The best laptops for architects enable you to use design software such as AutoCAD, 3DS Max and SketchUp when you're on your commute, travelling abroad, or in a client meeting. With plenty of processing power, strong battery life, and enough storage to back up your work, you'll be able to do everything on the move that you can do at your normal office desk.
To curate our selection, we've put our laptop experts to work, road-testing an array of devices at a range of sizes. Most of these are Windows laptops, because a lot of tools for architects, such as Revit, can't be run on Apple kit. However, in case your architectural software does, we've also included the best MacBook for architects at number two on our list. You might also be interested in our list of the best laptops for CAD and AutoCAD, to give you even more highly-relevant laptop options.
We found this to be an absolute powerhouse, running resource-intensive software quickly and keeping everything cool. The glasses-free 3D display also makes working in 3D more tangible. Read more below
Historically, there have been fewer architecture software options for Macs, but that's started to change to an extent. The latest MacBook Pro is sleek, powerful and has great battery life. Read more
This sleek 2-in-1 is more compact, reasonably priced and super versatile. The touch display can be used in tablet and easel mode as well as like a standard laptop. Read more below
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405) has truly stunning screen. This 3K OLED touchscreen display offers a 120Hz refresh rate, a 100% sRGB colour gamut and 1.07 billion colours. Read more below
On a tight budget? The ASUS Vivobook Pro 16 is an affordable yet capable laptop that boasts a gorgeous 3.2K OLED display with excellent colour accuracy, and a 16:10 aspect ratio. Read more below
This dual-screen laptop has a handy second display, which can seriously boost your productivity as an architect. It also boasts a powerful processor, a stunning OLED screen and robust build quality. Read more below
Why you can trust Creative Bloq
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Screen: 16in, glasses-free 3D OLED, 3.2K (3200 x 2000)
Storage: Up to 2x 4TB SSD
Reasons to buy
+
Excellent spec
+
Runs cool and quiet
+
Thunderbolt 4
Reasons to avoid
-
Battery life a little low
We found the ASUS ProArt Studiobook to be an absolute powerhouse, and it keeps things running cool thanks to some nifty new cooling tech. It delivered great results in our benchmark tests, and was easily able to handle working across multiple programs at the same time.
The 3.2K 120Hz OLED touchscreen also impressed in our tests, with a Delta-E of less than one for excellent colour accuracy (the ProArt Creator Hub has a whole section for tweaking this). We also tested 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. For architects who use a stylus, the screen has 4,096-pressure-level stylus support. And an additional boon is the glasses-free 3D display tech, which could help provide a more tangible experience for architects working in 3D.
As well as being our pick as the best Windows laptop for architects, this laptop breezes through 4K video, games, image processing and looks good while doing it, although inevitably all that power did have an impact on battery life in our tests. It's also fairly good value compared to some other laptops on our list, so it could also be an option as a laptop for architecture students. Read our ASUS ProArt Studiobook review for more details.
There's a reason that all the entries above on our list run Windows. Historically, there has been a much smaller range of software available for Mac, and that includes architecture software. That's started to change, but even today, popular programs including Revit and Microstation don't run on Apple laptops.
That said, if the software you use as an architect is compatible with Mac, and you're a big fan of Apple, the MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) is the one we'd go for. We found it offers excellent performance for handling demanding software, and you can upgrade to as high as 64GB RAM and 8TB storage.
The 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is one of the best screen we've seen on a laptop, and there are multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports and a full-size HDMI port. And, of course, it's Apple, so it looks impeccable for meeting clients. See our MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review for more details.
If you're constantly on the go, juggling client meetings, site visits, and studio sessions, portability is paramount. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED rises to the challenge, boasting an ultra-slim design and featherweight construction at a mere 2.82lbs (1.28kg). This sleek, lightweight companion easily glides between your bag and workspace.
And that's not all. The Zenbook's true power for the mobile architect lies in its exceptional battery life. With a whopping 15 hours on a single charge, you can draft on-site, present at a coffee shop, and meet deadlines at the airport, all without scrambling for an outlet.
Its 14-inch 3K OLED touchscreen display is also fantastic, with a 120Hz refresh rate and excellent colour accuracy. While the brightness is just 500 nits, the OLED tech makes it feel much brighter and sharper than that really. As we write in our full-length review: "It's the finest laptop screen on sale right now, and it worked perfectly throughout my testing".
It comes with Intel's latest Core Ultra processors with integrated AI capabilities (NPU), along with Improved integrated Intel Arc Graphics. And in practice that means you'll fast and smooth performance comparable to some higher-end laptops. There's a virtual numberpad on the trackpad and ASUS Pencil 2 stylus support so you can draw straight onto the screen. For full details, see our ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (UX3405) review.
CPU: Up to Quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core H35 i7-11370H
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
RAM: 16GB or 32GB
Screen: 14.4in 2400 x 1600p 3:2 PixelSense Flow touchscreen
Storage: 256GB – 2TB
Reasons to buy
+
Versatile form factor with three display positions
+
Comfortable keyboard
+
Good price
Want a laptop that turns into a tablet? We found the Surface Laptop Studio 2 to be super versatile. It boasts a gorgeous design and a premium build quality, with a PixelSense touchscreen that's a pleasure to use.
But best of all, it has a useful form factor that allows you to slide the screen forward into an easel-like position, or lay it completely flat over the keyboard, effectively turning the laptop into a large tablet with a touch screen that's compatible with a stylus.
Overall, this is a great choice for design work, sketching, note taking and general productivity. Our reviewer was also impressed with the Studio 2's battery life, and said that the keyboard was a joy to use. Plus this laptop is somewhat cheaper than the other we've mentioned so far. See our Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 review for more information.
Graphics: Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
RAM: 8GB or 16GB
Screen: 16in 2560 x 1600 or 3200 x 2000 16:10 display
Storage: Up to 1TB SSD
Reasons to buy
+
Good value
+
Dedicated graphics card
+
OLED display
Reasons to avoid
-
Battery life could be better
On a tight budget? The ASUS Vivobook Pro 16 is an affordable yet capable laptop that boasts a gorgeous 3.2K OLED display with excellent colour accuracy, vibrancy, and a 16:10 aspect ratio. Powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core H-series CPU and an NVIDIAGeForce RTX 4060 GPU, it also delivers ample processing power for demanding applications and handles complex projects with ease.
The 180-degree lay-flat hinge offers a degree of flexibility when giving presentations, and our reviewer found the ErgoSense keyboard particularly nice, with soft-touch keys making the experience of a real pleasure. "Overall," he writes, "the design of the Vivobook Pro 16 makes it a hybrid worker's dream. It's display size limits the requirement for an external monitor, and its weight makes it portable enough."
On the downside, battery life is not a strong point, lasting only two to three hours under typical workloads, and requiring frequent charging. Additionally, the lack of a touchscreen may disappoint. Despite these drawbacks, it offers a compelling combination of features for the price, including a premium metallic build, a comfortable keyboard, and a decent selection of ports. For more details, see our ASUS Vivobook Pro 16 review.
Like the idea of using two screens at once? Drawing architectural plans on one and completing documents, reports or spreadsheets on another, perhaps? The ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 allows you to do just that.
Yes, Zenbook Duo has two full-size 14-inch screens, with one hidden underneath the removable keyboard. And with stylus support too, no less. This unique design allows users to work with dual screens without the need for an external monitor, making it ideal for creative work on the go.
Despite its innovative form factor, the laptop maintains a slim profile and weighs only 1.65kg. With an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and Intel Arc Graphics, it delivers strong performance too, comparable to some desktop systems. It comes with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, providing ample memory and storage for demanding tasks. And the dual 2880x1800 120Hz OLED screens offer excellent colour reproduction and brightness, though they can be somewhat reflective. See our full ASUS Zenbook Duo OLED review for more details.
Laptops for architects need to have some serious computing power, because so much of the software regularly used by architects can be quite demanding. So you should be looking for a laptop with a modern multi-core processor and graphics card. To be safe, 16GB of RAM (or more) would be ideal, but you could get away with 8GB at a push. Also check that the software you need to use is compatible with the laptop: for example, Revit and Microstation are not compatible with macOS.
The screen size is also important, to reduce potential eye strain and ensure you (and your clients) can easily see your work. It’s important to think about peripherals you might want to use too. You’ll want an HDMI port to connect an external monitor if you regularly give presentations, as well as enough USB ports for peripherals like a mouse, touch pads and external hard drives.
Creative Bloq's team of hardware experts bring with them many years of experience using, testing and benchmarking laptops with a focus on running creative applications. All the laptops in this guide have been tested either by using software used by architects or benchmarked to ensure the CPU and GPU are capable of the most intensive architecture jobs around.
We run different benchmark tests on each device depending on its intended use by its maker, but the benchmarks we've run all the laptops in this guide through include the following:
• Cinebench R23/2024 - this assesses the performance of a computer's CPU and GPU using real-world 3D rendering tasks
• Geekbench 5/6 - this tests the CPU's processing power, both by using a single core for a single task at a time as well as all the CPU's core to see its ability to multitask
• 3DMark - this assesses a computer's ability to run graphic rendering tasks, which is necessary for architects
• PCMark 10 - this test assesses a computer’s ability to run all everyday tasks from web browsing to digital content creation, testing app launch speeds, 3D rendering and even battery life
But perhaps more importantly than benchmarking, we evaluate machines in real-world scenarios, pushing them to the limit with multiple applications running to see how they perform in real project-like conditions. Power, speed, flexibility, and what a computer looks and feels like to use are all criteria in our reviewing process.
We do much more than simply unpack a test unit, run some benchmarks and then pack it up again; we have lived and worked with all of the above laptops, running them in real-life scenarios and completed projects relevant to the subject of this guide, otherwise we wouldn't recommend these models to you. For more details, see our article onHow we test.
Are laptops or desktop PCs better for architecture?
As an architect, you’ll regularly find yourself on the move, whether it’s to visit a client or to go on-site and check up on ongoing projects. Similarly, students will want to move between labs, lectures and home, so, it goes without saying that laptops are the easy winner in terms of portability.
Are gaming laptops good for architects?
It’s becoming increasingly popular for architects to use gaming laptops, largely due to how much cheaper they can be while still offering the required computing power. A majority of gaming laptops will easily match some of the best laptops for architects, and if you can get past the often bizarre styling RGB, they can make for a great alternative.
Do architects need touchscreen laptops?
No, you don’t need a touchscreen laptop as an architect, but it can certainly be nice to have. While it can bump the price tag up a little, having a touch screen can make a world of difference when it comes to design and note-taking, especially if you have a stylus.
Matt has been a technology journalist for over 15 years, writing for publications such as T3, MacFormat and Creative Bloq. He's a managing editor of TechRadar, Creative Bloq's sister site, where he can be found writing about and reviewing laptops, computers, monitors and more. He often writes for Creative Bloq, helping creatives find their perfect laptop or PC.
