Lenovo Legion Y540 RTX 2060 vs Y740 1660Ti: Which Laptop Should You Choose for Architectural Work?

When choosing a laptop for architectural work, especially if you need to move with it frequently, the choice of Lenovo Legion Y540 RTX 2060 over the Lenovo Legion Y740 1660Ti becomes quite evident. Given that both machines are priced similarly in your region, the decision comes down to the specific needs of your architectural programs, particularly CAD work, which is inherently demanding and requires the highest performance to meet deadlines and maintain productivity.

Why Choose the RTX 2060 Over the 1660 Ti?

For users engaged in intensive programs like CAD work, the RTX 2060 is a superior choice. The GeForce RTX 2060 and the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti are both powerful GPUs, but the RTX 2060 offers a significant edge in core count, memory bandwidth, and overall performance. While the clock speed of the GTX 1660 Ti is slightly higher, the RTX 2060 leads in clock speed boost and has a higher memory bandwidth.

Core Count and Memory Speed

The RTX 2060 has a CUDA core count of 1920, while the GTX 1660 Ti has only 1536 CUDA cores. This alone makes a substantial difference in rendering speeds and overall performance. Additionally, the RTX 2060 has a higher memory bandwidth at 336GBps compared to the GTX 1660 Ti's 228GBps. This means that the RTX 2060 will handle memory-intensive tasks more efficiently and with less latency.

Future-Proofing and Ray Tracing Considerations

While Ray Tracing is a useful feature, it can heavily impact frame rates, especially in demanding applications like CAD. The RTX 2060 offers better future-proofing and doesn't come with the performance trade-offs that come with enabling Ray Tracing. If you are a frequent developer and user of Ray Tracing, it might be a consideration, but for most CAD work, the additional performance of the RTX 2060 is more beneficial.

Benchmark Comparisons and Personal Experience

For those leaning towards gaming, you can easily find benchmark comparisons between the GTX 1660 Ti and the RTX 2060. While I personally own a RTX 2080 Ti, I find that the RTX 2060 is more than capable for modern gaming and CAD work without breaking the bank. My experience with the RTX 2080 Ti is that it provides a powerful boost in performance, but its cost is too high for a general-purpose machine that is primarily used for architectural programs.

Final Thoughts

Considering the most efficient and cost-effective use of your budget, the Lenovo Legion Y540 with RTX 2060 is the best choice. It offers the best balance of performance and future-proofing, making it ideal for constantly on-the-go work with architectural programs. If you plan to primarily use the laptop for gaming, you might want to do a comprehensive comparison of benchmark results between the GTX 1660 Ti and RTX 2060 to make a more informed decision. Additionally, upgrading to an SSD if the laptop does not have one is highly recommended for improved performance and faster load times.