They should have included thunderbolt 3 at this price tag yet USB type C is not a bad alternative.
The overall performance is great at this price point. There is some level of overheating, especially if you push it hard, but for the most part of the student architecture works it is the great value laptop.
Specifications for AsusBook VivoBook Pro
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U 1.80 GHz (turbo to 4.0 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD; 1TB HDD |
| Display | 17 inch FHD IPS display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.6/ 0.8 inches |
| Battery | Up to 8 hours |
| Price | Under $1200 |
| Finish | Metallic gray aluminum & plastic |
| I/O |
|
Good performance
Excellent audio quality
Satisfying price to value ratio
Difficult to get inside the internal of this device
Thermal limitation
No thunderbolt 3 support
5. GIGABYTE Aero 15X
Best gaming laptop for architecture students 2019
An excellent gaming laptop with industrial components is what GIGABYTE Aero 15X stands for. Its thin & light yet robust performance makes it really good for creative workers like architecture students.
Driven by the Intel core i7-8750H (2.2GHz-4.1GHz) and mighty 8GB of GDDR5 Nvidia GTX 1070, it can run all triple A titles and 3D rendering at exceptional speed.
To pack GTX 1070 in a thin 0.78 inch chassis with 94watt battery makes this laptop top contender for any profession. For speed and storage, it is loaded with 16GB of RAM (upgradeable to 32GB) and 512GB of NVME SSD.
The star of the show for this specific laptop is its display. It has a premium IPS panel displaying 4K UHD resolutions up to 144Hz frame rate. Now, gamers can take full advantage of 144Hz refresh rate, as GTX 1070 is fully capable of rendering higher frame rate in almost all games. Games just look so much better in higher frame rates.
Even if you are not gamers having a windows laptop at higher frame rates look awesome. This display does not have a G-sync. But we don’t think it will be any problem as G-sync is only useful at lower frame rates between 40 to 60. Instead not having a G-sync is a great plus as it has increased its battery performance up to 10 hours
Overall, its build quality is above standard. It is mostly aluminum with some plastic accents. For the port selection it has a thunderbolt 3, 3 USB3.1, an HDMI 2.0 and a mini DisplayPort 1.4 ports. Also the support of UHS 3 SD card has made this laptop great for someone who uses SD card on a regular basis.
Everything looks impressive on this laptop. However, like every other laptop we were able to find certain flaws in it too. The Speakers are not good for its class. The keyboard and trackpad layout is ok, but it really needed a little more power to activate. Well, this might be not much for all the great many features with awesome thermal performance that it holds.
Specifications for Gigabyte Aero 15x
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2 GHz (turbo to 4.1 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1070 GPU with 8GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15.6 inch (3840 x 2160) 4K Ultra HD display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.62 lbs/ 0.7 inches |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours |
| Price | Under $2500 |
| Additional feature | FHD IPS panel with 144Hz refresh rate |
| I/O |
|
Powerful thin & light gaming laptop
Excellent display with 144hz refresh rate
Best thermal performance
Wonderful battery life
Fine port selection
Acceptable fan noise
Ordinary speakers
Keyboard & trackpad need more pressure to activate
6. Acer Aspire E15
Best cheap laptop for architecture students 2019
To be honest, this laptop is only for the beginners or someone whose works demand only mid level of 2D modeling and rendering. It is the least powerful laptop in our listing, but for the price it packs a serious punch.
It comes in two different variations with the higher end costing $100 more. Since its higher end cost under $800 and is more fitted to architecture work we will be focusing on it.
Acer geared this laptop with Intel core i7-8550U and 2GB of Nvidia MX150 graphics to box some power under its hood. This blend of GPU and CPU is good for mid level architecture work and will play some games after assignment.
You can find a laptop with Intel i7 & Nvidia 1050 for only $100 more, but we still think it is a good choice for architecture students who are on tight budget. Its 7 to 8 hours battery life and its lighter than its competitors aspects makes it appealing to creative workers who have to go full day on a single charge.
For multitasking it comes only loaded with 8GB of RAM. Since, RAMs are dirt-cheap nowadays, you can always upgrade it to 16GB to hit that sweet spot for hassle free work environment.
It is offered with 256GB SSD. It will be enough for a while, but you will need an external storage or upgrade it with higher storage in future.
Its design and built are not top of the line, but for the price tag, the fully plastic build is acceptable. You will find a plastic chassis with shiny accents in its Acer logo & the rim around the touchpad.
The thermal is quiet impressive. With the USB3.1 Type C Gen1, USB 3.0 ports, DVD drive, SD card reader & HDMI port, the port selection is satisfying.
The only unacceptable flaw in this laptop is its display. Even Acer claims it has an IPS FHD display, with around 200nits its below than some of its competitors. The layout of the keyboard and trackpad is ok, but trackpad can be pretty slimy at times.
It weights 5.27 pounds and 1.19 inch thick. You may think it as heavy and bulky, but for its high battery life and powerful performance it still is the best in its class.
Specifications for Acer Aspire E15
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U 1.8 GHz (turbo to 4.0 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6 inch IPS FHD display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 5.27 lbs/ 1.19 inches |
| Battery | Up to 15 hours |
| Price | Under $800 |
| Finish | All plastic |
| I/O |
|
Good performance for the price
Decent battery life
Affordable
Dim display
Bulky
7. Asus ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GE
A Laptop that inspire innovation in 2019
This laptop may be the true innovative technology that we have seen in years. It has many exceptional aspects for architecture needs, but lets just start this review by answering why it inspires innovation.
This laptop is geared with dual screen mode. With the second screen built into the touchpad itself. The Asus is calling it screen extender mode. It might not feel much, but once you get a hang, it can be very handy.
You can use the touchpad screen as screenpad mode where you basically will be using Asus customized apps like calendar, calculator or music player. Also, you can run it as secondary screen.
The secondary screen can be the application, windows files or whatever you want in your secondary screen. Isn’t it cool? All you need to do is just drag and drop the application via touchpad from screen to screenpad.
We are sure the architecture students will always benefit from the extra real estate. This multiple screen setup can be very useful for multitasking.
For its other specs, it is loaded with Intel Core i9-8950HK (clocked @ 2.9- 4.8 GHz) and 4GB of GDDR5 Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti. With six cores and 12 threads, it is almost impossible to bottleneck its CPU. It’s the Intel top of the line processor.
The next amazing feature is its excellent display. The 83 percent screen to body ratio makes its 4K touch panel almost bezel less. Further, it has one of the best color gamut coverage. With the 100 percent RGB and SRGB color coverage, it will produce some stunning images with high color accuracy.
With 512GB NVMe SSD and 16GB of RAM, students won’t have to complain about their multitasking abilities. However, to the contrary, its RAM is sorted into the motherboard. So, future RAM upgrade is not possible.
The keyboard and trackpad layout, look perfect and works great. The trackpad functionality is not hindered by its screenpad mode. It is made of smooth texture glass.
The laptop is well built with acceptable flex in the chassis. With the 18.9mm thickness and 4.14 pounds the laptop is pretty thin for what it harbors and also it has staggering 9 hour battery life.
With the USB type A, thunderbolt 3, HDMI ports and micro SD card reader the port selection is ok. It would be nice to see full SD card reader than micro, as many creative workers tend to use a full SD card.
The fast charging port and adapter makes it possible to charge 60 percent in less than 49min. With all this outstanding specs you might have guessed its price tag. Yes, it is expensive, but for all these many features; Asus has priced it starting from $1799.
Specifications for Asus ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GE
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK 2.9 GHz (turbo to 4.8 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 memory |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512 GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 15 inch (3840 x 2160) 4K touchpanel Ultra HD display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.14 lbs/ 0.74 inches |
| Battery | Up to 9 hours |
| Price | Starting @ $1800 |
| Additional feature | Touchpad can be used as secondary display |
| I/O |
|
Great performance
Innovative design with dual screen
Stunning Display
Good battery life
RAM sorted in the motherboard
Sloppy keyboard experience
Best Architectural Cad For Mac
Conclusion
We understand that good mobile workstation cost fortune. We have only one workstation recommended in our post. Its not like we don’t want to but since it cost super high and many students are on a tight budget instead we have emphasized our article on gaming GPU.
Easy Cad For Mac
It has been proven that gaming GPU have withstood the rigors calculation demanded by the CAD softwares. In the past when gaming laptop used to be heavy, bulky and power hungry, it was almost impossible to carry around. But, thanks to the advancement of technology, now we can find a thin, light and powerful laptop with acceptable battery performance under fraction of the cost compared to a mobile workstation.
We hope our article was informative. These were our views about best laptops for architecture students and architects. What are you yours? What you do think about our article? If you agree with us, please don’t forget to share. If you have any question, please feel free to use the comment box below. We will get back to you at our earliest convenience. Good Luck with your purchase. Shop Smart!
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ActCAD is a true DWG & DXF CAD Software with complete 2D & 3D features to handle any Complex Project Easily. Low Price & Free Support. Learn more about ActCAD 2020 Professional
ActCAD is a Professional Grade 2D Drafting & 3D Modeling CAD Software with fully loaded features and functions. ActCAD uses most latest Technologies from IntelliCAD, ACIS and Tiegha to delivery reliable and high speed performance. There are many add-on tools like PDF to DXF converter, Image to DXF Converter, Over 5000 Standard Block Libraries. As the interface and commands are very familiar, it is EASY to use ActCAD without any difficulty. Self-license Transfer & Global Validity of Licenses.