If you're struggling to find the best laptops for 3D modelling and rendering, you're in luck; we've done the hard work for you. Requiring enough gumption to tackle high-end 3D software, you're going to need plenty of fast memory, both the CPU and GPU to be powerful, and lots of storage to save your projects.
Using our years of laptop testing experience, our team of experts has specifically looked at the needs of 3D modellers, testing out a wide range of laptops with the latest creative software to consider how well each device can handle the heat. As well as specs and benchmarks, we also consider how easy the laptop is to use, to travel with and to multitask upon, running demanding creative software on them, and testing the limits of the multitasking load to get the full picture of how well they work in everyday conditions.
Below, you'll find our picks of the best laptops for 3D modelling right now, but if you're an architect or engineer and want to focus on the world of Computer Aided Design (CAD), check out our list of the best laptops for CAD and AutoCAD.
If you want a Mac, the MacBook M3 Max is the best option around. The chip will make light work of your 3D tasks, the battery life is impressive and the screen is glorious. Read more below
If price is a concern, this is an excellent balance of power and affordability. The 2022 model was good enough in our tests, but there is a 2023 upgrade if you're happy to spend a bit more. Speedy and capable. Read more below
A glasses-free 3D screen is only one of the unique and, frankly, awesome things about this laptop. Get the souped up Pro version for all the power you could ask for, though the standard one did pretty well in our tests, too. Read more below
CPU: M3 Pro with 12-core CPU, M3 Max with 14-core CPU, or M3 Max with 16-core CPU
Graphics: Integrated 18- to 40-core GPU
RAM: 36GB-128GB unified memory
Screen: 14.2-inch or 16-inch, 3,024 x 1,964 Liquid Retina XDR display
Storage: 512GB-8TB SSD
Reasons to buy
+
Excellent performance
+
Great battery life
+
Solid, reliable build quality
Reasons to avoid
-
Aimed at 3D, not 2D creatives
-
Limited upgrade options
For 3D artists working on a Mac there has never been a better time. The new MacBook Pro is a formidable machine, with lots of scope to spec suitable levels of RAM and storage for your projects. The M3 Max GPU is more than up to the task for rendered viewports, complex animations and high resolution texture sets. Just check your preferred software has a Mac-enabled version, and bear in mind the Mac/Windows software isn't always exactly the same.
We tested it on a range of 3D software, including Cinema 4D and Blender, and our benchmark tests showed it was a clear winner against the competition. Our reviewer even felt the MacBook Pro M3 Max is a genuine alternative for a powerful desktop computer. We found the running smooth and fluid, and appreciated that interactive rendering didn't show any lag – perfect for Redshift users.
The display is also top-notch, with an incredible 1,600 nits of peak brightness for HDR (the average nits is 500). The colours are super-accurate, with excellent contrast. And we didn't encounter any issues with the gloss display thanks to the brightness mentioned. We tested the 16-inch model, which provides the perfect size for optimum visual impact – but the laptop does also come in 14-inches if you'd rather something more portable.
Screen: 15.6-inch display with FHD (1920×1080 pixels)
Storage: 512GB-2TB SSD
Reasons to buy
+
Great all-round performance
+
Sturdy build quality
+
Decent battery life for this class of laptop
Reasons to avoid
-
Screen quality is fairly poor
-
Large chin bezel compromises form factor
-
Disappointing sound quality
The ASUS TUF Gaming F15 laptop uses Asus' latest laptop tech to make a truly powerful machine. Outside, its redesigned chassis comes in Mecha or Jaeger variants. It features Intel's latest 13th Gen CPU with Nvidia RTX 40 Series Graphics. The 15.6-inch screen has a fairly standard refresh rate of 144Hz and full coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut, making it a great choice for creatives in the 3D world who are on a budget.
Our testing of the 2022 model found its processors can swiftly handle whatever is thrown at them and switching between demanding apps is easy. We found it a high-performing laptop and speedy enough for 3D modelling and rendering, even at this low price point. Of course, if you want something super-quick you'll need more power – but this is likely to cost more money. On balance, we think this is a great balance of price and performance.
See our full ASUS TUF Gaming F15 review of the 2022 edition. There's a newer model on offer (2023), which our research shows comes in at 20% more powerful in CPU-based tasks, but you can save more money by going for the previous model.
Screen: 16.0-inch, glasses-free 3D OLED display, 3.2K (3200 x 2000)
Storage: 8TB (2x4TB SSD)
Reasons to buy
+
Excellent spec
+
Runs cool and quiet
+
Thunderbolt 4
Reasons to avoid
-
Expensive
-
Keyboard may take a bit of getting used to
-
Battery life a little low
The Asus Pro Art Studiobook Pro OLED (H7604) is a thing of wonder. When we tested it we were blown away by its power and performance, and its glorious, glasses-free 3D screen. It's perfect for 3D modelling and rendering because it can handle demanding creative software easily, meaning no lag and speedy rendering times – as our benchmarks proved. There's a Pro option available with an Intel Xeon Workstation processor, which further soups up the performance considerably – but we tested the standard version.
The glasses-free 3D screen is a bonus, to be honest. We've all lived without seeing our creations in 3D on the screen, but why not, eh? Besides that feature, the 16-inch screen is glorious, with clear, crisp OLED technology.
We also loved the dial that sits at the bottom left of the keyboard, it's fully customisable and has separate settings for every app, so you can use it to adjust brush sizes, scroll through timelines etc depending on your needs.
Sure, the battery life isn't the best around (our tests put it at about 4 hours), but if you're not too worried about true portability the power benefits outweigh this issue. The keyboard is also unusual since Asus has crammed a full size keyboard into not-very-much space, but we felt it's something you'll get used to.
We think this 2022 model holds up as the best option for a 17-inch laptop today as it was designed with creatives in mind, and almost rivals a desktop machine in power. We found it to be a versatile workstation that's especially perfect for 3D artists due to its powerful performance, excellent screen – and its Nvidia Studio certification.
Our tests show that it gobbles up 3D tasks. We even ran Blender alongside browsing tabs and Netflix, and found there was no noticeable effect on efficiency, it was totally silent and no annoying lag. And the Blender benchmark came out close to a full desktop computer's capabilities.
There's a big choice of specs on offer, depending on your own workflow, and though it's not fully customisable Razer has offered a big range of options so you should find something to suit your needs. The battery life is pretty low (around 3 hours and 18 minutes) – kind of unsurprising given the power, but a shame nonetheless.
An 18-inch version has since been released, which outperforms the 17-inch, so if you want a truly massive screen, we strongly recommend that option.
Screen: 14-inch 1440p (2560 x 1600) or 1080p (1920 x 1200)
Storage: 256GB - 1TB SSD
Reasons to buy
+
Extremely powerful
+
Highly portable
+
Exceptional battery life
+
Robust, sleek design
Reasons to avoid
-
Limited ports
An unassuming machine packed with power, this is truly portable option that rivals a workstation in its power. Our benchmarks tests shows it will handle most 3D tasks without issue – the specs we tested put it close to an MacBook Pro M2 Pro – and you can amp up the internals even further.
Even with all that power, the battery life is also way more impressive than others on the list, hence the portability crown. It lasted 12 hours while we used Photoshop, Cinema 4D, Netflix and other general tasks. That's almost four times the MSI Creator below (though it doesn't quite live up to the whack of power you get with that model).
We loved the display when we tested it, it's only 14-inches but we thought it felt bigger thanks to its clever design. Colours are glorious and accurate, too.
If you want a portable, powerful machine, this is the one for you. See our full Dell Precision 5470 review here.
There's no denying that the Creator Z17 HX Studio is an expensive laptop, but it's no slouch in the performance department – and its 16:10 display supports a stylus so you can create directly on the screen. It's designed for creators, and our testing shows that it more than lives up to the label.
We found we could multitask whilst running creative apps with no issue – in fact our benchmarks put it close to desktop power. But getting this kind of power into a laptop chassis is no mean feat. The cooling system alone consists of three fans and five heatpipes, and MSI has to be congratulated for the engineering that’s gone on here.
That’s not a reason to buy it, though – the Creator Z17 HX Studio is for you if you want a whole lot of 3D modelling power that you can pick up and carry with you – just don’t travel too far away from a charger.
Read our MSI Creator Z17 review where we found this laptop to be good looking and adequately equipped but unfortunately not great in the battery department.
While the ASUS Zenbook Duo OLED loses some points on this list specifically due to only being fitted with Intel Arc Graphics instead of a 40-series NVIDIA card, the addition of an AI-boosted NPU means it gets much more out of the Intel Arc setup than any laptop got out of the previous-gen Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
Our testing showed it's not the most powerful machine out there (though the new Pro 2024 version is pretty impressive), so it won't fly through all 3D tasks, but if you want the dual screen and your workflow is more lightweight – or you want something generally super-useable – this is a good option.
Talking of usability, we loved how it's been designed for creativity so you can run 3D modelling software with your workspace on one of the 14-inch displays while keeping all your tools on the other one, no external monitor required. Both screens are touchscreens and can offer you a variety of inventive setups too.
Read our Asus Zenbook Duo OLED 2024 review where we tried very hard to find fault with this innovative laptop, and struggled to find any.
How we test laptops for 3D modelling
Creative Bloq's team of hardware experts bring with them many years of experience using, testing and benchmarking laptops with a focus on running creative applications. All the laptops in this guide have been tested by either using 3D-modelling software and rendering packages or benchmarked to make sure the CPU and GPU are capable of running 3D-modelling software without problems, as well as using other creative tools you'll use such as Adobe Creative Cloud applications and more. We run different benchmark tests on each laptop depending on its intended use by its maker, but the benchmarks we've run all the laptops in this guide through include the following:
• Cinebench R23/2024 - this assesses the performance of a computer's CPU and GPU using real-world 3D rendering tasks • Handbrake - we use this free and open-source transcoder for digital video files to render a short 4K animated film, using the same file for all our tests • Geekbench 5/6 - this tests the CPU's processing power, both by using a single core for a single task at a time as well as all the CPU's core to see its ability to multitask • 3DMark - this assesses a laptop's ability to run 3D graphic rendering tasks
But perhaps more importantly than benchmarking, we evaluate machines in real-world scenarios, pushing them to the limit with multiple applications running to see how they perform in project-like conditions. Power, speed, flexibility, and what a laptop looks and feels like to use are all criteria in our reviewing process. We do much more than simply unpack a test unit, run some benchmarks and then pack it up again; we have lived and worked with all of the above laptops, running them in real-life scenarios and done projects relevant to this guide, otherwise we wouldn't recommend these models to you.
How to choose laptops for 3D modelling
In short, you're looking for as much power as possible when it comes to the best laptops for 3D modelling. You want the laptop to have a higher RAM and powerful CPU to make sure it can handle more intense 3D modelling applications like Blender and Maya. You also need to consider if you prefer working with Windows or macOS when purchasing. All of the above picks will be able to handle your 3D software of choice.
Windows laptops have also become a lot stronger in this arena lately, thanks to NVIDIA introducing RTX Studio, a platform designed to showcase laptops that meet the right criteria for serious creative work, meaning that they deliver great performance for anyone working with 3D, animation, graphic design, video and photo editing software. For a laptop to meet the RTX Studio performance bar, it needs to have, at the bare minimum, an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD, plus GeForce RTX 2060, Quadro RTX 3000 or Titan RTX GPU, with a display resolution of at least 1080P. Look for that RTX Studio badge to ensure a laptop's going to be up 3D work; and of course, another option is to look for gaming laptops, as the demands of running AAA video games can be on a par with those of 3D content creation.
The latest graphics cards to look out for are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series (especially 4070 and 4090), but a 30-series graphics card could offer a more palatable balance between value and performance if you're working on a narrower budget.
If you prefer to create on Apple hardware, things are a little simpler, as the MacBook Pro line packs plenty of power itself. At the moment, the M3 Max model is our top pick.
FAQ
How much RAM do you need for 3D modelling?
As we've highlighted above, you'll want a minimum of 16GB RAM for a smooth working experience and solid multitasking performance, but it's well worth considering upgrading to 32 or 64GB.
Get the Creative Bloq Newsletter
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.
Erlingur is the Tech Reviews Editor on Creative Bloq. Having worked on magazines devoted to Photoshop, films, history, and science for over 15 years, as well as working on Digital Camera World and Top Ten Reviews in more recent times, Erlingur has developed a passion for finding tech that helps people do their job, whatever it may be. He loves putting things to the test and seeing if they're all hyped up to be, to make sure people are getting what they're promised. Still can't get his wifi-only printer to connect to his computer.
