Nowadays, most engineering students prefer using their own laptop computers for learning to use engineering software such as CAD and FEM over university-owned computers which are installed in the classrooms. This is convenient for the students, as they can continue working on trainings and assignments at their own convenience, and free “student licenses” are provided for many of the software programs for registered students directly by the software providers, while commercial licences are usually very costly.
For 3D CAD, the requirements on the performance of computers aren’t as high as most people would expect – most current 3D computer games require more. In fact, you can install and run the software that we use for CAD education at TGGS on any recent laptop computer, but the program will occasionally crash and simply will be “less fun” to use if it does not meet the “recommended requirements”.
We therefore advise you to check if your current laptop meets these, or consider them for your purchase if you plan to get a new laptop for your studies at TGGS:
RECOMMENDED HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS for a laptop to be used for CAD and FEM learning at TGGS:
CPU: Intel Core i5 (12th gen or newer) / AMD Ryzen 5 (5000 series or newer)
→ At least 4 cores
RAM: 16 GB
→ 8 GB will work, but 16 GB provides smoother multitasking and modeling
Storage: 512 GB SSD (NVMe) or HDD
→ SSD will increase speed with larger models and save lots of time each time you turn on the computer, but for basic learning and smaller models, the CAD performance will be the same with a normal HDD
Graphics – THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT – Dedicated GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 / RTX 2050 or better)
→ Avoid integrated (onboard) graphics
Current example laptops (as of June 2025)
• Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6-82K200TGTA Shadow Black
• Acer Nitro V 15 ANV15-51-574G
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 15ARP10-83J3000HTA
This website ranks laptops based on their specifications and price:
https://notebookspec.com/topchart/notebook.html#