ArcGIS is probably the most popular geographic information system (GIS) software out there, and if you’re wondering what to look for when shopping for a laptop for ArcGIS, then you’re on the right page. In this short guide we’ll try to answer some of the most common questions about ArcGIS and laptops, and also give you some recommendations. Let’s first have an idea about ArcGIS.
What is ArcGIS?
ArcGIS is the collective name of a platform, comprising both on-premise applications for desktop as well as cloud-based ones. ArcGIS is a Geographic Information System (GIS) used for working with maps and geographic information. ArcGIS has many capabilities including Spatial Analytics, Mapping & Visualisation, 3D GIS, Real-Time GIS, Imagery & Remote Sensing and Data Collection & Management.
When talking about ArcGIS’s suite, most people are usually interested in ArcGIS Pro.With ArcGIS Pro, you can view, explore, analyze, edit, and share your maps and data. An ArcGIS Pro project can contain many maps and layouts as well as tables, charts, and other items.
In order to buy the best laptop for ArcGIS Pro, let’s have a quick look at the software’s system requirements:
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CPU speed |
Minimum: 2 cores, hyperthreaded |
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Recommended: 4 cores |
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Optimal: 10 cores |
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Platform |
x64 with SSE2 extensions |
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Memory/RAM |
Minimum: 4 GB |
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Recommended: 8 GB |
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Optimal: 16 GB or more |
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Display properties |
24-bit color depth |
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Screen resolution |
1024×768 or higher at normal size |
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Visualization cache |
The temporary visualization cache for ArcGIS Pro can consume up to 32 GB of space, if available, in the user-selected location. By default, the visualization cache is written to the user profile.** |
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Storage |
Minimum: 32 GB of free space |
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Recommended: 32 GB or more of free space on a solid-state drive (SSD) |
If you’re looking for a laptop to run ArcGIS software, and your budget is limited, don’t you worry. Since the software is not excessively demanding, there are quite a few tight budget options available in the market. Read through to get to know our recommended laptops for ArcGIS applications.
For a smooth performance, it is recommended to pick a laptop with the best processor and highest RAM you can afford for your budget. While the desktop applications can run on 4 GB of RAM, the software house recommends 8 GB of RAM or higher for the most demanding features and professional use. The RAM is, thus, the most important spec you’ll need to aim to when purchasing your laptop.
Besides, a multi-core 2.2, Ghz minimum processor is recommended, with 6 GB of available disk space and a dedicated graphics card with 256 MB of RAM or higher. The ArcGIS desktop applications are available for Windows 7 Professional and higher operating systems. All of our recommended laptops cover the recommended specs for the ArcGIS applications. Make your pick based on your budget and the computing experience you’d wish to have.
Do you need a dedicated graphics card to run ArcGIS?
Having a dedicated graphics card is not must, but it will speed up certain tasks, such as 3D rendering. This is particularly important if you are doing 3D GIS such as 3D urban modelling or landscape flyovers.
So, now that you have an idea what to look for when buying a laptop for ArcGIS and GIS software in general; let’s check some of the best laptops for ArcGIS we selected for you. We will update this list regularly, so if you have a question or a laptop that you want to include in this guide, ask us in the comments below:
Best Laptops for ArcGIS:
Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G-5928
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G-5928 is a great and affordable all-purpose laptop, that we’ve reviewed many times before. It has a 15.6” Full HD display, an 8th generation Intel Core i5 8265U processor, 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of solid state drive. It also comes with an Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU, with 2 GB of dedicated RAM.
While it’s not a high-end gaming and productivity laptop, the Aspire 5 has all that you need for running ArcGIS smoothly, thanks to the entry-level MX250 graphics card and the nice 8 GB of RAM. It’s definitely the best laptop for geography students out there, providing great value for the money.
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8262U Processor |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 512GB, SSD |
| Graphics | Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce MX250 |
| Screen | 15,6 inch, 1920X1080, IPS |
| Connectivity and Ports | 1 – USB Type C port
2- USB 3.0 port 1- USB 2.0 port 1 – HDMI port, Card reader, Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Battery | up to 9,5 hours battery life |
ASUS VivoBook S S410UN-NS74
At a slightly higher price, we have the Asus VivoBook S S410UN-NS74, a thin and lightweight 14” Full HD laptop. It features an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid state drive. It’s packed with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX150 entry-level graphics card, with 2 GB of RAM.
The VivoBook S offers a consistent overall performance, thanks to the processing power and the decent amount of RAM. Couple that with the nice size that makes this laptop very portable, easy to carry it along and run your ArcGIS applications wherever you want.
On top of that, the VivoBook S includes a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint sensor, with the an additional USB Type-C port being a great future for a better connectivity.
| Processor | Intel Core i7-8550U Processor |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB, SSD |
| Graphics | Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce MX 150 |
| Screen | 14 inch, 1920X1080, IPS |
| Connectivity and Ports | 1 – USB Type C port
1- USB 3.0 port 2- USB 2.0 port 1 – HDMI port, Card reader, Bluetooth 4.1, |
| Battery | up to 8 hours battery life |
Dell G5587-7866BLK-PUS G5 15 5587
Again, at a slightly higher price we have the Dell G5587-7866BLK-PUS G5 15 5587, a very interesting gaming laptop. It has a 15.6” Full HD display, an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, 128 GB of solid state drive and an additional 1 TB of HDD storage. It’s packed with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, with 4 GB of RAM.
The Dell G5587 offers a great overall performance, while maintaining the polished looks that distinguish all of the company’s products. With its sleek, black design, it also adds a bit to the productivity side thanks to the separate numeric keypad.
The Dell G5587 is a strong choice for running demanding software like ArcGIS in the most productive way. You’ll also enjoy the plus of having 1 TB of HDD storage space, that’ll come in handy for your everyday computing.
| Processor | Intel Core i7-8750H Processor |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage | 128GB SSD+1TB HDD |
| Graphics | Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti |
| Screen | 15,6 inch, 1920X1080, IPS |
| Connectivity and Ports | 1 – USB Type C port
3- USB 3.0 port 1 – HDMI port, Card reader, Bluetooth 4.1, |
| Battery | up to 8 hours battery life |
MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051
The highest priced in the list is the MSI GS65 Stealth THIN-051, a 15.6” Full HD ultra thin gaming laptop. It features an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor with 16 GB of RAM and 256 of solid state drive, for a smooth booting and fast computing experience. It’s also packed with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX1060, with 6 GB of RAM.
The GS65 Stealth is a rather polished, minimalistic looking gaming laptop, with a nice narrow bezel designed display. Other than ArcGIS desktop applications, you’ll be able to run the latest AAA games on it, thanks to enormous RAM amount and the advanced graphics card.
The GS65 Stealth comes for a price, but it’s worth it all. As special features, it includes a per key RBG backlit keyboard and a cooling system on the point. You’ll also able to upgrade the RAM, up to 32 GB max. You definitely won’t find a laptop this thin and powerful as the GS65 Stealth.
| Processor | Intel Core i7-8750H Processor |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage | 256GB, SSD |
| Graphics | Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 |
| Screen | 15,6 inch, 1920X1080, IPS |
| Connectivity and Ports | 1 – USB Type C port / Thunderbolt
3- USB 3.1 port 1 – HDMI port, MiniDisplay port Card reader, Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Battery | up to 8 hours battery life |
MSI P65 Creator 8RE-020
With the same manufacturer and at a similar price, we have the MSI P65 Creator 8RE-020, a thin 15.6” Full HD laptop for gaming and productivity. It features an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of solid state drive. For the booting alone, it runs on another 32 GB of solid state drive. It’s also packed with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, with 6 GB of RAM. On top of that, the P65 Creator comes with the Windows 10 Professional operating system.
The P65 Creator is a good looking, silver laptop with a narrow bezel designed display. It features a white backlit keyboard and a fingerprint reader for a fast log-in into your system. Thanks to the powerful processor, the big 16 GB of RAM and the SSD, you’ll run your ArcGIS software as smoothly as you can with a laptop.
| Processor | Intel Core i7-8750H Processor |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage | 512GB Nvme SSD |
| Graphics | Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 |
| Screen | 15,6 inch, 1920X1080, IPS |
| Connectivity and Ports | 1 – USB 3.1 Type C port
3- USB 3.0 ports 1 – HDMI port,Mini Display Port Card reader, Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Battery | up to 8 hours battery life |
Hello, Michael. I am Mike to. I am looking a laptop for software call Pix4d for maping and 3d modeling
this is the requeriment:
Windows 7, 8, 10 64 bits.
CPU quad-core or hexa-core Intel i7/Xeon.
GeForce GPU compatible with OpenGL 3.2 and 2 GB RAM.
Hard disk: SSD.
Very Large projects (over 2000 images at 14 MP): 64 GB RAM, 120 GB SSD Free Space.
What laptop would you buy? or used it
PLEASE HELP ME with that
Hi Mike!
I’ve never used Pix4d before, but there is some good info on the official page.
Ideally, a laptop with an “h” i7 processor (one that combines multicore and high clock speed), lots of RAM (from 8GB to 64GB depending on the size of your projects), an Nvidia graphics cards (Pix4d uses Cuda Cores), and a SSD.
If you’re working on very Large projects, I’d recommend a gaming or even a workstation laptop.
What is your budget? And will you be using any other specific program?
Hi Michael. I hope you found the perfect laptop for your Pix4D 3D mapping and modelling. I use the same software, as well as other like 3DF Zephyr, Bentley ContextCapture, Agisoft and RealityCapture. Yeah, as Michael Varnum recommended, a gaming or workstation laptop is ideal. I can’t emphasize on RAM, SSD (NVMe is a huge boost) and cooling, because if you get a laptop that throttles, then your clock speed falls and you get a poor CPU performance. The Quadros are expensive for equal to less performance than their GTX/RTX compatriots, but if you need error free rendering, go for them. In my experience, ThinkPad P-series, Dell Precision systems are best, but a great gaming laptop with a decent thermal performance rating should do the trick for less than 50% of the workstation cost.
If your projects get bigger, just get a desktop. Ryzen has great performance on a better budget than laptops, plus you’ll get work done faster.