topic Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation in The Community Room

Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

vanderloo5 — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:16:47 GMT

I hope this is the best place to post this type of question. If not let me know.

My laptop is old and tired and I need to replace it. Who's making the best windows laptop with a 17" monitor for cad?

I'm running Revit 2026, 3ds Max 2026, Autocad, and various photo/video editing software.

My last 3 or 4 laptops have been Boxx brand but I think I'm ready to move on. My current laptop weighs as much as my truck and now takes about 20 minutes to boot up. Then another 10 to open Revit. Plus I've been spending top dollar on the machines and I get a little frazzled when they tell me my laptop is a dinosaur 3 years after paying 5-6k.

Thank You

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

AllenJessup — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:28:21 GMT

I'm partial to Dell Precision Mobile workstations. Still pricey. Check out their Returned/Refurbished offerings. I got my last one for nearly half off. But you have to keep checking until one that fits your needs shows up.

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

lizeth_botsford1 — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:25:37 GMT

For CAD + Revit/3ds Max, I’d look at workstation laptops like the Dell Precision 7780, HP ZBook Fury 17, or Lenovo ThinkPad P17. All support RTX A-series GPUs, lots of RAM (go 32–64GB), and fast NVMe storage, which will make a huge difference over your current setup. If you want something a bit lighter, MSI CreatorPro is also worth a look.

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

vanderloo5 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 23:46:51 GMT

Looking at this now and the Dell 7780 is discontinued. I've been told that it is nearly impossible to get a laptop with a 17" display now because of the tariffs. No one is shipping them. Seems to be the case with the Dell.

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

vanderloo5 — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 23:48:03 GMT

Same with the Lenovo. Discontinued.

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

Logos_Atum — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:25:13 GMT

Hey,

what did you decide for? I´d currently recommend a gamer laptop with a 5070ti. It´s got 12 Gigs of video mem. That´s mighty fine, and for that price it´s hard to beat. I would not know anything other than GPU raytracing would be limited by memory to a certain resolution and scene complexity.

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

ayoubmurtaza86 — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 13:26:15 GMT

This community layout is really helpful—especially how everything is organized by AEC, PD&M, and M&E. Makes it much easier to jump into the exact product forum you need without scrolling around forever.

For anyone working on heavy design projects, it’s also worth calculateur goulot d'étranglement keeping an eye on your system performance. I’ve been doing that lately using a bottleneck calculator just to make sure my setup can handle newer Autodesk tools smoothly. Small checks like that save a lot of frustration when working on big files.

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

oliverhaven133 — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:36:25 GMT

My old Boxx beast is gasping its last breaths (20 mins to boot? Yikes), and after dropping 5-6k on rigs that feel obsolete in 3 years, I'm done with 'em. Hunting for a solid 17" Windows laptop that crushes Revit 2026, 3ds Max 2026, AutoCAD, plus some Photoshop/Premiere fiddling—without the absurd weight or price tag.

From what I've dug up, Dell's Precision 7780 mobile workstation tops the list for Autodesk-certified power: Intel i9, RTX A-series GPU (like 3500 Ada), 64GB+ RAM, and that massive 17.3" UHD screen. It's built like a tank but under 7lbs, boots in seconds, and handles huge models/rendering like a champ—around $3-4k configured right. Lenovo ThinkPad P17 Gen 2 is a close second if you want something more portable (under 6lbs) with similar specs.

Anyone running these for daily Revit/Max workflows? Worth the switch from boutique brands? Appreciate the intel!

Re: Looking for a good Cad Laptop recommendation

AllenJessup — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 13:58:36 GMT

I've alway felt the Dell Precision Mobile line was good. I have one at home and we run a couple here plus the Desktop versions. I'm usually running Civil 3D. So, I don't have much experience with the other programs.