Industrial design is the kind of work that depends heavily on the devices used, where laptops are one of the most important. These laptops need to provide efficiency and high-performance so that one can use their creativity freely enough to create physical structures.
Buying the best laptop for industrial design requires more thought. Many factors have to be considered, like the design, display quality, the processor, and overall performance.
The laptop has to be strong enough to be able to work with software like AutoCAD, Autodesk, and LabVIEW to name a few.
This is why it is smart to opt for the latest generation processors so that the laptop can be used for a good while in the future and is compatible with all these different and power demanding software.
This article lists a series of laptops that are suitable for this job and carry the ideal specifications as well, so keep on reading to know more about them.
Contents
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | Display | Processor | RAM/ROM | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo | 15.6 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super | 32GB DDR4/2TB RAID 0 | |
 | MSI GL65 Leopard | 15.6 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | 16GB/512GB NVMe SSD | |
 | Razer Blade 15 | 15.6 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 | 16GB/512GB SSD | |
 | ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 | 17.3 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | 16GB DDR4/1TB PCIe SSD | |
 | HP Pavilion | 15.6 | NVIDIA GeForce 940MX 4GB | 16GB DDR4/512GB SSD | |
 | Acer Predator Helios 300 | 15.6 | GeForce GTX 1060-6GB | 16GB DDR4/256GB SSD | |
 | MSI GE63 Raider RGB-012 | 15.6 | TX 1060 6G i7-8750H (6 Cores) | 16GB/128GB SSD | |
 | ASUS VivoBook | 15.6 | GeForce GTX 1050 4GB | 16GB DDR4/256GB SSD+1TB HDD, | |
 | Dell Gaming Laptop | 15.6 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050TI | 16GB/256GB SSD+1TB HDD | |
 | Lenovo Y700 | 15.4 | GTX 960M | 16 GB/256GB SSD+1TB HDD |
One preferable laptop for industrial designers is the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo Gaming Laptop.
Two main reasons why it would be preferable: first, it includes an excellent Intel Core i9-8950HK 2.9GHz (12MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz) which is one of the finest processors for industrial designers.
And second, it has a touchpad for faster speeds and performance; on top of that, under graphics status, you will not observe a difference.
It has excellent cooling and thermal control which is important for industrial designers that need to use the device on long hours. The interesting part of the design is perhaps this; it will be forward and back compatible with next-generation CPU's as well.
It also includes a TB RAID 0 (1+1) PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (8GB GDDR6) graphics card, 32GB DDR4 RAM memory, and 15.6-inch 4K UHD Gsync Display.
It has a plethora of ports such as Thunderbolt 3 port that features Type-C USB3.1 Gen2 Support for super fast data transfer, HDMI 2.0B port that supports 4K@60Hz output, a USB3.1 Gen2 Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support and an ASUS Nano Edge bezel technology in full HD IPS display.
- It comes with Intel Core i9-8950HK 2.9GHz (12MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz)
- 15.6″ UHD IPS 141 ppi LED-backlit 4K Gsync Display
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super (8GB GDDR6) graphics card
- 32GB DDR4 RAM memory
- 2TB RAID 0 (1+1) PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
MSI GL65 Leopard 10SFK-062 is not your typical MSI gaming laptop as the MSi GL65 features a thinner bezel display which will please those who want a sleek looking gaming laptop. But this laptop isn't just about looks, it's also powered by an Intel Core i7-10750H and an RTX 2070.
The body is made of plastic, as expected for a laptop in this class. The top cover and palm rest are soft to the touch and provide great grip while carrying it around or using it on a desk.
In front of the display, there is a slightly bigger sized (compared to other laptops) bezel with the MSI logo on it. The bottom side of the laptop features 2 air vents which help keep things cool even while playing games for hours on end.
The right side houses one USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port and one 3.5mm audio jack while the left side features another USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, two more regular sized USB ports, RJ 45 LAN Jack and an SD Card Reader slot.
MSI GL65 bottom view has a smooth finish with no additional vents or grills to keep things cool as this laptop comes with a pretty good cooling system.
MSI GL65 right side view has a 2.5D curved glass on top of the display panel which further adds to the sleek design making it look even more premium. The webcam has a great angle and quality so you can Skype or Hangout with your friends and family.
The keyboard features MSI's Cooler Boost technology which helps push out heat while gaming and using demanding applications, keeping things cool inside the laptop.
The one-piece SteelSeries keyboard is backlit in Red and provides great tactile feedback while typing. The keys are spaced well enough to use for several hours without any issues or discomfort.
MSI GL65 has a powerful hardware setup as it features an Intel Core i7-10750H processor which is 32% faster than other processors in the market and also comes with a clock speed of 2.3GHz which can be boosted to 4.2GHz. It's paired with 16GB RAM DDR4 and an Nvidia RTX 2070.
The laptop packs 512GB of SSD storage so you have plenty of space to store design programs, movies and games on the go.
- 144Hz Full HD display with advanced 3ms panel
- Thin bezel display
- MSI Cooler Boost technology
- RGB keyboard backlighting
- Very good performance for daily tasks and gaming
- Good battery life
The New Razer Blade 15 Gaming Laptop is here and it is packed with awesome features that will make any industrial designer proud to own one.
The new Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop was announced at CES 2019 as the first gaming laptop in the world with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series graphics cards.
The Flagship edition of this gaming laptop is also sporting Intel's 8th generation Coffee Lake processors and their latest i7-10750H 6-Core processor that is faster than the previous generation i7-8750H.
It comes with a boost clock of 4.2GHz which makes it even more powerful and equal to many desktop computers we have available today.
The New Razer Blade 15 sports a 15.6″ FHD 1080p 144Hz Full HD screen with NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and 100% sRGB color gamut which makes any games you play feel more real than ever before, but if that isn't enough then the screen even supports HDR too!
The display is also very bright with 400-500 nits of brightness, meaning you can see the display clearly even when it is sunny outside.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series Graphics Card Options
- Razer Chroma RGB Backlit Keyboard
- Thunderbolt 3 Ports and Power Delivery Support
- CNC Aluminum Chassis
- Military Grade Metal Plate Heat Exchanger
- Thunderbolt 3 Port with Power Delivery support for quicker charging
The Strix Scar 17 is a black and red laptop with an internal built-in light show in red and blue that mesmerizes its user.
The Strix Scar 17 is just as powerful as it looks, packing a helping of features that will let you conquer the virtual world with aplomb.
Here are just some of its killer specs: a 17.3" 300Hz FHD IPS RGB-backlit display, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER graphics card, Intel Core i7-10875H CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD storage.
The Per-Key RGB keyboard that can be programmed to display different colors or set up at different brightness as per your preferences. Combining this with the subtle yet graceful design of the device makes it a redefined masterwork in design tasks.
The display's 1ms response time is also impressive. Other highlights include its powerful RTX 2070 graphics card that can let you run any game (no matter how demanding it is).
And though it has a low-wattage Intel Core i7 processor and not the latest Coffee Lake architecture, the 4.8GHz turbo boost feature of the chip can let you run any game on ultra-settings without running into any performance issues.
- 17.3" 300Hz FHD IPS Type,
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER graphics card with Max-Q Design
- Intel Core i7-10875H CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD storage
- Per-Key RGB keyboard with N-key rollover and anti-ghosting technology
The build quality of the laptop is very good. The brushed aluminum finish looks very nice with a matte black keyboard and we like how they used darker colors for the layout (i.e., power button is dark gray instead of bright red).
In addition to feeling well built, it is also very thin and light at about 4.5lbs for a big screen laptop (15 inch). We like the extra brightness they included on this model because it makes the display seem more vibrant.
Although not glass, we found that touch operation was quite accurate and reliable during our use. The bezels around the outside of the screen are also pretty small which makes the screen on this Pavilion look bigger than the last version.
The Pavilion comes with 6GB DDR4 RAM (PC4-17000) which is sufficient for most users, but if you plan on using a few resource intensive programs or multi task between apps with large files (e.g., pictures), you may want to consider upgrading to the 16GB.
It also comes with 512 GB of nVME PCle SSD storage which makes the overall computer feel very responsive. This is especially true for programs that are frequently loaded (e.g., design program).
It has pretty standard set of ports (2xUSB 3.0, 1xUSB 2.0, HDMI and Ethernet) which is fine considering most users will likely connect wires through wireless or Bluetooth anyway. We also like how they have both a micro SD slot as well as an SD card reader.
We found the keyboard to be decently sized for most people and we'd say average in terms of depth/actuation force required to type. We also like that they included a 0% number row which is great if you want some more working space without sacrificing the use of punctuation symbols on the main keys.
As expected, the touchpad is large and responsive. We also like how they included a hardware "home" button which is useful for setting up a laptop to boot directly into desktop mode.
In terms of ports, we were pleased to find USB Type-C connectivity (Gen 1) on this Pavilion laptop model because it allows you to charge the computer using a standard USB cable. This is great as we have multiple extra cables in our house and you can also buy a new one much cheaper than a proprietary charger.
The webcam is 1080p but we found that its image quality wasn't that great. It is not as clear as a standalone webcam and it seems like they focused on low light performance instead.
In addition, the left and right bezels are huge so you can only see about 60% of yourself when using Skype or other applications in full screen mode which makes you feel farther away from distant friends/family members.
- Lightweight design which is great if you find yourself moving it around often
- Has 2xUSB 3.0, 1xUSB 2.0, HDMI and Ethernet ports
- Comes with both micro SD slot as well as an SD card reader
- Touchpad is large and responsive, there's also a hardware "home" button for easy desktop mode access
- Comes with 6GB DDR4 RAM (PC4-17000) which can be upgraded to 16GB
The ASUS VivoBook is well known to carry one of the finest color displays as it bears the tagline 'Visuals That Inspire'. With the NanoEdge design, you practically get a frameless display that creates an immersive experience.
Furthermore, with a discrete GeForce MX250 graphics unit, designs are brought to life with all the details and accuracy that you can experience. And this is something highly valued and required in industrial design.
Of course, just the display won't cut it. You need just as good internal mechanisms. Here you get the Core i5-8265U processor which helps to provide a good speed and performance with the kind of designing work you plan to do.
Multitasking is a big part of designing where are you have to go back and forth between different software to get your result, and for this, you have the along with the 8GB memory.
For storage a pretty good space with the 512GB SSD. This does not only provide you with a decent storage space but makes sure that the device runs at a good speed, and you get faster booting times.
One of the key features of this laptop is the Screen Pad 2.0. Instead of the touchpad, you get a second screen that can be used for all sorts of shortcuts.
From using it to switch modes or navigate apps, the options are pretty endless. It especially comes in handy when you're designing because you get more control over how you work and how fast you can access different editing software.
We love the HP ENVY 13 because it comes in a sleek all-metal design that makes it strong, lightweight and it still manages to pack a ton of powerful features internally.
You get a handful of features to protect your laptop and its data. There is the built-in WebCam kill switch that makes sure you are not being recorded. You have a fingerprint reader that allows for faster logins and keeps your data safe from others as well.
With the display, you get a three-sided micro edge screen that helps to create a wide view. The 4K resolution is one of the finest but you can get today in laptops.
And of course, all this when paired with the GeForce MX250 graphics unit, the display kicks it up a notch to give you a bright, vivid, and the most detailed screen possible.
Internally you get the Core i7-8565U processor, and the 512GB SSD storage. These make sure that the laptop runs at a good speed even though you are working with high tier software. And the 16GB memory makes sure that you can take on numerous projects at once and have other ones running in the background without causing any damage or slowdown to the laptop.
Lenovo Yoga 720 is a Touch Screen Ultrabook that goes all the way around if you want to use it like a tablet. With the stylus pen provided, you can use it in tablet mode when you want to achieve finer details by hand.
It comes with a powerful Core i7-7700HQ processor. If you notice the HQ in the model number, it indicates that the processor has a high processing power and four cores to provide you with seamless speed.
The screen comes with a 4K resolution and a 10-point multitouch screen. This allows you to touch up to 10 different points at once and work along with it.
These come in handy when you are working on designs and you wish to achieve finer details and zoom in and out to observe your designs in a better light.
You also get the GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card, which is one of the higher-end models in the market. Alongside the 4K resolution, this graphics card further helps to amplify the screen quality to give you a flawless display.
16GB of memory and the 512GB SSD also work to provide high speeds for a better working and designing experience.
If you want to have a laptop with a DVD drive installed, then you can check out the Acer Aspire E 15 laptop. This is rare in most new models, so if you require the drive as well as other top tier features, this model proves to be a good choice.
You get a 256GB of SSD storage that provides a good amount of storage space, and of course a lot of speed which is required for industrial design.
The screen is a good 15.6 inches big and has a full HD resolution with an IPS display. But not just that, you also get a dedicated GeForce MX150 graphics card to receive an even better display which makes it further suitable for work like industrial design.
This also is a good choice for users who seek portability since it comes with a high battery life of 15 hours. And the Core i5-8250U processor helps by consuming less power which results in the laptop running for longer.
If the specifications are not what you want in the long run, you can easily upgrade both the memory and the hard drive very easily.
The Acer Aspire 5 focuses a lot on maximizing visuals as it features narrow bezels and a full HD IPS display. It helps to provide you with a wider view and a cleaner space to work on.
Moreover, the Acer Color Intelligence provides colorful details on screen and helps breathe life into them.
The Acer Blue Light Shield feature on the other hand prevents your eyes from getting strained even after you stare at the screen for long periods. This is a very thoughtful feature because if you're working in design staring at screens takes up more than half the job.
To make the display even better you get the GeForce MX250 discrete graphics unit which helps to put life into the designs and pictures on the screen.
The Core i5-10210U processor is from the latest 10th generation of processors, and since you see U at the end of the model number, it indicates that it consumes less battery power so the laptop can run for longer.
Anybody working in industrial design will have to work with powerful modeling and CAD software. And for this, you need to get high-end processors.
You should not go for anything below an Intel Core i5 processor, but we still recommend going for an i7, which would be much better. Equivalent of these like the AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 would also suffice.
The better the processor is the lower the time you'll need to work on designs since the computer can process data much faster.
The RAM of the laptop decides how fast the device can navigate through all tasks. In other words, it decides how fast you can multitask.
With a higher RAM, the computer can work faster and run multiple software simultaneously without lagging or freezing in between.
8GB is considered to be a good RAM. However, we recommend that you go for 16 GB instead if you want to use this laptop for a good while in the future.
As time passes work is bound to get more complicated which will require a faster device. Since laptops are not something you buy every day, it is better to spend the extra bucks and get yourself a 16GB RAM instead.
If budget is not an issue then go for the 32GB for a completely smooth experience that will allow you to create high-quality renderings.
When it comes to storage, you have a few choices.
There is a solid-state drive which is the more efficient one. At the same time, it is also more expensive because it can provide you with better power and speed, faster bootup times, and supports multiple program operations. However, the downside is that the storage space itself is usually lower.
The hard disk drive is another option. This is cheaper and provides more storage space but at the same time, it is not the fastest and uses more energy.
The best industrial design laptop should have both, which is what a lot of the high end and the newer models give you. A hybrid of the SSD and HDD is the perfect storage combination for industrial design.
The graphics card is used to provide a better display on the screen. In industrial design, you will be working on a lot of models for which you need to have the perfect display. This is why you should look for laptops that have a discrete graphics card.
These have more power and can better showcase your work, which would allow you to better judge and improve upon the models as well. Make sure to check the GPU has at least 4GB of RAM for a smooth experience.
You need to aim for the finest display and you can get your hands on. The minimum is full HD, and you can go for higher resolutions from here such as the UHD, or the 4K resolution. A higher resolution would cost more, so choose one according to your budget.
For industrial design, you need a laptop with a SSD. If you don't know what a solid state drive is, here's the cliff notes: Solid State Drives have no moving parts; as opposed to Hard Disk Drives (HDD). They are faster, more reliable and lighter.
Since you'll be doing a lot of image manipulation and moving files around, it's worth investing in the extra firepower that SSDs offer. They are also smaller in size (usually); and some say they run cooler than HDD's.
It is also worth noting that an SSD takes up less battery power than your average HDD. Saving space on the inside of the laptop means more room for designing software and processing power on the main hardware components (CPU).
Aside from a decent processor, your laptop should have at least one or two USB ports. Hardware input and output (I/O) is crucial to the design process; especially if you're using third-party hardware like robotics or laser cutters. You'll need a port for that.
It is also important to have an Ethernet jack, in case of slow wireless connections. (You may not always want to get that close to the router.)
Finally, a VGA or HDMI port is good for hooking up big screens (projector). This will come in handy when you're working on presentations and need a bigger screen for editing.
With all these things in mind, it's easy to end up with a laptop that has more ports than you'll ever need. But the good news is, there are ways to fix this: Port Adapters. They are handy little devices that convert one port into another; and you can choose between female or male ends.
Answer: You'll need a laptop with a minimum of 8gb ram, an SSD and a strong processor.
You might want to consider upgrading the graphics card depending on what you will use it for but if you are only using your laptop as a desktop replacement then an integrated graphics card is all that should be needed.
Answer: It's recommended that you have at least 16gb of ram but this can be workable with 8gb. You'll be using graphics design programs so having good memory is necessary. Make sure you're using a 64-bit operating system.
Answer: Designing and modeling might seem like a touch screen task, but non-touchscreen laptops are more precise. The touchscreen gives you an advantage when working on some tasks such as drawing or graphics design. However, with the right software installed on your system, you can get as much precision as with a touchscreen interface.
Answer: Yes, most laptops can run CAD/CAM software. If you want a laptop specifically for those design programs, then it is recommended that you get one with the minimum specifications i.e. 8gb ram, SSD, VGA card.
Answer: No. However, the list includes laptops that are compatible with industrial design software. Make sure to read the system requirements before buying any software. Some of them have strict specifications for hardware in order to run smoothly.
Acer Swift 3 Thin & Light Laptop | 14" Full HD IPS 100% sRGB Display | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U - Walmart Link
2021 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, Apple M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16GB - Walmart Link
Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K Slim Laptop | 15.6" Full HD IPS | AMD Ryzen 3 3350U Quad-Core - Walmart Link
Newest HP 15.6" FHD IPS Touchscreen Laptop Computer, Intel Quad Core i7-1065G7, 16GB DDR4 - Walmart Link
2021 Newest HP Premium 14 inch HD Laptop, Intel Dual-Core Processor Up to 2.6GHz, 16GB - Walmart Link
HP Pavilion X360 2-in-1 14" Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i3-1115G4, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, - Walmart Link
2021 Newest HP Laptop, 17.3" FHD Non-Touch Display, 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 - Walmart Link
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo - Walmart Link
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 - Walmart Link
Acer Predator Helios 300 - Walmart Link
MSI GE63 Raider RGB-012 - Walmart Link
Acer Swift 3 Thin & Light Laptop | 14" Full HD IPS 100% sRGB Display | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U - eBay Link
2021 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, Apple M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16GB - eBay Link
Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K Slim Laptop | 15.6" Full HD IPS | AMD Ryzen 3 3350U Quad-Core - eBay Link
Newest HP 15.6" FHD IPS Touchscreen Laptop Computer, Intel Quad Core i7-1065G7, 16GB DDR4 - eBay Link
2021 Newest HP Premium 14 inch HD Laptop, Intel Dual-Core Processor Up to 2.6GHz, 16GB - eBay Link
HP Pavilion X360 2-in-1 14" Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i3-1115G4, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, - eBay Link
2021 Newest HP Laptop, 17.3" FHD Non-Touch Display, 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 - eBay Link
ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo - eBay Link
ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 - eBay Link
Acer Predator Helios 300 - eBay Link
MSI GE63 Raider RGB-012 - eBay Link
Data for the job, the tougher the laptop has to be. This is why when you were looking for the best laptop for industrial design, you have to pay special attention to the specifications.
From a powerful processor to a discrete graphics card, every little thing the support in how you can create designs and eventually bring them to life.
Since this is for specialist jobs, you have to know that most of these laptops would be high-end and would require an investment. Nonetheless, the range of products here come from a varied price range, so you can take your pick depending on your budget.
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About Dror Wettenstein
Dror Wettenstein is a software engineer and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the founder of TechTreeRepeat, a company that enables technical writers to publish their work faster and share it with readers across the globe. Dror has a master’s degree in computer science from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from UC Irvine.
When he’s not working on software projects, Dror enjoys writing articles and essays on various topics. He also likes playing guitar and spending time with his wife and two young children.
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