3D printing is used to create 3D objects from computer-aided design (CAD) models. There are many types of materials used to make those objects such as plastic, metal, or ceramic. For 3D printing, you have a powerful laptop or computer. If you are a beginner then it is very difficult for you to find the best 3D printing laptop for your needs.
The laptop you will use for 3D printing should have a powerful CPU or GPU and storage. If you are in the market and finding the best laptop for 3D printing then read this article. We have mentioned some best laptops for 3D printing in this article. We discuss the key features, pros, and cons of these laptops so that you can make the right decision for buying the best laptop for your needs. We will discuss cheap and costly laptops for 3D printing so that you can buy a laptop that can fulfill your budget.
What Are the Best Laptops for 3D Printing?
Our goal is to provide our readers with useful information about 3D printing laptops. We have created a list of the best laptops for 3D printing on the basis of their features, pros, cons, specifications, performance, and user reviews. These laptops can run 3D printing software like Blender and AutoCAD.
Let’s take a look at these laptops for 3D printing so that you can make the right decision that which laptop is best for your needs:
Lenovo Ideapad 3 – Best laptop for 3D printing
- CPU: Intel i3
- GPU: Intel UHD
- RAM: 8GB
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- Screen size: 15.6”
- Resolution: 1366×768
If you are in the market and looking for a low-budget 3D printing laptop then Lenovo Ideapad 3 is the best choice for you. This laptop is a very popular budget-friendly model and has all the specs included to handle basic computer-aided 3D printing and slicing software like Cura. This laptop comes with 8 GB RAM and an Intel i3 processor that is capable of handling multiple applications at a time.
Apart from the specs, there are many other features that make the laptop a popular budget friendly for 3D printing. Its main highlighted feature is its touchscreen display. But keep in mind that Lenovo Ideapad 3 is only capable of handling simple 3D printing projects. It is not capable of handling 3D rendering and modeling projects because it has low specs.
Pros
- Cheap price laptop
- Touchscreen display
- Can handle multiple applications at once
- Lightweight
Cons
- Can’t handle heavy 3D printing tasks
- Small touchpad
OEM Lenovo ThinkCentre M75s – Best laptop for 3D printing
- CPU: Ryzen 5 Pro on Intel i5
- GPU: NVIDIA GT 1030
- RAM: 16GB-32GB
- OS: Windows 10 Pro (upgradable to 11 Pro)
As you know laptops can be taken to anywhere easily, desktop computers also come with many advantages like long life, and more powerful than laptops at a very low price. So, if you want the best computer for 3D printing then take a closer look at the OEM Lenovo ThinkCentre.
This computer has more power than the laptop at this low price range. The NVIDIA GT 1030 graphics card is enough powerful to run heavy 3D modeling software like Maya and 3DS Max. If you want to run this software without creating any issues then use the 32 GB RAM version of the PC.
This computer comes with different configuration options. You can select from 12 different combinations of CPU, RAM, and SSD or NVMe. Its sleek design makes it the best computer for 3D printing. This PC comes with 3 years of warranty. Its other features are keystroke turn-on and it is capable of managing updates and diagnostics remotely.
Pros
- Best for 3D printing and rendering
- Sleek design
- 12 different configuration options
Cons
- Portability Issue
- Loud voices of Fans
MSI GE76 – Best laptop for 3D printing
- CPU: Intel i9
- GPU: RTX 3080
- RAM: 32GB
- OS: Windows 10/11
- Screen size: 17.3”
- Resolution: 1920×1080
If you are searching for an expensive laptop that is able to handle 3D modeling and animation tasks then MSI GE76 is the best choice for these types of tasks. This MSI GE76 laptop is one the best gaming laptops with specifications that are also good for handling 3D printing and modeling.
This laptop comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card which is the most powerful card on the market. This MSI laptop also has an FHD 17.3-inch screen which is best for those who want to do professional 3D modeling and printing tasks. This GE76 laptop comes with a powerful CPU and 32 GB of RAM that’s why this laptop can run all the heavy 3D modeling, rendering, and animation programs.
Pros
- NVIDIA GeForce graphics card
- Powerful CPU and 32 GB RAM
- Big screen size
Cons
- Heavy laptop
- A bit pricy
Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 15 OLED – Best laptop for 3D printing
- CPU: Intel i7
- GPU: RTX 3070
- RAM: 16GB-32GB
- OS: Windows 11
- Screen size: 15.6”
- Resolution: 3840×1140
The Asus Zenbook Pro Duo 15 OLED is the best laptop for 3D printing. This laptop comes with 16GB RAM and a 32GB RAM model. The 16GB RAM laptop can be able to save you money but it can be able to handle 3D printing software like Fusion 360, Rhino, and AutoCAD. If you want to run Maya and Blender software then use the laptop with 32GB RAM.
Apart from its excellent specs, there are many features that make the laptop stand out from other laptops on the market. The OLED, 4K matte touchscreen with a secondary screen is included in this extraordinary set of features. The secondary screen can be used for extending the first display or you can use it as a second Window for multitasking.
Pros
- Powerful Windows laptop for 3D printing
- OLED screen
Cons
- Touchpad and keyboard are not so good
Apple Macbook Pro – Best laptop for 3D printing
- CPU: M1 or M1 Max
- GPU: M1 or M1 Max 10-core or 16-core
- RAM: up to 64GB RAM
- OS: macOS Ventura
- Screen size: 14-16”
- Resolution: 2560×1600
If you want an overall powerful laptop for 3D printing then Apple Macbook Pro is the right choice for you. The Macbook Pro is able to handle CAD software and other 3D modeling and applications because it has an excellent graphics card, impressive display, and the fast processor of Apple.
One of the main highlighted features is that this laptop comes with 64 GB of RAM. Because of 64 GB RAM, this laptop is capable of handling any type of modeling, rendering, and animation tasks. This laptop has a liquid retina XDR display. This laptop comes with two displays 14-inch and 16-inch. You can choose the laptop of your preferred display.
The Macbook Pro model has the macOS Ventura operating system, which is the most powerful operating system in the world. It has some other features like Focus filters and Spotlight search. These features can increase productivity and efficiency. The battery of this laptop can last up to 21 hours which is one of the longest-lasting batteries on the market in 2022.
Pros
- Most powerful graphics card
- Excellent resolution
- 64 GB RAM
Cons
- Very costly
Buying Guide – Things to keep in mind while buying a Laptop for 3D Printing
Operating System
The first factor to keep in mind is that your laptop for 3D printing can be able to run 3D slicing software. As you know not all software can run on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Fortunately, a lot of slicers run on Mac. As you know that a lot of popular slicers can run on the three operating systems. However, this is not applied to software like 3D modeling and CAD for 3D printing. For example, AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Rhino, Blender, and Maya all programs can run on macOS and Windows. But software like 3DS Max and Solidworks cannot run on MacOS.
The programs like AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Rhino, and Maya cannot run on Linux. Although the programs like Blender and FreeCAD can run on Linux.
Price
There are many costly laptop models on the market for you. Sometimes it is very difficult to choose the best laptop for your budget. So to handle this problem you have to take a look at the features you want and then choose the laptop which has the features of your needs in your price range.
There are some factors that create differences in the laptop’s price. These factors included RAM and screen resolution. So that you know the right features that your PC needs for 3D printing. Also, It is worth mentioning that choose the laptop that has the ability to upgrade the RAM. If you are new to 3D printing then start with a cheap model laptop that offers specs upgradeability in the future.
Conclusion
The selection of the right tools for your work can create an important impact on your career. So, when you want a laptop for 3D printing then you have to take a look at the laptop’s CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, and display. If you want the laptop to handle heavy 3D modeling and rendering tasks then you need a laptop with a strong CPU and GPU. For running 3D printing software and storing 3D models then you need a good quality of RAM and large storage. The high-resolution display also plays an important role in 3D printing and modeling tasks.
The laptops we have discussed come with excellent performance and specifications. These laptops have good ratings and reviews from users and experts.
