Hi there! Hope you can help me with this:
Mostly I work with CAD software but sometimes I need to visualize my designs and would like to use Unreal5. Specificly I’m interested in doing projects like the one you can see in the first minutes of this tutorial: https://youtu.be/arqkJEdLmCs
So I dont need fast render-times, just a stable workflow.
I’m tempted on closing a very good deal on a used Thinkpad P16 gen2 (I know gaming laptops are cheaper with the same specs, but I need the build quality). It has good specs like a i7-13850HX and 64 RAM but I’m a bit worried about the graphics card:
Nvidia RTX A1000 (6GB GDDR6)
I know 6GB VRam isn’t ideal, but do you think I’d be able to work on something like the example above without to many problems or bottle necks or having to upgrade with the next Unreal Update?
The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Laptop GPU or A1000 Mobile is a professional graphics card for mobile workstations. It is based on the GA107 Ampere chip and offers a slightly slower performance than the consumer GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU.
Yes it will 5.4 and it will do the Arch Viz course.
Thanks!
Yes, I’ve checked out the laptops in the list - some have comparable GPU, some better ones. It’s just that 1400,- for a barely used Thinkpad with this specs and warranty til 2026 would be really good if the A1000 isn’t a deal breaker (and I think a reasonable investment, even if I have to upgrade for future projects to come)
that laptop guide is layman’s garbage. the 5 7 9 numbers are not an indicator.
in the details: you gotta get a 6 or 8 core laptop with 12 or 16 threads. intel is hot garbage with their P and E design. i dunno where they land. in the dumpster. and you may want 32GB of RAM. you can get away with 16. but may want 32 if you handle larger amounts of assets. unreal is fairly conservative with cpu usage, but other software might use it.
about that gpu: the term “workstation” is overrated. cpus don’t matter as much in graphics intensive workloads. the gpu does and the a1000 is not very powerful. you don’t need a professioanal moniker to get a good one. a 3060 mobile for example has 6 GB too and is twice as fast as a a1000 in raw compute numbers. gamer grade graphics. realtime fps is what matters.
for this specific usecase you only need a couple 2k or 4k textures and a baked environment or raytraced shadows. 5.4 is coming in hot with improvements on that front. you get easy raytraced looks for this simple scene design and in this laptop class. just go with a gamer laptop and you will enjoy the realtime workflow, not a slideshow.
true, thanks
even a gamer laptop with a 4060 would be affordable, I just have to decide if I’d be willing to give up the build qulity (spending 3k for thinkpad with 4060 is out of the window at the moment): I’m travelling alot with it and often use it on building sites.
the last two thinkpads did a great job with that, a plastic gamer laptop maybe not, that’s why I was hoping I could get by with the A1000.
so looks like I have to decide on my priorities
on site design? mosdef without power outlet? then low gpu wattage and battery life is likely more your priority, not the graphics power. i’d get that.
on the higher end you could limit the fps to reduce power draw while still have a certain responsiveness. actually tested 5.4 in my test scene rn, 70 out of 95 W in 1080p non-dlss raytraced at 36/144 fps sync. with all the goods.
i’m not sure how good lenovo build quality is these days. the laptops i see on google are plastic too. so… i dunno. you be the judge.
advice is would give is: look for a 144 Hz panel. you can go as low as 24 fps while still having a native v-sync without bogus frame intervals. (lil techie tidbit)
it’s not that I do extensive work like rendering on site or don’t have access to a power outlet, just that the same laptop is used doing design work in the office and having CAD models open on site and when traveling
regarding the build quality, I have to say after ten years of lenovo thinkpads, all proper P/W models came with magnesium housing and easy maintainability. they have cheaper models that don’t
probably a tower in the office with good specs, laptop on site and cloud for files would be the not stubborn way
well… i dunno what architechture you doing. doesn’t matter tho. showing a customer what the design gonna look like when it’s done and making changes on site and in realtime is defo something you should consider.
