Archinect
anchor

Laptop or desktop?

jacquelynyun

Hello, I am a third year student at USC and I need to upgrade from my MacBook Air (early 2015 model) to a computer with more processing power and more memory.

Should I look for a new laptop or a new desktop? Windows or Apple? (I'm comfortable with both.)

I don't mind financing with the manufacturer/provider for a higher-end system after struggling this past year with my current laptop's 1.6 GHz processor and 4 gigs of RAM. Should I spring for as much memory and processor capability as possible? 

And should I go for a ton of memory storage? I'd like to download the ten most commonly used software programs, and hope that they'll get me through several years of school and internships.

To be honest, my situation is a little more complicated than it appears. I'm a disabled veteran from the Air Force attending USC after 6 years in another field (clinical lab science), and at 28 years old, the option to work from home on a desktop with a larger screen and higher specs is appealing. If it means that I can do more in less time, plot the night before in the early morning hours, and just bring a smaller file to studio on my laptop.

 
Sep 15, 16 6:34 pm
curtkram

processing and memory are important, but what's really important is

shiny

Sep 15, 16 7:09 pm  · 
 · 
Non Sequitur
PC desktop. Get the best i7 CPU and graphic card you can afford.
Sep 15, 16 7:37 pm  · 
 · 
gruen
I'm a biz owner architect. I lug a very heavy malibal gaming laptop (i7 PC) back and forth to work every day. I plug it into a 24" monitor at my desk for 2 displays. I use a wireless keyboard and mouse at my desk. For a good Archi PC-either desktop or laptop-get the fastest i7 chip you can afford, 16+GB ram, fast gaming graphics card. Solid state drive if you can afford it and a spinning drive for data.
Sep 15, 16 8:22 pm  · 
 · 
jacquelynyun

Thank you for your comments!

I looked for Plasti Dip Chameleon paint on Amazon and am definitely keeping that in my back pocket for the future.

I appreciate hearing that a PC desktop is beneficial, and thank you both for stressing getting the fastest processor and graphics card I can. I have to save a little more money before I can get the computer

If anyone reading this is considering getting an Apple PC, I found an article that spells out the capabilities of each hardware option. http://www.imore.com/cpu-vs-ram-vs-ssd-which-mac-upgrades-make-most-sense

Sep 15, 16 10:39 pm  · 
 · 
gruen
Ps-I think a desktop is fine-just that a laptop might be better for a student. Either way-a good gaming machine is the way to go.
Sep 15, 16 11:37 pm  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: