<p>Im not sure whether I would get a PC laptop with a powerful graphic card or simply build a desktop with graphics for about half the price? It'll be used for CAD.</p>
<p>The answer is ‘it depends on what the school wants’. I toyed with the idea of an uber-PC for my DD1 who is an Architecture student. I’m a high performance PC enthusiast and no stranger to what it takes to render serious stuff, (I’m a big video editing / digital photography user) but the decision is often not yours to make.</p>
<p>Most schools require a laptop for the simple reason that the laptop is used for studio. Sure, I could have built her a nice $1500 system that renders circles around anything else for twice the money (I did for a friend’s wife - architect) but if the school wants laptop, you’re stuck.</p>
<p>Check the school’s requirements for a laptop, they usually are Core i5 or i7, etc, and the first couple years things are not very demanding computing wise. Then in two years upgrade. </p>
<p>My DD1 got a Lenovo T420 with upgraded LCD, 7200 rpm drive, a few more options, and so on, for a reasonable price. Next fall I’ll swap the HDD for an SSD. By Junior year I’ll get her a Lenovo W520 or similar mobile workstation that can handle most anything (we get employee discount but even educational discount on Lenovos is pretty good, and the build quality is amazing. </p>
<p>Finally, remember that some schools may want a MacBook Pro or similar that can run PC and Mac programs. So, go by what the school wants.</p>
<p>Thanks for the amazing information!!</p>
<p>I’d heavily recommend a desktop in this situation. You’re going to be dealing with a bunch of things visually, which means you’d want the large monitor and full-sized mouse to go with it. For the cost, you might as well get some really nice hardware that will actually render your work with ease.</p>
<p>That said, a lot of CAD software are really built towards professional-grade graphics cards, which really do run up a fortune. In that case, you might just want to get a business-grade laptop that comes with them.</p>
<p>I recommend a middle path, actually. A simple cheap laptop works for displaying and making simple edits to CAD drawings, and then you can buy a decent desktop on the side. Main considerations are processor speed and graphics card for CAD. I’ve been using CAD and running high performance systems for 4 years now. AutoCAD 2011 lags a little in 3-D on a stock laptop, but the AMD Phenom II X4 965 desktop has zero lag, and renders very fast. Cloud rendering for AutoCAD also reduces the need to be running an Intel i7 for architects. Besides, a large monitor or a dual monitor setup is recommended for AutoCAD, and a desktop would be a good solution for this.</p>
<p>Build a desktop and buy a decent laptop as well.</p>
<p>My daughter is at Cal Poly and says that almost everyone has a MacBook Pro, because they all bring them to studio to do their rendering and such.</p>
<p>Some have a monitor that they can hook up to the computer.</p>
<p>For 2nd monitor for studio use, look into a portable LCD monitor (Lenovo and Toshiba make those among others). About the size of a 14" or 15" LCD screen it hooks up to the laptop via USB for power and video…</p>
<p>You will not survive in college with a desktop. You’ll need a computer to use in class.</p>
<p>If a computer is required in class, sure. But, unless one uses a 17" laptop that weighs as much as an anvil, doing serious graphics work on a 15" or 14" LCD is not all that convenient. Typing long papers on a laptop keyboard… likewise. And so on. </p>
<p>One can’t appreciate how fast modern desktops can be - for the right money, and the right specs, but still less than a super laptop. Check out a Dual Quad Xeon Dell T5500 with the right video card - say, a $300 Nvidia Quadra and solid state or 15k SATA2’s… driving a pair of 22" LCD’s. For class, buy a sacrificial Thinkpad or Dell or what-not but for serious rendering or other graphic work, nearly all laptops are a lost cause.</p>
<p>My d. was an archi. major, and did everything on a MacPro (small screen). She deliberately chose the smaller unit for transport ease. You can always plug it into a larger monitor back at your dorm. Nearly all the students had laptops in studio.</p>