PC realm to the new world of MAC

We have always been a PC family, however, my son is having to do a lot more of his schoolwork online. He is a HS Junior, and is getting very deep into the Engineering class that he is currently taking. He is even planning on continuing to do Architecture in College.

I have always used AutoCAD software on PC's, but this time, I have opted to go the route of the 15" Macbook Pro. I want him to have a reliable notebook that is going to last him all the way through college and one that will have enough oomph on the video to handle the 3D and rendering for the Architecture classes.

Can anyone tell me if the route that we have chosen is a good one, as we are new to the MAC world? I am also looking to see if anyone knows of a good Architectural software that we could look at getting for the Mac, as Autodesk does not yet support Mac?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

gapmd

 

they were talking of making a Mac version a couple of years ago, but it never came about. If you have to use AutoCad, you have to install and boot directly into Windows to use it well. You can do most of the simple stuff in it just fine in a virtual machine running Windows though.... there is others of their products like Maya, and Combustion that is made for Mac OS X... but AutoCAD itself they are dragging their feet on.

Luckily its not too hard to deal with running the occasional Windows app on a Mac.

 

I would suggest getting a Laptop with Nvidia Quadro or ATi FireGL these cards greatly increases AutoCAD throughput, something not available on Macs.
Geforce is optimized for DirectX (aka gaming) while Quadros are optimized for OpenGL (Professional 3D Rendering)

 

I use to support a company that used Macs & PC for AutoCAD designing. What they did was they used Adobe Illustrator & got CADTools plugin.

https://hotdoor.com/cadtools

It works very well.

 

You should go to some of the open days of those colleges and ask the course coordinators what type of Architecture software package they'll be running, then decide on your laptop.

 

Have you opted in a manner that it is now too late to change? If not, I would first find out what software your son will need to run, and then post in the " What Notebook Should I Buy For School" area. Personally I like the Dell Precision workstations, but there are other good options depending on what you need to run and budget range.

 

being a recent engineering graduate and former campus bookstore laptop salesman i can at least give you my opinion and perspective; take it for what it's worth. with my experiences from my school's engineering dept, NCSU College of Engineering, i can state that the bulk of their software is Windows based. this is mainly due to the fact most people coming onto campus are avid Windows users where as the number of Apple users and Linux users are minuscule. majority of all computer lab computers run Windows with a very few running Linux and only College of Design, Apples mainly seen here and other LA (liberal arts) studies, labs running OSX. granted some engineering students will use Apples but they take a risk of software not existing for them, AutoCAD a perfect example. for Civies (civil engineering majors) who might own an Apple, they will be forced to use a computer lab to do their AutoCAD work/assignments whereas another student using a Windows based machine will be able to download and install the software on his own computer at home/in the dorms and complete the same work assigned without the need for the lab. within the campus bookstore, i always sold more Windows based machines than Apples. the CoE every year releases a new recommended specs for the following year of computers. while Apples are on the approved list, they do not make mention of the fact not all software will be available for Apples like they would be for Windows. there were several times students would come into the bookstore looking for software for their Apple and it simply didn't exist and they were then forced to use a lab or use a friend's computer, etc.

what i recommend is this: since every school is different there are still lots that are the same. architecture and engineering are similar enough where many of the same design programs will be used. based on this i recommend a Windows computer just for simplicity and less aggravation, esp since that is what he is used to. but it doesnt hurt to contact some potential schools and see what software is used in that particular major; in fact, many schools list it all out on their dedicated webpages to help students. so might be worthwhile to do some googling and get an idea of what is needed and what is out there available to you.

a helpful link of NCSU's school of design site; might help ya get an idea
http://ncsudesign.org/content/index.cfm/fuseaction/page/filename/computer_requirements.html

 

Depends on how technically inclined he is.

Since the first thing you mentioned is the need to run windows software, at the very least I can say that the macbook pro is not the most straightforward tool for the job. Can it be done and work well for a long time? Certainly.

 

In all honesty, Macs aren't exactly the most suitable machines for the job. Not only do they not come with Windows (extra $100 or so), their cards aren't exactly designed for CAD. You want ISV certified cards, which means the companies that make software like AutoCAD certify the cards for maximum compatibility. As said before, those cards include the ATi FireGL series and the nVidia Quadro FX series.

And those are found in mobile workstations. The Dell Precision series, HP EliteBook series, and Lenovo W series come to mind. And in the 15" screen class are the Precision M4400, EliteBook 8530w, and W500. You'll find these notebooks more up to the task of CAD, at a lower price than the MBP. The business grade durability of all 3 exceed that of the MBP, with magnesium alloy inner chassis, spill resistant keyboards, and extensive service options.

What's the drawback? Weight, for one. The MBP is among the lightest in its class. These mobile workstations are quite the opposite (the 8530w, I believe, is a full pound heavier than the MBP 15"). Their batteries aren't the best, some averaging about 3-4 hours of web browsing.