3 Best Laptops for Vectorworks in 2024
From this article, you will know what are, in our opinion, the best laptops for Vectorworks you can buy and use in 2024.
Vectorworks is a popular BIM (Building Information Modeling) software program mainly used for architecture and entertainment industry work. Many people utilize this software to help them create detailed 3D models of their construction projects.
To work in Vectorworks, you can use a laptop. However, as Vectorworks can be very demanding for a laptop to run, the laptop you use should have the right specification quality. Using the wrong kind of laptop can make your work process in Vectorworks rather unproductive as you may encounter considerable lags or even crashes that can disturb your workflow significantly.
If you want to work in Vectorworks by using a laptop but don’t have a capable laptop yet for that purpose, you might be interested in buying a new laptop. However, it can be confusing to pick the right laptop for Vectorworks usage from many laptop models and specification choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has tried to compile a list of the best laptops for Vectorworks that you can use as your laptop-buying reference.
What are the laptops we recommend and why do we recommend them? Let’s start digging into the list right away.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links from which we earn commission from qualifying purchases/actions at no additional cost for you. Learn more
Image | View on Amazon | Product |
---|---|---|
Apple MacBook Pro M3 16 | ||
Dell Precision 7780 | ||
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i |
Table of Contents:
What are the Best Laptops for Vectorworks?
Now, let’s see more about the laptops that make it to our list of excellent laptops to use for Vectorworks-related work. Using one of these laptops should give you the laptop support you need to create the 3D model you want in Vectorworks more optimally.1. Apple MacBook Pro M3 16
Apple MacBook Pro M3 16 is the first laptop that can be ideal to support what you want to work on in Vectorworks. Powered by the Apple M3 Max chip, this MacBook is very powerful and shouldn’t have a problem dealing with tasks related to your Vectorworks utilization.
The Apple M3 Max chip is a high-quality processor for a laptop to have. Thanks to its capabilities, you should be able to work on complex construction projects in Vectorworks smoothly. As the chip has an efficient memory space consumption too, the large 48 memory capacity that this MacBook has should be more than adequate for many projects in Vectorworks and the multitasking process that you might need this MacBook to do.
This MacBook has an excellent webcam, microphones, and speakers so doing video calls with it to discuss your work in Vectorworks with your colleagues should give you a clear communication experience. When you need to use its battery, this MacBook can last up to an incredible 22 hours so you can go 1-2 days without charging it.
There are three Thunderbolt 4 ports and one HDMI port on the sides of this Macbook to make it easy for you when you need to use external monitors to enhance your work productivity in Vectorworks. All in all, this Apple MacBook Pro M3 16 can be just the laptop you need to work optimally in Vectorworks.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 16.2 inches, 3456 x 2234 pixels
- Processor: Apple M3 Max with 16 cores and a speed of 4.05 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 48GB
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 22 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Vectorworks
- Sleek design
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports and one HDMI port
- Long-lasting battery
- Excellent display and sound quality
- Excellent webcam and microphones
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No USB-A ports
- Notched display
2. Dell Precision 7780
Dell Precision 7780 is another laptop we think can support your construction modeling work in Vectorworks capably. It is an excellent workstation laptop from Dell that should perform well when it runs Vectorworks for you thanks to the specification quality that it has.
To run its operations, this laptop has a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and 64GB RAM capacity. These are nice performance specifications that should manage your work in Vectorworks well. The RAM capacity, in particular, is large and should provide plenty of memory space for Vectorworks which can often take up a lot of room in your laptop during its usage.
For graphic processing, there is an NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada with 12GB VRAM in this laptop ready to help you. It is an excellent professional-oriented GPU that should do its tasks well when rendering your construction models in Vectorworks. When you need to connect to external devices, there is a full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports you can use on this laptop.
Looking for a capable laptop to enable a smooth work process for you in Vectorworks? You may want to strongly consider buying and using this Dell Precision 7780 laptop.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 17.3 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 20 cores and speed in the range of 2.1-5.3 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 64GB
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada with 12GB VRAM
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 9 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Vectorworks
- Sturdy build
- A full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Bright display
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- Bulky design
3. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is the last laptop we recommend on this list. Coming from the popular Lenovo Legion series, this laptop is reliable and should bode well with what is required for an excellent work process in Vectorworks.
The processor of this laptop is a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processor. It is a splendid processor with 24 cores and a speed of up to 5.4 GHz that can run Vectorworks fast for you. As for the RAM capacity, there is 32GB in this laptop that you can upgrade up to 64GB should you feel you need more for your work.
This laptop has an excellent thermal management system so you shouldn’t get overheating issues during intense work sessions in Vectorworks. When you need to use a GPU to process your construction models, there is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU with 12GB VRAM and 175W TGP that should be up to the task in terms of graphic processing.
Additionally, you shouldn’t get much eye strain when you work in Vectorworks for long hours with this laptop thanks to its friendly-to-the-eye display. Overall, this Lenovo Legion Pro 7i can be a fine laptop choice to support your work activities in Vectorworks.
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 4080 with 12GB VRAM
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 4 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Vectorworks
- Solid build
- HDMI and lots of USB ports
- Excellent thermal management
- Good friendly-to-the-eye display
- Stretchable hinge (up to 180 degrees)
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
- Meager battery life
- A bit heavy
What are the Things We Should Consider When We Want to Buy a Laptop to Use Vectorworks with?
Here are the things we think you should consider when you want to buy a laptop to support your work in Vectorworks.- Processor. You should have a high-quality processor in the laptop you buy as Vectorworks can be demanding for a laptop to run. We recommend a laptop with at least a late-generation i7 or Ryzen 7 processor or an Apple silicon chip for this
- RAM capacity. The laptop you buy should have a large RAM capacity as Vectorworks can take up a lot of memory space in your laptop when you work on it. We recommend a laptop with at least 16GB RAM although it will be much better for future-proofing if you can buy a laptop with at least 32GB RAM
- GPU. Vectorworks often needs to use the GPU in your laptop to process the models you build in it. Thus, the laptop you buy should have an excellent dedicated GPU so the processing on your models in Vectorworks can be done rather quickly. We recommend a laptop with at least an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with 6GB VRAM for this if you want to buy a Windows laptop
- Storage. You may need to store some large-sized files related to your work in Vectorworks internally on your laptop so the laptop you buy should have adequate storage space to accommodate those files. We recommend a laptop with at least 512GB SSD storage space for this
Wrap Up
When you want to buy a laptop, you may want one that can help you work in Vectorworks smoothly. However, it can be confusing to pick the right laptop from many laptop choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has created a list of the best laptops for Vectorworks to help you.To summarize, here are three laptops we think are excellent to use for Vectorworks-related work.
We hope our list can help you buy the best laptop to support your construction model creation in Vectorworks!
Read also: