Top 8 Best Laptop For Architects [ Saint James Reviews ]

#1. 2021 Apple MacBook Pro M1 - Best Overall

Important Specifications

• Brand: Apple Macbook

• Color: Silver and Space Gray

• CPU: 8-core Apple M1 Ampere Architecture

• GPU: 14-core Apple M1 GPU

• Screen size: 14 inches

• Storage: 512GB SSD

• RAM: 16GB DDR4

Product’s Highlights

No one can talk about designing without mentioning at least one product from Apple. With the newly designed chip technology called Apple M1, Apple has leveraged their hardware lineups to a whole new level.

The laptop has a 14-core GPU built-in, in order to assist you with all the rendering you need, whether it is a building, a bridge, a full garden, or even a city. The newest version of the famous MacOS optimizes the utilization of resources: 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage. For a professional architect, the resources are way beyond enough.

The battery life of your new Apple M1 Pro could last up to 17 hours for general tasks. Because of the full native resolution of 3024x1964 pixels, the 14-inch screen warrants the best-looking screen ever on a laptop. With the addition of the P3 color gamut to the repertoire, the quality of color grading, touch-ups, and animation rendering has improved. The IPS Retina display is perhaps the sharpest on the market, with true-to-life images and the deepest blacks available.

What We Like

• Best appearance

• Long battery life

• Fastest storage ever on a laptop

• Aluminum body

• Useful touchpad

• Good compatibility with Apple device

Things to Consider

• Very expensive

• Easy-broken screen

#2. ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 - Best laptop made by Asus brand

Important Specifications

• Brand: Asus

• Color: Black

• CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 

• RAM: 32GB

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX 450

• Storage: 1TB SSD

Product’s Highlights

The first looks at the product give you an instant stun about its dual-screen. The primary screen is a 14-inch screen with an IPS panel for the best creative experience. The second screen lies on the top half of the keyboard, making space for extra features like color pickers, layer managers, rendering property inspectors, etc.

The Intel Core i7-1165G7 chipset from Asus elevates the professional experience to new heights. The mentioned CPU has a turbo clock speed of 4.7GHz. Furthermore, the single-core processing performance is excellent, allowing the device to produce content quickly.

The ASUS combines a backlit keyboard with good essential travel, a dual-functional and fast touchpad, and a one-touch system lock feature for tight control of the webcam, microphones, and snip tools ZenBook Duo 14 redefines productivity.The cooling fans' ability and carefully positioned vents also provide an incredible thermal setup.This workstation-grade notebook also includes sufficient speakers.

What We Like

• Dual-screen.

• Good processor.

• A lot of RAM.

• Good brand reputation.

Things to Consider

• Not the best graphics card.

• Expensive.

• Bad battery life.

#3. MSI Creator 15 - Best architecture laptop from a gaming brand

Important Specifications

• Brand: MSI

• Color: Black

• CPU: Intel Core i7-10800H

• RAM: 16GB

• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 3060

• Storage: 1TB SSD

Product’s Highlights

MSI provides the excellent and much anticipated Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, with eight cores. HyperThreading refers to the fact that the CPU has 16 logical cores to work with, which is very handy for complicated 3D graphics. The 4.6GHz single-core turbo clock speed is beneficial for processing plugins better.

GPU-intensive activities such as graphics rendering, video editing, and 3D modeling using Ray Tracing and AI-Enhanced visuals are possible with the RTX 3060 GPU at the helm. In addition, you'll get 6GB of VRAM to aid the graphics card in GPU-accelerated renderings and tasks. The RTX 30-series GPU isn't as perfect as the Quadro processing units; it renders and models well.

This is one of the medium-weighted professional notebooks on our list, at 5.39 pounds. Despite the elegant design, MSI Creator does not skimp on networking features. You have access to HDMI, Type-C, and other connectors to buy with, whether you're connecting external displays or transmitting data. The battery on offer meets expectations and can last up to 10 hours before needing to be recharged.

What We Like

• High-performance CPU

• Lots of connectivities

• GeForce GTX 3060

• 1TB of storage

Things to Consider

• Gaming design

• Sturdy

#4. Acer Predator Helios 300 - Best Value

Important Specifications

• Brand: Acer Predator

• Color: Black

• CPU: Core i7-10750H

• RAM: 16GB

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060

Product’s Highlights

Processing performance, notably in 3D rendering and simulation, is handled by the Intel Core i7-10750H chipset. In addition to its hexa-core architecture, the CPU can reach turbo clock rates of up to 5GHz. The 12-threaded CPU of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 GPU can perform some of the most complicated graphics-intensive workloads.

The 15.6-inch screen is color accurate and features LED backlighting, particularly important for power savings. The IPS display features a 144Hz refresh rate, which is more than enough. When paired with a 3ms overdrive response time, the higher refresh rate allows for faster picture loading and more realistic simulations. Color grading for touch-ups in Illustrator and Photoshop is a breeze, thanks to the 72 percent NTSC color gamut.

The laptop was mainly designed for gamers; therefore, it might not fit all the architects out there, especially design-loving persons.

What We Like

• Powerful and well-paired hardware

• 72% NTSC Screen

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060

• Large screen

Things to Consider

• Gaming design

• Heavy weight

#5. Lenovo ThinkPad P15s - Best graphics card

Important Specifications

• Brand: Lenovo ThinkPad

• Color: Black

• CPU: Core i7-1165G7

• RAM: 32GB

• GPU: NVIDIA Quadro T500

• Storage: 1TB SSD

Product’s Highlights

Line in the respected ThinkPad models, this laptop is perfect for not only architects but also businessmen, designers, and content creators. The Lenovo ThinkPad P15s is a workstation-grade notebook that can quickly model and develop 2D and 3D architecture blueprints. This device offers a lot of potential for students and entry-level workers.

The CPU is an Intel Core i7-1165G7, with the NVIDIA Quadro T500 GPU providing official drivers and allowing for more accurate renders and models than consumer-grade graphics cards. The featured processing unit has 4GB VRAM and 896 parallel processing CUDA cores, in addition to GPU hardware acceleration.

The laptop can work continuously for 7.5 hours tops, while featuring all the popular ports including USB-A, USB-C with Thunderbolts, and external HDMI display ports, being one of the best extension sets we have ever seen.

What We Like

• Affordable price

• Battery-saving CPU

• Large storage

• Good GPU

Things to Consider

• Less powerful processor

• Short battery life than other competitors.

#6. Microsoft Surface Book 3 - Best Battery Life

Important Specifications

• Brand: Microsoft

• Color: White, Black

• CPU: Intel Core i5 / Intel Core i7

• RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB

• GPU: Integrated graphics

• Storage: 512GB/1TB/2TB

Product’s Highlights

As a child of the Microsoft family, we can assure ourselves that this laptop is fully compatible with the Windows operating system to the tiniest bit. Microsoft has defined the Surface brand as a 2-in-1 or convertible laptop, which can fully function as a tablet and a computer at the same time.

Despite the tablet design, it still features the latest Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7 CPU and up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. The configuration settings can satisfy any mobile needs of anyone in the world, whether they are professionals or not.

Surface Pro has better battery life than the MacBook Pro M1 we introduced earlier. The battery can power the laptop for up to 17.5 hours a day, twice as much as a typical 9-to-5 working day. Therefore, there is no need for any other tools when you have the ultimate one in your hands.

Unfortunately, the system hardware is not upgradeable, which means you’ll have to stick with the configuration you have at purchase times. Another disadvantage of this laptop is that Microsoft sacrificed the graphics card to have a thin design, and the only current GPU on the computer is the integrated one.

What We Like

• Battery life.

• Windows compatibility.

• Convertible design.

• Surface pen ready.

Things to Consider

• Expensive.

• No discrete GPU.

#7. Razer Blade 15 - Best performance

Important Specifications

• Brand: Razer

• CPU: i7-11800H

• RAM: 32GB

• GPU: GTX 3080

• Backlit keyboard

Product’s Highlights

The Razer Blade is exceptionally the best-performance laptop ever. Razer has recently joined the laptop market, and Blade is their first-ever lineup. Razer defines the laptop as a laptop for gamers without targeting it to be affordable. Hence, everything we see on the laptop makes us feel like the most powerful person in the world.

Razer Blade 15 features an Intel Core i7-11800H, the outstanding GeForce GTX 3080 GPU, and 32GB of RAM at the heart of the computing section. There are three options for screens: 165Hz, 240Hz, and 320Hz. Who can even imagine the processing power needed for that sort of refresh rate?

The keyboard is also beautifully designed, with short travel distance keys and Razer Chroma backlighting, enhancing the experience by delivering an aesthetic feel even when the lights are off.

What We Like

• High computing power.

• The best graphics card on the computer market.

• High screen refresh rates.

Things to Consider

• Short battery life if using GPU.

• Sturdy gaming design.

#8. Acer Swift X - Best Affordable laptop

Important Specifications

• Brand: Acer Swift.

• Color: Silver

• CPU: Ryzen 5 5800U

• RAM: 16GB

• GPU: GTX 3050

• Storage: 1TB

Product’s Highlights

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U chipset is at the heart of the reviewed model, and it supports Turbo Boost and HyperThreading.

These capabilities make managing BIM-centric software like Revit a breeze. Furthermore, with a single-core turbo clock speed of up to 4.4GHz, the Swift X readily qualifies as a capable notebook for rendering 2D designs in 3D utilizing Lumion and V-Ray. The mobile SoC is assisted in rendering by the RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which has 4GB VRAM.

In addition, the present graphics card can assist aspiring architects and students generate realistic virtualization while allowing them to work with predetermined samples. 2D and 3D modeling boost with the high-speed, 16GB RAM.

The laptop is of the affordable type, being suitable if you need an entry-level performance level and don’t want to spend a huge amount of money to start the path.

What We Like

• Affordable design

• RTX 3050 Ti graphics card

• Creative design

Things to Consider

• Ryzen CPU might be incompatible sometimes

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1. What matters most as a laptop for architects?

Two things matter most to architects: performance and compatibility. Performance comes when architects need a tool to render their ideas into images, videos, or actual 3D figures. At the same time, compatibility enables you to work with various kinds of accessories, including Wacom tablets, pens, projectors, and printers.

2. How much RAM do I need?

An architect laptop usually has more than or equal to 16GB of RAM. However, if you plan to use heavy lifting software such as 3DS Max or Maya, it is recommended that you get a 32GB-of-RAM laptop.

3. Should I sacrifice mobility for performance?

Sacrificing mobility for performance is not necessarily something you should consider here. You can still have a relatively thin laptop, just not the highest one. Feel free to look at other articles at our sites to get the best for your needs.

4. How long should I expect my laptop to last?

People usually expect their laptops to last for 6 to 7 years; however, you can get a computer to use for a decade or more with a good choosing process. However, you also need to regularly take good care of your laptop with appropriate cleaning, polishing, and maintenance.

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A laptop for architects is a laptop that can handle extensive computing tasks while creating a feeling of creativity for the owners.

Buying the best laptops for architects always means spending lots of money purchasing. However, with some research on the products, you can save as much as possible to get what you need.

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