What Laptop Should I buy as an Architecture Student?

Hello, I am currently in my first year of University, majoring in Architecture, and my professors have been telling me to start looking for good, easy to carry, and if possible, affordable laptops for me to use in the next semester, when we start with our CAD lessons.

I'm not really a big techie, but I know some of the new trends. I already have some affordable laptops in mind, but I wouldn't mind adding some more suggestions to the list. I would prefer to have thin, portable laptops which I can carry around anywhere, without sacrificing processing speed, mainly because I travel around a lot. I would really love it if there are laptops that meet these parameters without being too expensive, but I don't really have high hopes. Most of the good, portable laptops I find are either really expensive, or way too bulky. The price I'm aiming for is around $500 or less, which seems a bit low, from my research, but I'm willing to pay more if there is no other choice.

 

You should rather aim for certain specifications within reputable brands.
Any top brands should offer good quality and customer service.

As for your needs, something with a Core i5 and 8GB RAM will be good enough. Anything with a screen from 12~15" should do fine. Touchscreen is a bonus while not a must, but if you are like me then once you have gone touchscreen you will never go back. With $500 budget, you should be able to get something like that. Traditional laptops these days are cheap.

However, as a student, you will need to carry around your laptop on the campus. It is also important to keep it light and small. If the budget is not a concern, I'd recommend a Surface Pro 4. I am using one right now and I like it a lot. You no longer need textbooks (e-book version will work fine on Surface Pro). You will no longer need notebooks, since you can write on Surface Pro (or type if whatever you prefer). It can act as your text book, notebook, a computer, and a tablet.

 

You should ask your teacher who teaches your CAD lessons what his preference is. I went to an art school and we were told point blank to get a Mac. Any student who didn't buy a Mac were basically not taught properly because the teachers didn't know how to work the program on their computer or how to trouble-shoot problems. Though, I had some friends who were business majors at a neighboring college and they all had cheaper Window based laptops. Their teachers hated Macs for some reason. So before we can get really technical about which one you should have, find out if your school has a preference for either Windows or Macs.

 

Hmm, an architecture student should be ready prepared in using structural software like CAD which is highly intensive in graphics. If you have the budget, I would suggest you get a Mac for it is convenient with the graphics and even video editing is far easier when using a Mac (than a PC). A Mac would be a good investment for a student like you since your laptop will be your companion until you have finished your course. Good luck to your studies.