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🏅(Top10) Best Laptop for Autocad: Reviews

Best Laptop for Autocad and Revit

If you have ever thought of making a career in the field of designing, the first term you’d have heard has to be AutoCAD.

Since its release, AutoCAD has become the de facto standard for the design industry. You might have been wondering what’s the big deal with it and why is it so popular?

Well, in today’s article, I’ll be telling you everything you need to know about AutoCAD and its requirements. Not only that, but I’ll also be providing you with a list of laptops you can choose from to start using the software.

Before we talk about the technical aspects, let us know about AutoCAD, and it’s history in brief.

Read Also: 4 Best Gaming Laptops Under 300 Dollars

What is AutoCAD?

AutoCAD is a Computer-Aided Drafting software or the program used for drafting and designing purposes.

It replaces the practice of drafting with real-life tools with their electronic alternatives. Not only does it make the process more convenient, but users also get the opportunity to multitask using the program.

History of AutoCAD

AutoCAD’s journey began in 1982 when John Walker, along with 15 other developers, decided to build five CAD programs. Among the five, AutoCAD became the flagship product and was launched for the public to use under the company Autodesk.

It was the first CAD program to work on personal computers. Before that, the commercial CAD programs available in the market were only supported on mainframe computers or minicomputers.

But as they were not available easily, designers used to draw using traditional tools. This not only made the processing time consuming but also was filled with opportunities for human error.

Hence, within four years of its release, AutoCAD managed to become the tool of choice for the whole designing industry. It has been 39 years since AutoCAD was released, yet it is still a primary force due to the program’s constant management and updates.

Characteristics of AutoCAD

AutoCAD mainly started with the 2D drafting support, it provides a drawing board with several tools for use by the designer.

As 3D drafting started becoming popular, AutoCAD added 3D support into its system.

Here are some of the features that are available for use in the 2D and 3D systems, respectively:

AutoCAD 2D

  • Text functions: AutoCAD lets you add text to your design as single as well as multi-line objects. You can also change the formatting of the text all at once.
  • Data extraction: Copying data manually is a tiring process, and so AutoCAD comes with the option of exporting the metadata of objects for outside uses. This helps the user use the same information without needing to waste time copying. It also reduces the chances of committing mistakes during the copying process.
  • Live data links: Using AutoCAD, one can create a direct link of the data between the Excel spreadsheet and the AutoCAD file. This helps in doing calculations in real-time as the project changes.
  • Option to create its own parameters: With AutoCAD, the user can create their geometric parameters. This is useful in maintaining the proportions within the design.
  • Marks and centrelines: Losing the centre is a common problem faced by designers while moving to and fro on the design. With AutoCAD, one can have a clear idea about the centre of the design no matter where he is on the plane.
  • Revision clouds: Going back and forth between the old and new designs to make revisions is not only a tiring process but also a complicated one. One can easily miss a change while doing so. Thus, AutoCAD 2D lets the user create highlighted areas where one can make revisions later without it becoming a part of the design.
  • Arrays: Using arrays, one can create multiple copies of the selected object in a geometric pattern. This is great for designs with evenly spaced recurrences.

AutoCAD 3D

  • Solid, mesh and surface modelling: The system offers various options and lets the user choose the perfect process suitable to his needs for 3D modelling.
  • Light and shading control: AutoCAD 3d lets the designer view how the 3D object would look with different lighting scenarios, illuminated from different angles and shadows of different strengths.
  • Cloud rendering: Rendering a project is always a difficult task for the pc system. AutoCAD 3D supports rendering using network capabilities. This takes the load off the computer system.
  • Model documentation: Similar to the 2D designs, one can share, export or update the details of the 3D designs in real-time.
  • Section planes: AutoCAD 3D provides the option to create section planes that dissect the 3D design. It enables the designer to view the object from various angles.
  • Point clouds: AutoCAD 3d comes with the option to import data directly from 3D scanners. This enables the designer to create designs using real-life objects.

Uses of AutoCAD

Though AutoCAD was mainly built for mechanical engineering, its use quickly extended to fields beyond it.

One of the main reasons behind AutoCAD’s massive success is its ability to adapt to any scenario. Nowadays, mechanical engineers and animators, project managers, engineers, architects, etc. use AutoCAD almost daily.

Here are some of the fields that use AutoCAD frequently:

Construction – The construction industry is one of the leading industries to use AutoCAD. With its Building Information Modelling or BIM and other CAD tools, AutoCAD helps construction engineers visualize, design, build and simulate with much more efficiency. It is frequently used in the preparation of blueprints and floor plans. 

AutoCAD 3D played a significant role in the construction of the famous Shanghai Towers in China. The Shanghai Towers being a complicated structure, wasn’t suitable for the traditional approach of designing.

Engineers soon realized that real-life tools or even the other CAD systems available in the market were incapable of successfully completing this project. So, they shifted to AutoCAD 3D and using it, the design team could easily visualize the towers in 3D with its twisting structures.

It also enabled them to analyze the design and make improvements in decision making, save building materials and construct the tower in a more environmentally friendly way.

Interior Design – Interior designers use AutoCAD 3D to design the interior plans of a building, be it a housing space, a restaurant, or even a commercial studio.

Fine Arts – Fine Artists use AutoCAD frequently to prepare designs for wood carvings, sculptures, engravings, and even complex experimental art pieces.

Automobile – Automobile Engineers use AutoCAD tools to design the engine, upholstery, and the wheels of an automobile. It is greatly used in developing and designing bikes, scooters, cars. Using AutoCAD gives the designers more precise control over the designs as well as making them more realistic. 

Aerospace Industry – AutoCAD tools are greatly used to design aeroplanes, missiles, spacecraft, etc. Since these require a high level of precision and cost a huge amount of money and time, designs are initially prepared on AutoCAD. The building process only begins after the designs have been finalized on AutoCAD.

Mechanical Engineering – Building machines is a complicated process and has no scope for mistakes. One cannot start building a particular machine and decide to make changes during the production stage. Thus, mechanical engineers begin the process by drafting designs through AutoCAD. This helps them spot the issues before the production process begins and troubleshoot them. The simulation tool provided by AutoCAD enables the design team to see how the machine will function in real-time.

Fashion Industry – AutoCAD is greatly used in fashion designing, jewellery making, etc. From making the initial sketch of the designs to replicating them on various materials or products, everything can be done in AutoCAD without any problems. It not only saves time but also minimizes the use of raw materials resulting in a decrease in the production cost.

Landscaping – Landscapers use AutoCAD to mark boundaries of a plot, place pools, add details to the fencing of a particular area, marking areas for gardens and other landscape-related problems.

Designing and Developing Games – In the last few years, the popularity of the gaming industry has been on a J curve. Nowadays, more and more people spend a major portion of their time playing games regularly. Today’s gamers want the games to be as close to reality as possible. Thus game developers are very much dependent on CAD software like AutoCAD.

Using this system enables them to animate, motion capture, build low and high-resolution modelling, etc. The light and shading options also help them to add more depth and realness to the objects in the games like never before. 

These aren’t the only industries that are dependent on AutoCAD. The real list would be too long to cover in a single article.

Required Configuration of Laptop for AutoCAD

Now that we’ve understood how important the AutoCAD program is, let us see the system configurations required to run it on a laptop.

The AutoCAD system has been designed to work on both the Windows and Mac operating systems. You won’t find any difficulty running this system’s core program on either of the operating systems.

However, one can use only some special features of the AutoCAD platform in laptops running on the Windows operating system. They are as follows:

  • Specialized toolset: The industry-specific drafting tools of AutoCAD like The AutoCAD Raster Design and AutoCAD Mechanical 3D are only compatible with the Windows system as of now. 
  • 3D Mapping: 3D mapping, in general, is a tool that lets anyone designing or drafting in 3D place an object anywhere in a 3d world. This feature of AutoCAD is very much useful in whole-space creations and interior designing.

Other than these features, almost all AutoCAD tools can be used on both Windows and Mac.

Here’s the full configuration list you need to run the latest version, i.e. AutoCAD –

For Windows

  • OS version – Windows 7, 8.1, 10 (64 bit only, 32 bit isn’t supported)
  • Processor – 2.5 GHz(minimum requirement), 3+(recommended)
  • Memory – 8 GB(minimum), 16 GB(recommended)
  • Disk Space – 6 GB
  • Display – 1920×1080 pixels with the true colour for conventional displays, 3840×2160 pixels for higher resolution and 4k display.
  • Display Card – 1 GB GPU with a bandwidth of 29 GB/s and DirectX compliant (required), 4 GB GPU with a bandwidth of 106 GB/s and DirectX compliant (recommended).

For Mac

  • OS version – High Sierra v10.13, Mojave v10.14, or Catalina v10.15.
  • Processor – 64 bit Intel CPU ( Intel Core Duo required), 2 GHz or faster recommended.
  • Memory – a minimum of 4 GB, 8 GB or more (recommended)
  • Disk Space – 3 GB.
  • Display – 1280×800 pixels with the true colour for conventional displays(required), 2880×1800 pixels with Retina display(recommended).
  • Display Card – Mac native Graphics Card installed.

If you’re planning to buy a new laptop, here are some of the best laptops you can check out on Amazon. All of them are fit for using the AutoCAD system.

Buy Best Laptop for AutoCAD on Amazon

1. New XPS 9700 17 Inch Laptop

  • CPU: Intel Core i910th Gen
  • Display: 17 inches, InfinityEdge Touch Anti-Reflecitve 500-Nit Display.
  • RAM: 64 GB
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 with Max-Q
  • Battery: 6-Cell Battery, 97WHr

The laptop comes with a customer rating of 4.8 out of 5. It has a massive storage space due to the 8TB SSD hard drive. You can also go for the 4TB or 6TB versions depending on the availability.

It also comes with a stylus pen, for more convenience while drawing on AutoCAD.

2. MSI GT76 Titan DT 10SGS-055 i9 Laptop

  • CPU: Intel Core i9
  • Display: 17.3 inches, UHD, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 4K Display
  • RAM: 64 GB
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX2080 Super 8G GDDR6
  • Battery: no information provided.
  • Memory: 128 Gb; 2TB( 1TBx2) NVMe SSD.

This laptop from MSI comes with a customer rating of 4.8 stars out of 5. It is a heavy-duty laptop designed for high-end games and software programs like AutoCAD, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and many more.

3. MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-259 15.6″ Ultra Thin Bezel Gaming Laptop

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2 – 4.1GHz
  • Display: 15.6 inches, Fhd, Anti-Glare Wide View Angle Display
  • RAM: 32 GB
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1070 8G GDDR5
  • Battery: 1 Lithium-ion battery
  • Memory: 1 TB

It comes with an ultra-thin bezel of 4.9mm, fingerprint security, TPM security, 144Hz 7ms Display.

The MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-259 comes with a customer rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. Don’t be fooled by its thin and almost weightless body, this laptop is designed to run even the heaviest programs or games without even breaking a sweat. Customers also love its RGB keyboard and its sleek design.

4. ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro 15 Mobile Workstation Laptop

  • RAM: 48 GB
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H
  • Display: 15.6 inches UHD NanoEdge matte display
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000
  • Battery: 1 Lithium-ion battery
  • Memory: 2 TB PCIe NVMe SSD (RAID 0) HyperDrive and 48GB DDR4 Memory.

The ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro 15 comes with a customer rating of 4.2 stars out of 5. This heavy-duty machine is one of the best laptops for AutoCAD and for other designing purposes. Its 4k display provides photorealistic colours and crisp visuals. The strong GPU of the Studio book lets you do graphics-intensive tasks like 3d rendering, content creation and video editing easily.

5. Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop

  • RAM: 16 GB (upgradable up to 64 GB)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-10875H 10th Gen
  • Display: 17.3 inches 120Hz 4k Display Or 300Hz edge to edge display.
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX SUPER
  • Battery: 1 lithium-ion battery
  • Memory: 1 TB SSD

The Razer Blade Pro 17 comes with a customer rating of 3.8 stars out of 5. It is a powerful laptop suitable for heavy graphics-intensive tasks as well as high-end games.

6. ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 Laptop

  • RAM: 32 GB
  • CPU: Intel Core i9-10980HK 10th Gen Octa Core Processor.
  • Display: 15.6 inches 4K UHD NanoEdge touchscreen, glossy display.
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
  • Battery: 1 lithium-ion battery
  • Memory: 1TB PCIe (NVMe M.2) SSD

The Asus ZenBook Pro comes with a customer rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. Not only is this laptop suitable for heavy memory tasks like 3d rendering, graphic designing etc. due to its robust memory, the additional ScreenPad lets you have more control and precision. It also comes with built-in Alexa support and a Lightbar.

Additional Features: Laptop stand, Asus active stylus pen, detachable palm rest, ErgoLift design for smooth typing.

7. Acer Predator Triton 700 PT715-51-732Q Ultra-Thin Gaming Laptop

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor 7th Gen
  • RAM: 32 GB
  • Memory: 512GB PCIe SSD ( RAID 0 Configuration)
  • Battery: 3 cell lithium-ion battery or 4670 mah
  • Display: 15.6 inches Full HD widescreen, widescreen LED-backlit IPS Display 
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

The Acer Predator comes with a customer rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. If you’re looking for a sleek laptop with a robust configuration, this laptop should be your choice. Not only is it suitable for gamers, but it also comes with the option to use both the wired and wireless connections simultaneously.

No matter how heavy your graphical tasks are, the AeroBlade 3D fans make sure the system remains cool and works smoothly without any hiccups. The LED-backlit display makes sure you don’t have to compromise with crisp visuals.

Additional Features: two Aeroblade 3D Fans(all metal) for faster cooling, 3D Dolby Atmos Digital sound, Mechanical RGB keyboard (customizable).

8. New Microsoft Surface Laptop 3

  • CPU: AMD Radeon RX Vega 11
  • RAM: 32 GB
  • Display: 15 inches (2496 x 1664 Pixels)
  • Battery: 1 lithium-ion battery
  • Memory: 1 TB solid-state drive

This laptop comes with a customer rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. Microsoft is a known brand amongst people of almost all generations. So we have a kind of special trust for any product with their name and this laptop also stands true to its brand.

If you’re someone who prefers sleek and aesthetic design, you’ll like this laptop’s thin build and the matte finish it comes in. Otherwise, you can also opt for the platinum finish. Though not as strong as the other ones in this life in the gaming sector, it is still a good laptop for AutoCad and other regular graphic related tasks.

9. AORUS 15G (YB) Performance Gaming Laptop

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-10875H 8-core
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Display: 15.6-inch FHD 300Hz IPS Anti-Glare Display
  • Battery: 1 lithium polymer battery
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super
  • Memory: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD

This laptop comes with a customer rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. The AORUS 15Y is the thinnest gaming system in its class.

The laptop provides great graphic output due to its robust processor. Along with that, it has a faster booting time than any other from the list. You’ll also be able to update the chipset drives and flash the BIOS without any hassle through the AORUS control centre.

The operating speed is praiseworthy even with launcher based games because of the 512 GB SSD.

Additional Features: Built-in Microsoft Azure AI, external display support up to 3 screens, WINDFORCE Cooling system along with two 3D fans for a better cooling system, NAHIMIC 3 3D 7.1 Surround Sound System.

10. Asus ROG Strix Scar III (2019) Gaming Laptop

  • RAM: 16 GB
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-9750h 9th Gen
  • Display: 15.6 inches 1920×1080 pixel 240 Hz IPS Type Display.
  • Battery: 1 lithium polymer battery
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
  • Memory: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD

The Asus ROG Strix Scar III comes with a customer rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. With its streamlined body and 80% screen to body display, this laptop is a top choice for gaming purposes and large graphic inclusive tasks.

The 1 TB PCIe SSD gives it enough power to run smoothly even when heavy tasks are being performed, be it content creation or daily multitasking.

Additional Features: ROG intelligent Thermal cooling system, anti-dust technology, multi-purpose mode switching option.

Laptop for AutoCAD Software Buying Guide

Though all the above mentioned laptops are worthy of buying without any doubts, we would like you to keep some things in mind. Following the tips mentioned below will ensure you get the most out of your product:

Keep the Size and Form Factor in Mind

Laptops come in various sizes, and unlike the internal memory or processor, you won’t be able to upgrade the size later. So choose wisely before settling for the final product.

If portability is your biggest priority, you can easily go for the smaller ones. However, they don’t have high-end CPUs to perform heavy tasks smoothly. For heavy tasks like content creation, 3d rendering or gaming purposes, you should stick to the bigger and beefier ones.

Also, depending on your need, you can choose from notebooks, convertibles, or the traditional gaming laptops.

Screen Quality

The display screen should be comfortable to look at for long duration without putting a strain on your eyes.

If you’re going to use it for photography, videography, graphics, gaming, a good resolution is an important feature you need to consider. You can also opt for the touchscreen display laptops if you will use it for drawing frequently.

Viewing angles of the display is also a key feature so try to select laptops with IPS technology and a good refresh rate.

Keyboard Quality

No one wants to be stuck with finicky keys in the middle of work. So having a keyboard of good quality is very important, though often ignored.

The keyboard should have all the keys available under the sun and have a properly spaced layout. After all, you wouldn’t want to press the wrong key every time you’re in a hurry.

The backlit keys also help you significantly when the ambient light is not satisfactory for work.

CPU

The deal maker or breaker for any laptop is its CPU. The more powerful it is, the easier it will be to perform heavy-duty tasks on your laptop.

Go for at least the i7 processor if not i9, as they would not put much stress on the laptop and help it work smoothly.

Gamers can also opt for AMD’s Ryzen Mobile CPUs. They are also more budget-friendly than the ones of Intel. They tend to have better graphics than Intel.

RAM

Multitasking is a significant part of our working pattern. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to be stuck on one application instead of simultaneously working on different ones.

To avoid such problems, you need to invest in getting good RAM. Remember the powerful your RAM is, the smoother your multitasking experience will be while working on the laptop.

If you need power, you should stick to a minimum of 16 GB and go above depending on your pockets’ depth.

Storage

There are mainly two broad options to choose from regarding storage: hard drives and SSDs.

Though hard drives provide more storage and are pocket friendly, they tend to be bulky and increase the laptop’s overall weight.

On the other hand, SSDs provide silent running options along with faster speeds. But they tend to be quite expensive and less in space compared to the hard drives.

You can always go for a newer laptop that has a Primary SSD paired with a secondary hard drive. That way, you can get the best of both worlds. 

Battery

The battery life of a laptop is based on many variables like the display brightness, operating system, nature of the running programs, etc.

Imagine running out of battery while doing a crucial task. Surely no one wants to be in such a situation. Opting for a battery with fast charging is an excellent choice to avoid such troubles.

Also, check for the rating of the battery in mah or wh units instead of trusting the numbers mentioned in the manual blindly.

Build Quality

As your laptop will continuously move with you, having a strong build is compulsory.

Accidental scratches and spills are common with laptops, so check if the company provides any certificate of the laptop being spill-proof and scratch-resistant.

The sturdier the build, the longer will the laptop run. After all, it isn’t a feasible option to keep on sending the laptop for repairing regularly. This is not only to decrease the life of the product but also put a lot of pressure monetarily.

Wrapping it up…

So, this was all about best laptop for AutoCAD.

Following this in-depth guide will surely help you to choose good laptop to run software like AutoCAD and Revit.