Looking for recommendations for laptops that will run Revit and AutoCAD without Crashing!
Here’s What I’m looking for:
High Speed
PC/ Windows 10 or later (No Macs Please!)
Under $1200 (Absolute max = $1500)
Large Working Memory/ Ram
Be able to run AutoCad and Revit at the same time without them crashing.
Infrequent Lagging OR better yet, No lagging
Hard Drive/ Lots if storage is a huge perk! (512 GB to 2 TB).
Thank you so much!!!
SneakyPete
Apr 29, 22 11:03 am
We hire a tech consultant for that kind of crap.
reallynotmyname
Apr 29, 22 11:25 am
Make sure it's not an HP. They are often the least expensive when compared to similar Dell or Lenovo machines but we have found HP laptops to be poor in terms of quality and reliability.
Stasis
Apr 29, 22 1:40 pm
My Lenovo W520 that I bought in 2010 still runs to this day with Revit, Cad, Adobe, etc. It struggles with newer rendering software like Lumion or Enscape probably because of the outdated graphics card and support.. There are lot of newer ones out there. You can save money by going for older gen. but things like computer, it may be better to go with the latest tech for future, especially the processor. You can swap and add RAM and HDD, but not the CPU typically.
it handles everything well. I still like Lenovo though.. perhaps for the sentimental reason.
In terms of the spec, I'd would say this would be the minimum:
CPU - i7 go with the largest thread numbers. 4 cores vs 6 cores. more the better.
RAM - 16GBs, 32 GBs would be better. Go with the highest speed that the motherboard can support. Also look into the expansion capability that you can just add additional RAMs later.
HDD - See if a laptop can support multiple HDs. You can keep the mechanical HDD comes with the laptop then buy a SSD (PCIe) as a primary boot drive. Takes a bit of work. or just go for a SSD if the money is right.
btw, common trait about these mobile work station is that they are all clunky and heavy. You can't expect to have everything.
also, no matter how great of the system you have, you cannot avoid crash... You'd just to work through the problems. Sometimes models/drawings need to be cleaned up to reduce crashing and lagging.
kenchiku
May 6, 22 4:03 pm
Running everything sans rendering with a 2015 W530 here!
Wood Guy
May 1, 22 10:07 am
Several architects I know recommended this company, which has a specialty in providing computers for design professionals: https://www.xicomputer.com/. I have been very happy with my purchase, after years of disappointment with mainstream brands. They have good customer service and will recommend specifications based on your needs and budget.
Wood Guy
Sep 7, 22 9:32 am
Why the thumbs-down, archiwutm8?
Chad Miller
Sep 7, 22 12:16 pm
Because he's a punter.
deltar
May 2, 22 1:01 pm
I highly recommend looking at the Lenovo outlet. I was able to snag a pretty decent computer last year when my old one kicked the bucket.
natematt
May 2, 22 2:04 pm
From what I can tell with current technology that jump to the 1500 range may be necessary, 1200 will probably fall a bit short.
Most gaming PC companies now will let you customize your laptop when you buy it. A standard 1200-1500 gaming laptop will probably have more CPU than you actually need, and a slightly underwhelming but usable GPU. Where you need to be careful in my humble opinion is the ram. You should make sure to get 32gb, which will not be the base option for most gaming PCs at this price point, so make sure you are upgrading. It's a relatively low cost item compared to the impact it has on running some software commonly used in architecture, such as Revit.
TLDR version: A $1500 (or maybe slightly less) gaming PC with 32 gigs of ram from a company you feel good about should work for most architecture applications.
zurijordyn
Jul 21, 22 8:03 am
Looking for recommendations for laptops that will run Revit and AutoCAD without Crashing!
Here’s What I’m looking for:
High Speed laptop
PC/ Windows 10 or later (No Macs Please!)
Under $1200 (Absolute max = $2000)
Large Working Memory/ Ram
Be able to run AutoCad and Revit at the same time without them crashing.
Infrequent Lagging OR better yet, No lagging
Hard Drive/ Lots if storage is a huge perk! (256 GB to 2 TB).
Looking for recommendations for laptops that will run Revit and AutoCAD without Crashing!
Here’s What I’m looking for:
High Speed
PC/ Windows 10 or later (No Macs Please!)
Under $1200 (Absolute max = $1500)
Large Working Memory/ Ram
Be able to run AutoCad and Revit at the same time without them crashing.
Infrequent Lagging OR better yet, No lagging
Hard Drive/ Lots if storage is a huge perk! (512 GB to 2 TB).
Thank you so much!!!
We hire a tech consultant for that kind of crap.
Make sure it's not an HP. They are often the least expensive when compared to similar Dell or Lenovo machines but we have found HP laptops to be poor in terms of quality and reliability.
My Lenovo W520 that I bought in 2010 still runs to this day with Revit, Cad, Adobe, etc. It struggles with newer rendering software like Lumion or Enscape probably because of the outdated graphics card and support.. There are lot of newer ones out there. You can save money by going for older gen. but things like computer, it may be better to go with the latest tech for future, especially the processor. You can swap and add RAM and HDD, but not the CPU typically.
I used Dell Precision 7510 at work.. ha it's like 500 bucks.. https://www.amazon.com/Precisi...
it handles everything well. I still like Lenovo though.. perhaps for the sentimental reason.
In terms of the spec, I'd would say this would be the minimum:
btw, common trait about these mobile work station is that they are all clunky and heavy. You can't expect to have everything.
also, no matter how great of the system you have, you cannot avoid crash... You'd just to work through the problems. Sometimes models/drawings need to be cleaned up to reduce crashing and lagging.
Running everything sans rendering with a 2015 W530 here!
Several architects I know recommended this company, which has a specialty in providing computers for design professionals: https://www.xicomputer.com/. I have been very happy with my purchase, after years of disappointment with mainstream brands. They have good customer service and will recommend specifications based on your needs and budget.
Why the thumbs-down, archiwutm8?
Because he's a punter.
I highly recommend looking at the Lenovo outlet. I was able to snag a pretty decent computer last year when my old one kicked the bucket.
From what I can tell with current technology that jump to the 1500 range may be necessary, 1200 will probably fall a bit short.
Most gaming PC companies now will let you customize your laptop when you buy it. A standard 1200-1500 gaming laptop will probably have more CPU than you actually need, and a slightly underwhelming but usable GPU. Where you need to be careful in my humble opinion is the ram. You should make sure to get 32gb, which will not be the base option for most gaming PCs at this price point, so make sure you are upgrading. It's a relatively low cost item compared to the impact it has on running some software commonly used in architecture, such as Revit.
TLDR version: A $1500 (or maybe slightly less) gaming PC with 32 gigs of ram from a company you feel good about should work for most architecture applications.
Looking for recommendations for laptops that will run Revit and AutoCAD without Crashing!
Here’s What I’m looking for:
High Speed laptop
PC/ Windows 10 or later (No Macs Please!)
Under $1200 (Absolute max = $2000)
Large Working Memory/ Ram
Be able to run AutoCad and Revit at the same time without them crashing.
Infrequent Lagging OR better yet, No lagging
Hard Drive/ Lots if storage is a huge perk! (256 GB to 2 TB).
Thank you so much!!!