Looking for a laptop that will seamlessly run AutoCad? Truth be told, these kinds of programs require a high-end laptop but how much exactly should you be spending?
Is a $2000-$2500 laptop going to cut it? Or can you get something on the cheap as well? And which brand should you go for so you get the best value for your money?
Buying a new laptop was never easy but that is exactly why we are here.
We tried and tested 25 laptops and picked out the 9 best laptops for Autocad so you don’t have to and you will be happy to know there is one for every budget.
So let’s dig right into those.
In-Depth Reviews of Laptops for AutoCad
1. ASUS ROG Strix G15
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 5.28 lbs
- Processor: 10th Gen, i7-10750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 5.0 GHz
- Graphics: RTX 2070 (6GB)
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
ASUS ROG Strix G15 is a high-performance gaming laptop that comes with a 15.6″ FHD screen. One definite reason why it’s on our list is its 6-core processor in addition to all the spectacular features it has to offer.
And as we mentioned earlier, the more, the better. This laptop works on Windows 10 home OS featured with the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H CPU.
This would ensure a seamless processing of your AutoCAD and rendering models. To top it off, the company has paired it up with a 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM and 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD.
Along with this, it also has space for a 3rd SSD giving you ample space to store your progress and carry your work wherever you go. And did we tell you that its processing speed is 5GHz, whereas the recommended value is 2.9GHz?
You can’t even begin to imagine the first-class execution of your beefy projects. The laptop’s screen will give you high-quality visuals of your design projects.
Consequently, it makes it easier for you to get a detailed picture and identify bugs in your models.
Its well-ventilated chassis and intelligent cooling system ensure minimum heat dissipation even after a long stretch of working.
Asus has included a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics coprocessor, which will easily allow you to run programs that require a high graphic load.
What’s more, the eye-catching exteriors of the Asus ROG series will surely make your laptop look a cut above the rest. This laptop is equipped with multiple ports and high-speed WiFi-6 connectivity to facilitate sharing and transfer of your projects.
It’s a great option in a feasible price range.
Pros
- 3 SSD Slots
- Great Battery
- Strong Performance
- Affordable Price
- 6 Core Processor
Cons
- No SD Card Slot
2. MSI GS66 Stealth
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 4.63 lbs
- Processor: 10th Gen, i7-10750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 4.9 GHz
- Graphics:RTX 2070 (8GB)
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
Here’s another 6-core processor laptop to assist you in your designing set-outs and give you a large scope to deliver a stellar performance. We present to you the MSI G66 Stealth.
This machine is more than adequate to process your high-tech design models with ease. It will also be a great companion whenever you need to take a break from work as it supports high-end gaming as well.
It has a vibrant RGB keyboard that you can customize to your liking; there’s a lot you can do with this keyboard but more on that later.
The laptop runs on a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H processor coupled with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX2070 Max-Q graphics coprocessor. This configuration is suitable to simulate your AutoCAD projects effortlessly.
It runs on the Windows 10 OS, with 16GB RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD storage that’d speed up piles of your work to a whole new level. Another notable point is that the laptop only weighs 4.63 lb, meaning you can carry it along during your on-site work hours as well.
MSI has installed multiple ports to give this machine a window to the external peripherals. The G66 Stealth has a 15.6″ standard-sized ultrathin screen with a sleek chassis that is a sight to behold.
Usually, there’s a lack of time in the life of a professional, and MSI has taken care of it. They have included a Thunderbolt 4 fast-charging option that quickly charges your laptop.
It also has a firm yet flexible 180° hinge to adapt to your comfort and make working a playful chore for you.
| Pros | Cons |
| High-class Performance | No Optical Drive |
| Durable Battery Backup | Mediocre Audio Quality |
| 240Hz Display | Plastic-like Body |
| Light Weight | |
| Fast Charge |
3. Alienware M15 R3
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 4.65 lbs
- Processor: 10th Gen, i7-10750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 5.1 GHz
- Graphics: RTX 2060 (6GB)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
When it comes to building the best-in-class computing machines, Dell has never let us down. Continuing their legacy, they’ve developed a worthwhile laptop in their M15 series – the Alienware M15 R3.
If you’re somebody who doesn’t want to compromise on performance and other features, this option is for you! Out of a vast list of specifications to fall for, its 8-processor count is something we can’t get enough of.
Software like AutoCAD is a sucker for the number of processors in a laptop, so this subdues all its shortcomings. This 15.6″ display laptop has more than one variety to choose from.
Its top model has a humongous 32GB DDR4 RAM, and 1TB flash memory SSD.
You might want to re-read the requirements for the 3D modeling software that we mentioned above and get the essence of this feature.
It runs on a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H processor with NVIDIA GeForce RTX-2080 graphics co-processor, making it a lightning-fast machine altogether.
The laptop runs on Windows 10 Home and offers an FHD display, ensuring a good designing experience with the perfect work-life balance.
To lower the stress on your eyeballs, the laptop has a unique technology to reduce blue light emission, making it suitable for prolonged work hours.
It’s light-weighted, and the chassis is made up of premium materials for the ideal build.
A laptop with all the greatest features is bound to cost a little more than its competitors.
However, if you’re a committed designer were compromising on important specs is not an option, the extra investment is worth it.
| Pros | Cons |
| 10th Gen powerful CPU with turbo speed | Mediocre Battery Life |
| 4K OLED Display | Non-upgradable RAM |
| Attractive Framework | Expensive |
| Customizable Keyboard | |
| Overall High Performance |
4. Acer Predator Helios 300
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 5.06 lbs
- Processor: 10th Gen, i7-10750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 5.0 GHz
- Graphics: RTX 2060 (6GB)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
Next up, we have a model with a stunning chassis from Acer – the Predator Helios 300. Apart from finishing off your AutoCAD projects in style, this laptop supports your gaming battles and other related jobs.
Available in a wide range of variants, this laptop is nothing short of a predator that hunts down your unproductivity. With its 2.6GHz 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H and overclockable NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, this device is all set to give your design models a happy ending.
The company has also armed this laptop with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. It means superfast processing and sufficient space to store your progress in a single space. That sounds like a great deal, right?
To give you some more great news, it’s equipped with a DTS X ultra-audio with bass. It’s got multiple modes to set your audio in a way that’s pleasing to your senses exclusively. This means that you could feel like you’re actually at a concert but in the safety of your home.
Acer has provided a 15.6″ FHD display in this laptop that promises a seamless interaction with the graphics of your running project. Amplifying the connectivity, even more, the laptop has WiFi-6 and a squad of ports to make your laptop a multitasker.
One thing you won’t be able to overlook is its RGB backlit keyboard giving a high-end look to the laptop altogether. Although the laptop is exclusively built for our gaming fanatics, it’ll subtly manage your AutoCAD projects as well. With not much to compromise, this laptop is a steal at such a cheap rate.
| Pros | Cons |
| Solid Performance | Heating Problem |
| Cutting-edge Display | Subpar Audio Quality |
| Built-in Overclocking | Mediocre Battery Backup |
| Plenty of Storage | |
| Affordable Price |
5. Razer Blade 15
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 4.70 lbs
- Processor: 10th Gen, i7-10750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 5.0 GHz
- Graphics:RTX 2070 MQ (6GB)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
As you must know, Razer Blade is a renowned name amongst techies, specifically t people dealing with heavy software. The way they’ve constantly updated their systems since the last few iterations are remarkable. With that said, the Razer Blade 15 is one such masterpiece the company has rolled out to serve you.
This hexa-core device operates on an Intel Core i7-10750H 5GHz processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics coprocessor. However, it has a myriad of variants available to fulfill your requirements the best. It even has a variant with an eight-processor count, a legitimate candidate for your AutoCAD projects.
Its 15.6″ FHD display with a 144Hz refresh rate would seemingly make a difference in the way you’ll interact with your designs. It has a rugged 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD to ensure stellar performance levels.
Its portability gives it an upper hand over its counterparts if you’re someone who has to carry your projects along with you. This device also functions very well as a gaming laptop, so you will have a marvelous time off your work as well.
One of the things that might set you off while owning any machine is its overheating issue while working on the high operation mode. Here, in Razer Blade 15, the company has thought it over and brought an intelligent system to efficiently cool down its heat-generating components.
| Pros | Cons |
| RGB Keyboard | Heating Problem |
| Spectacular Framework | Irksome Fans |
| Unparalleled Performance | High Maintenance |
| Thunderbolt 3 Charging | |
| Great Battery Backup |
6. Dell G3 15 3500
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 6 lbs
- Processor: 10th Gen, i7-10750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 5.0 GHz
- Graphics: GTX 1650 Ti (4GB)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
If you’re someone who is ready to leap ahead in their design career but is held back by the shackles of budget, Dell G3 15 3500 is here to your rescue. This economical gaming laptop by Dell has almost everything you could have asked for at this price.
This laptop operates on Windows 10 Home armed with a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H Hexa-core processor. This makes it a performance-oriented PC that would enhance your AutoCAD’s functionality. Moreover, it has a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics coprocessor to smoothen the interactivity of your projects.
The company has come up with a wide range of variants in their G-series, and all of them have one thing in common, their frugality and superb staging. It is equipped with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD so you can continue brainstorming innovative ideas while your laptop will be geared up to store them.
Dell offers a 15.6″ FHD (1920×1080) IPS anti-glare display that’s complemented by a double-sided narrow bezel. And not just this, its blue light LED-backlit keyboard on a black chassis won’t leave a chance to mesmerize you. It also has a dual-fan cooling system that would optimize the laptop’s temperature whenever it gets heated up.
There’s not much to compromise with here since you’re getting the value for your money. Excited already? Visit the link and choose your best fit now!
| Pros | Cons |
| Good Battery Life | Heavy Weight |
| Affordable Price | Substandard Display |
| High Audio Quality | Mediocre Design And Built-quality |
| Easily Upgradable | |
| Sufficient Ports |
7. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
- RAM: 8GB
- Weight: 4.84 lbs
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H
- CPU Speed: Up to 3.3 GHz
- Graphics: GTX 1650 (4GB)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
Just when you thought that you’d fall short of cheaper options to run your AutoCAD and similar software, we’re presenting you with the incredible Lenovo IdeaPad. This budget laptop has irresistible features at a price that makes it stand out from the crowd. Let’s get into the details and find out!
The laptop is available in an 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB NVMe SSD coupled with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB graphics coprocessor. Your user experience is further taken care of by a 15.6” anti-glare IPS FHD display with a screen resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.
It operates on an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor, and to further lure you in, the company has loaded it with long-lasting battery life. Still not enough? Well, its anti-glare screen also has a feature to protect you from the harmful blue light so you can have a work marathon without bothering much about anything else.
Lenovo hasn’t given up in terms of appearance too. Its blue LED-backlit keyboard looks appealing enough, and its 180-degree hinge feature multiplies the flexibility of this PC even more.
This laptop is viable for beginners and intermediate-level designing to some extent, but you shouldn’t be expecting it to go all in to support your sophisticated ventures. Nevertheless, it’s the best you could anticipate at this price range with such a high brand value.
| Pros | Cons |
| Reasonable Price | Single Processor |
| Matte IPS Panel | Plastic Keyboard |
| Loaded With Ports | Annoying Clickpad |
| Easy To Carry | |
| Great Cooling Capacity |
8. ASUS TUF FX505GT
- RAM: 8GB
- Weight: 4.85 lbs
- Processor:9th Gen, i5-9300H
- CPU Speed: Up to 4.1 GHz
- Graphics: GTX 1650 (4GB)
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6″ (1920 x 1080)
Asus is known to serve best-in-class laptops armed with high-tech features and high-end design. With ASUS TUF FX505GT, they’re aiming to deliver all this at an affordable price. The TUF FX505GT has a “tough” design and build quality, making it a sturdy machine.
Asus offers Intel’s Core i5-9300H quad-core processor to offer a power-packed experience with this laptop. To further power its 2.4GHz processor, they’ve combined it with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics coprocessor resulting in an excellent performance.
This futuristic, spy movie-Esque laptop has a military-grade MIL-STD 810G certification that assures sturdiness even under harsh conditions. Moving on to the memory, it comes with an 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD giving you plenty of space to store your masterpieces.
All of its ports are located on the chassis’s left-hand side, giving it a fairly clean finish without compromising the connectivity potential.
One of the notable features of this laptop is its Anti-dust cooling system, which lets your laptop work much longer without slowing down or heating up. All in all, it’s one of our top picks, considering its superb features and exquisite build.
| Pros | Cons |
| Amazing Keyboard | Loud Fans |
| Dedicated Graphics Card | Average Trackpad |
| Expandable RAM | Slow Frame Rates |
| Inbuilt Webcam | |
| Sufficient Ports |
9. Apple MacBook Pro
- RAM: 16GB
- Weight: 3.5 lbs
- Processor: Apple M1 Pro Chip
- CPU Speed: Up to 5.0 GHz
- Graphics: Apple 14-core GPU
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 14.2″ (3024 x 1964)
They say money can’t buy happiness, but it could get you the latest Macbook Pro with an M1 pro chip which is pretty much the same thing. Your search for the best performance and features end here, presenting the all-new Apple MacBook Pro 2022.
This loaded laptop gives you an option to upgrade the number of CPU cores up to 10 and GPU cores up to 32, which is much more than sufficient to carry out your AutoCAD projects.
Its M1 pro chip is the single most incredible component a laptop could have. With all of this, your design experience is bound to take a giant leap forward.
It comes with up to 8TB of superfast SSD storage and up to 64GB of unified memory, providing you with an endless scope to store your creativity and hard work with no hassle.
Your productivity will certainly skyrocket with such a powerful machine in your hands. It has a 14″ liquid retina XDR display with a dynamic contrast ratio that will ensure a strain-less experience for your eyes.
It also has a 1080p HD web camera and six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers to further improvise. These would create a difference while you’re attending a virtual meeting with your clients. Not to mention its stellar battery life that would last up to a good 17 hours.
Basically, your laptop will stay awake as long as you do and technically sleeps for less time! We could go on and on about this device, but we’ll spare you the time. H Head to the stores and get your hands on it!
| Pros | Cons |
| An Array of Ports | Pricy |
| 10-core CPU | Smaller Screen Size |
| Celestial Performance | Notch Might Trouble Some |
| Marvelous Battery Life | |
| Touch ID |
What to consider when buying a laptop for AutoCAD 2022
AutoCAD is a popular design software program often used by interior designers, engineers, and draftsmen. It’s used to easily create interesting designs with great efficiency. As with any other similar program, it requires certain specifications to run smoothly and work as intended. Selecting laptops with good components will make sure you never run into a problem while using AutoCAD. The main components to keep in mind when searching for a new laptop are the CPU, the RAM, the storage, the display resolution, the GPU, as well as others.
| Minimum System Requirements | Recommended System Requirements | |
| CPU | 2.5–2.9 GHz | 3+ GHz |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| Storage | Hard drive with at least 7GB free | SSD with at least 7GB free |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 with True Color | 3840 x 2160 with True Color |
| Graphics | 1 GB GPU with 29 GB/s Bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant | 4 GB GPU with 106 GB/s Bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant |
CPU
Similar to most CAD software, AutoCAD also mostly uses your CPU when you draw or draft. As AutoCAD is a memory-hungry program, a high-end fast processor is required. The minimum required CPU speed is between 2.5-2.9 GHz, but having one with a speed over 3GHz is heavily recommended, as it will assure that the program doesn’t become laggy or slow.
Furthermore, if you’re a professional working with larger models and drawings, you might want to look for laptops with 4GHz+. Unfortunately, AutoCAD doesn’t take advantage of CPUs with multiple cores, so a performance difference between a 4 core CPU and an 8 core CPU is barely noticeable if it even exists.
This is because most of AutoCad’s tools and effects are not multi-threaded. When it comes to specific CPUs, if you’re a beginner or you just aren’t usually working with larger projects, any Ryzen 5 or Core i5 from the H series should be more than enough. On the other hand, if you are used to bigger and more complex projects, getting a recent Ryzen 7 or Core i7 would be a better idea, just to make sure there’s enough processing power.
RAM
AutoCAD is ridiculously memory-hungry. It can quickly use up all your memory and slow down your whole laptop if you don’t have enough. 8GB is the bare minimum and is okay for students or anyone who’s only working on smaller projects. If your budget allows for it, it’s always better to get at least 16GB of RAM.
It will support any larger projects you have and improve your rendering speed significantly. It’s usually not worth going over 16GB, and going for 32GB or 64GB as it doesn’t make as much of a difference. Only go for those if you’re a professional and are constantly working on very large projects.
Storage
There are 2 options for storage, an HDD and an SSD. In the case of AutoCAD, you’re way better of with an SSD because of its speed, which is the most important factor in this situation. HDDs do provide more storage space for the same price, but their speed just isn’t reliable enough for AutoCad. So how much storage do you need?
It also depends on the type of user you are. If you’re a student or someone who’s just starting with AutoCad, 128GB of storage will be okay. But if you’re a professional and you’re usually working with several projects at once, getting 256GB is a better choice. Also, if you plan on having a repository of projects on your laptop, get at least 512GB. The best way of using SSDs is to have the OS and the AutoCad on one, and use the other SSDs for any projects you’re working on.
Display
Of course, if you’re going to be looking at your screen for a good portion of the day, you should have the most pleasant experience. With AutoCAD, more screen size is always preferred, as more space means bigger previews, better viewport, and tools that are on a click away. This will, of course, increase your productivity and will make your work smoother and easier. The general rule is to always get a laptop with a display of at least 15 inches.
The 13-inch screen just doesn’t cut it, and you’ll quickly get annoyed, especially if you’re working on any larger project. The 17-inch display is the preferable option as it allows you to do many things simultaneously and speeds up the whole process, but the 15-inch one also proves to be good enough, and if you’re looking for a lighter laptop, this is the way to go. Of course, the higher resolution, the better the experience, so if your budget allows for it, get the best resolution possible.
GPU
If you’re using AutoCAD for any larger project, you’ll have to have a dedicated GPU, otherwise, the viewport will be extremely slow and practically unusable. One option is the workstation GPUs. These are certified by most CAD software companies, and they supposedly have optimized hardware and drivers to deal with the type of calculations of 3D CAD software, like AutoCAD. The other option is the consumer “gaming” GPUs.
They are very similar in structure to the workstation GPUs and some newer consumer GPUs outperform the workstation ones, so it’s a choice of preference. For small projects, the GTX 1050, 1050 Ti, or any of the MX 250, 350, and 450 should be good enough. For larger ones, a 2060RTX or a 3060RTX should be more than enough.
Other Compnents
The main thing to consider, besides the ones mentioned above, has to be the operating system. If you have a Mac OSX, you’ll be able to handle smaller projects, but keep in mind that not all AutoCad software is available on the Mac. On the other hand, if you’re planning to use AutoCad professionally and want all of its features, Windows is a clear winner.
