The 8 Best Laptop For Architecture Students in March 2023

Designers, engineers, and architecture students would like to quickly simulate scenes while creating schematic drawings, building documentation, and even gorgeous 3D visualization, designing, and walk-through movies.

With the proper laptop, you can make your architectural education and professional job more effective. Our specialists have researched, evaluated, and compiled a selection of the best laptop for architecture students suitable for both college and work.

#1. Acer Swift X - Best Overall

Important Specifications

• CPU: 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7 5800U

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 512GB SSD

• Display: 14-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)

• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

• Battery: Up to 12 hours

Product’s Highlights

Aside from its design significance, the Acer Swift X's main feature is its diverse availability. This implies you can buy the AMD-powered version or the Intel-powered version. Irrespective of the option you pick, the Swift X is one of the finest tools for budding architects, as evidenced by the appropriate specifications page.

The current graphics card can also assist prospective architects and students in achieving realistic simulation while working with predetermined examples. It has high-speed, 16GB RAM at the forefront, 2D and 3D models boost.

The magnificent backlit keypad with specialized Numpad boosted speakers and a robust but light casing that further accentuates mobility is also available to students and architects.

Basically, the Swift X offers enough capacity to run practically any architectural program without stuttering, as long as you don't mind the lack of AI-assisted assistance and RTRT technology.

What We Like

• Fast RAM module

• Ultrafast SSD unit courtesy of dual-lane support

• Stellar display

Things to Consider

• This product is not intended for really complicated designs

#2. Omen 17 Gaming Laptop  - Best 17-inch Laptop

Important Specifications

• CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-11800H

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 512GB SSD

• Display: 17.3-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)

• GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

• Battery: Up to 6 hours

Product’s Highlights

If you want to go nuts with your architecture project while still having fun playing games, the HP Omen 17 would be your first pick. The device, though, isn't only for gaming, and it appears to be one of the more compact professional laptops.

This NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU excels in graphics-intensive 3d visualization and viewport projection. This graphics card would be more than enough for any design operations required.

HP has 16GB RAM, which allows it to multitask and handle large rendering textures. The 6GB Video RAM helps greatly for decoding some of the more involved scenes if you're using Graphics with the V-Ray engine.

The 17.3-inch Full HD desktop computer IPS display from HP isn't a slouch, and the larger screen might aid your workload. Nevertheless, we anticipated a matte display for excellent sunlight viewing, but the Omen opted for a glossy panel.

To conclude, the HP Omen 17 should be on your wishlist if you're looking for a workstation-grade device that also happens to be a gaming laptop at a reasonable cost.

What We Like

• GPU designed for workstations

• The port layout is excellent

• A significant amount of system memory

• The battery that lasts a long time

• Build quality is excellent

Things to Consider

• It has the potential to overheat

• Storage space might be increased

#3. MSI Creator 15 Professional Laptop - Best High-Quality Display

Important Specifications

• CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-11800H

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 512GB SSD

• Display: 15.6-inch OLED 4K DCI-P3 (3840 x 2160)

• GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

• Battery: Up to 10 hours

Product’s Highlights

Moving to a more RTX-focused future, the MSI Creator 15 is a powerful laptop for architectural firms and students studying CAD and BIM software.

With RTX 3060 GPU at the forefront, GPU-intensive operations such as optional modeling, editing software, and 3D modeling employing Ray Tracing and AI-Enhanced visuals are available. You'll also receive 6GB of VRAM to help the graphics with GPU-accelerated renderings and operations.

Another of the attractions is the included UHD display, which has remarkable levels of color fidelity for more fantastic architectural touching up. The 15.6-inch display provides a wide-angle spectator experience, helping you precisely detect even the tiniest structural features.

A standard illuminated keyboard, a bigger touchpad with a smooth texture, and an incorporated fingerprint sensor are other unique features. Finally, the MSI Creator 15 is a compact laptop with enough processing power for both professionals and students.

What We Like

• Stellar display

• Fastest possible SSD

• GPU with Ray-Tracing support

• VR Ready notebook

Things to Consider

• Slower RAM

• Middling speakers

#4. Microsoft Surface Book 3 - Best High-End Laptop

Important Specifications

• CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-1065G7

• RAM: 32GB

• Storage: 1TB SSD

• Display: 15.6-inch IPS PixelSense (3240 x 2160)

• GPU: 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

• Battery: Up to 17.5 hours

Product’s Highlights

This Microsoft Surface Book 3 is one of the best convertible laptops for university students and even architecture experts. Even though there are numerous models to pick from based on needs, finances, and meat processing, the most upgraded form is a formidable opponent as analyzed by specialists.

The graphics-optimized processor may be weak when contrasted to Intel CPUs from the H and HK generations, but it supports 3D modeling well. One of the most trustworthy features is the turbo operating frequency of 3.9GHz, followed by four cores and eight threads for improved graphics.

The 32GB RAM, which runs at a mind-boggling 3733MHz, is the next series. This speedy and large chunk of memory space can assist several demanding architecture software like Autodesk Revit, Rhino, and 3D S Max. The 1TB SSD storage device is convenient; however, it is slower than NVMe-compatible units. You get Windows 10 out of the package in terms of the operating system.

To summarize, the Surface Book 3's outstanding processing capabilities and unrivaled mobility enable you to create and produce layouts on the go.

What We Like

• GPU with Turing Architecture

• Dependable battery

• A massive chunk of RAM

• Support multiple form factors

Things to Consider

• No Thunderbolt 3

• The processor is slightly underpowered for high-end BIM tools

#5. New Dell XPS 15 9500 - Best High Performance

Important Specifications

• CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 1TB SSD

• Display: 15.6-inch UHD+ (3840 x 2400)

• GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti

• Battery: Up to 12 hours

Product’s Highlights

The new Dell XPS 15 9500 is, without a doubt, the most attractive device on the list. This device is primarily recognized for its spectacular aesthetics and the most transparent and color-accurate screen, given the enormous computing power.

The Dell XPS 15 9500 is the machine to choose if you want a device that looks and feels like it belongs in a higher class without sacrificing performance.

Dell sticks to its groundbreaking and efficient Intel Core i7-10750H CPU for computing capability. Using a single-core clock rate of up to 5GHz, 3D modeling is speedier than ever before.

The speedy 16GB RAM handles large files and renders without pauses or hitches. The 1TB solid-state disk might also be used to store app caches, preview graphics, and completed layouts.

Downloading computer applications such as Revit, Cinema 4D, Blender, Lumion renderer, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and CAD software package will load faster than usual thanks to the NVMe compatible component. Dell provides Windows 10 Pro as a pre-installed operating system.

What We Like

• Flaunts Gorilla Glass Protection 

• Exceptional thermal layout

• Ultrafast RAM

• Brilliant aesthetics

Things to Consider

• It comes at a premium price tag

#6. Apple MacBook Pro  - Best 14-inch Macbook

Important Specifications

• CPU: Apple M1 Pro chip 8-core

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 512GB SSD

• Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR (3024×1964)

• GPU: Integrated 14-core GPU

• Battery: Up to 17 hours

Product’s Highlights

Whereas we wouldn't suggest an Apple MacBook Pro to a skilled architect owing to the lack of upgradeability limitations with software modules like Rhino, and Revit mismatch, the newest Pro 14 is still a capable computer for students and mid-level designers.

The Apple M1 Pro chip's 8-core CPU makes a debut, providing outstanding drawing and rendering capability. The CPU is aided by Apple's Integrated 14-core GPU, which finds the optimum mix between single-core quality and the number of logical cores available.

The MacBook Pro 14 is well recognized for its long-lasting 17-hour battery, contributing to its reputation. Furthermore, the KeyShot output may be used as a plugin for current BIM and CAD programs.

What We Like

• Four Thunderbolt 3 ports

• Fantastic display

• TouchID and TPM security

Things to Consider

• Not compatible with Autodesk Revit

#7. Microsoft Surface Laptop  - Best Touchscreen Laptop

Important Specifications

• Computer Memory Size: 32 GB

• CPU Model: Intel Core i7-11700

• CPU Model Manufacturer: Intel

• CPU Speed: 3 GHz

• Display Resolution Maximum: 2400 x 1600 pixels

• Screen Size: 14.4 inches

Product’s Highlights

More recently, the Surface Laptop Pro is the most portable, high-performance computer running Windows, and they have all of the superior production qualities that MacBooks have. 

All you have to do is make sure the Surface device you choose has at minimum a 4GB VRAM dGPU, and you'll be perfectly all right, even with incredibly huge intricate models. The wonderful thing about the Surface Book is that with the pen, you can transform it into a tablet and paint it like stencils.

Even painters use it to sketch as if it were a legal document because of the precision; there is a big learning curve, but it doesn't prevent architects from using it. The argument is that portability will have to be sacrificed. This will be fine if you plan on keeping your computer at the office or leisure and just transport it between academic and personal on occasion.

What We Like

• Color accurate display

• Excellent keyboard

Things to Consider

• Restrictive storage capacity

#8. Newest MSI GE76  - Best Durability

Important Specifications

• Computer Memory Size: 64.0 GB

• CPU Model: Core i7

• CPU Model Manufacturer: Intel

• CPU Speed: 2.30 GHz

• Display Resolution Maximum: 1920 x 1080 pixels

• Screen Size: 17.3 inches

Product’s Highlights

This MSI's new GE76 gaming laptop is a fantastic choice to consider if you're searching for a more cheap gaming laptop with top specs. With a basis for providing 144Hz, the 17.3" FHD display is as ideal to intense gameplay as it shows demanding visualization works like a high-quality picture and video projection. This can run graphics-intensive apps with ease thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, plenty of RAM, and SSDs that go up to 64GB as well as 4TB.

The batteries on the MSI laptop are one of its more robust features, with a 7-hour standby to boast about. Ultimately, this MSI workstation-grade tablet is an excellent alternative for more portable architecture students who use BIM and CAD software.

What We Like

• Stellar display

• Fastest possible SSD

• GPU with Ray-Tracing support

• VR Ready notebook

Things to Consider

• Slower RAM

• Middling speakers