3 Best Laptops for 3D Rendering in 2025
From this article, you will know what are, in our opinion, the best laptops for 3D rendering you can buy and use in 2025.
3D rendering is a process that converts 3D models into 2D images in software. It is usually the final step we do after we have already designed our 3D models. We do it so we can create a hyperrealistic image that can bring our 3D model to life in a 2D form.
3D rendering is a taxing process for a laptop to do. Thus, if we want to use a laptop to do this process for us, we need a laptop that has the right high-quality specifications. This is so we can do our 3D rendering smoothly.
If we don’t have a capable laptop yet to do 3D rendering processes, we probably need to buy a new laptop. However, it can be hard to find a laptop with the right model and specifications to buy from many laptop choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has come up with its list of the best laptops for 3D rendering to help you.
Want to know what laptops make it into our list and why we recommend them? Let’s get on the list right away.
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Image | View on Amazon | Product |
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Dell Alienware M18 | ||
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i | ||
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 |
Table of Contents:
What are the Best Laptops for 3D Rendering?
Now, let us see the laptops that, in our opinion, should be excellent to use for a smooth 3D rendering process. Using one of these laptops will help you get the laptop performance you need to render the models you have in your 3D modeling software optimally.1. Dell Alienware M18
Dell Alienware M18 is the first laptop we recommend when it comes to an excellent laptop to support 3D rendering activities. Dell Alienware is a popular laptop series from Dell for being powerful and this Dell Alienware laptop model seems to have all the specifications needed to ensure smooth 3D rendering for you.This laptop uses a high-level NVIDIA GPU with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU that has 16GB VRAM in place. It is a splendid GPU and should be great for 3D rendering too. The 16GB VRAM ensures you have enough graphic memory space to do the process relatively fast.
As for the core performance specifications, this laptop looks splendid. This is because it has a 14th Gen Intel Core i9 HX series processor (24 cores) and 32GB RAM capacity. These specifications should make this laptop able to run the 3D modeling and rendering software you need to use capably.
The display of this laptop is clear and detailed in color with its QHD+ display and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut to give you an excellent view of the 3D models you work on. Overall, this Dell Alienware M18 seems to be a splendid laptop choice if you want one of the best laptops for 3D rendering.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 18 inches, 2560 x 1600 pixels
- Processor: 14th Gen Intel Core i9 with 24 cores and speed in the range of 2.2-5.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with 16GB VRAM and 175W TGP
- Storage: 2TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 4 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support 3D rendering activities
- Premium build
- A full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Excellent cooling system
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- Fans can be loud
2. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is another laptop you may want to take a look at. It is a fast and reliable laptop that can give you the performance level you need for your 3D rendering process.This laptop uses a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 as its processor. It is an excellent processor that is fast to optimize its performance and power management during 3D rendering. The RAM capacity is 32GB and you can upgrade it later to up to 64GB when you need to work on complex projects.
In terms of the dedicated GPU needed for 3D rendering, this laptop has an NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPU with 16GB VRAM. It is an excellent GPU which should be adequate for 3D rendering processes. When you need to connect to external devices to support your work, there are HDMI and lots of USB ports ready for you to use.
Looking for a capable 3D rendering laptop? You may want to consider buying and using this Lenovo Legion Pro 7i laptop too.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 16 inches, 2560 x 1600 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i9 with 24 cores and speed in the range of 2.2-5.4 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with 16GB VRAM and 175W TGP
- Storage: 2TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 4 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support 3D rendering activities
- Solid build
- HDMI and lots of USB ports
- Excellent thermal management
- Good friendly-to-the-eye display
- A quite flexible hinge (stretchable up to 180 degrees)
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
3. Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 is the next laptop we think is great for your 3D rendering. Based on its model and specifications, it should be able to handle the process needed to turn your 3D models into their 2D images well.To back up its performance, this laptop has a 14th Gen Intel Core i9 processor and 32GB RAM. Looking at the specifications, this laptop should be able to run the software you need for your work fast. It also has USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports so connectivity shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you.
As for the dedicated GPU, this laptop has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU with 16GB VRAM to support it. This GPU should be enough to manage the tasks needed to process graphics when you do 3D rendering on the models you create. When you need to check your 3D models before rendering them, this laptop’s excellent display quality should give you a clear and accurate view of them.
There is also MUX switch technology with NVIDIA Advanced Optimus in this laptop to improve the efficiency of its graphic processing and, thus, improve its 3D rendering performance. All in all, this Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 can be an excellent laptop choice if you want a capable laptop to perform 3D rendering processes for you.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 18 inches, 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Processor: 14th Gen Intel Core i9 with 24 cores and speed in the range of 2.2-5.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with 16GB VRAM and 175W TGP
- Storage: 2TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 5 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support 3D rendering activities
- USB-A, USB-C (one Thunderbolt 4), and HDMI ports
- MUX switch technology with Advanced Optimus
- High-quality QHD display that causes less eye strain
- Great speakers
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
- Average webcam
What are the Things We Should Consider When We Want to Buy a Laptop to Support 3D Rendering Activities?
Here are the things we think you should consider when you want to buy a laptop for 3D rendering.- Processor. As 3D rendering can be CPU-intensive, the laptop you buy should have a high-quality processor with some cores to utilize. We recommend a laptop with at least a late-generation i7 or Ryzen 7 processor that has at least 8 cores for this
- RAM capacity. 3D rendering can take up a lot of memory space when you do it on a laptop, especially if the 3D models you render are rather complex. Therefore, the laptop you buy should have an adequate RAM capacity to anticipate that. We recommend a laptop with at least 16GB RAM for this
- GPU. The 3D rendering process you run can also be GPU-intensive so the laptop you buy should have an excellent dedicated GPU as well. We recommend a laptop with at least an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or RTX A/Ada series GPU with 6GB VRAM for a much better 3D rendering process
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is AMD or NVIDIA Better for 3D Rendering?
In our opinion, an NVIDIA GPU is better for 3D rendering than an AMD GPU due to its better compatibility and overall rendering performance.How Much VRAM is Enough for 3D Rendering?
If you want to do 3D rendering on your laptop, it should have a dedicated GPU with at least 6GB VRAM as 3D rendering may need to consume a lot of graphic memory space to be done much more smoothly.How Many Cores Do You Need for 3D Rendering?
We recommend at least 8 cores in the processor you use for 3D rendering as 3D rendering tasks can be CPU-intensive, with simultaneous usage of some quality processor cores needed to handle them more optimally.Does More RAM Make 3D Rendering Faster?
RAM is less important than CPU or GPU when it comes to 3D rendering. However, you still need enough RAM capacity in your laptop to ensure your 3D rendering tasks are done smoothly.Wrap Up
When you want to buy a laptop, you may want one that can do 3D rendering fast for you. However, it can be hard to find the right laptop to support your 3D rendering activities from many laptop choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has come up with its list of the best laptops for 3D rendering that you can make as your laptop-buying reference.To summarize the list, here are three laptops we think are excellent should you use them for your 3D rendering processes.
We hope our list can help you buy the best laptop for you to render your 3D models with!
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