Best Laptops for Lumion : 2019 Buyers’ Guide!

Lumion is one of the most popular 3D programs among Architects, especially for rendering. If you’re looking for a laptop for Lumion, then you’d want to check out the list we compiled for you. But before we show you our best laptops for Lumion list, let’s first get more info about Lumion, and its system requirements.

What is Lumion?

Lumion is a powerful 3D architectural visualization software that allows users to quickly turn their 3D CAD designs into impressive videos, images and online 360 presentations. This architectural visualization platform is easy to use and fast, and that’s why it’s very popular for quickly rendering projects and showing them to clients.

The idea behind Lumion was to be a software that was accessible to everyone. With this program, Act-3D targets beginners, while still offering them an advanced real-time visualization tool. Lumion manages to be amongst the world fastest 3D rendering software for architects, where you can visualize CAD models in an image or a video with real-life environments.

What the system requirements for running Lumion?

For you to be able to run Lumion, your device must meet, at least, the software’s minimum requirements. On our list, we have selected some great options that are already capable of handling Lumion.

Also, keep in mind that with the minimum requirements you won’t be able to run complex scenes, limiting your rendering. So, we’ve included the ideal requirements also. The better the laptop’s configurations, the most you’ll achieve on Lumion. Here’s what you’ll need to run the program:

• GPU Memory: 3 GB minimum / 6 GB recommended;
• CPU: Intel or AMD;
• RAM: 16 GB;
• Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Hard Drive: SSD minimum / NVME recommended;
• Free Space: 30 GB

Also, please note that these system requirements are for the latest release, Lumion 10.

How to Choose a Laptop for Lumion?

We have already made a list of some of the best laptops for Lumion below, but if you’re interested in a laptop that’s not on the list, and if you’re wondering if it’s good for running Lumion, the good news is that the software published has made an excellent article about that; they even included laptops options too! Here is a short summary:

• Processor: The CPU plays a great role when editing your scene. The more details and objects you have in your scene, the more more powerful CPU you’ll need. Ideally, you should get at least a laptop with an i7 processor, with a high frequency, since Lumion, like many other BIM programs is single threaded. But that doesn’t mean that having many cores is not important.
• RAM: Don’t any lower than 16GB of RAM, because it will determine how complex your projects can be. If you will be rendering complex projects, especially those including 3D Grass, Materials,Video Textures, or Leaves/Foliage Materials; then you’d better spend a little extra on hardware, including the amount of RAM.
• GPU: Just like the CPU and RAM, the GPU is very important when it comes to Lumion. Basically, upgrading your graphics card is the single most impactful thing you can do to improve your Lumion experience. It is recommended to get at least a laptop with an NVIDIA GTX 1070, and for more complex projects, a GTX 1080 or RTX 2080 might be needed.
• Storage: The speed of your Hard Drive plays a big role on how fast your models and scenes are loaded in Lumion. SSDs are recommended, since they offer the best speeds.
• Display: Well, this is where you’re going to preview all of your projects. So make sure to get at least a Full HD display, with a good enough color accuracy. IPS displays are recommended!

Best Laptops for Lumion:

So, now that you know more about Lumion and its requirements, let’s check out our top laptops for Lumion list. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the comments!

• Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-52-78VL

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Our first option is a powerful gaming laptop from Acer. The Predator Helios 3000 moel has an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU with six cores and 2.6 GHz of speed (up to 4.5 GHz when in turbo). It has 16 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD and a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with 6 GB of memory.

The top, the keyboard and the palm-rest area are metal, but the screen bezel and the bottom of the device are plastic. This means that the bottom won’t overheat and makes for a solid hinge with a smooth move. The screen has 15.6-inches, is Full HD and delivers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

For ports it has one USB 3.1 Type-c port, three USB 3.1 ports, one HDMI output, and one Mini DisplayPort. The battery life is up to 6 hours.

• Omen by HP 15-dc0051nr 

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The Omen by HP 15-dc0051nr has an Intel Core i7 CPU (2.2 GHz up to 4.1 GHz), 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. The GPU is a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of memory.

Again, this is yet another gaming laptop, that’s also capable of running Lumion without problems. However, it can be a bit bulky and heavy. This is compensated by an amazing performance that will allow you to 3D render with no hassles. It also has a good cooling feature built-in that keeps the device from overheating.

The screen is a 15.6-inch Full HD display with anti-glare and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has one Thunderbolt 3 port, three USB 3.1 ports, one Mini DisplayPort and one HDMI output. The battery will last you around 4 hours.

• Razer Blade 15

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The Razer Blade 15 is one of the thinnest gaming laptops out there, and one of the most stylish too. The version featured here has an Intel Core i7 CPU with six cores and a speed of 2.60 GHz that goes up to 4.50 GHz in turbo mode. It also has 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD and a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 2060 RTX GPU with 8 GB of memory.

This is a gaming laptop that manages to be thin and light, that means that it can overheat at times and that the fan can get a bit loud. The built quality is top notch and overall the laptop looks gorgeous. It also has an amazing trackpad.

The screen has 15.6-inches and it’s a Full HD, providing a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has three USB 3.2 ports, one Thunderbolt 3 port, one HDMI output and one Mini DisplayPort. The battery life is of around 6 hours.

• MSI GS75 Stealth-093

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For those of you working on complex projects, and who need more power, there is the MSI GS75 Stealth. This laptop comes with an Intel Core i7 GPU (2.20 GHz up to 4.10 GHz), 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. The GPU is a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with 8 GB of memory.

This laptop is thin, light and has a stunning RGB-lighted keyboard. The high-end specs will allow you to run even some more advanced features of Lumion. The screen is a big 17.3-inch display, Full HD and with a 1920 x 1080 pixel-resolution. When it comes to ports it has one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one HDMI output, one Micro SD card reader and three USB 3.1 ports. The battery lasts over 5 hours of usage.

• ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX-XB78

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Last, but not the least, we have the ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX-XB78, a laptop that has an Intel Core i7 9750h  processor (2.20 GHz up to 4.10 GHz), 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD and a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 GPU with a memory of 8 GB. This laptop has a striking built: it’s light and it has fans with an anti-dust system. It is also quite powerful as well, coming close to a desktop-like performance.

The screen is a 17.3-inch Full HD display, and the resolution is of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has five USB 3.1 ports, one Thunderbolt port, one HDMI output and one DisplayPort. The battery will last you almost 4 hours of usage.