If you’re a student or a professional working with autocad, it’s imperative that you have the correct tools for the job.
You need something with good enough specifications to run the programme, along with others, well. With that being said, you also want a laptop that’s still pretty affordable so that you’re not breaking the bank.
You may be surprised and pleased to know that there are plenty of laptops on the market that match this criteria.
Of course, as there are certainly plenty of them that also comes with the added problem that it can sometimes be difficult to choose the best laptop for your requirements.
Thankfully, we’re here to help. Read on to find out about some of the best laptops for autocad. We’ve also written a handy buyer’s guide to help to make your decision easier.
1. Asus ROG Zephyrus M Thin
If you’re looking for one of the best laptops for autocad that you can use to accomplish pretty much anything, then you truly cannot go wrong with the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M Thin.
This laptop is ideal not only for gamers but also for architects, mechanical designers and more who are looking for a great laptop to run autocad. In fact, it’s even pretty great in terms of portability.
The laptop features an Intel Core i7-9750H processor, and this is very efficient at dealing with intense 3D modeling tasks.
It is a Hexa Core processor that has an impressive 4.50GHz turbo clock speed, so any tasks you undertake on AutoCad with this laptop will be done with ease.
You also get a powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 GPU with this laptop, so any images that you create can be seen in hyper realistic graphical quality. It also comes equipped with 8GB VRAM.
In addition to this, the laptop comes with 16GB of normal RAM, and a 1TB PCIe Solid State Drive. It has a decent 15.6 inch display which a high resolution.
It’s also incredibly durable, and has an effective cooling fan with minimal noise to boast.
Of course it is pretty expensive as you may expect, so perhaps it’s not the best choice if you’re on a budget.
Pros
- High graphic and processor quality
- Portable
- Durable
Cons
- Very expensive
Buy Here: Amazon
ROG Zephyrus M Thin and Portable Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 144Hz Full HD IPS, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, Intel Core i7-9750H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512B PCIe SSD, Per-Key RGB, Windows 10 Pro, GU502GU-XB74
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2. Lenovo Ideapad L340
If you’re looking for a laptop with a slightly larger screen then the Lenovo Ideapad L340 is a pretty decent choice for you.
It’s designed to be a gaming laptop but the premium quality hardware makes it a great choice for anyone looking to use a laptop for autocad.
The laptop has a 15.6 inch display that’s totally HD and anti glare. It also operates on a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H processor.
It has 16Gb of DDR4 RAM, and an impressive 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTZ 1650 dedicated graphics card. As far as the hard drive is concerned, it comes with a beefy 512GB SSD and 1TB HDD.
The system runs on Windows 10, and it even features a swanky backlit keyboard. The battery life isn’t ideal as is usually the case with gaming style laptops though, with only 5.5 hours of battery life.
Pros
- Lots of RAM
- Powerful processor
- Backlit keyboard
Cons
- 5.5 hours battery life
Buy Here: Amazon
- Powered by latest 9th Generation Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H Processor @ 2.60GHz(6 Cores, 12M Cache, up to 4.50 GHz), Powerful 6-core, twelve-way processing performance.
- 17.3" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 300 nits, Anti-Glare 72% color gamut display; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5 dedicated graphics
- 16GB DDR4 2400 SDRAM Memory for full-power multitasking; 1TB HDD + 512GB PCIE SSD offer enough storage for your files. Pci-e SSDs are great for major gaming applications, multiple servers, daily backups, and more.
- 802.11 AC (2 x 2) + Bluetooth 4.2; 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen. 1), 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x RJ45, 1 x Novo hole, 1 x Combo of 3.5mm Stereo Headphone, 1 x Type C (USB 3.0)
- Windows 10 Home; Backlit Keyboard; Up to 5.5 hours of battery life
3. Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios is yet another fantastic option for anyone looking to use autocad on a high quality machine. It features a lot of things that you are going to love, from a high powered processor to everything else in between.
The laptop has an Intel Core i7-9750H processor and this is complemented with a massive 16GB of DDR4 RAM. This is more than enough to handle complicated autocad tasks with ease.
Furthermore, it also has 6GB of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. As far as storage is concerned it’s also pretty impressive, with 256GB SSD.
The laptop also comes with a 15.6 inch full HD screen, and it also has a decent 6 hours worth of battery life on just one charge. It has a blue backlit keyboard too so if you are gaming then you can do it in the dark where you can still see all of the keys.
It even has a dual fan cooling system which keeps your laptop engine running nice and smoothly while you are working.
Pros
- High storage
- Large display
- Latest processor
Cons
- Heavy
Buy Here: Amazon
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H 6 Core Processor (Up to 4.5GHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15.6 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED backlit IPS Display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness and 72 percentage NTSC)
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots; 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) and 1 Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard; LAN: Killer Ethernet E2500 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN; Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless AC 1550 802. 11ac; 4th Gen All Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
4. Dell G5 G5590-7679BLK PUS
Dell makes some fantastic quality laptops, and it wouldn’t be a ranking of the best laptops for anything without at least one Dell laptop on board. The laptop is perfect for a range of different activities beyond just work. You can use it for gaming, graphics design and so much more.
The laptop comes with a 15.6 inch full HD IPS anti glare display, meaning you can use it to great effect even when you’re enjoying the great outdoors. It is also powered by the Intel Core i7-9750H 9th Gen processor. It’s able to deal with some pretty extensive tasks too thanks to the 16GB of DDR4 RAM.
In terms of storage it’s also pretty decent, with a 1TB HSS and 256GB SSD. This will give you more than enough storage space to get all of your projects done. It also has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GDDR5 graphics coprocessor.
It’s very heavy though so it may not be ideal if you’re travelling around the world as you work.
Pros
- Versatile
- Lots of memory
- High quality graphics
Cons
- Very heavy
Buy Here: Amazon
- Lead the pack with an elegant sleek design that keeps heads turning
- An innovative dual-fan cooling system with an advanced thermal design ensures that your system stays cool as the action heats up
- 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) anti-Glare LED backlight non-touch narrow border IPS display
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4GB GDDR5 Graphics
- 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750h (12MB Cache, up to 4. 5 GHz, 6 Cores)
5. Alienware New M15 Gaming Laptop
If you aren’t super concerned about spending a great deal of money then the Alienware New M15 Gaming Laptop may be just the things you are looking for. It’s perfect for using AutoCad, and not to mention that it also looks pretty cool!
The laptop has a 15.6 inch full HD 155Hz display with impressive color gamut too. This means that you can see every image with the utmost clarity.
Inside the laptop is an Intel Core i7-9750H 6 Core processor and it even has a max clock frequency of 4.5GHz. This makes it more than capable of handling heavy duty software. You can even multitask without much issue due to the 16GB of RAM.
The laptop comes with a 512GB SSD drive which will give you plenty of space for all of your data that you need. It has a lovely NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 dedicated graphics card that will make your projects look amazing.
Pros
- High storage capacity
- Lightweight considering screen size
- High quality graphics
Cons
- Very expensive
Buy Here: Amazon
- Alienware thinnest notebook ever for gamers looking for a thin gaming notebook that does not sacrifice performance or design
- Premium build high-end materials like magnesium alloy copper and steel provide a premium lightweight and performance-driven gaming experience
- Advanced thermal technology Alienware cryo-tech V3 0 optimizes component cooling which maximizes overall performance and keeps your laptop cool to the touch
- Game longer than ever a lithium Ion 76Whr battery delivers longer uninterrupted game play without a charge thanks to an exceptional life span
- Hexagonal honeycomb pattern maximizes airflow efficiency while providing structural rigidity to the overall structure
Best Laptops for Autocad Buyers Guide
So, you’ve seen some of the best laptops out there for autocad. Now what?
You’re still just as confused about what decision to make as you were before. Well, not to worry. Here are a couple of the main things that you need to consider when buying a laptop for autocad.
Processor
The processor is a vital thing to consider when you’re buying a laptop for autocad. If you want the laptop to be able to deal with CAD or 3SDs Max work, then it’s important that you opt for a model with a fast Quad core or a Hexa core processor.
This will help to make sure that all files are rendered easily and quickly. With that being said, you should try to avoid a dual core processor because it simply won’t give you the power that you need in order to be able to deal with AutoCad or any other particularly beefy applications.
If you are struggling in terms of budget and you can’t quite afford something high end, then you should be looking at a minimum at getting an Intel i5 processor. If your budget isn’t too much of a concern though you would be much better suited with an Intel i7 processor.
RAM
CAD software thrives on just eating up your software, especially 3D software. These kinds of programs will munch away at your computer memory faster than you can say ‘I need a laptop for autocad.’
So, what are you supposed to do in this situation? Well, when it comes to autocad you should be considering a laptop with a minimum of 8GB RAM. You don’t necessarily need 16GB unless you’re going to be working with large models in 3D.
As a rule of thumb, if you’re a student that’s studying autocad then you can get away with 8GB of RAM, whereas if you’re a professional that’s working on numerous larger models then you should aim for 16GB in this situation.
On that note, it should be noted that you likely won’t need 32GB or 64GB of RAM. This likely won’t be affecting your render times very much and will likely just be a waste of excess money.
Storage Capacity
The main types of storage that you can currently choose from include SSD, or Solid State Drives and HDD, also known as Hard Disk Drives. Each has their own advantages.
In an ideal world, you should be looking for a laptop with an SSD and in fact, as they are becoming less and less expensive there’s honestly no reason why you shouldn’t be getting a laptop with an SSD. SSDs are handing because they are able to process data very quickly.
This means that you can load up any applications such as autocad on your laptop in no time at all.
With that being said, SSDs usually are a little bit more expensive and they don’t generally tend to provide you with as much storage as you would get with a Hard Disk Drive. So, it may be worth looking for a laptop with SSD and HDD.
If you’re a student then the chances are that you’ll only have one or two projects, so nothing too strenuous on the memory side of things. A 256GB SSD will probably answer your prayers.
If you’re a professional using autocad then you may wish to get a laptop with a 256GB+ SSD, and then you may also wish to get a 1TB internal or external HDD to give you just a little bit of extra much needed space.
GPU
A decent GPU can make a big impact on your AutoCad Experience. It means that you aren’t going to get a lot of lag when it comes to viewing 3D models. There are two main types of graphics cards – integrated and dedicated.
Essentially, an integrated graphics card is already build into the CPU so they have the same memory. This means that they are able to cope with 3D objects but they aren’t quite as good as dedicated graphics cards which are essentially their own entity.
The choice is ultimately yours but if you are going to need the laptop for things that are more graphically challenging then you may be better off getting a dedicated graphics card that can handle the pressure.
Operating System
There are a lot of operating systems out there, but what’s best for autocad? Well, a Mac OS operating system should be sufficient if you aren’t working with high level models, and the chances are that if you’re a student you probably won’t be using the program all that much.
It should be noted that not all autocad software is going to be compatible with Mac OS operating systems.
If you are looking to make autocad a staple in your life though then you really should be thinking about getting a Windows operating system. Most laptops run off this system anyway so you shouldn’t have a difficult time finding a decent option for you on this operating system.
Display Size
This is pretty important when it comes to getting the best laptop for autocad. It’s important that you can see things well on your screen.
Of course, the bigger the screen the heavier the laptop is going to be so keep this in mind, but when you’re working with autocad a bigger screen can certainly be helpful.
If you still want some degree of portability then opt for a 15 inch screen, but if you aren’t worried about portability then go ahead and opt for 17 inch.
