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Are you a 3D modeling enthusiast looking for the perfect laptop to bring your creations to life?
Finding the best laptop for 3D modeling can be difficult. Not only do you need to know the latest tools and their requirements, but also how the laptop components perform together and whether they’re a good fit.
Still, imagine having a machine that can handle all of your 3D modeling needs with ease, without any lag or delays.
Well, let’s dive in and find it, so you can take your designs to the next level.
Table of Contents
Minimum & Recommended System Requirements
Before selecting the most suitable 3D modeling laptop for your needs, you should get a clear picture of the necessary system specs.
Based on our experience, we made the table below to serve as a general guideline when choosing a new laptop for 3D modeling that will run even the best 3D modeling software without issues.
Keep in mind that not all 3D apps have the same system requirements. So if you already know you’ll be working on a specific app, check the recommended specs on their official page.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 12th Gen. Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 | 12th Gen. Intel Core i7 or better |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB or more |
| Storage | 512GB SSD | 1TB SSD or more |
| Display | 14-inch IPS FHD (1920 x 1080) | 15.6-inch IPS FHD (1920 x 1080) or higher |
| GPU | 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series or higher |
Top 7 Laptops for 3D Modeling
Want to find out the best laptops for 3D modeling? Without further ado, here are our top picks.
1. Best Laptop For 3D Animation: ASUS ROG Strix G16
- CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i9-13980HX
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SDD
- Display: 16-inch FHD (1920 x 1200)
- GPU: 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
- Battery: Up to 8 Hours
If you want a great laptop for 3D modeling and animation, ASUS ROG Strix G16 is the way to go. Besides powerful specs, this beast also comes with a great battery life and top-notch display.
Strix packs the latest-and-greatest 13th Gen. i9 and an RTX 4070. This combo is an amazing choice for some of the most demanding 3D modeling tasks and software, including Blender, AutoCAD, ZBrush, and Cinema 4D.
In my tests, I was able to do fast renders and lag-free work, and the whole experience felt really smooth.
This is also due to fast and powerful DDR5 RAM, which is roughly 50% faster than DDR4. For super-complex project and large assemblies, I’d probably upgrade it to 32GB RAM.
I’m a fan of Strix’s gorgeous and very color-accurate, 16” display. Fast displays are a standard for gaming laptops, but color accuracy is often bad, and this is where Strix is different. With 100% sRGB, it’s very useful even in color-sensitive 3D modeling tasks.
The battery life is pretty good. I got around 7-8 hours of juice, which beats many gaming laptops, and a lot of productivity machines.
When it comes to portability, the gaming behemoth is a bit on the heavier side, at 5.51 lbs. I’d still consider it reasonable weight for a 16” laptop this powerful.
With 1TB of storage, future-proof specs and accurate display, ASUS ROG Strix G16 is easily one of the best laptops for 3D modeling you can buy at the moment.
- What We Like
- Latest-gen. CPU
- Super-powerful GPU
- Large, color-accurate display
- Fast and upgradable DDR5 RAM
- Good battery life
- Ample storage
- What We Don’t Like
- On the heavier side
2. Best Price: HP Victus
- CPU: 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-12450H
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB SDD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
- Battery: Up to 5 hours
Maybe you want a 3D modeling laptop that’s capable enough, but comes at a reasonable price. Victus offers very good specs, professional design and upgradability — and in my book, that’s a sweet deal right there.
Victus is HP’s budget gaming laptop, so it packs a 12th Gen. i5 and a dedicated GTX 1650. Granted, the GPU is a lower-end option, but it’s still a dedicated one.
Based on my findings, Victus performs well with most of the 3D tasks, but can get laggy with complex renders and demanding projects. So if you’re thinking about buying it, I’d swap the RAM for at least 32GB.
And if you’re a student or an entry-level 3D professional, I believe you’ll love the performance coupled with a hi-res, thin display.
The whole thing looks very professional. I love the design of Victus — it reminds me of a toned-down version of HP Spectre. As such, it’s great for any office or classroom, much more so than RGB-lit gaming machines.
Victus is also ok in the portability department. At 5-6 hours of battery life and 5 lbs of weight, it should be easy enough to carry. Just make sure to bring a charger.
There is a bit of screen wobble, though not when typing — however, you might trigger it with an occasional bump on a desk.
Overall, for this price, Victus stands out among 3D modeling laptops as an elegant yet powerful machine that will serve you a good amount of time.
- What We Like
- Affordable price
- Strong CPU
- Upgradable RAM
- Great display
- Beautiful keyboard layout
- Professional and elegant
- What We Don’t Like
- Screen wobble
- Low-tied dedicated GPU
3. Best Laptop for Simpler Projects: ASUS TUF Dash
- CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-12650H
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB SDD
- Display: 15.6-Inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
- GPU: 6GB NVidia GeForce RTX 3060
- Battery: Up to 7 hours
For simpler projects, there’s just no beating ASUS TUF Dash. This laptop for 3D modeling is a great mid-range option, with just the right amount of gaming vibe.
TUF is polished, sturdy and sleek. I love the compact keyboard and an elevated panel, because it lets me focus on workspace.
Under the hood, you’ll find a 12th Gen. i7 and a very solid RTX 3060. These are great specs for the price, and I had no issues working on my 3D creations.
Plus, the machine is great when it comes to portability. At a little over 4 lbs and with solid 7 hours of battery, it’s comparable to the much more expensive ASUS ROG Zephyrus.
I love the display — 15.6” panel gives a lot of space to work with, but the color accuracy is not the greatest, like with most gaming laptops.
To circumvent this, I will typically use the great ports selection on TUF and connect to one of the more color-accuracte external monitors for finer details.
I can’t say I’m crazy about all the ports being on the left side, since this can clearly be an issue for some people, but it is what it is. However, you do get 2 SSD slots, which is awesome, since you can upgrade the storage.
Overall, if you’re looking for a portable, powerful mid-range laptop for 3D modeling, TUF Dash 15 should definitely be on your radar.
- What We Like
- Strong performance
- Ample and fast RAM
- Lightweight
- Long battery life
- Large elevated display
- Great ports selection
- What We Don’t Like
- Low color accuracy
- Most ports on the left
4. Best For Students: Acer Nitro 5
- CPU: 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5-12500H
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
- Battery: Up to 6 Hours
Students often have limited budget, which can be a problem when searching for a 3D modeling laptop. Nitro 5 is one of the most popular budget 3D modeling and gaming laptops out there, and for a good reason.
Compared to HP Victus, Nitro packs stronger specs. A 12th Gen. i5 and an RTX 3050 fly through most of the 3D modeling tasks, with no lag or stutter.
In my tests, 8GB RAM was a bottleneck for the heavier tasks, because it’s simply not enough. So I’d say it’s imperative to upgrade to at least 16GB RAM — and you can.
Even though it’s plastic, Nitro 5 is a sturdy laptop. I also love the keyboard — it’s easy to type on, backlit, and tactile.
Powerful laptops — which you’re gonna need for 3D modeling — often come with a lot of heat because of the specs. Luckily, Acer did a really good job with the cooling system on Nitro 5, so it stays at pleasant temperatures all the time.
At 5.5 lbs, Nitro’s weight is alright for a 15.6” laptop. Battery could have been better — I consistently got around 5-6 hours, which might be ok for students, depending on the workload.
However, at this price, Nitro 5 joins the ranks of HP Victus for one of the best budget laptops for 3D modeling — and gives a lot of goodies for the price tag.
Watch our Acer Nitro 5 Review
This YouTube review was created by the Not Just Laptops team. The specs may slightly differ from the laptop in the article.
- What We Like
- Affordable
- Great performance
- Comfy keyboard
- Efficient cooling
- Sturdy design
- Fast display
- What We Don’t Like
- 8GB RAM
- Middling battery life
5. Slim and Lightweight: Acer Swift X
- CPU: 2Ghz AMD Ryzen 7 5825U
- RAM: 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB SDD
- Display: 14-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
- GPU: 4GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
- Battery: Up to 11 hours
Say you’re often out and about with your laptop for 3D modeling. If that’s the case, heavy gaming beasts are probably off limits — and in comes Acer Swift X.
First off, 3 lbs is nothing. I love how sturdy, compact and light Swift X feels — it’s super easy to throw in a backpack and you won’t even feel carrying it.
Not only that, but the battery life lasts around 10-11 hours, which is more than enough for any workday. With 3D modeling tasks, I got a little less juice, but still a lot.
The performance is not far behind either. With a newer Ryzen 7 and a capable RTX 3050 Ti, Acer Swift X is among the more capable 3D modeling laptops on this list. It’s a great productivity machine, and I enjoyed playing with the 3D elements.
And the display is color-accurate, which rounds up the most important specs for any 3D modeling software.
16GB RAM is enough for most modeling tasks, except the most demanding ones. but the RAM is not upgradable. It’s a mystery to me why Acer went this way, and I hope they’ll fix it with the next model.
The build is ok. Swift X does feel a little too breezy — it’s nothing serious, but just note that you should take good care of it.
However, for this price, I’d say you get a capable machine, and super-light at that. This laptop will accompany you on many 3D projects — and perform admirably.
- What We Like
- Powerful performance
- Long battery life
- Slim, lightweight design
- 2 SSD slots
- Mate, color-accurate display
- Great value for money
- What We Don’t Like
- RAM not upgradable
- Build quality could be better
6. Best Battery Life: Apple MacBook Pro 14 M2
- CPU: 3.5GHz Apple M2 10-Core
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Display: 14.2-inch XDR Retina (3024 x 1964)
- GPU: Integrated Apple 16-Core
- Battery: Up to 15 hours
Among laptops for 3D modeling, Apple MacBook Pro 14 brings tons of goodies. Stellar performance, ridiculous battery life, and an amazing display are just a few benefits Pro packs.
For years now, MacBooks have been the reigning champs of portability. With 13-15 hours of battery life, the latest Pro M2 does not back down. It’s just crazy how long this machine lasts.
Equipped with the Apple’s M2 chip, the machine flies through 3D modeling tasks like a professional should. I threw complex projects, renders and anything else I could think of, and it didn’t flinch.
I know what you’re thinking — but is 16GB RAM enough for complex stuff? Normally, I’d say no, but with Macbooks, it’s just a whole other game. In other words, you needn’t worry about the RAM, unless your workload skyrockets in the next year or so.
M2’s display is a thing of beauty. The super-high resolution, Retina display is easy on the eyes, color-accurate, and just gorgeous to look at.
Add to that one of the best keyboards on the market, and you’ve set yourself a nice little 3D modeling workstation.
Is MacBook pricey? Yes.
But is it a 3D modeling laptop that’s worth it? Absolutely. It’s one of the top picks for 3D modeling, and one that will last a loooong time.
- What We Like
- Awesome M2 performance
- Gorgeous Retina display
- Crazy-long battery life
- Lightweight
- Ample storage
- Amazing keyboard
- What We Don’t Like
- Pricey
- Non-upgradable RAM
7. Best For Power Users: MSI Raider GE78 HX
- CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i9-13980HX
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: 2TB SSD
- Display: 17-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1440)
- GPU: 16GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- Battery: Up to 5 hours
If you’re looking for 3D modeling laptops for heavy tasks, MSI Raider should definitely be on your list. This is a beast in the truest sense of the word.
Raider packs a powerful 13th Gen. i9, similar to the ROG Strix. However, the RTX 4090 in Raider is the Superman of GPUs at the moment — it’s the most powerful card on the market.
Needless to say, when I did 3D modeling on the laptop, I was blown away with the speed. The experience is just amazing.
But you didn’t think MSI stopped there? GPU is connected to an amazing QHD+ 17.3” display. I can honestly say it felt like I was on the Star Trek’s Enterprise and enjoying the view — the panel looks really nice, crisp, vivid, and large.
All the power you get does take some toll on the battery life — in MSI’s case, the juice runs out after about 4-5 hours. But I can’t even blame them, that’s how powerful this thing is.
If anything, I am a little concerned with weight. Sure, this is a 17” laptop, but 6.8 lbs does strike me as little heavy, so this laptop is a great choice if you’re using it mainly at home or office.Still, if you want power and performance, this is it. MSI Raider is a sleek, professional 3D modeling laptop for serious players working on next-level projects.
- What We Like
- Latest-gen. CPU
- Super-powerful GPU
- Lots of RAM
- 2TB of storage
- Large, hi-res display
- Gamer-professional design
- What We Don’t Like
- Heavy
- Middling battery life
Buying Guide for 3D Modeling Laptops
We have one more stop before we get to the exciting part, I promise.
Let’s go over a few key considerations that will help you choose the best 3D modeling laptop for your needs and preferences.
1. Choose Your Platform
In previous articles, we discussed Fusion 360 laptops and explored some of the best laptops for SolidWorks. But the world of 3D modeling is huge, and there are other go-to platforms for CAD professionals and 3D modelers. Some of those are Revit, AutoCAD, Blender, 3D Max, Modo, and many others.
If you haven’t made up your mind about which ones you’re going to use, keep on reading. Because this article serves as a general guideline to laptops that can deliver overall good performance with most 3D apps.
2. Pick a Laptop With a Good CPU/GPU Combo
For optimal performance with these professional tools, you need a computer with an excellent CPU and a dedicated GPU.
The CPU is the most important piece of computer hardware for anything you do, and that includes 3D modeling. For the best performance we recommend going for some of the later generations of Intel Core i7 processors. If those are above your budget, don’t settle for anything less than an Intel Core i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 processor.
A good GPU is essential for taking the load off the processor, especially for real-time rendering, viewpoint performance, and improved visual quality with textures and shading. For basic 3D work, you may be able to get by even with an integrated GPU, but the drop in performance will be significant. That’s why we recommend picking a laptop featuring some of NVIDIA’s RTX 30-series or higher.
3. Get Enough RAM and Storage
For students just starting out with 3D modeling, even 8GB RAM could be enough, but it won’t be enough for professionals. A higher portion of RAM (at least 16GB) will make multitasking and 3D work much more enjoyable.
For professionals working on super-complex models with thousands of pieces, upgrading to 32GB may be necessary.
As for storage, having more space is beneficial for keeping all your files and projects in one place. But more importantly, pick something with an SSD rather than the traditional HDD if you want your laptop to boot faster and perform better.
4. Choose a Laptop With a High-Quality Display
In terms of size and resolution on laptop displays, there is plenty of variety to choose from, and those should be more of a personal preference. Obviously, with bigger displays, you get more work space without having to scroll up and down all the time. But that also means compromising portability.
Also, higher-resolution displays (like 4K) do provide a better visual experience, but they also cost more and drain the laptop’s battery quicker.
So considering all things, you’d probably get the best balance between price, portability, and power consumption by selecting a 15.6-inch FHD display. But whatever you pick, make sure it has good color accuracy and an IPS panel for wider viewing angles and precise visual representation of your designs.
5. Get a Properly Cooled Laptop
Powerful hardware components generate a lot of heat, especially with resource-intensive 3D applications. To avoid overheating issues and performance throttling, get a laptop with an efficient cooling system.
Generally, high-end gaming laptops and workstations come with decent cooling systems. However, it’s a good idea to check the user comments before making a purchase – just to be on the safe side.
6. Consider Portability and Battery Life
We need to consider the portability for all the 3D modelers on the move. It might be challenging to find a powerful yet portable laptop because high-end components and efficient cooling systems require a larger chassis to fit in and run properly. Though, there are some exceptionally lightweight models with good balance between performance and portability.
But a lightweight laptop means squat if you have to look for a power socket every couple of hours. So if you’re constantly out and about, look for something with a battery life of at least 6-8 hours. And yes, our list offers some models with phenomenal battery life.
7. Determine Your Price Range
Finally, before checking out the laptops, it’s a good idea to set your budget so you know which models are realistically within your reach. As you would expect, higher-end laptops with top-tier components come with a higher price tag. But that doesn’t mean that getting a decent laptop for 3D modeling has to break the bank.
That’s why our list offers a variety of options ranging from affordable laptops all the way to the elite super-expensive models.
FAQs about Laptops for 3D Modeling
Here are some of the most common questions people ask us about 3D modeling laptops.
Which is the most important feature to look at in a laptop for 3D modeling?
While there are several important features to consider, like a dedicated GPU, enough RAM, and a high-quality display, the most crucial one is the CPU.
A powerful CPU with a higher base and turbo clocking speed means improved overall system performance with 3D modeling and other resource-intensive tasks.
On that note, we recommend picking a laptop with at least an Intel Core i7, or better yet, an i9 processor. Just don’t expect those laptops to be cheap.
Can you use a gaming laptop for 3D modeling?
Yes, in most cases. Gaming laptops are often equipped with the necessary specifications that can handle the load of 3D modeling tasks. As a matter of fact, some of our best picks in this article are indeed gaming laptops.
What is the desired RAM value for indulging in mid-range and high-end 3D modeling?
Professional 3D artists prefer at least 16GB RAM, especially when poly-meshes, complex rendering, ray tracing, and other intricate activities are concerned.
However, for beginners who are looking to start with 3D modeling or basic forms of graphic designing, 8GB could suffice. And for very complex 3D animations, get at least 32GB.
What is the difference between NVIDIA GeForce and NVIDIA Quadro GPUs?
Quadro cards are workstation standard units, mainly used by production managers, architects, and other 3D modelers.
Despite similar architecture, Quadro GPUs feature additional computational muscle as the drivers are designed to suit graphics-intensive 3D modeling. GeForce cards, including RTX (20-30 series) and GTX, are powerful but mostly restricted to gaming maneuvers.
However, the new generation of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series are the best possible graphics cards money can buy for professional work and gaming as well.
Verdict
Selecting the best laptop or workstation for 3D modeling isn’t as easy as it seems. You need to consider several important aspects before making a purchase.
First and foremost, determine your budget because high-end laptops can get expensive. Once you figure out how much you’re willing to spend, look for something that offers the best possible CPU/GPU performance, proper cooling, and a decent chunk of RAM for smooth 3D work and multitasking activities. While the other things we discussed are also important, they should be more of a personal preference.
To simplify a bit, here’s a quick review of the laptops:
- If you are looking for best battery life: Apple MacBook Pro 14 M2
- If you are looking for a high-end 3D modeling laptop: MSI Raider GE78 HX
- Last but not least, if you are new to 3D modeling and CAD software HP Victus is also up for grabs.
Do you have any other questions we might have missed? Leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you.
In case you’re looking for specific recommendations about SketchUp laptops, we got you covered. But if you’re just starting out with 3D modeling, you may be interested to learn about the best 3D modeling courses available first.
