Architects and Civil engineers are the most frequent users of CAD applications. Popular CAD apps like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, AutoDesk, LibreCAD, Archicad, Vectorworks, etc., are extremely resource-intensive and become heavier when running intricate designs. That’s why Architects, Civil & Structural engineers have always preferred powerful desktop PCs for their work. But with increasing remote working, there’s a growing need for suitable laptops for the job. Traditional laptops don’t work for these professions. You need workstation-class laptops, which are better known as mobile workstations. Here’s why.
You Need More Than a Normal Laptop
Typically, professional laptops come with a decent performance and robust build combo with a great battery backup, which is just enough for most office work. But CAD applications are extremely CPU intensive and equally rely on GPU. Also, paging files are typically huge in CAD, so they need a lot of RAM for rendering. Having a powerful GPU under the hood also calls for a discreetly powerful battery. Only the Mobile Workstations contain such raw power and performance combo. So, whether you are buying for yourself or your employee to ensure remote productivity on CAD, you can rely on a mobile workstation just like you do on a desktop.
It’s an Economically Viable Investment
When it concerns resource optimization, investing in powerful desktop workstations is a considerable one. But with rapid development in computation technology, laptops have become more powerful than ever and affordable too. Performance wise they are compatible with desktops and as per the standard of present-day professional requirements. So, you can say laptop workstations are portable, powerful enough, performance-oriented, and a more affordable choice to invest in.
Now one may be worried about the scalability of a laptop, where the innovation of HP Remote Boost software can be a lifesaver. This application allows users to connect to super-powerful workstation-grade computers remotely on a subscription basis. These workstations are hosted at HP Data Centers. Through this app, you can utilize the shared resource capability for power-hungry computations. This way, users can work from anywhere, and that too, at an affordable budget.
Requirement of Discrete GPU in 3D Designing
Most GPU-powered laptops feature either SoC GPU or gaming GPU which are not the best choice for 3D designing and model rendering projects. Instead, a professional GPU with large VRAM and more cores performs better in 3D rendering according to various research. Nvidia RTX A3000 (12GB GDDR6) is a great choice according to proven statistics. So, devices like HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 Mobile Workstation PC are a perfect choice for this job, powered by the above-mentioned GPU and Intel Core i9 CPU with 32 GB DDR5 RAM.
High-Resolution Display is a Must
In 3D designing and CAD, visual experience is as crucial as it can be. Having more pixels on the screen means having more detail. While any business/professional laptop these days is FHD (1080P), having a QHD+ 3K or 4K (2160p) display would help you create better designs with minute details. Mobile Workstation laptops feature a high-resolution display with more brightness and support multiple external displays.
Increased Need for Mobility
The rising usage of the Internet in routine business has changed the norms because a lot of people work from different locations these days. On the other hand, Civil and Architect professionals need to work from multiple places including, offices, construction sites, client locations, and even on-the-go. In both situations a laptop powers you better than a desktop, due to the factor of portability. The only hiccup was the performance capabilities of the laptop which has now improved a lot.
Some Great Laptops For Civil Engineers & Architects
As discussed earlier, HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 Mobile Workstation PC is an excellent choice for the job. You can choose either the 12th gen Intel Core i9 or i7 version powered by either Nvidia RTX A3000 (12 GB) or the RTX A4500 (16 GB) GPU. In addition, any HP ZBook Workstation comes with HP Remote Boost software pre-installed.
On the other hand, HP ZBook Power G9 Mobile Workstation PC is an excellent choice for high-end professionals who require the support of multiple GPUs. In this system, you can facilitate your project with two GPUs i.e Intel Iris-X SoC GPU and NVIDIA T550 GPU (4 GB) GPU.
People with a tight budget can also consider the HP ZBook Firefly 14 G9 Mobile Workstation PC, which is powered by 12th Gen Intel i7, NVIDIA T550, and 32 GB DDR5 RAM.
Check out the HP Online Store for many other options and more details about the HP ZBook series.
