Are you looking for a laptop which is best for using Sketchup? If yes, then I am sure that you are an architect, designer, engineer, or any professional who uses Sketchup to do their 3D related projects.
In recent years, Sketchup is becoming a popular 3D modeling software, which is available in the market right now. The best thing about this app is that it has a whole bunch of applications that you can use to do some simple artistic work or complex 3D designing work.
Nowadays, Sketchup is going to one of the most used applications for 3D designing or modeling projects such as architecture, interior designing, etc. Also, this is one of those tools which has been very popular among civil engineers.
But the main thing is that for using this app you’ll need a laptop which has powerful specs that can be able to handle this app very well without any lag. Well, you don’t need to think and worry about all that things because this is the main reason why I am here.
Actually, Sketchup is light 3D modeling software and it is not that much heavy like AutoCAD, 3Ds max, etc., and this is why you don’t need powerful specs for that. Wait, it doesn’t mean that an intel core i3 processor laptop can handle it. But it requires decent specs so that it can render all your 3D files efficiently without any lag and you don’t need to sit in front of your computer for hours.
Well, I have already said that you don’t need to worry about all these things because I have done all the research on your behalf and then chose these laptops accordingly. I know many of you are keen to see the best laptops for SketchUp which I have chosen for you. So, without wasting time let’s get started.
Best Laptops For Sketchup – Top 5 Picks
1 Lenovo Ideapad 5i Pro Laptop – Best Budget Laptop
Hardware Specifications
- Intel Core i5-11300H Processor
- 8GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce MX450 2GB
- 16 Inch QHD IPS Display
- Up to 3.5 Hours Battery Life
Review:
Let’s begin this list with Lenovo Ideapad 5i Pro which is good to go if you are tight on budget. Many of you are thinking that because of this is a budget laptop it might be not powerful then it proves you wrong. For this asking price, this is one of the best laptops that you’ll get.
Display:
Speaking about the display, this is the thing which makes it ideal in this budget segment as it features a 16-inch of QHD display with 2560 x 1600 pixels of resolution. On top of that, it has 350-nits of brightness and a 100% sRGB color gamut which will give you an amazing viewing experience.
Specs:
When it comes to performance, this notebook has packed 3.10 GHz of Intel Core i5-11300H processor which can go for up to 4.40 GHz. Further, this i5 CPU is combined with 8GB of RAM to take care of multitasking and it works well.
There are many of you who are waiting to know about storage so with this notebook you’ll get 512GB SSD which is enough to store all your projects. Apart from this, it runs on the latest Windows 11 OS which is user-friendly and ideal for entertainment, content creation, Zoom meeting, online class, etc.
Other feaures:
Apart from this, it has got a full size keyboard which is backlit enabled that allows you to do your work comfortably even in low light conditions. Regarding the connectivity, it has got all the ports including Thunderbolt 4. Moreover, it has Rapid Charge Express technology that charges the battery fast as compared to a normal one.
- 2K IPS screen
- Build quality is sturdy
- Powerful specs at this price
- Thin & lightweight
- Fact charging feature
- Attracts fingerprints on chassis easily
2. Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3
Hardware Specifications
- AMD Ryzen 5 6600H Processor
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB
- 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Display
- Up to 3 Hours Battery Life
Review:
This Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 is another laptop from Lenovo in this list. Actually, this is a gaming laptop and it is powerful and better than the previous one. The price of this laptop is a little bit higher than the last laptop.
Display:
Talking about the display, it sports a 15.6-inch of full-HD display with an IPS panel that offers a good viewing angle. If we compare the display quality of both laptops then the previous one is better because of its 2K resolution screen.
Specs:
Let’s move towards the specs, it features a 3.3GHz of AMD Ryzen 5 6600H processor with up to 4.5GHz of maximum speed. This is a powerful CPU at this price range and it can handle SketchUp very well. Further, this AMD CPU is combined with 8GB of DDR5 RAM and 256GB of NVMe SSD drive.
The storage space might be not enough for many but you can expand it further later on through its available slot. As far as the graphics card is concerned then this notebook is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics with 4GB dedicated memory.
Other features:
Besides the specs, it has Quick and Quiet two types of cooling modes which’ll help you to provide the best performance on a heavy workload. What’s more, this Lenovo laptop also has fast charging technology called Rapid Charge, it charges 40% of the battery in around 15 minutes.
In addition, for better security, while doing online video calls it has a physical privacy shutter for the webcam. This laptop is a little heavy and thick which is not easy to carry.
Pros- Latest CPU & GPU
- Rapid Charge technology
- 120Hz refresh rate screen for this budget
- Build quality is durable & sturdy
- Battery life could be better
3. Acer Swift X Creator Laptop – Best Affordable Laptop
Hardware Specifications
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800U Processor
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti 4GB
- 14 Inch Full HD IPS Widescreen LED-backlit Display
- Up to 6 Hours Battery Life
Review:
This Acer Swift X is a suitable laptop for those who frequently travel with a laptop as it is thin and lightweight and it’s easy to carry. In terms of portability, it is 0.7 inch thin and has 3.31 pounds of weight which make it the perfect travel partner.
Regarding the build quality, it is built with metal which gives a rich look and feel, and also it saves you from daily wear and tear.
Display:
It has got a compact 14-inch of full HD thin bezel display with an 85.73% screen-to-body ratio which looks stunning. Along with that, this is an IPS panel and it has a 100% sRGB color gamut and 300 nits brightness which offers good color accuracy.
Specs:
Let’s check what you’ll get inside with this laptop, it has got an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor along with the latest Zen 3 Core Architecture which is specially built for ultra-thin laptops. Moving further, this 14-inch laptop is coupled with 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and it is further not upgradeable.
On the storage front, the 512GB NVMe SSD it has got which is perfectly enough to save all your 3D files and other data. To handle the rendering of 3D files on this notebook it is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics with 4GB GDDR6 VRAM. The specs of this laptop are more than what is recommended.
Other features:
Talking about some interesting features of this notebook, Acer boasts that it provides you with 12 hours of battery backup but you can expect for around 6-7 hours of backup which is still good.
If security is your primary concern then it has a biometric fingerprint reader feature. To unlock your laptop by using this feature you only need to touch your finger on that scanner that’s it, your laptop will be unlocked. So, now no one can access your laptop without you.
Wait, it has a few worth mentioning features such as a backlit keyboard, compatible with Amazon Alexa, control fan speed, and power off charging support.
Pros- Built with metal
- Ultra thin and light
- Overall powerful specs for the price
- Good battery life
- Fast Wi-Fi 6 connectivity
- Lack of Ethernet port
4. MSI Pulse GL66 – Our Top Choice
Hardware Specifications
- Intel Core i7-12700H Processor
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
- 15.6 Inch Full HD Display
- Up to 3 Hours Battery Life
Review:
In this list, this MSI Pulse GL66 is one of the expensive laptops. If are looking for a powerful laptop for Sketchup and also for some other 3D software then this is the best choice of option for you. Also, if you like to play games on your laptop then it fulfills your both requirements.
Display:
Well, the screen size of this gaming laptop is a standard 15.6 inches which has full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. Many of you might don’t know about the refresh rate so first I want to tell you about that.
For instance, a 144Hz refresh rate means it delivers 144 frames per second in front of you. The more frame rate offers you more smooth visuals you’ll get during gaming and watching movies
Specs:
Coming to the internals, this gaming machine comes with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H processor which has got 8-cores and 4.70 GHz of max turbo boost technology. Moreover, to handle multitasking on this laptop it is equipped with 16GB of RAM, and with i7 CPU it can tackle any kind of 3D work.
Wait, can’t forget to tell you about the GPU, its powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card with a massive 8GB of memory your 3D rendering and designing tasks will be done very quickly. Regarding the storage part, it houses 512GB of NVMe SSD and is going to help you out to boot the system fast and load the apps quick.
Other features:
What’s more, it has a dedicated cooling technology called Cooler Boost 5, this is a great feature which help to keep the internal components cool during heavy workload and provide stable performance.
Regarding the connectivity, it has got all the required port options to connect any external peripherals. Moreover, if you like to play games on your laptop then its fully customizable RGB keyboard will give you an amazing experience.
Pros- Powerful 14-core i7 CPU
- RTX 3070 GPU
- Cooling system
- Overall build quality is good
- Can’t carry easily because of heavy weight
5. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best Value For Money
Hardware Specifications
- Intel Core i7-11800H Processor
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB
- 15.6 Inch Full HD IPS Display
- Up to 2.5 Hours Battery Life
Review:
This Acer Predator Helios 300 is a very popular and best selling gaming laptop over on Amazon. Acer upgrades this laptop every year and the best thing is that it offers you powerful specs and the best features at an affordable price range.
Look wise this laptop is similar like its predecessor but it has got the latest CPU and GPU. This gaming laptop has made Acer popular in the gaming laptop industry.
Display:
Talking about the display first, it comes with 15.6 inches of FHD IPS display which offers the best visuals from a wide viewing angle. Also, the screen has a 144Hz of refresh rate for smooth visuals.
Specs:
Coming to the important aspect of laptops and that is specifications. Acer has provided Intel i7-11800H 11th generation processor which is coupled with 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD. What I liked more about this laptop is, it allows you to upgrade its memory and storage through its available slot.
On the graphics part, it features 6GB of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 dedicated graphics card which can easily handle all your 3D related projects in SketchUp and also in other apps such as AutoCAD, and Revit.
Other features:
This gaming laptop will give you faster speed because it has the latest Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. These days all gaming laptops come with cooling technology and this laptop also has AeroBlade Fan with 89 blades designed. What it does is, under CPU and GPU intensive tasks, it improves the airflow inside so that internal components can cool down and provide the best performance.
- Best specs at valuable price
- Innovative cooling system
- Plenty of port options
- Easy to upgrade
- Battery life is short
- Fan make noise under load
How To Choose The Right Laptop For SketchUp?
To choose a perfect laptop for SketchUp I suggest you to go with its recommended system requirements which you can see on their official website and I have taken reference from the same website.
1. Processor/CPU:
Let’s talk about the processor first, to run Sketchup smoothly it is good to have at least an intel i5 or similar AMD processor which has 2+ GHz of speed.
But if you are one who wants to use that laptop for many years then it is good to have an Intel i7 or equivalent AMD CPU. Because it is more than what is recommended.
If you’ll use that laptop very well then it will last for many years as compared to the i5 laptop. Also, you can do any kind of heavy 3D work on that machine without any worry of lagging or freezing.
2. RAM:
Well, you need at least 8GB of RAM for using SketchUp on your laptop. For RAM, it is always said that more is better. So, if you want to make your laptop future proof then it is good to go with 16GB RAM. If you want to go beyond the 32GB is ideal for an architect, designer, or anyone who works on heavy 3D file size on Sketchup or anyone who also uses any other 3D software along with this.
3. Graphics Card:
Because of you are working on 3D files then you’ll definitely require a dedicated graphics card. As per the official website of Sketchup having a 1GB or more of 3d class video card which supports hardware acceleration then it is ideal.
These days you’ll get a i5 laptop with 4GB of GTX series GPU at an affordable price range so don’t worry, the laptop which I have added in this list works perfectly well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which processor is best for SketchUp?
Well, according to the official website 2+ GHz of processor is best for Sketchup. In simple words, go for a laptop with an i5 processor.
Is 16GB RAM enough for SketchUp?
Yes, 16GB of RAM is good enough for SketchUp and if you want to work on large 3D file sizes then it can handle that without any lagging.
Final Words
Finally, we are at the end of this article of the best laptops for SketchUp. My main aim behind creating this article is to help those people who are looking for a laptop for using 3D modeling apps like Sketchup, Revit, AutoCAD, etc.
Here I have tried to add laptops with different specs and different budgets so that anyone can choose a laptop based on their work and budget. Still, if you have not get the one for you then feel free to tell me your requirement I’ll be happy to help you out.
