Tech4Growth

Selecting the Best Laptop Configuration for Architects

Selecting the Best Laptop Configuration for Architects

by September 22, 2020 0 comments

There was a time when most architects preferred to go for a desktop instead of a laptop. The reason was higher-performance and customization, which was only available in desktops. Today, we can get equally powerful laptops at similar investment. This provides architects not only the same level of the required compute power but portability as well. If you’re an architect and find it difficult to choose the right laptop for yourself, then this guide might help.

OS – Mac vs Windows

We’ll not get into a Windows vs Mac debate as they both have plenty of differences and target audience. Since we’re only discussing the OS for Architects, then we would recommend going with Windows. For one, Windows based machines are less expensive as compared to Mac. Plus, you get a wider number of specs choice to choose from. Plus, it has support for a wider applications portfolio. Windows supports all applications and programs while Mac supports less, so you need to install additional apps to run Architecture programs.

Hardware Specs

CPU – At a minimum, you need a 4-core processor with 2.4 GHz of clock speed or higher. Remember this, as you are going to use programs like 3D modelling and Adobe apps, so the better CPU will make your notebook runs faster.

We recommend having a CPU with 6-core, as it can easily handle multi-threaded architecture tasks.

GPU – Architecture programs like AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino and Revit require graphics rendering. A dedicated graphics on your notebook will accelerate the overall performance.

We recommend having a GPU with at least 4 GB of VRAM.

RAM – You are going to use multiple applications that will create plenty of temporary files, and to store them, you need RAM. Architecture apps generate lots of temporary files, so you need great support from RAM.

We recommend having no less than 16 GB of RAM.

Storage – Most professional laptops come with SSD for storage, while affordable variants are still using HDD. The kind of performance you need can only be managed with an SSD, not HDD. If your budget doesn’t allow you to have purely an SSD based laptop with high storage capacity, then go for hybrid options that provides low capacity SSD for the OS and larger capacity HDD for storing your data.

We recommend getting a laptop with at least 256 GB SSD and at least 1 TB of storage space.

Display – Nowadays most laptops use an IPS panel that offers dynamic colour, contrast and adequate colour accuracy for your architectural drawings and renderings. If you have the budget, then look for a 4K screen, which is the best. It will give crisp and sharp drawings with high contrast to be able to easily see even the finer details.

Connectivity – If not today, in the future you might need an additional screen to do multitasking to boost your productivity. So, look for a laptop that has various connectivity options like HDMI, DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt 3 ports, USD ports, and SD card slot.

Battery life – This becomes important if you’re explaining an architectural drawing to your clients and the power goes off. Or if you’re on a tight project deadline, but the power is just not supporting you. This is where you should consider laptops with a long battery life so that you can finish your work before the laptop turns off and leaves you helpless.

Mobile workstation class laptops can be a good option and worth considering for architects. Their hardware is certified by all the known application vendors in this space. The Z-Book from HP for instance, is one such candidate.

Click here to visit the HP Online store for some really great deals on
the products discussed above.

No Comments so far

Jump into a conversation

No Comments Yet!

You can be the one to start a conversation.

<