What laptop are you using for your Academia and are you happy with it? (this topic is for students using portable computers.. this way we will see which one might be the best laptop for architectural students)
dirodl
Sep 15, 14 2:35 pm
depends on what software you want to use- but I'd recommend ASUS products.
LITS4FormZ
Sep 15, 14 2:42 pm
MacBook Pro
sameolddoctor
Sep 17, 14 4:19 pm
And why cant one have the Adobe CS or CC suite on their PC laptops?
Non Sequitur
Sep 17, 14 5:05 pm
You can get a great pc tower and a decent pc laptop for the cost of the low-end macpro.
SneakyPete
Sep 17, 14 7:42 pm
You can also install windows on macs if you need to. I'd avoid fusion or vmware, though. It eats resources.
accesskb
Sep 17, 14 10:35 pm
laptops will never come close to what a desktop can offer you in terms of power, efficiency and productivity. You'd have to spend $4000+ on a laptop and still not match what a desktop will offer you. Good desktops can be built for real cheap today.
If I were you, I'd buy a mid-range/price laptop that allows me to do basic tasks with ease and spend about $1300 building a workstation desktop for use in rendering and heavy tasks.
accesskb
Sep 17, 14 10:41 pm
Also consider yourself lucky today... Back when I was in university, I spent about $1800 on a laptop (Intel Core 2 duo 2.5ghz, 8gb ram, 256gb hd, etc) and thought that was amazing... A few months ago I built a cheap desktop for $900 (Intel Xeon 1230 V3, 32 gb ram, 256 SSD Ram, 2TB hd, Nvidia graphics card etc).. These are specs 4 to 5 times better than the laptop I used to use in school and would blow them away. If only I had these back in school
Joseph Wassell
Sep 17, 14 11:03 pm
As you can tell from the responses thus far... there is no "best" laptop. This topics been beat to death, really, and it usually comes down to what your working habits are going to be.
By the time I graduated, I had moved down to a 14" Asus with an i7 and 8gb ram, and bought a 14" monitor on the side. It was light, cheap and efficient, and could handle almost anything I threw at it (with the exception of some intense grasshopper scripting). I worked equally at school and at home, and would only use the school computers for renderings and complex grasshopper scripts. At that point for me, my decision was based on portability and primarily using Rhino with Grasshopper (windows) along with Adobe (I had both programs open more often than not). Those with MacBooks were running the same programs in Windows via Bootcamp.
There are other people who lived in the computer lab, and asked the studio professors to meet them there instead of at studio. It created a very different studio culture for those people, being alienated from there own studio, yet around others with similar work habits from other studios.
Then there were others with incredible laptops that dwarfed the school towers, who would only use the school for printing
The Adobe suite runs great on either operating system. Having used both, I understand why a number of people (unanimous is far too strong a word) prefer it on OS X. I would have a hard time taking that into consideration given the negligible difference. Everyone I knew with a Mac used Windows on it in some fashion (mostly to use Grasshopper with Rhino). I wouldn't want to switch back and forth between operating systems to use certain programs, personally, however many people do all the time with no qualms.
It matters what is on your screen, not who made the screen. If you want style points, do good work. Apple makes some excellent products, but so do most brands. You can get a more powerful laptop for the same amount of money with a brand other than Apple, but you also don't need a more powerful laptop.
thisisnotmyname
Sep 22, 14 12:11 pm
Apple is not worth paying extra for. Their constant OS and interface tweaks make their products very frustrating to use.
Do not overspend which is easy to do. Do you plan on hooking it up to a monitor to get a larger size? I would recommend a 15", 16", or 17" otherwise go with something of an Intel Core i5 or i7. Be sure to get a hard disk drive with 7200 RPM speed or a Solid State Drive (SSD, back up frequently). Also have 4GB-8GB of system memory. If you have any of these features you will be fine. You can find one from 500-850. If you spend any less your shortchanging yourself and if you spend any more it is a waste. If you buy Apple make sure your software is available and find a good used one. As a student, do not spend more than you really need to. I prefer to look for refurbished ones. If you are in the US, Black Friday is coming up and there are plenty of deals.
bugsmetoo
Sep 22, 14 2:04 pm
The poster didn't want unsolicited financial advice, only an opinion of a laptop model that works best. Which might be expensive or it might be cheap, And including several subjective factors beyond a naive cost-benefit analysis that makes the whole "objective" argument flawed.
LITS4FormZ
Sep 22, 14 3:07 pm
It's amazing how this topic comes up over and over. No matter how much you fight it the OP is still going to drop $3,000 on a MBP. That's why I just said "MacBook Pro" so we can all move on with our lives.
Conversely, those in the profession rarely have the money afford a new MBP.
kramit
Sep 22, 14 3:36 pm
a laptop from outer space... those are priceless...
curtkram
Sep 22, 14 4:48 pm
you mean like the one they're using on the space station?
A Macbook quicky becomes junk once the hardware starts to fail. If you didn't pony up that extra $300.00 for AppleCare, you are in for some unpleasant surprises.
apapaz
Sep 22, 14 9:31 pm
I would suggest getting a Lenovo think pad. I have a MacBook Pro and I love it but I think a for architecture the windows platform works much better. I'm constantly switching between my Mac partition and my windows partition. Some things such as all autodesk products and rhino don't work as nice on a Mac OS.
blanket statements
Sep 25, 14 11:50 am
Hey there, here are my two cents...I have a 2012 Macbook pro 15" and a 2014 Asus G750.
The Macbook Pro produces fantastic sharp images and true colors. If you are working on production boards or layouts that rely highly on graphic details or are a graphic designer this is a fantastic machine for you. However if you are editing high res photographs at a large file size, the Macbook pro can run hot. I currently run the Beta version of Rhino on the Mac OSx and it is a bit inconvenient as the interface is slightly different and not all the commands are available. Autocad runs fine on Mac. I also have bootcamp on my Macbook and have run windows which is a mess because the laptop really turns into a hot metal plate especially using Rhino. Rendering of any sorts takes quite a while and if you are trying to do high res rendering...you are going to be running your laptop over night and its going to be burning up.
The Asus is a beast of a machine hands down. The cooling is fantastic on this machine, and being Windows 8.1, i have no issues with Rhino, Maya, and 3dS. However the screen lacks color accuracy and the matte screen finish is a tad bit annoying. Another thing about this laptop is that for the amount of power and cooling within this laptop it weighs about 10lbs. For the weaklings out there, this may be an issue. The hardware on this laptop includes a Nvidia GT870 which is a really powerful card especially if you are doing paneling or grasshopper work, absolutely no issues with complex modeling. Rendering on this machine is also very efficient and runs about a fraction of the time compared to the Mac. Another drawback of this laptop is that it is primarily a gaming laptop which some may think looks super nerdy.
Overall, I would go with the Asus, nowadays I solely use it for any design work unless i am going to a meeting or to a coffee shop where i bring my Mac instead to browse the internet and read blogs:).
Hope that helps.
Marthafaturgin
Nov 27, 14 12:25 pm
I would avoid ASUS like the plague. I have an ASUS laptop and in just a little over a year I had to have the motherboard replaced and the hard drive. I sent it in to be serviced along with $275 (warranty was expired). It was apparently serviced but when I got it back the problem was not fixed. Sent it in a second time to fix the initial problem and got it back still not fixed. Their tech support is a joke and along with their repair techs, totally incompetent. I've never been so frustrated with a product or it's technical support. I will never buy ASUS again. EVER.
Alex S
Nov 27, 14 2:22 pm
"Lastly, because it matters, just not as much: Apple products exude style. You look like you design nice things when you are seen using nicely designed things. This sounds kind of stupid, but while I was in my undergrad, having an Apple added to my appearance and represented that I was a classy, intelligent, and artistic designer. I haven't seen other laptops communicate that about the user. The lack of having an Apple laptop actually made my PC counterpart classmates look like they were going to school to design strip malls and duplexes...I know that sounds stupid but its just the perception. You might have to cut corners and buy another product if Apple's products are out of your price range, and thats sort of the realism of life because there are more important things to worry about, but if you can stretch your cash to afford it, you're buying a lot more than a machine for homework."
This is so true. I can't even count how many times I've had a horrible review until I asked them if they knew that I had a MACBOOK PRO, designed by Apple, (I threw that in just in case they didn't know) at which point they said so many good things about my project because, you know, it just seemed like I was a good designer.
shivangsoni
Dec 28, 16 3:12 am
If you are planning to buy a best laptops for Architecture students. Then you need laptop of specifications like minimum 8GB RAM, 1TB Hard Disk Storage, Minimum 15 inches Display with full HD, NVIDIA Graphics Card which can run easily AutoCad, Adobe creative suite, Photoshop like architects softwares.
MSI VR Ready GT73VR Titan Pro-202 Laptop
ASUS ROG GL502VS-DB71 Laptop
ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH71 Laptop
These three are very powerful laptops for achitectural students.
I have had a MacBook Pro 15" high specs for 3 years now. I spent about $2800 total. If you know how to manage your storage and software, you can run laps around any Asus ROG. I saw it myself with my roommate abroad who had one. Here's how I use mine:
I only have and Keyshot, Adobe CC on Mac OS.
AutoCAD, Rhino, Gradshopper, and Maya are on my Windows partition with 120GB.
Even after 3 years I still have an advantage over my PC peers. My computer even boots up Windows in half the time. If you can afford it, do it. I added AppleCare but I barely used it last week to replace the first charger for normal wear and tear. If you take care of your devices, you will be fine.
In reply to a previous post, I completely disregard this idea that because you have an Apple computer you appear to be a better designer. Having a MacBook just means you can afford it and you like a great display and built quality. I know people with MacBooks and PCs that have no idea of the great piece of machine they have. The work produced has no correlation to the specs. A good designer is a good designer. The computer and the software are just tools.
Hope this helps. Thanks for sharing!
paulgermaine
Jan 2, 17 9:35 am
Oh and last thing, if you like and are used to MacOS trackpad gestures, the experience of Adobe CC on Windows is primitive.
Non Sequitur
Jan 2, 17 10:04 am
A $2800 PC will run laps around your shiny macPro.
TED
Jan 2, 17 10:38 am
Looking to replace my 5 yo MBP which still works like a dream - battery replaced but temp has been a problem. Previous Dell Precisions only lasted 2-3 years with motherboard replacement.
Transportability is key for me - so most likely it will be another MBP -
thisisnotmyname
Jan 3, 17 12:24 pm
Some interesting articles on the new Mac Book Pro:
What laptop are you using for your Academia and are you happy with it? (this topic is for students using portable computers.. this way we will see which one might be the best laptop for architectural students)
depends on what software you want to use- but I'd recommend ASUS products.
MacBook Pro
And why cant one have the Adobe CS or CC suite on their PC laptops?
You can get a great pc tower and a decent pc laptop for the cost of the low-end macpro.
You can also install windows on macs if you need to. I'd avoid fusion or vmware, though. It eats resources.
laptops will never come close to what a desktop can offer you in terms of power, efficiency and productivity. You'd have to spend $4000+ on a laptop and still not match what a desktop will offer you. Good desktops can be built for real cheap today.
If I were you, I'd buy a mid-range/price laptop that allows me to do basic tasks with ease and spend about $1300 building a workstation desktop for use in rendering and heavy tasks.
Also consider yourself lucky today... Back when I was in university, I spent about $1800 on a laptop (Intel Core 2 duo 2.5ghz, 8gb ram, 256gb hd, etc) and thought that was amazing... A few months ago I built a cheap desktop for $900 (Intel Xeon 1230 V3, 32 gb ram, 256 SSD Ram, 2TB hd, Nvidia graphics card etc).. These are specs 4 to 5 times better than the laptop I used to use in school and would blow them away. If only I had these back in school
As you can tell from the responses thus far... there is no "best" laptop. This topics been beat to death, really, and it usually comes down to what your working habits are going to be.
By the time I graduated, I had moved down to a 14" Asus with an i7 and 8gb ram, and bought a 14" monitor on the side. It was light, cheap and efficient, and could handle almost anything I threw at it (with the exception of some intense grasshopper scripting). I worked equally at school and at home, and would only use the school computers for renderings and complex grasshopper scripts. At that point for me, my decision was based on portability and primarily using Rhino with Grasshopper (windows) along with Adobe (I had both programs open more often than not). Those with MacBooks were running the same programs in Windows via Bootcamp.
There are other people who lived in the computer lab, and asked the studio professors to meet them there instead of at studio. It created a very different studio culture for those people, being alienated from there own studio, yet around others with similar work habits from other studios.
Then there were others with incredible laptops that dwarfed the school towers, who would only use the school for printing
The Adobe suite runs great on either operating system. Having used both, I understand why a number of people (unanimous is far too strong a word) prefer it on OS X. I would have a hard time taking that into consideration given the negligible difference. Everyone I knew with a Mac used Windows on it in some fashion (mostly to use Grasshopper with Rhino). I wouldn't want to switch back and forth between operating systems to use certain programs, personally, however many people do all the time with no qualms.
It matters what is on your screen, not who made the screen. If you want style points, do good work. Apple makes some excellent products, but so do most brands. You can get a more powerful laptop for the same amount of money with a brand other than Apple, but you also don't need a more powerful laptop.
Apple is not worth paying extra for. Their constant OS and interface tweaks make their products very frustrating to use.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iphone-users-freaking-apple-removed-143448385.html
Do not overspend which is easy to do. Do you plan on hooking it up to a monitor to get a larger size? I would recommend a 15", 16", or 17" otherwise go with something of an Intel Core i5 or i7. Be sure to get a hard disk drive with 7200 RPM speed or a Solid State Drive (SSD, back up frequently). Also have 4GB-8GB of system memory. If you have any of these features you will be fine. You can find one from 500-850. If you spend any less your shortchanging yourself and if you spend any more it is a waste. If you buy Apple make sure your software is available and find a good used one. As a student, do not spend more than you really need to. I prefer to look for refurbished ones. If you are in the US, Black Friday is coming up and there are plenty of deals.
The poster didn't want unsolicited financial advice, only an opinion of a laptop model that works best. Which might be expensive or it might be cheap, And including several subjective factors beyond a naive cost-benefit analysis that makes the whole "objective" argument flawed.
It's amazing how this topic comes up over and over. No matter how much you fight it the OP is still going to drop $3,000 on a MBP. That's why I just said "MacBook Pro" so we can all move on with our lives.
Conversely, those in the profession rarely have the money afford a new MBP.
a laptop from outer space... those are priceless...
you mean like the one they're using on the space station?
piece of junk. i'd rather have a macbook
http://spaceref.com/iss/computer/
A Macbook quicky becomes junk once the hardware starts to fail. If you didn't pony up that extra $300.00 for AppleCare, you are in for some unpleasant surprises.
I would suggest getting a Lenovo think pad. I have a MacBook Pro and I love it but I think a for architecture the windows platform works much better. I'm constantly switching between my Mac partition and my windows partition. Some things such as all autodesk products and rhino don't work as nice on a Mac OS.
Hey there, here are my two cents...I have a 2012 Macbook pro 15" and a 2014 Asus G750.
The Macbook Pro produces fantastic sharp images and true colors. If you are working on production boards or layouts that rely highly on graphic details or are a graphic designer this is a fantastic machine for you. However if you are editing high res photographs at a large file size, the Macbook pro can run hot. I currently run the Beta version of Rhino on the Mac OSx and it is a bit inconvenient as the interface is slightly different and not all the commands are available. Autocad runs fine on Mac. I also have bootcamp on my Macbook and have run windows which is a mess because the laptop really turns into a hot metal plate especially using Rhino. Rendering of any sorts takes quite a while and if you are trying to do high res rendering...you are going to be running your laptop over night and its going to be burning up.
The Asus is a beast of a machine hands down. The cooling is fantastic on this machine, and being Windows 8.1, i have no issues with Rhino, Maya, and 3dS. However the screen lacks color accuracy and the matte screen finish is a tad bit annoying. Another thing about this laptop is that for the amount of power and cooling within this laptop it weighs about 10lbs. For the weaklings out there, this may be an issue. The hardware on this laptop includes a Nvidia GT870 which is a really powerful card especially if you are doing paneling or grasshopper work, absolutely no issues with complex modeling. Rendering on this machine is also very efficient and runs about a fraction of the time compared to the Mac. Another drawback of this laptop is that it is primarily a gaming laptop which some may think looks super nerdy.
Overall, I would go with the Asus, nowadays I solely use it for any design work unless i am going to a meeting or to a coffee shop where i bring my Mac instead to browse the internet and read blogs:).
Hope that helps.
I would avoid ASUS like the plague. I have an ASUS laptop and in just a little over a year I had to have the motherboard replaced and the hard drive. I sent it in to be serviced along with $275 (warranty was expired). It was apparently serviced but when I got it back the problem was not fixed. Sent it in a second time to fix the initial problem and got it back still not fixed. Their tech support is a joke and along with their repair techs, totally incompetent. I've never been so frustrated with a product or it's technical support. I will never buy ASUS again. EVER.
"Lastly, because it matters, just not as much: Apple products exude style. You look like you design nice things when you are seen using nicely designed things. This sounds kind of stupid, but while I was in my undergrad, having an Apple added to my appearance and represented that I was a classy, intelligent, and artistic designer. I haven't seen other laptops communicate that about the user. The lack of having an Apple laptop actually made my PC counterpart classmates look like they were going to school to design strip malls and duplexes...I know that sounds stupid but its just the perception. You might have to cut corners and buy another product if Apple's products are out of your price range, and thats sort of the realism of life because there are more important things to worry about, but if you can stretch your cash to afford it, you're buying a lot more than a machine for homework."
This is so true. I can't even count how many times I've had a horrible review until I asked them if they knew that I had a MACBOOK PRO, designed by Apple, (I threw that in just in case they didn't know) at which point they said so many good things about my project because, you know, it just seemed like I was a good designer.
If you are planning to buy a best laptops for Architecture students. Then you need laptop of specifications like minimum 8GB RAM, 1TB Hard Disk Storage, Minimum 15 inches Display with full HD, NVIDIA Graphics Card which can run easily AutoCad, Adobe creative suite, Photoshop like architects softwares.
These three are very powerful laptops for achitectural students.
You may also check this to find out best laptop.
Thanks. Hope it helps
I have had a MacBook Pro 15" high specs for 3 years now. I spent about $2800 total. If you know how to manage your storage and software, you can run laps around any Asus ROG. I saw it myself with my roommate abroad who had one. Here's how I use mine:
I only have and Keyshot, Adobe CC on Mac OS.
AutoCAD, Rhino, Gradshopper, and Maya are on my Windows partition with 120GB.
Even after 3 years I still have an advantage over my PC peers. My computer even boots up Windows in half the time. If you can afford it, do it. I added AppleCare but I barely used it last week to replace the first charger for normal wear and tear. If you take care of your devices, you will be fine.
In reply to a previous post, I completely disregard this idea that because you have an Apple computer you appear to be a better designer. Having a MacBook just means you can afford it and you like a great display and built quality. I know people with MacBooks and PCs that have no idea of the great piece of machine they have. The work produced has no correlation to the specs. A good designer is a good designer. The computer and the software are just tools.
Hope this helps. Thanks for sharing!
Oh and last thing, if you like and are used to MacOS trackpad gestures, the experience of Adobe CC on Windows is primitive.
A $2800 PC will run laps around your shiny macPro.
Looking to replace my 5 yo MBP which still works like a dream - battery replaced but temp has been a problem. Previous Dell Precisions only lasted 2-3 years with motherboard replacement.
Transportability is key for me - so most likely it will be another MBP -
Some interesting articles on the new Mac Book Pro:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/how-apple-alienated-mac-loyalists
http://www.consumerreports.org/laptops/macbook-pros-fail-to-earn-consumer-reports-recommendation/
I'm seeing a lot of MacBook users moving over to Surface Books.
Any surface users out there? What about the new hp spectre pro?
I've got a Surface, hardly used it and spent £1400 on it...
A good article on the limitations of the new late-2016 Mac Book Pros:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/61fc2245-cf3e-3a1b-80ab-67d4b18332cf/why-people-are-pissed-about.html