This page is intended to provide you with some beginner advice when looking for a computer for the Construction and Building Sciences department. This mainly includes design and drafting but also includes rendering and other tasks.

To start off, mostly any gaming laptop will work great for you!
Make sure you get a Windows machine as Autodesk software (AutoCAD, Revit, 3ds Max) don't run on Apple. 

I'm not sure what your budget is but I like to shop max bang for my buck and the good laptops that are going to last you 5+ years are typically in the $900-$1,200 range.

What will help you out the most for 3D work is to have one with an RTX graphics card (the higher number, the better (I.e. RTX 2070 is better than RTX 2060)). All of the suggestions I will make for you will have an RTX graphics card.

Intel Core i5 or i7 is great but AMD Ryzen will work as well for the main processor.

Here are a few to get you started (if you have a Costco membership I've bought many computers there for a discounted price. If you don't have a Costco membership just look up the computer model and specs for Best Buy or Amazon or somewhere like that): 

https://www.costco.com/asus-tuf-gaming-f15-laptop---12th-gen-intel-core-i7-12700h---geforce-rtx-3050---1080p---windows-11.product.4000153242.html

https://www.costco.com/acer-nitro-16%e2%80%9d-gaming-laptop---13th-gen-intel-i7-13700h---geforce-rtx-4050---1200p-165hz.product.4000182788.html

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-victus-15-6-full-hd-144hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-13420h-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-512gb-ssd-performance-blue/6535505.p?skuId=6535505

(same as above but with a few lesser specs) https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-victus-15-6-full-hd-144hz-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-7535hs-8gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-2050-512gb-ssd-mica-silver/6541840.p?skuId=6541840

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-predator-helios-neo-16-wuxga-165hz-ips-gaming-laptop-intel-i5-13500hx-geforce-rtx-4050-with-16gb-ddr5-512gb-ssd-steel-gray/6541305.p?skuId=6541305

 

Look for back to school deals as well as they can be pretty great for savings!