Are you an architect or are you planning to buy a laptop for an architect? We can help! 

Due to the rigorous requirements of architects, they can’t make do with just any laptop in their line of work. In this article, we list down three FAQs to ask oneself when purchasing a particular laptop model for architects; provide a guide that narrows down some of the key characteristics of a good architect’s laptop; and, finally, provide a shortlist of some of the best laptops available for architects today to allow one to compare laptops–all of which are readily available at your favorite Cyberzone. 

Without further ado, let’s dive in!l

FAQs

Why a laptop, in the first place?

Granted, many powerful tablets already exist, such as Apple’s iPad Pro lineup. And these tablets can also be had with keyboards which increases their versatility. But a laptop would still be the ideal device because it can be installed with specialized software that architects need to do their work. Also, a laptop can be purchased right away as one package without needing to purchase a separate keyboard, unlike most tablets. Thirdly, nearly all tablets can be a bit on the small side for architects, who might prefer larger screens (15 inches and up) to do their work on. Lastly, tablets don’t usually come with a wide variety of ports that architects might want to utilize.

 

What are some of the things architects use their laptops for?

For architects, laptops are key design tools that are foundational in helping them put together the designs that form the basis of their projects. Blueprints and layouts can be crafted and generated using laptops–what might take some architects days and considerable effort to put together by hand can be accomplished far faster and more accurately on a laptop. These can also easily be saved and shared with others instantaneously via the internet, which is not necessarily something that can be done with a hand-drawn design or a blueprint. Additionally, a laptop’s portability gives it a considerable advantage over a desktop PC, which obviously can’t be taken around.

 

Does a laptop for an architect need to be very expensive?

There are certain things to consider that will drive up the price of an architect’s laptop purchase. Not to preempt the next section, but said laptop should have more powerful specs and a larger screen to make it more useful and serviceable, and this usually means a higher price. But since the said laptop is a crucial work tool, this expenditure can and should be viewed as a necessary investment.

 

Key characteristics of a laptop for an architect

Now that we’ve answered those FAQs, let’s now look at some of the characteristics of a good architect’s laptop.

Processor

You shouldn’t cut corners here: at the very least, pick up a laptop that’s got an Intel Core i7 chipset or equivalent, or even an Apple M1 Max, as you’ll need the maximum performance possible.

 

Graphics

Max the GPU out as well; look, for example, at picking up the best NVIDIA graphics you possibly can.

 

RAM and ROM/storage

In line with the laptop processor and graphics, push the RAM and ROM as far as your budget can take. Try to get at least 8GB all the way up to 16GB of RAM or more, in order to ensure smooth performance despite heavy loads. As for the onboard storage, you can invest in a 1TB drive (while also considering that you can buy an HDD or other expandable storage too).

 

Display

Architectural design work is best done on a laptop that has a sharp, high-resolution 15- or better yet 17-inch display. Importantly, though, you should be able to link up another display to your laptop. You might need, for instance, to be able to readily compare two or more design options, which will be much easier to do if you have two screens.

 

Connectivity

We’ve mentioned above that an architect might need to link up to other screens from time to time, but they’ll most probably also need to connect other peripherals, from graphics tablets to printers, as part of the work.

 

Battery

It may be best to purchase the laptop with highest-capacity battery possible just in case it might be needed. For instance, some architects may need to present their designs to clients, and a wall socket might not be available for this purpose. We recommend a battery that lasts about 5 or 6 hours at the minimum.

 

Some recommended laptops for architects

Make and model	Processor	Graphics	RAM and ROM/storage	Display	Connectivity	Battery	Color
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (15-inch)	Up to 8th Gen Intel® Corei7-8650U quad-core processor, 4.2GHz Max Turbo	Up to NVIDIAGeForce GTX 1060 discrete GPU w/6GB GDDR5 graphics memory	16GB RAM; up to ​​1TB PCIe SSD	15” PixelSense™ Display, 3240 x 2160	2 x USB-A;  USB-C; 3.5mm headphone jack; 2 x Surface Connect ports; Full-size SDXC card reader; Compatible with Surface Dial on- and off-screen interaction	Battery life: up to 17 hours of video playback	Silver
Lenovo Thinkpad P51	Intel Core i7 7700H@Q, quad-core 2.8 GHz	NVIDIA Quadro M1200 Intel HD Graphics 630	Up to 64GB RAM; 256GB SSD	15.6” FHD, 1920 x 1080	USB-A; USB-C; Ethernet LAN; HDMI	Up to 10 hours of video playback	Black
ASUS Vivobook 15	Up to AMD Ryzen 7 5000 series	Up to NVIDIA GeForce MX350	Up to 16GB memory; up to 1TB HDD + 1TB SSD	15.6” FHD OLED NanoEdge display, 3240 x 2160	HDMI; 2 x USB-A; USB-C; microSD card reader	Up to 10 hours of video playback	Indie Black, Transparent Silver, Hearty Gold
HP ZBook 15 G4 Mobile Workstation	Up to Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 (4 cores, 3.1GHz)	Up to Intel HD 630 Graphics; Intel HD graphics P630	Up to 64GB RAM; Up to 1TB SSD	15.6” FHD IPS, 1920 x 1080	RJ-45 Ethernet;  VGA; 2 x USB-A;  HDMI; Thunderbolt 3; microphone and headphone jack; SDXC card reader	Up to 17 hours of video playback	Black
Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 4	AMD Ryzen™ 5 5625U Processor (2.30 GHz up to 4.30 GHz)	Integrated AMD Radeon	Up to 40 GB RAM; Up to 1TB SSD	15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS	2 x USB-A; 1 x HDMI; 3.5mm headphone jack;	45Wh: up to 9.6 hours; 57Wh: up to 12 hours	Black
Lenovo ThinkPad P50	Intel Core i7-6700HQ (up to 3.5 GHz)	NVIDIA Quadro M1000M Discrete Graphics	32GB RAM; 512GB SSD	15.6” Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080)	4 x USB-A; HDMI; mini DisplayPort; RJ-45; USB-C (Thunderbolt 3); Dock Connector; 4-in-1 card reader; 3.5mm headphone jack;	57Wh: up to 12 hours	Black
MSI GE72 Apache Pro-077	Intel Core i7-5700HQ (up to 3.5 GHz)	GeForce GTX 970M	16GB RAM; 128GB + 1TB	17.3” Full HD eDP Wide View Angle	4 x USB-A; HDMI; mDP; Headset AMP + Gold Flash jacks; SD card reader	Up to 5 hours	Black
Apple MacBook Pro 16”	Up to Apple M1 Max	32-core GPU	32GB RAM; 1TB SSD	16.2” Liquid Retina XDR (3456 x 2234)	HDMI; 3 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C); 3.5mm headphone jack; DisplayPort	Up to 14 hours wireless web	Silver, Space Gray
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15”	Up to AMD Ryzen 4980U	AMD Radeon Graphics	Up to 32GB RAM; up to 1TB SSD	15” PixelSense (2496 x 1664)	USB-C; USB-A; 3.5mm headphone jack; Surface Connect	Up to 17.5 hours	Black, Platinum, Ice Blue, Sandstone
HP ZBook 15 G2 Mobile Workstation	Intel Core™ i7-4910MQ (2.9 GHz, up to 3.90 GHz)	Up to NVIDIA Quadro K610M with 1 GB dedicated GDDR5 video memory	16GB RAM; up to 1TB SSD	15.6″ LED IPS eDP (3200 x 1800)	USB-A; USB-C; HDMI; RJ-45; 4-in-1 card reader; 3.5mm headphone jack	Up to 15 hours	Black
ASUS ROG GL502VS-DB71	Intel Core i7-8750H	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070	16GB RAM; 1TB SSD	15.6” IPS G SYNC	USB-A; HDMI; card reader; 3.5mm headphone jack	Up to 5 hours	Black

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