Searching for the best laptops for Revit is a pretty common thing among professional designers! You probably already know that Revit is a powerful software which is a big hand to create detailed architectural, landscape, and design models. You can easily create the imagination models that lingers in your mind.
That’s the reason it has obtained immense popularity among architects, designers, and engineers worldwide. Well, of course, you know this, that’s why you are here – to find an adequate laptop, capable of putting your ideas into work.
Powerful rendering requires equally powerful configuration, but luckily, Revit can work on “reasonably priced” laptops as well.
| Image | Name | Specs | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Top Pick  | Our Top Pick | 1. Acer Aspire E 15 FHD Notebook |
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 | 2. Microsoft Surface Book 2 |
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 | 3. ASUS VivoBook Pro 17 Laptop |
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 | 4. Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Laptop |
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 | 5. Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Laptop |
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 | 6. HP Pavilion X360 Convertible Laptop |
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 | 7. MSI GV62 8RD-275 Gaming Laptop |
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Top 7 Best Laptops for Revit (Update 2020)
In these years, we have a plethora of both excellent and affordable laptops and pricey monsters that can do anything! Bearing this in mind, let’s take a look at the top 7 Revit Laptop reviews!
#1 Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-33BM FHD Notebook
Specifications:
- Display: 15.6 inches
- RAM: 4 GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 1 TB 5400RPM HDD
- CPU: Intel Core i3-7100U
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 620
- Battery: Up to 12 hours
Our number one recommendation has to be Acer Aspire E 15 Notebook! Acer Aspire E 15 is indeed very affordable and provides way more for this kind of money. It brings more value than the money you spend.
The central processing unit is Intel’s 7th generation i3-7100U. It has two cores, four threads, and works on 2.4GHz of the base frequency. It has ‘only’ 3MB of Smart Cache but will work in between 7 and 15 W, which is an excellent feature for any laptop CPU. Any processor from Intel i-series (i3, i5, i7) at this price is a good purchase.
As in any low-budget PC, the GPU is integrated – and, of course, it is Intel HD Graphics 620. So, you are getting a high-end graphics quality within in a cheap price. On the other hand, other manufacturers are providing the same graphics feature at a very high price. So, you want to design AutoCAD and 3D. this is possibly the best laptop for autocad and revit.
Now, memory. As you already know, this combination of CPU and GPU exploits the complete PC memory. Since this laptop has only 4GB of RAM, it is advisable to upgrade it. Luckily, there are two slots for this purpose so that you can add another 4GB of RAM, or, you can easily change this card and put two 8GB cards, so you will end up with a total of 16GB of RAM!
Storage memory is equipped with 1TB of HDD, and there is also one more slot for an SSD. Putting the operating system and Revit on SSD, and the rest on HDD will ultimately maximize your speed. Another small but great investment.
The screen is now standardized 15.6-inch size, Full HD resolution, and an LED-backlit display that uses much less energy. Also, Acer’s ColorBlast technology is included, so the general impression is marvelous. Speaking of light and color, the keyboard is backlit as well, and you can’t find that on other laptops in this price range.
The battery is solid and reliable. So, it can last for 12 hours of light use, or 8-10 hours of heavy use. Naturally, for Revit, you can expect those 8 hours. Indeed, you can invest in this laptop but to bring the best revolutionary change in your life.
- Affordable but offer the best versatility in creativity.
- You can upgrade SSD and Ram when you needed.
- Beautiful mate black attractive design.
- Offers a great visible clear crystal screen.
- Work-friendly keyboard.
- The backdated version won’t able to provide you exactly what you want. So, you just need to upgrade it.
#2 Microsoft Surface Book 2
Specifications:
- Display: 13.5 inches
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- Storage: 1 TB HDD
- CPU: Intel Core i3-7100U
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
- Battery: Up to 17 hours
Our second choice is Microsoft Surface Book 2. This baby has everything you need for Revit, or anything else, to be honest! If you can afford to splash approximately $2500 on a laptop, that is.
First of all, this is a two-part machine, working as either a laptop or tablet. High-end components are situated both underneath the keyboard and screen, which means their performance decline when you detach the screen. Nevertheless, tablet mode is still quite good, fun, and very useful while on the move.
Surface Book 2 packs Intel’s 8th generation i7 CPU. It is the latest and most advanced unit, nevertheless a great processor. It has four cores (quad-core) working at 4.2 GHz speed, which is actually more than you probably need. Another great news about the CPU – it is built into this screen, so those who like the tablet mode can enjoy its high performance capabilities anywhere.
Speaking of tablet possibilities – RAM is also stored behind the screen. So in addition to this great CPU, you will also have 16GB DDR3 of RAM, which is perfect for any laptop, not to mention tablets. This much RAM is optimal for high rendering and modeling processes that you may do in Revit.
The 13.5-inch LCD screen is remarkable! The superb combination of colors, brightness, contrast ratio, etc. displayed in 3.000×2.000 resolution is pretty satisfying to watch. This size may be a bit bulky for a tablet, though. It is beautifully designed and very pen-friendly; you can buy Surface Pen and use it to draw, write, or navigate with ease. Although time-consuming, this way you can have fun while you create!
Using a pen and tablet mode while working in Revit is quite limited since the GPU is placed underneath the keyboard base. When combined, this nice screen is supported with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card, which is a very popular GPU now. Its RAM size is quite low for today’s standards, having ‘only’ 2GB DDR5 of RAM. The good news is – it’s dedicated, which means you can change it if you feel that’s necessary.
The CPU and GPU are cooled separately, which is great for rendering. A lot of memory is available – 1TB is sufficient for anything you do. If somehow needed, it can be expanded by adding micro SD in the screen. Keyboard and touchpad are impeccable, so are the design, cameras, and sound. Battery life will provide approximately 20 hours of constant use, but removing the battery while working with Revit is recommended.
- The laptop is more than capable of any Revit work, due to its great specs.
- The pen is quite a life savior when in a hurry. And also, too much fun and lively!
- Components can be upgraded with the time being.
- Professionals get satisfying 10/10 performance.
- Battery power is unbeatable.
- The size is a little bulky.
#3 ASUS VivoBook Pro 17 Portable Laptop
Specifications:
- Display: 17.3 inches
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD
- CPU: Intel Core i7-8565u
- GPU: GeForce GTX 1050
- Battery: Up to 5 hours
Another perfect Revit-related laptop is VivoBook Pro from ASUS. It has a similar configuration to our previously mentioned model Surface Book 2. But you are getting it at the half price. The difference between these two beauties is obvious – VivoBook Pro serves as a laptop only; there is no tablet, no pen, no touchscreen, hence the price reduction.
Powerful processing unit from the 8th generation i7-8565u Intel Core makes it quite innovative. It has 8MB of cache, four cores all working at 4.6 GHz maximum frequency, and eight threads. Its memory size is 32 GB of DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133 type. Almost perfect (there are newer models, but not many), and its power usage is only 15W! Any Revit process is supported.
Like in Surface Book 2, the graphics card here is GeForce GTX1050 as well, only with a slightly better Ti version. Its 4 GB GDDR5 of standard memory is twice the size of the regular GTX1050. The base clock is 1290 MHz but can be boosted to 1392. It has 128-bit Memory Interface and 112 GB/sec Memory Bandwidth. Needless to say that the picture quality is excellent, with a good frame-per-second ratio.
Memory is very good as well! With VivoBook Pro you get 16 GB DDR4 of Random Access Memory, which is more than enough for Revit. Also, physical memory comes in 1TB of HDD. That’s a lot of space to save all your projects and more. HDD is still slower than SSD, so if you want to maximize your processing speed, we recommend adding one SSD memory to this laptop.
The 17.3-inch Full HD screen has a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. An outstanding performance could be expected in terms of color, wide angle, and fps. Not as good as Surface Book 2, but in terms of its price, still bang for the buck! If you love ASUS VivoBook but don’t have enough budget, here ASUS VivoBook F510UA which is another cheapest laptop for Revit.
Also, it has a great camera and sound system. The speakers can be very loud and have decent bass. The base has 4 USB ports (two 2.0 and two 3.0) and, of course, HDMI port – great for a laptop. The battery is a bit weaker for this price since it can keep your laptop running for approximately 5 hours. Considering the processing and graphics power this machine possesses, this short battery life is quite understandable.
On the bright side, charging is very fast, so at least a quick recharge will provide further work. Once again, working in Revit while plugged in (without the battery) is recommended.
- CPU and GPU power, memory capacity is good for Revit.
- The price-to-performance ratio is bang for the buck!
- Display quality is excellent with a good frame.
- Beautiful in design and case quality.
- Keyboard and mouse touchpad are very work-friendly.
- Low battery life is less than some laptops.
- Investment in SSD for the highest performance quality is needed.
#4 Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Laptop
Specifications:
- Display: 15.6 inches
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
- CPU: Intel Core i7-8550U
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Battery: Up to 5 hours
Dell! Always reliable Inspiron series, packed with excellent processing power, are frequently the number one choice for professionals!
Speaking of processing power, Dell Inspiron 15 5000 has an eight generation i7-8550U Intel Core, very much similar to the CPU that VivoBook Pro has. The U in the name stands for ‘ultra-low power’, which means that this CPU will use 10-15W of power at most. Still, four cores and eight threads work at a 1.8GHz base frequency and 4.0GHz maximum turbo frequency. There is also Turbo Boost, delivering additional power when in need.
The maximum memory size is 32GB, and maximum memory bandwidth is 34 GB/s – quite fast and efficient. Its GPU is at best – average (in comparison with previously mentioned GPUs). Intel’s HD Graphics 620 is not a dedicated GPU but integrated (which means it is linked with the CPU and memory; in other words – not replaceable).
Another great thing (and very important) about this model is its memory. It has 8GB DDR4 of RAM and an impressive dual-drive – 1TB of HDD plus 128GB of ultra-fast SSD. This solid-state drive will start up your system and all other programs in just 10 seconds and is as fast while saving data. Meanwhile, due to its lack of capacity, an additional 1TB will serve as general storage. Fantastic, really!
On the bright side, the other part of visual quality – the screen, is 15.6 inches in size and has a Full HD resolution, Impressive clarity, brightness, and amazing colors really maximize visual satisfaction. The beautiful silver base has 4 USB ports (one 3.0 and three 2.0), great HD cam and some very nice speakers. It weighs only four-and-a-half pounds and is relatively slim. Also, cooling is quite efficient.
- The price is fairly reasonable.
- Very fas laptop! The CPU and both RAM and storage memories work perfectly in pair.
- Very nice looking, lightweight and has a great image quality screen.
- It’s a Dell. A reliable name with a strong reputation.
- Cooling fans may be too loud if a lot of graphics processing needs to be done.
#5 Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop
Specifications:
- Display: 14 inches
- RAM: 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
- GPU: Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
- Battery: Up to 8 hours
A convertible laptop with a touchscreen and an active pen is enjoyable and exciting to use. Similarly to Surface Book 2, you can draw while you create, drag objects with the pen, or write notes on the side. Or you can just use Lenovo Flex 14 as a regular laptop and maximize your time. It’s a 2-in-1.
When ‘converted’ your screen will be used as a tablet, while the keyboard will be on the backside. The screen is 14-inch in diameter and has a 1920×1080 HD resolution. You can even physically close the camera via the TrueBlock shutter, that way it will be protected from possible poking or shattering.
In contrast to our previous picks which contain Intel’s i5 or i7 CPUs, this laptop has an AMD Ryzen processor. They are very good in terms of lower power consumption and thermal/cooling requirements. Working at 2.1 GHz with four cores, it may sound insufficient for some heavy Revit processes, but actually, AMD Ryzen processors are widely praised for being extremely fast.
GPU is integrated, but don’t reject this GPU just yet, since it can produce some very nice performance. Of course, this Vega 8 graphics card is not meant for gaming (like most of the integrated GPUs), but similarly to the CPU, it is speedy and reliable.
If there is some problem, that would be the memory. Since the CPU and GPU are integrated, they use shared memory, so those 8GB DDR4 of RAM will lose about 2GB on these two components. Using 6GB of RAM for Revit is not very efficient, especially if you want to do some heavy rendering. Storage memory has 256GB on an SSD – it’s not a lot, but not too little neither. A big advantage is the enormous speed of SSD.
Onyx Black color looks very nice, and this laptop weighs only 3.5 pounds. Since it’s easy to transport and has a fast CPU, it is often used as a professional tool, like Revit, for example. Battery life is also good, lasting approximately 7 hours. HDMI port is always a welcome part, and Flex 14 also has a fingerprint reader. But, there are only 2 USB ports. After all , this laptop can be a very big deal for you!
- Very fast CPU and pretty decent GPU enable you to work in Revit almost impeccably.
- Tablet mode and pen are always fun and efficient while commuting.
- Being sold for around 500 dollars, this deal is too good.
- Very lite to carry all around the world.
- Sleek and minimal design.
- Insufficient RAM may lead to slower processing.
- While good, the GPU is still integrated, therefore you will not be able to follow the new trends by replacing it.
#6 HP Pavilion X360 15.6″ Full HD Convertible Laptop
Specifications:
- Display: 15.6 inches
- RAM: 4GB DDR4+16GB Optane
- Storage: 1 TB HDD
- CPU: Intel Core i3-8130U
- GPU: Intel Graphics 620
- Battery: Up to 10 hours
For the cheapest laptops, you won’t find much better laptops than HP’s Pavilion X360! Especially considering that this model is also ‘convertible’, or 2-in-1, just like Lenovo Flex 14. The 15.6-inch WLED-backlit touchscreen is fantastic! It has a marvelous image quality with FHD resolution. Writing and drawing with HP’s digital pen is merely enjoyable.
Intel’s 8th generation i3-8130U is the first dual-core CPU we had so far on this list. It’s base clock is 2.2GHz and could go up to 3.4GHz in turbo. Since it has two cores, the number of threads is also halved, so here we have four threads.
The cache is also half the size, which is 4MB. CPU’s memory size stands with reasonable 32GB, while memory bandwidth is 37.5 GB/s. The GPU is an integrated Intel HD 620, working at 300 MHz base frequency and going up to 1 GHz. It is the same graphics card as in Dell Inspiron 15 5000.
The only difference is – this Pavilion X360 has only 4GB DDR4 of RAM (two times less than Dell), but it has 16GB of Intel’s Octane Memory! Which means, the CPU and GPU will share a total 20GB of memory! That is one great feature! The PC will be fast and have an outstanding picture quality.
In terms of storage memory, you get a massive 1TB HDD. If you want speed with SSD, there is always a chance to add it. The battery lasts for some 5-7 hours (depending on how you use your laptop), so for Revit, it will last for 5 hours, and it doesn’t charge as quickly as some batteries.
This whole silver beauty weighs about 4.4 pounds and has a backlit keyboard with num pad as well. Beware, if you turn on the lights, it will drain your battery faster. Speakers are amazing with some good deep bass! So, where are those music lovers’ designers?
- For this price, one remarkably constructed laptop!
- Great memory can provide a lot of speed and storage possibilities (perfect for Revit).
- Beautiful 2-in-1 laptop, with a lot of fun options (quality touchscreen).
- Compatible for professional tasks.
- Lighter than any other heavy duty laptop.
- Overheating may occur frequently if you use this laptop extensively for a longer period.
#7 MSI GV62 8RD-275 Performance Gaming Laptop
Specifications:
- Display: 15.6 inches
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4 RAM
- Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD
- CPU: Intel Core i5-8300H
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti 4G
- Battery: Up to 3 hours
Finally, here is one model for those who cannot, or simply don’t want to spend big. And that is MSI’s GV62 8RD-275, which is another cheapest laptops in our list. Still, an excellent laptop for Revit, recommended if you are trying to save some cash. Let’s see the specifications.
This laptop has Intel’s 8th generations i5-8300H processor, not as good as i7 from the same generation, nevertheless a perfect processing unit. The number of cores is four, the number of threads eight. The base frequency is 2.30 GHz – not very much, especially since it has 4 cores, but could go to 4.0 GHz Turbo frequency, which is quite acceptable.
Standard 8MB of SmartCache is also present, and it has a great memory – 64GB of maximum memory size, plus 42GB/s of Memory Bandwidth. A very good CPU for Revit.
The display is 15.6-inches and Full HD with 1920×1080 resolution. Since this is primarily a gaming laptop, you can expect that image quality will be perfect, and it almost is. Not as good as with our no. 1 and no. 2 laptop choices, but very good nonetheless. The GPU will maximize its potential for sure.
Memory comes with 8GB DDR4 (not a lot), but this laptop has the possibility to be upgraded to 32GB of RAM. Now that’s something! If you are willing to invest in 2 new 16GB RAMs (and we suggest you do), then you will have one massive configuration for Revit.
Also, storage memory comes with 256GB of SSD – fast but small in amount. It’s enough for the operating system and Revit only, but if you want to use this laptop for games or multimedia as well, the addition in memory storage is a must. Cooling is absolutely perfect; you can feel safe from overheating while rendering, or doing any other activity.
In the latter, you can overclock your CPU; however, you desire and feel fit. The laptop is aluminum black with a red backlit keyboard; it looks nice, and people generally enjoy the look. Last but not least, it is very light – only 8.6 pounds! Easy to carry and unnoticeable while on your laptop.
- Able to perform all Revit processes at a very cheap price.
- It has very good components, which still could be replaced and upgraded.
- Powerful cooling, lightweight, nice looks.
- Prevent overheating though you work for longer hours.
- Comes with Digital audio, enhancer, and Management app.
- Cooling fans are a bit loud, especially when you do some complex tasks.
Revit Laptop Requirements: Buying Guide
From our list of best laptops for revit and lumion, you could discern what the most important aspects of buying a laptop are, based on information length and details.
Additionally, we will include minimum, medium and maximum requirements, as stated on the official Revit web page. Here is a brief guide.
Processor (CPU):
In the market, you will usually see two names – Intel and AMD. For the minimum requirement, any multi-core CPU is recommended (it is also stated that single-core processors, like Pentium, are acceptable, but those are almost extinct nowadays).
The more cores and threads the CPU has, the better the processing speed will be. Dual- (2) and quad- (4) cores are most common, so every laptop from our list fulfills this requirement. In addition, Intel’s i-series and its AMD equivalent Ryzen are the hottest processors right now. Our list has 6 from i-series and one Ryzen CPU, which is more than enough for Revit’s minimum requirements.
For medium requirements, it is suggested to use any CPU from i-series, or its AMD equivalent. Once again, choosing any model from the list above will be enough. From maximum requirements – the best there is. Which means, at least quad-core latest generation i-7 or similar AMD.
Memory:
In terms of memory, we think about RAM and storage. For RAM, this is very simple – you go for the highest number. 4GB of RAM is the minimum, 8GB is for medium, and 16GB and above is for maximum Revit requirements. The more RAM you have, the more processes your PC can do simultaneously (and faster as well).
Storage memory is used to save your data. The usual HDD (hard disc drive) is greater in capacity than SDD (solid state drive), so, naturally, you will use this for large amounts of data storage. Now, SDD is way faster, but smaller in capacity.
If you choose to have a laptop with SDD, we recommend installing OS and Revit on it, that way you will get the most out of your speed (and you will fulfill all three requirements). If not, HDD is still acceptable for minimum and medium.
Graphics:
Even though graphics cards are not mentioned on Revit’s official site, but video resolutions only, we cannot deny the fact that GPUs are in essence parts that provide visual performance on a PC. Keeping that in mind, the same principle stands for GPUs and CPUs – the more the better.
GPUs can range from solid/average integrated cards to dedicated monster graphics cards.
For some basic tasks in Revit, that don’t require a lot of details and speed, weaker cards (usually integrated but not always), can do just fine. If you want your project to look aesthetically perfect and in detail, you will need something better. 2GB of GPU memory is good, 4GB is even better (for more advanced options) and 8GB cards like AMD’s RX590 or GeForce’s GTX 2080 Ti (11GB) will provide everything you need for Revit.
Of course, the good display is tightly related to visual output. High-definition screens (1080p) are just enough, while 2K and 4K resolution (with the good graphics card) will make your projects look real-life.
Final Verdict:
So, these are the best laptops for Revit rendering which is mainly ordered by the price, and quality. Microsoft Surface Book 2, being the most expensive one and also the best; Acer Aspire E 15, being the cheapest but still very good for elementary rendering and designing, and everything in between.
There is helpful info on configuration, upgrade possibilities, and max potential. You can use this brief guide and find what you like and need. Depending on how much money you have to spend, and how much of a monster laptop do you need for Revit processes, you can choose any laptop from the list. You won’t regret a dime!