Creating in Maya 3D demands power, precision, and reliability, and this guide is here to help you find a laptop that can keep up. If you’re a 3D artist, animator, motion designer, or someone diving into the world of professional VFX, you’re in the right place. We’ve written this guide for creators who want a mobile workstation that’s as capable in the field as it is at the desk.
Maya is an incredible tool, but it’s resource-hungry, and if your hardware can’t keep pace, your creativity takes the hit from laggy viewport navigation, slow simulation caching, endless render times
Maya stresses both CPU and GPU. You’ll be dealing with high-poly modeling, UV mapping, real-time previews, and often need to run other demanding software in tandem—ZBrush, Arnold, After Effects, Unreal Engine, just to name a few. On top of that, you might be on the move or working remotely, where desktop rigs simply aren’t viable.
We’ve evaluated the best laptops for Maya 3D based on performance, reliability, thermal stability, portability, and price-to-performance ratio. Before we look into recommendations, let’s walk through how we assess a good Maya laptop—and why these criteria matter.
When we evaluate laptops for 3D production in Maya, we focus on real-world performance across typical use cases: modeling, rigging, animation, rendering, simulation, and viewport manipulation. We also consider software-specific needs—like how well a machine handles Arnold rendering, OpenSubdiv performance, or GPU-accelerated playback.
To make the cut, each laptop should meet the following minimum specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7 / AMD Ryzen 7 (H-series, 12th Gen or newer)
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060 or higher, or equivalent Quadro GPU
- RAM: 32GB DDR4/DDR5
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 4 recommended)
- Display: 15” or larger, 100% sRGB or DCI-P3 preferred
- Cooling: Dual-fan or vapor chamber thermal design
We prioritize workstation-grade performance, because Maya’s viewport, especially in complex scenes, leans heavily on GPU muscle and single-core CPU speed. For rendering—Arnold, Redshift, V-Ray RT—multi-core performance becomes critical. In production, autosaves, caches, and simulation files pile up fast, which is why fast storage is non-negotiable.
You’ll also want a color-accurate screen—critical when lighting, shading, and texturing. And let’s not overlook build quality. These laptops go through travel, long sessions, and intensive loads. They need to be durable, thermally efficient, and upgradeable where possible.
It is rare that you’ll only used Maya as your animation and rendering software, therefore, the laptops listed here can also run other programs such as Zbrush, Blender, Maxwell Render and Cinema 4D.
Best Laptops for Maya 3D (2025);
Contents
- LENOVO Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, Intel Core i7-13700HX
- MSI 2023 Cyborg 15.6inch 144HZ FHD Gaming Laptop, 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050
- Legion 7i 15” Gaming Laptop 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK 8 Core up to 5.30 GHz GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q 8GB 15.6 FHD IPS 240Hz 1ms (1.5TB SSD
- MSI GE66 Raider 15.6 UHD 4K Anti-Glare Thin Bezel Display, Intel Core i9-11980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX3080, 32GB, 2TB NVMe SSD
- Lenovo Legion 5i Gaming Laptop, 17.3 FHD 144Hz IPS Display, Intel Core i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3060, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- GIGABYTE G5 KF 15.6 FHD 1920x1080 144Hz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
- HP OMEN 16 16.1 FHD 165Hz Gaming Laptop (Intel 13th Gen Core i7-13700HX, 32G DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Geforce RTX 4060 8GB)
- Asus TUF 15.6 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 16GB RAM 512GB SSD
- Alienware M15 R6 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 1ms 360Hz Display, Core i7-11800H, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB Graphics
- Dell G15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 FHD 120Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-Core Processor, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop, 15.6 Full HD 144Hz Screen, AMD Ryzen 5 5600H Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Dell G16 7630 Gaming Laptop - 16-inch (2560 x 1600) QHD+ 165Hz 3ms Display, Intel Core i9-13900HX
- Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 16.0 1610 Thin Bezel 4K UHD+ 3840x2400 60Hz OLED, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
- ASUS ROG Strix G17 Gaming Laptop 17.3” FHD 144HZ IPS, AMD 8-Core Ryzen 7 4800H (＞i7-10750H), 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- MSI Titan GT77 17.3 UHD 120Hz Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7-12800HX RTX 3070 Ti 32GB DDR5 1TB NVMe SSD
- Alienware m17 Gaming Laptop 2023 Newest, 17.3 360Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX Processor, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
- ASUS Flagship ROG Zephyrus M16 Gaming Laptop 16 QHD+ IPS 240Hz 13th Gen Intel 14-core i9-13900H
- GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED YD - 15.6 UHD 4k AMOLED IPS, Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- MSI Katana GF76 17 Gaming Laptop I 17.3” FHD IPS 144Hz I 11th Gen Intel 8-Core i7-11800H I 64GB DDR4 2TB SSD I GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB Graphic
LENOVO Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, Intel Core i7-13700HX |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-13700HX |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 |
| Display Size | 16 INCHES |
| Display Resolution | 2560 x 1600 |
| RAM | 64GB DDR5 |
| Storage Space | 2TB + 2TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 4 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headphone/microphone combo jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.3 x 10.25 x 1.05 inches |
| Weight | 5.51 pounds |
| Advantages | Performance, Storage |
| Disadvantages | Quite pricy |
MSI 2023 Cyborg 15.6inch 144HZ FHD Gaming Laptop, 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 |
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| CPU | 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13620H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 |
| Display Size | 15.6/inch |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5 RAM |
| Storage Space | 2TB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | HDMI, Ethernet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.2 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches |
| Weight | 4.1 pounds |
| Advantages | Lightweight, Good performance |
| Disadvantages | None |
Legion 7i 15” Gaming Laptop 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK 8 Core up to 5.30 GHz GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q 8GB 15.6 FHD IPS 240Hz 1ms (1.5TB SSD |
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| CPU | Intel Core i9-10980HK 8 Core up to 5.30 GHz |
| GPU | RTX 2080 Super Max-Q 8GB |
| Display Size | 15.6" |
| Display Resolution | FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS, anti-glare, 240Hz, less then 1ms response time, 100% sRGB, 500 nits, VESA Display HDR 400-certified |
| RAM | 32 GB DDR4 2933MHz |
| Storage Space | 2 TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB,HDMI, Audio Jack, SD Card |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.1 x 10 x 0.8 inches |
| Weight | 4.60 lbs |
| Advantages | Performance |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
MSI GE66 Raider 15.6 UHD 4K Anti-Glare Thin Bezel Display, Intel Core i9-11980HK, NVIDIA GeForce RTX3080, 32GB, 2TB NVMe SSD |
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| CPU | Intel Core i9-11980HK |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX3080 |
| Display Size | 15.6" |
| Display Resolution | 3840 x 2160 Pixels |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 2TB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB, Ethenet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 0.92 x 14.09 x 10.51 inches |
| Weight | 5.25 pounds |
| Advantages | Large storage, Quality display |
| Disadvantages | Quite pricy |
Lenovo Legion 5i Gaming Laptop, 17.3 FHD 144Hz IPS Display, Intel Core i7-11800H, GeForce RTX 3060, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-11800H |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3060 |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) 144Hz refresh rate, 72% NTSC, 300 nits, Dolby Vision enabled |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 2 x Thunderbolt 4, 4 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x Microphone/Headphone Combo Jack , 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Power port; SD Card Reader; Webcam; White Backlit Keyboard |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 15.7 x 11.41 x 1.03 inches |
| Weight | 6.57 pounds |
| Advantages | Quality display |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
GIGABYTE G5 KF 15.6 FHD 1920x1080 144Hz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 |
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| CPU | 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12500H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1x Thunderbolt 4 (Supports Power Delivery), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Mini DP 1.4 (120Hz), 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-A), 1x RJ45, 1x Audio Combo Jack, 1x DC In |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.94 inches |
| Weight | 4.39 pounds |
| Advantages | Good entry laptop, Moderately priced |
| Disadvantages | Storage space |
HP OMEN 16 16.1 FHD 165Hz Gaming Laptop (Intel 13th Gen Core i7-13700HX, 32G DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Geforce RTX 4060 8GB) |
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| CPU | Intel 13th Gen Core i7-13700HX |
| GPU | Geforce RTX 4060 8GB |
| Display Size | 16.1 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| RAM | 32G DDR5 RAM |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB 3.2 Gen 1.0 Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate (HP Sleep and Charge), USB 3.2 Gen 1.0 Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate, RJ-45 Ethernet port, |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.53 x 0.93 x 10.21 inches |
| Weight | 5.4 pounds |
| Advantages | Performance |
| Disadvantages | Heavy |
Asus TUF 15.6 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 16GB RAM 512GB SSD |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-11800H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 144Hz FHD |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.2 x 10.1 x 1 inches |
| Weight | 5.07 pounds |
| Advantages | Performance, Design and Build Quality |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
Alienware M15 R6 Gaming Laptop - 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 1ms 360Hz Display, Core i7-11800H, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB Graphics |
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| CPU | 11th Generation Intel Core i7-11800H (24MB Cache, up to 4.6 GHz, 8 cores) Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB GDDR6 Graphics |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | FHD (1920 x 1080) 1ms 360Hz |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1. (2) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen1 ports| 2. Type-C port(Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, Display Port 1.4, Power Delivery 15W Output (5V/3A) capabilities) | 3. Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 port | 4. HDMI 2.1 Output port | 5. Power/DC-In port | 6. Killer E2600 1Gbps rated RJ-45 Ethernet port | 7. Global Headset jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.73 x 14.02 x 0.89 inches |
| Weight | 5.93 pounds |
| Advantages | Great display, Good graphics card |
| Disadvantages | Might be heavy for some people |
Dell G15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 FHD 120Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-Core Processor, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-Core Processor |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 4 GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | Full HD (1920 x 1080) 120Hz 250 nits WVA Anti- Glare LED Backlit Narrow Border Display |
| RAM | 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Headphone/Microphone Combo, 1 x Power Jack |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.1 x 10.14 x 0.98 inches |
| Weight | 5.39 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance, Good display quality |
| Disadvantages | None |
HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop, 15.6 Full HD 144Hz Screen, AMD Ryzen 5 5600H Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics |
| Display Size | 15.6" |
| Display Resolution | diagonal Full HD Display (1920 x 1080), 144 Hz, IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C; 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A; 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A; 1 x HDMI; 1 x RJ-45; 1 x Media Card Reader; 1 x AC smart pin; 1 x headphone/microphone combo |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.17 x 10.12 x 0.93 inches |
| Weight | 7 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance, Quality display |
| Disadvantages | Quite heavy |
Dell G16 7630 Gaming Laptop - 16-inch (2560 x 1600) QHD+ 165Hz 3ms Display, Intel Core i9-13900HX |
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| CPU | Intel Core i9-13900HX |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB |
| Display Size | 16 inches |
| Display Resolution | 2560 x 1600 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 |
| Storage Space | TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | HDMI, USB, Ethernet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 11.37 x 14.05 x 0.98 inches |
| Weight | 6.01 pounds |
| Advantages | High performance, Quality display, Reasonably priced |
| Disadvantages | |
Gigabyte AERO 16 OLED 16.0 1610 Thin Bezel 4K UHD+ 3840x2400 60Hz OLED, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 |
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| CPU | i9-13900H Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 |
| Display Size | 16.0" |
| Display Resolution | 3840x2400 Pixels |
| RAM | DDR5 4800 16GB*2 (32GB) |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 (Type-A), 1x RJ45, 1x Audio Combo Jack, 1x DC In |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.9 x 10.1 x 0.71 inches |
| Weight | 4.63 pounds |
| Advantages | Very good performance |
| Disadvantages | Expensive for some people |
ASUS ROG Strix G17 Gaming Laptop 17.3” FHD 144HZ IPS, AMD 8-Core Ryzen 7 4800H (＞i7-10750H), 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD |
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| CPU | AMD 8-Core Ryzen 7 4800H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
| Display Size | 17.3” |
| Display Resolution | FHD 144HZ IPS |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Audio, HDMI, Ethernet |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 15.55 x 11.1 x 1.11 inches |
| Weight | 5.95 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
MSI Titan GT77 17.3 UHD 120Hz Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7-12800HX RTX 3070 Ti 32GB DDR5 1TB NVMe SSD |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-12800HX |
| GPU | RTX 3070 Ti |
| Display Size | 17.3" |
| Display Resolution | 4K UHD, 120Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 |
| RAM | 32 GB DDR5 |
| Storage Space | 1 TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 15.63 x 12.99 x 0.91 inches |
| Weight | 13.95 pounds |
| Advantages | Performance |
| Disadvantages | Very Heavy |
Alienware m17 Gaming Laptop 2023 Newest, 17.3 360Hz Display, AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX Processor, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5 |
| Storage Space | 2TB SSD, |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x SD card reader, HDMI 2.1, 1x Headset Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 15.64 x 1.05 x 11.76 inches |
| Weight | 7.3 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance |
| Disadvantages | Average display |
ASUS Flagship ROG Zephyrus M16 Gaming Laptop 16 QHD+ IPS 240Hz 13th Gen Intel 14-core i9-13900H |
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| CPU | 13th Gen Intel 14-core i9-13900H Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB |
| Display Size | 16" QHD+ |
| Display Resolution | (2560x1600) IPS |
| RAM | 32GB DDR5 SDRAM |
| Storage Space | 1TB Solid State Drive |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB-C 3.2, 2 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x HDMI 2.1 FRL, 1 x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 9.69 x 13.98 x 0.88 inches |
| Weight | 4.64 pounds |
| Advantages | Lightweight, Good performance, Quality Display |
| Disadvantages | Price |
GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED YD - 15.6 UHD 4k AMOLED IPS, Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD |
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| CPU | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H (2.3GHz~4.6GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | UHD 4K, 3840x2160 Samsung AMOLED Display |
| RAM | 16GB Memory (64GB Max) |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 9.8 x 14 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 5.07 lbs |
| Advantages | Very good performance |
| Disadvantages | |
MSI Katana GF76 17 Gaming Laptop I 17.3” FHD IPS 144Hz I 11th Gen Intel 8-Core i7-11800H I 64GB DDR4 2TB SSD I GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB Graphic |
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| CPU | 11th Generation Intel 8-Core i7-11800H I Base Frequency 2.3GHz, Max Boost Frequency Up to 4.6GHz, 24MB Smart Cache, 16 Threads |
| GPU | Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS 144Hz Thin Bezel Display |
| RAM | 64GB DDR4 SDRAM Memory |
| Storage Space | 2TB Solid State Drive |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 2 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x USB-C 3.2, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI (Support 4K 60Hz), 1 x Ethernet RJ45, 1 x Audio Combo (1/8") |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.75 x 15.67 x 0.99 inches |
| Weight | 5.07 pounds |
| Advantages | Large storage, good performance |
| Disadvantages | Might be heavy for some people |
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