What are the Best Laptops for Solidworks 2023? Guide

HP ZBook 15V G5 Workstation Laptop– Best Design (Mid-Range Category)

Here comes this stylish laptop from HP which, for a mid-range machine, fits the bill perfectly. This machine lives up to the HP tradition of functionality, form, and performance. The ZBook 15V G5 is designed with aesthetics and performance in mind.

Firstly, you’ve got an Intel i7-8750H Six-Core clocked at 2.20GHz, up to 4.1GHz turbo with 9MB SmartCache for faster data access. It’s interesting to know that this processor features hyper-threading, which means you get a total of 12 threads for speedier rendering tasks.

In the RAM department, we’ve got a total of 32B DDR4 RAM for serious multitasking. Solidworks requires a minimum of 16GB RAM; with this configuration, you are in a safe zone, which means no RAM upgrade is required.

For the graphics, we’ve got the NVIDIA Quadro P600 with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. This is just enough to handle simple to medium model assemblies in Solidworks. We think this is adequate if you don’t plan to work on large assemblies and render with this machine.

The storage drive is a 2TB NVMe PCIe SSD plus a 2TB hard drive. This is quite adequate if you plan to save lots of large Solidworks model assemblies. The display features a Full HD panel at 1920×1080 pixels with IPS which enables you to view the screen from wide angles. It’s also a touchscreen panel.

Now here’s the sweet spot of this machine: the battery. One of the downsides of a workstation laptop is the average to poor battery life which we have come to accept as normal. But wait, this machine equipped with just a 3-cell, 56 Wh battery has clocked up to 8 hours during stress tests.  According to release notes, it is reported to last up to 10 hours. This is remarkable. It comes as no surprise though. It’s explainable. For starters, this lappie doesn’t have a DVD drive.

For connectivity, there are two USB Type-A, one USB Type C, HDMI, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi with the 802.11ac protocol, Gigabit Ethernet, one Thunderbolt 3 port, and audio jack. To crown it all, the keyboard has beautiful LED lighting for working in the dark. Oh, another beauty spot; this machine just weighs 4.94 lbs.

The integrated Bang & Olufsen speakers do justice to sound, and the Fingerprint reader and 720p webcam make this a feature-laden machine. However, the absence of a DisplayPort and DVD drive is what’s lacking.

We consider this to be on the lighter side in terms of weight, compared to similar workstation laptops. Windows 10 Professional comes bundled with the machine, allowing you to work with your favorite apps seamlessly.

The ZBook 15V G5 is a real beauty. That’s our verdict. If you plan to do heavy modeling and rendering, for now, this is the laptop to own. Besides, it’s thin and ultra-light. Click on the link below to check it out.  

MSI WF75 Workstation Laptop

So we’ve got this sleek workstation laptop from MSI, and, did we say we are impressed. The WF75 represents most of what we expect from a workstation mobile PC, and it is one of the latest models of workstation laptops from MSI.

This machine, like its siblings, is designed for CAD applications like Solidworks, so if your budget is around $2,000, and you are doing serious CAD design and rendering, get your hands on this machine by all means. Design-wise, this machine has it all. Sleek looks, lightweight, thin profile. The smooth gray metallic chassis is sturdy and compact, with the MSI logo etched on the lid.

This machine is loaded with powerful hardware. For starters, there’s a six-core, 12-thread Intel Core i7 9750H chip powering the processing. Even though this isn’t a Xeon, but it still packs some firepower for intensive rendering. When the chips are down, the 10^th Gen i7 CPU can ramp up its frequency to 5GHz on turbo. It has up to 12MB Smart Cache which means faster data access during processing.

Then here’s the sweet spot of this machine: the graphics powered by an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 with 6GB GDDR5 Graphics Memory. This is a powerful VR-Ready GPU designed for computational purposes, and the large 6GB of RAM on this graphics chip would ensure your designs and large model assemblies remain responsive.

The RTX 3000 has an array of impressive features such as effectively enhancing anti-aliasing by up to 64 times full-scene antialiasing, supporting 16K texture and render processing and Pascal memory compression, increasing bandwidth up to 20% by reducing the amount of data fetched from memory for each frame.

There’s also a 32GB allocation of DDR4 RAM, enough to hold your complex models while you work on them without lag. If you need more RAM, go ahead and grab another 32GB because this machine can accommodate 64GB.

For storage, you have a 1TB NVMe SSD, enough to store your models and other files. It might interest you to know that NVMe drives are speedier than regular SSD drives.

The WF75 is equipped with a wide variety of connectivity options, which will enhance your workflow. You’ll find Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth 5.1, USB 3 Type A and Type C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, Card Reader, and Headphone/Mic. Windows 10 Professional 64-bit comes pre-installed on this machine, and there’s a fingerprint reader for security. The HD webcam is also great for video conferencing and chats.

MSI WF75 Workstation Laptop features a slim and sleek design

Let’s not forget the 17.3” Full HD Display featuring Anti-Glare Technology. Then, here’s what gladdens our hearts about this machine: its weight and thin design. With a chassis crammed with all these high-end hardware, this machine weighs a paltry 4.8lbs. We are surprised anyway, for a 17-inch laptop, this is impressive.

MSI sure lived up to their reputation for quality with a solid workstation laptop as this; we consider buying this a worthy investment. Did we forget to mention it has an LED keyboard to help you work in the dark? There’s also the useful MSI Creator Software which allows you to customize the way your machine handles apps, especially CAD apps like Solidworks.

The MSI WF75 is an impressive machine, has plenty of connectivity options (though there’s no DisplayPort), and is well-built. It also has a decent battery life, clocking in at 7 hours plus in productivity tests. For design and performance, the WF75 scores high for a mid-range system. We think this is a good buy. Don’t you think so?  

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4 Budget Machines – Best Laptop for Solidworks

In this section, we’re going to look at workstation laptops in the budget category. Specifically, if you are a mechanical engineering student and you use Solidworks, you can get the best laptop for mechanical engineering drawing at a cheaper cost.  

Dell Precision M5510 Mobile Workstation Laptop – Best Budget (Budget Category)

When it comes to budget options, it usually seems you are getting the lowest features there are. But it’s not usually the case, as we discover with this cheap but formidable workstation lappie from Dell. It’s listed as renewed, which according to Amazon, has been “professionally inspected and tested to work and look like new by Amazon-qualified and performance-managed suppliers”.

So what you are getting is a good deal because it’s as good as new. We chose to review this laptop because of the low price tag (a little less than $800) and the quality hardware crammed into it. Ok, let’s go!

The Dell M5510 is powered by the Intel Core i7-6820HQ cranking out 2.4GHz up to 3.6Ghz clock speed on Turbo. Besides, it’s hyper-threaded, meaning you have 8 threads to run your light renders. Build-wise, this machine screams rugged and tough. The chassis is a metal-plastic combo, with the keyboard deck made from carbon fiber. The attractive design is not weighty at all, with the machine clocking in at just 3.93 lbs.

Dell M5510 Back view

For graphics, we’ve got an NVIDIA Quadro M1000M with 2GB of total graphics memory. This is a low-profile workstation graphics card with 512 CUDA cores. Don’t expect much from this baby. It will not be able to handle large model assemblies, just small to medium assemblies with simple parts.

Next, we’ve got 16GB DDR4 RAM. With this much RAM, the laptop is still powerful enough to power your multi-tasking. For storage, we’ve got a 512GB SSD hard drive. This may not be adequate for your needs, and you may want to upgrade to a bigger one. We recommend the Samsung EVO 1TB model for an upgrade.

For the display, we’ve got a UHD (3840×2160) Touch Wide View LED-backlit with a Premium Panel Guarantee. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, WiFi, HDMI, and USB 3 Thunderbolt ports with Power Delivery. There’s also a standard 3.5mm audio jack, a microphone jack, and SD Card Reader.

Battery life stands at up to 11 hours at normal usage. However, if you are rendering or doing a heavy workload, expect the battery life to drop to like 5 hours. In addition, its weight stands at just about 3.9 pounds. There’s a Windows 10 Pro installation that comes with this machine. The most important thing; it’s a value laptop for the price point. If you’re OK with this machine, check it out through the link below.  

Lenovo ThinkPad P52s Mobile Workstation – Best Battery Life (Budget Category)

Even though this is a budget laptop and isn’t future-proof and all, it still packs some decent punch. At least it will allow you to model simple assemblies and render, without punching a huge hole in your pocket. This is our pick from Lenovo in the budget workstation laptop range.

The processor is an i7, the 8550U with a frequency of up to 4GHz on turbo. It’s a 4-core, 8-thread chip with 8MB of cache for fast data access. The hyper-threading, with the integrated Intel Turbo Boost technology, delivers dynamic extra power when you need it. The only snag here is that this is a low-powered CPU, so don’t expect much here.

The graphics chip is an NVIDIA Quadro P500 with 2GB of graphics memory. This is an entry-level workstation graphics card, so don’t expect sterling performance. At least, it will handle low model assemblies with ease.

For storage, we have a 512GB SSD. This is nice, as it’ll drastically speed up your workflow, compared to a traditional hard drive. We’ve also got 16GB DDR4 RAM installed. If you’re not satisfied, you may wish to add more RAM. The display features a 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) with Anti-Glare Technology and renders images and colors crisply.

There are several connectivity options available, including Intel Wireless LAN with Bluetooth 4.1, 1 Thunderbolt port, 1 HDMI port, 2 USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB type C port, 4-in-1 card reader, and mic/headphone combo, among others.

The audio department is powered by 2-watt Stereo Speakers with lackluster sound output. If you want better sound, please connect a headphone.

Battery life stands at almost 17 hours of continuous use, which is insane. The weight of this laptop at 4.3 lbs which is not bad at all. There’s also the ThinkPad Fingerprint Security System and Backlit Keyboard with a Full Number pad. To crown it all, there’s Windows 10 Professional 64-bit installed.

We think this is a decent performer with decent hardware configuration, but heck, it’s a budget lappie after all. You may also want to step up to a higher model, the Lenovo P17 if you want better performance.

Otherwise, click through below to check the price on Amazon if you like the Thinkpad P52s Mobile Workstation Laptop.