Architects or Architecture Students needs a good quality laptop with high specification. Earlier CAD works were rendered in 2D using only Autodesk AutoCAD, choosing a laptop for the design was simple and easy.
Nowadays, 3D modelling is introduced, architecture students’ needs high specification laptop to run BIM software’s like Revit, Vectorworks, and ArchiCAD.
All those software vary in hardware, one can find them in a maze flooded with laptops while shopping for an ideal architecture laptop.
So, when searching for the Best Laptop for Architecture Students and Architects 2022, you should consider the following factors before buying a laptop.
Things to know before buying The Best Laptop for Architecture Students and Architects:
Processor: One of the most important parts of a laptop is its processor. If the processor is faster then you will get high performance. If your processor is slow then it will take much time to load applications. So, the most important thing is that while buying a laptop you should focus first on the processor.
For Architecture Students you need to run high powerful software you should go for i5 if your budget is limited or else you can go for i7 if you are on a high budget.
RAM: To do a smooth working experience and to handle such heavy software you need good RAM. And again if your budget is limited you should go for 8GB RAM and if you high budget you should go for 12GB or 16GB RAM.
Graphics Card: For Normal computational purposes normal graphics card is enough. But if you use high-end software then you should go for a dedicated graphics card.
Storage: Nowadays many laptops come with SSD and HDD storage. Choose the storage that depends on your budget. If you need faster storage then go for SSD and if you need more storage then go for HDD.
Display: Again if you are on a low budget go for a 15-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and if you are on a high budget then go for a 17inch display. It all depends on your need and budget.
These points will help you to choose the best laptop for architecture students.
My Top Best Laptop for Architecture Students and Architects 2022:
[wpsm_comparison_table id=”6″ class=””]
1. Microsoft Surface Book
It is one of the best laptop for architecture students. It is a very powerful two-in-one laptop. One can run any project or perhaps every software needed for Architecture Students, runs smoothly. You can grab all those benefits of the Surface Pro + a dedicated graphics card with the Surface Book 2.
Performance: The performance of Microsoft Surface Book 2 is on a whole different level. Its full power might be in fact too much for Architecture Students and Architects. It can support a CPU up to an 8th generation Quad Core i7 processor with 4.2 GHz for clock speed which can also be paired with 16GB DDR4 RAM and a 1TB SSD for storage.
The PCIe NVMe based SSD is x17 faster than a regular spinning HDD.
The GFX is a 10th generation card and it is very powerful. You have to choose between that: GTX 1060 and GTX 1050.
Display and Design: You can buy 15” with the 1060GTX or buy the cheaper 13.5” with the 1050GTX. Both models have very high resolution. The battery runs perhaps 9-10 hours. This is because of the very high power and CPU and GPU.
Microsoft Surface Book 2 is entirely made of aluminium and a convertible laptop for architects to draw/design/take notes on the fly.
Specification Recap :
| 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 | Starting @ $3000 |
| Additional feature | Stylus pen |
| I/O | • 2 x USB 3.0-Type-A • 1 x USB 3.1-Type C • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD card reader |
2. Asus ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GE
The ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580GE-XB74T) is a high-end performance laptop from Asus that’s aimed at power users. This laptop also has a dual-screen mode.
A powerful and stylish laptop well suited for Architecture Students and Architects.
The laptop is backed with Intel Core i9-8950HK (clocked @ 2.9- 4.8 GHz) and 4GB of GDDR5 Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti.
The amazing feature of this laptop is that it has one of the best colour gamut coverage. It will produce amazing stunning images with colour accuracy because of the 100 per cent RGB and SRGB colour coverage. The next best feature of this laptop is that its 83 per cent screen to body ratio makes its 4K touch panel almost bezel-less.
Students will not have any complaints about their multitasking issues because of the presence of 512GB NVMe SSD and 16GB of RAM.
The thickness and weight of this laptop are 18.9mm and 4.14 pounds.
Moreover, the laptop provides a 9-hour battery life.
All the required ports required for connectivity are provided.
Specification Recap :
| 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 @ $1800 |
| Additional feature | The touchpad can be used as a secondary display |
| I/O | • 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen2) Type C with Thunderbolt 3 • 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen2) Type A • 1 x HDMI 2.0 • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD card reader |
3. Acer Aspire E 15
If you are very tight on budget then this laptop is for you. Acer Aspire E 15 may be the best option for you if your budget is below 600$. This is the best laptop for architecture students. Acer Aspire E 15 comes with amazing features and configuration which is the best laptop for architects 2022.
This laptop comes with an 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor which clocked up to 3.4GHz. This laptop is also backed with 8GB of dual-channel RAM which will help architecture students to do multitasking.
It also has storage of 256GB of SSD storage space which may not be enough for everyone.
It is also loaded with 2GB of NVIDIA GeForce MX150 dedicated graphics. Speaking about the display, it has got 15.6 inches of full HD widescreen LED-lit IPS display and with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
The amazing feature of these laptops is that it provides you up to 15 hours of battery backup on a single charge.
It is also backed up with the Acer True Harmony audio system which will give you a better experience while watching movies and listening to music.
Based on all these specifications, we can say that this laptop is overall a good budget laptop for architecture students.
Specification Recap :
| 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 | • 2 x USB 3.0 Port • 1x USB 3.1-Type C (Gen1) • 1 x HDMI 1.4 • 1 x DVD drive • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD card reader |
4. GIGABYTE Aero 15X
Gigabyte Aero is a light and thin laptop for creative workers like architecture students. It is an excellent laptop for students and gamers.
Gigabyte Aero is loaded with an Intel Core i7-8750H (2.2GHz-4.1GHz) processor and 8GB of GDDR5 Nvidia GTX 1070 Graphics. It can render all 3D projects at exceptional speed.
Speaking about storage and speed, it is backed with 16GB of RAM (upgradeable to 32GB) and 512GB of NVME SSD.
This laptop also has a premium IPS panel displaying 4K UHD resolutions up to 144Hz frame rate.
Moreover, the build quality is amazing. It is mostly aluminium with some plastic accents.
All the ports required for connectivity are present.
The laptop provides 10 hours of battery backup.
There’s no doubt that this mobile workstation earned its spot on our best laptop for architecture students list.
Specification Recap :
| 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 | • 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A ports (Gen1) • 1x USB 3.1-Type-A (Gen2) • 1x USB Type C with Thunderbolt 3 • 1 x HDMI 2.0 • 1 x mini DP 1.4 • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD card reader |
5. Asus VivoBook Pro
Asus VivoBook Pro is a light and thin portable laptop with a bigger display. It has a 17.3-inch full HD display with a 72% NTSC colour gamut with provides deeper, richer and more accurate colours.
It is loaded with an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor with turbo boost technology up to 4.0GHz. Asus VivoBook Pro is backed by mammoth 16GB of DDR4 RAM.
It comes with storage of 256GB of Fast and Secure SSD + 1TB of huge HDD. This huge storage can store all your professional and private data without any problem.
Speaking about the graphics, it is backed with 4GB of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 dedicated graphics card.
Besides this entire configuration, it has fast charging technology which charges up to 60% of the battery in just 50 minutes. This laptop comes with SonicMaster software optimizations. All the required ports and slots for connectivity are provided.
Specification Recap :
| 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 | 17.3-inch FHD IPS display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.6/ 0.8 inches |
| Battery | Up to 8 hours |
| Price | Under $1200 |
| Finish | Metallic grey aluminium & plastic |
| I/O | • 2 x USB 2.0 ports • 1x USB3.1-Type C • 1x USB3.1-Type A • 1 x HDMI 1.4 • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD card reader |
6. Dell XPS 15 9560
The Dell XPS 15 is the larger version of the Dell XPS 13. It is mostly designed for work-oriented activities.
Dell XPS 15 is loaded with the Intel i7 processor and Nvidia 1050 graphic card. The weight is 4.26lbs and it’s 0.86 inches tall. It is one of the best laptop for architects. With this powerful processor and features, it can run all heavy software architecture students and architects.
It is also backed with 16GB RAM needed for multitasking purposes. It provides 8hours of long battery backup.
The XPS 15 comes with 512GB SSD storage which performs quite fast. The read and write speeds of the laptop are 3000 MB, 1550 MB respectively.
Speaking about the display of this laptop, it has an IPS panel that can display 4K content.
All the ports required for connectivity are present in this device.
One of the major problems is its thermal limitation. If you push this device a little hard it will hit the thermal throttle.
Specification Recap :
| 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 | • 2 x USB 3.0 ports • 1x USB3.1-Type C with Thunderbolt 3 • 1 x HDMI 2.0 • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD card reader |
7. Lenovo ThinkPad P51
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 is full is a full-fledged mobile workstation for professionals. If you are a professional architect then this might be a good option for you.
It is loaded with a 7th gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad-core processor clocked @ 2.8-3.8 GHz. All 3D modelling software like Sketchup can easily run on this machine.
It is backed with CAD friendly GPU from NVIDIA Quadro. Its 4GB of NVIDIA Quadro M1200M is tailored to fast calculate your 3D modelling and rendering with a high level of accuracy.
The next amazing feature of this laptop is that it has 32 GB of DDR4 RAM (upgradable to 64GB). You can do multitasking without any worry.
Speaking about the storage, it has a huge storage of 1TB SSD.
Its additional features are fingerprint scanner, spill-resistant keyboard, 15.6 FHD IPS display, thunderbolt 3 even makes it a better contender for architecture laptops.
All the ports required for connectivity are present in this device.
This powerhouse will cost you around $2000.
Specification Recap :
| 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 | • 4 x USB 3.0 ports • 1 x Thunderbolt 3 • 1 x mini DisplayPort • 1 x HDMI 1.4b • 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack • SD & ExpressCard/34 slot card reader |
8. HP ZBook 17 G2 Mobile Business Workstation
This is one of the best laptop for architects 2022.
It has a 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4710MQ processor with a clock speed between 2.5 and 3.5 GHz and features a Quad-Core CPU.
The screen of this laptop is 17.3 inches and backlit with LED technology. The keyboard is also backlit and spill-resistant, to boot.
The hard drive of this device is 1TB and it runs at 7200RPM, with upgrades available.
Furthermore, it has a Full High Definition 300cd/m2 display featuring anti-glare technology and a 1,920 by 1,080 maximum resolution.
It has a drive of the SuperMulti DL DVD+/RW Optical variety and exceptional graphics. It has a 2GB GDDR5 AMD FirePro M6100 Graphics facility, a Display Port 1.2, VGA slots and 1600 MHz PC3-12800 RAM.
Specification Recap :
| Processor | 3.10 and 3.30 GHz Intel Core i7-4940MX |
| GPU | NVIDIA Quadro K5100M |
| RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Storage | 1TB 7200 RPM SATA, 256 PCIe SSD |
| Screen | 1920×1080 |
| Weight/ Thickness | 7.42 pounds |
| Optical drive | DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL |
| Ports | • 2 USB 3.0 • 1x USB 3.0 charging • 1 USB 2.0, DP 1.2 • 1 Thunderbolt 2 • 1 RJ45 • 1 docking connector • 1 secondary battery connector • 1 VGA • 1 Express Card/54 • 1 SD • 1 SmartCard reader |
| Connectivity | WLAN: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 802.11 a/b/g/n (2×2) |
| Camera | 720p HD |
| Size | 16.37 x 10.7 x 1.33 in |
| Operating system | Windows 7 |
Also Read: Best Laptops For Mechanical Engineering Students
9. MSI GE72 APACHE PRO-242
This laptop is specially designed for hardcore gamers, architecture students and professionals. This is also one of the best laptop for architecture students in 2022.
It is loaded with i7-5700HQ 2.7 GHz Processor, which will help us to render the heavy software required for architecture students.
It is also backed with NVIDIA GeForce GTX970M with 3GB GDDR5 VRAM GPU which makes it great for architectural software. Its GPU is undoubtedly one of the most powerful GPUs you will find in today’s market.
It also has a dedicated dual cooling system that prevents the laptop from overheating.
Speaking about the display of this device, it 17-inch IPS panel screen displaying 1,920 by 1,080 pixels which offer a crystal clear image. It is also backed with colourful backlit full-size keypads.
Moreover, it has a 1TB hard drive at 7200 RPM which is enough for storing personal and professional data.
Also, the laptop is fitted with dynamo premium sound speakers and active subwoofers, making it great for watching movies and listening to music.
All the ports required for connectivity are present in this device.
Specification Recap :
| Processor | 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ (quad-core, 6MB cache, up to 3.5GHz with Turbo Boost) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M (2GB GDDR5 RAM) |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 (2,133MHz) |
| Storage | 128GB M.2 SATA SSD; 1TB SATA HDD (7,200RPM) |
| Screen | 17.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD, eDP, non-reflection matte display |
| Weight/ Thickness | 5.95 pounds (2.69kg) |
| Optical drive | DVD Super-Multi |
| Ports | • LAN • HDMI 1.4 • Mini DisplayPort • USB-C • 2 x USB 3.0 • USB 2.0 • Headphone jack • Microphone jack • SD reader |
| Connectivity | Killer E2400 Game Networking, WLAN Intel 3165 Stone Peak 1 (1×1) |
| Camera | 1080p FHD |
| Size | 16.49 x 11.02 x 1.14 inches (41.9 x 27.9 x 2.89cm; W x D x H) |
10. Toshiba Satellite C55-C5241
It is one of the best laptop for architecture students under $500. It is for those who are on a very tight budget. And if you are starting your studies as a beginner in the architecture field then also you can go for this laptop.
It is loaded with Intel Core i5-5200U Processor. It might be difficult to render the heavy software required for architecture students. It] has Mobile Intel HD 5500 graphics is obviously not the best in the market, but it still possesses a GPU that can help get you through your assignments.
Speaking about the display of this device, it has a 15.6-inch screen that displays 1,366 by 768 pixels and comes equipped with 1TB of HDD storage.
It has 8GB RAM which is good enough for multitasking.
The weight of this laptop is 4.8 pounds with a 1-inch thickness.
Speaking about battery life, it provides 8 hours of long battery life which is more than enough for average laptops.
It is backed with three USB ports; HDMI ports; DVD drives and SD card slots, connecting multi-devices can be easy.
Specification Recap :
| Processor | Intel Core i5-5200U 5th Gen dual-core 2.2-2.7GHz 3MB cache (User Benchmark CPU score: 37) |
| GPU | Intel HD 5500 integrated graphics (User Benchmark GPU score: 6) |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 1000GB (1TB) SSD |
| Screen | 15.6-inch |
| Weight/ Thickness | 4.8 pounds |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11N |
| Screen Resolution | 1366×768 pixels (HD) |
| Ethernet LAN | YES |
| Camera | FRONT |
11. Samsung Notebook 9 Pro
Contending with the Microsoft Surface Book and the Dell Inspiron in the 2-in-1, PC/tablet crossover market, Samsungs Notebook 9 Pro games a flippable touchscreen and a pointer for portraying in a hurry. For planners that like Samsung items, the Notebook 9 Pro is apparently the companys best PC to date, consolidating strong specs (Intel Core i7 processor, Intel UHD Graphics 620 and up to 2TB SSD extra room) with a lightweight, slim body.
Conclusion:
After doing hard research, my laptop expert team has found the best laptop for architecture engineering students in 2022.
All the above information are collected from the internet. I hope that this laptop buying guide of the best laptop for architects 2022 will help you out to choose the best one for you.
Also Check Out: Best Laptops For Aerospace Engineering Students
1 thought on “Best Laptop for Architecture Students and Architects of 2022”