Laptops for 3d printing

10 Best Laptops for 3D Printing in 2023

3D printing is an additive manufacturing process that produces three-dimensional objects from a computer-aided design (CAD) model. The objects are made from materials, including plastics, ceramics, and metals.

Choosing laptops for 3D Printing can be tricky with many different types on the market, yet I did the hardest part for you! Via testing the most popular models on the market, I will provide you with the best laptops on the market.

Our Top Picks:

Asus Zenbook Pro – Best For Overall
Razer Blade 14 – Best for Performance
HP Pavilion 15 – Best for Budget
Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best for Value
Apple MacBook Pro 2020 – Best For Apple Lover
Apple MacBook Pro Air – Best For Affordable MacBook
LG Gram 17 2021 – Battery Battery Life
MSI GL65 – Best For Gaming
Dell XPS 13 9310 – Best For Compact Laptop
Dell Inspiron 17 7000 – Best For 2-in-1 Model

Asus Zenbook Pro Duo

Key Features

The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo is a more than capable laptop in terms of performance. It gives you everything a 3D designer needs, such as the powerful 10th gen Intel i7 processor or the 15.6 inches 4K touchscreen screen with vivid and bright colors.

It also features an extra touchscreen screen with 4K resolution. You may find it unnecessary, but it is a handy addition enabling you to multitask seamlessly. It is essential when you’re dealing with multiple resource-intensive design tasks at the same time.

This laptop can handle heavy loads thanks to its good RAM storage. It also features graphics with a ray-tracing feature.

It can run demanding software, handle multitasking, and render simultaneously, making it the best 3D modeling and rendering for me.

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What I Like

Good speakers
Great curb appeal
Punchy performance
Excellent build quality
The second display is functional

Things to Consider

Pricey
Awkward touchpad and keyboard

Razer Blade 14

Key Features

If you favor precision, performance, and power, the Razer Blade 14 will satisfy you. It is one of the most potent models because of its 16GB RAM, AMD Ryzen 9, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics. So it can run the most demanding 3D design software smoothly.

Regarding the display, this device features a 14′” panel with QHD resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 color space, making it ideal for 3D modeling.

Along with incredible battery life, vapor chamber cooling, and THX spatial audio, this powerful 14” laptop offers an unparalleled experience while designing.

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What I Like

Vivid, colorful display.
Strong performance.
Very sturdy chassis.
Great 1440p and 1080p performance.

Things to Consider

Costly.
The keyboard is a bit cramped.

HP Pavilion 15

Key Features

Finding a high-end model for less than $1000 is not easy as there are few laptops with excellent quality like the HP Pavilion 15 in this segment.

It comes with 16GB RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, enabling it to run 3D software like Blender and AutoCAD efficiently.

The HP Pavilion 15 has a 512 GB NVMe SSD, giving you enough space to store your work. You will also get a decent FHD screen with 178° viewing angles for an unparalleled design experience on a budget.

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What I Like

Stylish design.
Good touchscreen.
Various processor heft.
Run 3D design software smoothly.

Things to Consider

No discrete graphics.
Disappointing battery.

Acer Predator Helios 300

Key Features

The Acer Predator Helios is one of the high-performance gaming models.

Powered by the Core i7 processor with impressive speeds of up to 4.60GHz and RTX 3060, which features RTX architecture, this model works well in running 3D design apps smoothly.

Its display is one of the most responsive screens. Equipped with a 15.6″ Full HD, with a 3ms response time and 144Hz refresh rate, you can work and play without any issues.

The Predator Helios also features 512 GB of SSD storage, which you can upgrade if you need more storage. So, it is true to say that this device is an excellent balance between performance and price.

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What I Like

Great webcam.
Good array of ports.
Impressive display and keyboard.
Bright, colorful 144Hz display.
Excellent gaming performance.

Things to Consider

Heavy.
No SD or microSD card slot.
The battery life could be better.

Apple MacBook Pro 2020

Key Features

This model is the most powerful laptop you can buy with the 10th gen Intel Core i5/i7 processors or the exclusive M1 chip of Apple, which has better multi-core and single-core performance than its Intel counterparts.

The Apple Mac Pro delivers the CPU performance 2.8 times the previous generation and the graphics speed five times. Its battery life is up to 20 hours, making it the MacBook with the longest battery life.

The MacBook Pro is one of the best options in almost every respect. While it may be a bit pricey, it didn’t let me down, and neither will you.

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What I Like

Great performance
Huge battery life
Decent magic keyboard.
It can run iOS apps smoothly.

Things to Consider

Still lacks ports.
The design remains the same.

Apple MacBook Pro Air

Key Features

The MacBook Pro 2020 is powerful enough to run any complex 3D modeling app.

It is the ideal choice for those looking for a more compact model but does not sacrifice performance.

In addition to a more lightweight and slimmer design, this device features the same powerful GPU and Apple M1 chip, but you can only extend the 8GB RAM to 16GB, compared to the MacBook Pro’s 64GB. In addition, its battery life is also lower than the MacBook Pro.

But you will not notice much difference between the Air and Pro as they have the same GPU, display, processor, and ability to run iOS apps.

The Air is more affordable and lighter, while the Pro performs better.

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What I Like

Silent in use.
The keyboard is excellent.
Compact and lightweight.
Its battery can last 8 hours.

Things to Consider

Only two USB-C ports.

LG Gram 17 2021

Key Features

I included this model on our list mainly thanks to its mid-sized screens. As a 3D printing designer, a bigger screen will enable you to work with fine detail. The LG Gram 17 screen also features a QHD resolution and DCI-P3 99% color expression.

This beautiful and larger display delivers crisp images rich in color with an outstanding level of depth, making it ideal for designers who work with a high level of detail while creating 3D models.

Other factors that make this laptop that won my heart are the Intel Iris Graphic, 16GB RAM, 11th generation Intel Evo i7 processor, up to about 20 hours of battery life per charge, and 2TB of SSD storage.

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What I Like

Very light.
Whisper quiet.
Excellent battery life.
Large and high-quality display.

Things to Consider

Costly.
The touchpad could be better.

8. MSI GL65 – Best For Gaming

MSI GL65

Key Features

The MSI GL65 is one of the best budget performance models you can buy. Designed for gaming, it has the proper 3D modeling and rendering credentials.

Its 15.6″ display features a 144Hz rapid refresh rate and 100% sRGB color gamut, giving you color-accurate and bright visuals and a lag-free and smooth experience.

The device is powered by the perfect mix of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and 10th Generation Intel Core i5 that allows you to handle 3D design applications with a breeze.

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What I Like

Comfortable keyboard.
Solid, not-all-plastic build.
Bright full-HD (1080p) screen.
Impressive hardware.

Things to Consider

Tiny speakers.

Dell XPS 13 9310

Key Features

If you often work on the go and favor portability, you’ll want to choose this model. Despite its compact size, this laptop features a 13.4″ Full HD display with a brightness of 500 nits, allowing you to see every detail in clarity.

The Intel Iris Xe graphics, the latest Intel i7 processor, and 16 GB of RAM are more than enough to meet all your design needs.

So, regarding the elegant and slim devices, it is difficult to find a fast enough model to keep up with 3D design software, except for the Dell XPS 13 9310.

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What I Like

Snappy performance.
Sturdy, stunning design.
Gorgeous OLED display.
Extremely portable.

Things to Consider

Limited ports.
Average audio.

Dell Inspiron 17 7000

Key Features

If you are one of the avid designers who prefer a touchscreen laptop, the Dell Inspiron 17 7000 will be your workhorse.

It is a 2-in-1 model, meaning you can use it as one tablet with a stylus. With the Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 32GB RAM, and Intel Core i7 processor, this powerful device can handle any job that you throw at it.

Its vast 17.3 inches QHD display is one of the best displays I have tested. Its 1TB of SSD storage allows you to easily store countless 3D design files.

Several 3D modeling apps, like AutoCAD, are also available in mobile apps which support a touchscreen. So you can take advantage of both worlds with this great hybrid model.

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What I Like

Sturdy build.
Backlit keys.
Sharp display.
HDD/SSD options.
Very large screen.

Things to Consider

Small SSD.
Brief battery life.

Buying Guide: Things to Consider

Things to consider when buying a laptop for 3D printing.

Printing quality

When buying a laptop for 3D printing, the printing quality is one of the first things you should consider. Check out the printer’s specs and compare them with other devices to get the best print quality.

Ease of use

Some models are more user-friendly than others. So if you are not particularly tech-savvy, choosing a device that is easy for you to operate is wise.

Connectivity

Some laptops for 3D printing feature built-in WiFi connectivity, which can be very useful if you have to print from various locations or devices. If this feature is crucial to you, check it out before making a purchase.

Brand reputation

Regarding laptops for 3D printing, you can consider several trusted and well-known brands on the market.

So we recommend doing some research on different brands. As a result, you can narrow down your options to choose the most reliable model that offers the best value for your money.

Software Compatibility

You ensure that your chosen model is compatible with the software you will use.

Some devices use proprietary software that may not be compatible with the programs you are familiar with. So remember to check for this before choosing.

Technical Support

If you are not tech-savvy, you should choose a 3D printer with good technical support. That way, whenever you have a question or run into any problem, you’ll be able to get the help you need.

Price

Price is always a consideration when considering any major investment.

The price of a laptop for 3D printers may range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, and you have to set a reasonable budget before beginning your search.

Conclusion

You have reached the bottom of this article. Choosing the right tools for your work will always impact your career. All the laptops we presented to you have impressive specs. They also receive many best reviews from users and experts.

The model that impressed me the most was the Asus Zenbook Pro Duo. It perfectly balances everything, including performance, features, and price.

The rest of the list is also great in its own way. So read my review carefully to choose something that works best for you.

Best Laptops For 3D Printing

You don’t need to have a fancy PC setup to get started with 3D printing, you can even use a laptop! These are the best laptops for 3D printing.

The best laptops that can handle everything necessary for both 3D printing and 3D modeling are the ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo, Apple Macbook Air, Acer Nitro 5, ASUS ROG Strix, Gigabyte AERO 15X V8-BK4, and the Razer Blade Pro 17.

3D printing is becoming more and more popular. Being able to create just about anything that you can set your mind to has a certain appeal to it. But the barrier to entry may not be as high as you think. In this article, we’ll explain why you can 3D print using just a laptop, what the minimum specs needed for 3D printing are, and we’ll go over the best laptops for 3D printing on the market.

Our number one priority is providing our readers with the best, most helpful 3D printing content that they can find on the web. To do this, we combine our own knowledge and experience with input and opinions from other avid 3D printing aficionados in the industry. This way you get the full, unbiased picture and can walk away from this article truly knowing what the best laptops for 3D printing are.

‍Can I 3D Print With A Laptop?

The short answer here is a simple yes, you can absolutely 3D print using a laptop. In fact, just about any laptop you can get your hands on will be able to handle the actual printing portion of the 3D printing process. By that I just mean that most laptops available these days have the technical capability to handle the file type necessary for 3D printing (STL files), but that most likely isn’t what you’re actually interested in.

Reverse-engineering the STL file, computers need to be able to actually generate the code that goes into the STL file which is then printed by the 3D printer. This operation is referred to as “slicing” and involves taking a 3D model and slicing it down into layers that can actually be printed. Once the 3D model is sliced, the code can be generated and the final STL file can then be used and fed to the 3D printer itself.

I mentioned it a few times now, but the very first thing necessary for 3D printing is actually coming up with the 3D model itself. For novice 3D printing hobbyists that are more interested in the printing aspect rather than the modeling aspect, you won’t have to worry about this. There are plenty of sites out there that have 3D models available at either no cost to you or for purchase, so you don’t actually ever have to model anything yourself.

But to really take advantage of 3D printing, you probably want to one day start printing your own designs and creations. And the only way to do that is by learning how to 3D model things yourself. This is typically the most computer-intensive aspect of the process and is typically where the specifications of the laptop will really come into play.

So to make a long story short, you can technically 3D print — just process the STL file — with just about any laptop out there. But to really handle the entire 3D printing process, you’re going to need a laptop capable of everything from 3D modeling, to slicing and generating the code, and then also processing the STL file and feeding it to your printer.

We’re going to focus on laptops capable of handling it all.

Minimum Computer Specs Needed For 3D Printing

All that said above, you’ll be happy to hear that even for 3D modeling, you don’t need to get the most expensive computers on the market. The specs needed for 3D printing (including modeling) are not as crazy as you might think. Which really helps to keep the price relatively low for hobbyist 3D printing.

These are the general specs you’ll want to look for in a laptop for 3D printing:

AMD Ryzen 5, Intel i5, or equivalent CPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, or equivalent GPU
8GB+ RAM (professionals use 32GB+ RAM)

RAM: 16GB

Operating System: Windows 10 Home

Just like we started this list off strong, we’re going to finish it off with a banger as well with the Razer Blade Pro 17. First and foremost, this is the only laptop in this guide with a 17.0” screen. All the other Windows laptops had a 15.6” screen. I personally used a 17.0” laptop for a decade, and it was amazing for 3D modeling. The extra screen space really makes a difference when you’re working on this stuff!

The Razer Blade Pro is powered by an Intel Core i7 CPU and the most powerful GPU of any laptop on this list: an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. These two components combined with the 16GB of RAM will enable you to model, render, and process just about everything that you want to 3D print without an issue.

With how great of a laptop this is, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for it. Depending on which company is offering deals at any given time, the price for this one is going to be comparable with the ASUS ZenBook from above. Apples to apples, I would give the ZenBook a slight edge, but I would love to get my hands on one of these!

3D Printing Laptop Buyer’s Guide

If you opt for any of the laptops on this list, you should be in great shape when it comes to 3D printing. After all, if they couldn’t handle 3D printing, then they wouldn’t be on the list! But if you want to continue your search and see which other laptops you can find, these are the most important things to keep in mind.

Modeling or Just Printing?

This is probably the single biggest thing that you need to think about when you’re looking for a laptop for 3D printing. Because the answer to this question will largely determine the specifications necessary and how much money you’re going to end up having to spend on the right laptop.

If you know for a fact that you won’t be doing any 3D modeling yourself and will instead find pre-made models online, then don’t feel like you have to buy anything fancy. Just about any laptop can process an STL file and feed it to your printer. But if you want to make your own designs, you’ll need a laptop capable of handling 3D modeling, like all of the options listed in this guide.

CPU, GPU, and RAM

When you’re looking at a laptop, these are probably the three most important specifications to keep in mind. The better these three things are, the better performance your laptop will have and the faster (and more capable) your 3D modeling and 3D printing software will be. It’s important to have components that are good enough, but don’t go overboard either.

For example, you could spend thousands of dollars to have 64GB of RAM and get some really fast processing times. But if your CPU and/or GPU can’t keep up, then that’s overkill. Even more so, that much RAM (or similarly overpowered CPUs and GPUs) is entirely unnecessary for the vast majority of us. Most 3D modeling and rendering professionals get by with 32GB of RAM and an Intel i7 processor. So don’t overdo it!

Price

Always a worthy inclusion when you’re considering buying just about anything is the price. But it’s usually even more important to keep in mind when you’re looking at electronics like a laptop. This is because if you start going down the rabbit hole of trying to get better and better specs, you could easily end up pricing out a laptop that costs well over $5,000 or more.

So it’s vital that you start your search with at least some sort of budget in mind. I’m also not saying to go into your laptop search with a $200 budget, because you likely won’t be able to find anything capable of handling 3D modeling and printing. Just have an idea of how much you’re willing to spend, you can even use the prices in this guide as a starting point.

“The applications for MX3D printing technology are as vast as the human imagination. Several of the company's 3D printed sculptures are already on display in museums around the world."

Building a bridge requires a lot of skill. The first bridges were probably elementary structures made of logs. Then the preferred building materials were first stone, and then steel, characterized by durability and strength.

Any bridge - regardless of its materials - must balance two physical forces: tension and compression. Tension is an outward pulling force, while compression is an inward pressing force. These forces direct their load on a series of supports in the middle of the structure and on each side of it, ensuring that the weight of the structure and what it carries is evenly distributed on the plane. Despite their ubiquitous use, bridges are ingeniously engineered structures, the slightest miscalculation in the design of which can lead to disastrous consequences

Still, it was important for MX3D to create a bridge.

In the fall of 2018, after six months of printing and many years of technology development, the MX3D Bridge, a magnificent 12.5m long corrugated stainless steel massive structure, was finally completed. Due to environmental and permitting hurdles, the company built the bridge in its laboratory. The bridge will be transported by ship to its place of installation, on the famous Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in the historic center of Amsterdam.

The 3D printing tool is controlled by advanced software that makes calculations using huge amounts of data. To implement this control, MX3D turned to Lenovo solutions for workstations. In particular, the ThinkStation P910 workstation was used, which has very high performance and can efficiently process a huge amount of information while running topology optimization applications such as Autodesk Fusion 360.

“It's very important to us that we can run our software on our workstations and calculate complex bridge shapes,” Geurtjens says.

To make changes on the fly, MX3D engineers and designers use ThinkPad P40 Yoga laptops to sketch changes and then implement them quickly and easily. This capability is important when one is trying to make something as massive and complex as a bridge.

The work is unlikely to stop there. Once this bridge is installed, MX3D will begin building the "bridge of the future." A number of sensors located in the structure will carry out comprehensive control - from measurements of strength parameters, such as deformation and vibration, to monitoring environmental data. With the Lenovo ThinkStation, engineers can collect real-time statistics on bridge performance and track design changes over time. In the future, the bridge will learn to collect and process indicators such as the number of pedestrians passing through it and the speed of their transition.

This data will be used to create a "digital twin" of the bridge that will reflect its real-time performance and behavior, and allow engineers to test different modifications for future projects. Geurtjens says the "bridge of the future" will be the equivalent of a "living lab". In any case, this is exactly the future MX3D is aiming for, and the stylish footbridge is just a starter project meant to test the company's 3D printing capabilities.