Utilizing Arc GIS Pro on a Laptop

1763
4
01-06-2022 11:21 AM
DavidNuhn
New Contributor II

Hello, I was curious if any one has some experience or input on using Arc GIS Pro on a laptop. While remote working is becoming more common I am trying to find the best solution. Preferably I would like to use a laptop and be able to connect 2 larger monitors (~32"). So my question is, which would be the best laptop to run Arc GIS Pro, and what kind of GPU or docking station can handle 2 large monitors at full resolution. This may not be the best place to ask this question but I was not sure where to ask it. Looking forward to hearing any recommendations. Thank you.   

4 Replies
ABishop
MVP Regular Contributor

Hello David,

I have had to purchase a laptop in the last year to accommodate for my work from home situation.  I also frequently do freelance work. I personally had to purchase a Dell G5 gaming laptop to accommodate for the graphic card and RAM requirements.   My purchase was March of last year, so there may be other suitable laptops out there now.

Below is a link to system requirements for running ArcGIS Pro.  You can change the version in the filter link to see the appropriate version you are running. I don't know what your budget is, but I would use these specs to do research online or go to a local PC shop and ask what the best model is to suit your needs.

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/get-started/arcgis-pro-system-requirements.htm 

 

Amanda Bishop, GISP
Sean_Wray
Occasional Contributor

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad P50 with 2 monitors. I works great. 

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700HQ CPU @ 2.60GHz, 2592 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 32.0 GB

Working remotely through a VPN could be another story though. I leave mine in the office and use remote desktop to connect to it from home. I have 2 monitors at home too. That is much faster than taking the laptop home.

 

DavidNuhn
New Contributor II

Hi Sean, are both the 2 monitors separate from the laptop screen? Also are they larger monitors that still display higher/ larger resolution? At the moment I have a pretty low end laptop just to remote into the PC in the office. I've tried 2 separate monitors aside from the laptop screen, but since the GPU in the laptop isn't that good I can't get the resolution I would like on these 32" monitors. Not sure if an external GPU or some sort of docking station would do the trick. Basically would need something to take the lower resolution like 720 and be able to boost it to a large monitor at like 1440. 

0 Kudos
Sean_Wray
Occasional Contributor

My set up at work is a ThinkPad P50 with 2 24-inch monitors.
Are both the 2 monitors separate from the laptop screen? - Yes. if I want to use my laptop as a 3rd screen I can.

Also are they larger monitors that still display higher/ larger resolution? They are 24-inch display resolution is 1920 x 1080

My setup at home is a bit different. I have an iMac 21-inch (I think) with a second monitor attached. I need to upgrade the 2nd monitor to higher resolution so that it matches my iMac. I open my VPN connection that is provided by work and then I use the Microsoft remote desktop client for Mac to connect to my laptop.

NVIDIA Quadro M1000M - I think this is the graphics card that is in my machine. I'm not a super techy guy so I'm not sure.

It all seems to work great for me. Hope this helps.