Mac VS Windows
Hello everyone, it’s Sude here! We hope you’ve all had a great productive week. For this week’s post we will be uncovering the ‘Mac vs Windows’ argument and giving you guys an insight on both operating systems and their suitability for students studying Architecture as an undergraduate. Before we start looking into the details, let me mention what operatives we use. As of right now, I am using a MacBook Pro for my studies. Linda is an ex-Mac user and recently switched to a Windows laptop. Elif has been using the Windows Surface Book since the beginning of the degree.
I’ll start with my experiences as a Mac user studying architecture. When you look at the general overview of a Mac compared to a Windows, the specs are better. I won’t be doing a detailed analysis comparing the different specs since there are a lot of different Windows running laptops out there in comparison to products running on Mac. You can always find videos on YouTube or simply look at websites in order to find spec comparisons. A great advantage of being a Mac user is, through the use of Bootcamp, you can actually run Windows on your Mac. This is a significant plus since you can experience the best of both systems without needing two different laptops. I personally have not needed to switch to Windows at any point using my MacBook but I could see why it would be relevant when studying architecture. I have yet to face a dramatic obstacle triggered by the fact that I am a Mac user.
I think the major difference between the two operatives is more to do with which programmes they can run and your preference in software. Like I mentioned, I think the Mac series have better specs compared to Windows but there are less programmes out there which are offered to Mac users. 3DSMax, Lumion, Revit and some other programs, manufacturers have yet to release a Mac compatible version for. In my opinion this hasn’t made a significant difference to the work I produce compared to my friends who use Windows. Majority of the programs I just listed either have a long learning curve, aren’t suggested to be used by our tutors (at least at a Bachelor’s Level) or there are cheaper and/or easier programs that we can use that are capable of doing the same things. So yes, there are more programs offered to laptops/PCs running Windows but whilst studying for your Part I, it’s more likely that you will be using programs like Vectorworks, Rhino, AutoCAD and Adobe programs, which are compatible for both Mac and Windows. These programs offer more than enough to get through your undergraduate. If in doubt, you can always switch to Windows on your Mac and freely use programs that are only compatible with Windows. If you do have Bootcamp in mind to switch between the operatives I would suggest opting for a Mac product with lots more storage, preferably 1TB to be safe but 512GB should also be fine. I have 256GB of storage on my MacBook and considering you have to free up space to run Windows, it can be a bit restricting when you barely have any spare storage in the first place. I quickly also want to mention RAM. I myself do not have a MacBook Pro with 32GB RAM but being given that option is a great plus considering how many programs we work with simultaneously. There is a lower chance of your laptop to slow down or crash which is the one thing you do not want happening. How much RAM you need also depends on what you plan on running on your laptop. In general, a minimum of 8GB is recommended for architecture students but the more the better.
So overall, it’s definitely not the end of the world if you use a Mac whilst studying architecture. I honestly do not think there is a significant difference. I think another option that should be considered is a desktop computer set up. Putting the Mac and Windows debate aside, I think a desktop computer is something that should also be considered for the long term whilst studying architecture. Especially when you look at the current situation, working from home has recently become the new normal for practising architects. I haven’t personally researched desktop computers well enough but briefly looking over the options, there is more potential of upgrading and gaining optimum specs which is what manufacturers try to compact into laptops.
Now let’s switch to the perspective of someone who’s used both for architecture. It’s me, Linda, and I’m going to tell you guys why I switched from a Mac to Windows. I just about got through first year with the specs I had on my Mac: a 2017 8GB RAM i5 processor MacBook Pro with 128GB storage. I got this laptop back in sixth form with no intention of using it for architecture, so I didn’t buy it with my university degree in mind. Since first year was based a lot on hand drawing with an introduction to digital skills, I didn’t feel the need to upgrade for the sake of having access to the Windows programmes that Sude mentioned. However, having said all this, I would not recommend these specs to anyone who’s interested in a laptop for architecture. The RAM and processor were limited in that my laptop couldn’t handle having the few bare minimum programmes open (i.e. the Adobe Suite). The storage was definitely one of the biggest struggles I had: my scratch disk was constantly full which meant that I couldn’t run Photoshop smoothly. I physically could not have all the software I needed downloaded onto my laptop at the same time, I had to constantly install and reinstall them as and when I used them, even with all my other files relocated onto an external drive. Because of this, Bootcamp was out of the question, even if I wanted to partition my hard drive to run both Windows and Mac on my computer. This brings me onto the next reason why I switched from Apple to Windows.
Whilst I was able to scrape by in first year with my laptop, second year became more demanding for digital skills. Rhino is a big part of my course as I have to run simulations, which require fairly strong specs. Even though you can download Rhino for Mac, there are still features that aren’t available on Apple that disrupted my workflow significantly, so this coupled with the poor specs meant that I ended up getting a new laptop. The current specs I have with my Windows laptop are 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, and an i7 processor, on a Dell XPS 15. These were such a significant upgrade and I was able to download all the programmes I required, and run my simulations successfully. Personally, I would recommend getting a Windows laptop to start with if you have the choice. However, if you already own a Mac computer, and don’t feel the need to upgrade to Windows because you don’t use Windows only programmes, the specs work well for what you want to do and you are able to partition and run your programmes successfully with your current laptop, then I wouldn’t necessarily advise switching to Apple in this case.
Lastly, it's me Elif to bring you the perspective of a student that only has experience with Windows. Since the start of my degree, I have been using a 15-inch Microsoft Surface Book 2. The specs I have are 256GB storage, Intel-Core i7 and RAM 16GB. Personally I have had a great experience with windows and I do not regret the choice I made. When buying my laptop at the beginning of my degree my main concern was being able to run multiple programs and having enough storage with all the programme files, hence why I brought 16GB RAM instead of the minimum 8GB. The programmes that I have used in the past are Vectorworks, Adobe Cloud, AutoCAD, Autodesk, Rhino, and 3DSMax. As Sude mentioned, most of these you can also run on Mac so there is not much difference and the one programme which you can’t use on Mac, 3DSMax, I stopped using as there are easier programmes to create visual representations. I usually run 2-3 programmes/files at once but there have been times where I have 4-5 running in the background and I have never had a problem before. My Adobe programme has only crashed once maybe twice and I later realised it was because I didn't update the software, which is my fault rather than the spec. So far, I haven’t had any problems. Alongside the 256GB storage on my laptop, I use an external hard drive to backup and also move all my work to once I have completed the year. For example, after I finished first year I moved all of the development files and drafts to a hard drive only leaving a pdf of the final portfolio. Having said this if I was to put all the files back onto my laptop I would still have space, so it’s more of a personal choice rather than a necessity due to limitations. Overall, I would recommend Windows as I have had a positive experience with the specs. When investing in a laptop I think prioritise the RAM, storage and the graphics card, over the brand.
That brings us to the end of this week’s blog post! If you have any questions make sure to drop us a DM or email from the contact us page. We also have a Instagram post coming out in a couple weeks time where we will be suggesting some laptop recommendations for you guys so make to follow us on Instagram @archidabble. Make sure to also sign up to our mailing list to be notified about our blog posts every Friday at 6:00pm! See you all next week!
