any i5 powered gaming laptop with atleast 4GB RAM.

Thank you...
Then is laptop better or deskstop better?
As I heard my seniors said laptop might collapse during rendendering in lumion and some software,
I not sure how true is that.

this is a matter of preference really.

laptop has mobility. it is versatile and u can work anywhere - in the studio, at starbucks, while traveling and so on. so basically u dont stop working as time is very previous to architectural students. however, it has issues on heat management, limitations on screen, battery life, hardware expandability and customizations.

desktop on the other hand has more power:price ratio. at the same price u spend on a laptop, u can get almost twice the power. the expandability and customization part is also a big bonus, as u can buy a cheaper setup and upgrade later for the best money-for-power investment. u can also use multiple monitors that can boost work efficiency. of course the downside is it's not mobile. once set and started working, u wont be moving anytime soon. for some schools where they dont provide dedicated studios, this can be a problem as u'll probably be stuck at home/room for long periods of time = no life.

my recommendation?

get both .

Hi , so, i am now an FNBE student in Taylors , im wondering will it be better if i got a macbook pro for my studies during degree? I'm not sure what laptop to get

what year are u in?

normally we wouldnt recommend getting serious hardware until u are 2nd year. it is only then would u know what software suite u best, hence getting the right hardware to compliment it.

Im currently only in foundation.. Can i operate softwares like autocad in mac os if i get one?

i believe so. there are also CAD software on mac platform if u prefer. i recommend learning as many software as possible, as u dont know which software your office will use.

Ok thanks

Hi, me agn.. So if i get the macbook pro with i5 2.7 ghz dual intel core and 8gb ram is enough till i graduate??

I dont use mac. But i wanna say probably. U should wait till u get into 2nd year before deciding what kind of equipment u wanna use.

If u need to get one now, just get a cheap one. Although macs tend to be a little bit more expensive than PC.

ok.. im currently just using my own pc and also not rushing to buy a mac... but im just guessing it would be easier to have it for rendering 3d stuff during yr 2...

This post has been edited by ruitian97: Aug 12 2015, 09:58 PM

usually by the end of 1st year u'll get some idea of what software to use and what ur school supports. we in UTM offer virtually no support to mac computing in relation to architecture, although we do have quite a number of students who made their own support group for those who're into it. even for PC, we're almost exclusively focused on autodesk software and adobe application, despite many other options out there.

so if u're in UTM, getting a PC would put u in a good place to get official support. other schools will have their own architectural computing landscape. hence why i recommend u to wait first and see what's best for u in ur learning environment.

ok... not sure what taylors have to offer for 2nd year tho.. thanks btw ..

My daughter asked me for a workstation, so built one for her, 16GB ram, 128GB SSD, 2TB HDD, i7 4790, gtx 960. Hopefully she doesn't complaint the ws is slow when doing rendering. Haha. It's all because her lecturer said the MBP she has won't cut it.

This post has been edited by wiraone: Aug 13 2015, 10:25 PM

Taylor's Architecture degree student year 1 here. I agree with azarimy too to get a PC rather than Mac. Although I have yet to get hold of my own.

I dont think getting a pc will be a option for me as im living in sarawak.. T.T

Dear Mr. Azari,

Need your advice.
As Ive posted here before, im a diploma student in architecture (wanted to be an architect).
But since utm rejected my Archi Degree course interview, the school offer me Landscape Architecture recently instead. Im making rayuan for USM & UM (they interviewed me).

Question is,
1. Should i take the offer or wait for rayuan ?
2. will the other school rejected me once they known that i had enrolled in utm for landscape?
3. If i take landscape, is it possible for me to change to architecture halfway, or return back to Architecture during master?
4. Is landscape course favorable like archi?

hello again,

1. i'm not sure what's the best advice here. u could take the offer, then wait for the rayuan results. this way u can atleast confirm a place in UTM. of course, if ur rayuan goes through, u can reject UTM then. but this wont reflect well with UTM, and would most likely hamper ur future chance to study in UTM (for part 2).

2. no. USM and UM will still offer despite u being offer or even accepted into another university.

3. masters of architecture is a professional course that requires u to fulfill LAM part 1 first. without it, u can only take MPhil, which is a research degree that dont carry any weight in architectural practice.

4. it is favourable. landscape jobs tend to be more frequent than architectural jobs. u see, once the building has been built, the architects job is done. but landscape designers will have repeat business every 7-10 years from that same building. so although landscape architects get smaller portion from the project, they have more frequent business.

hello mr aza.

Is buying a specialized computer worth it for the long run? I already have a laptop but I still think rendering with v-ray took a really long time and probably slow me down.

Im on my final year, where all drawing must be done using computer.

Well, there are few things to consider. Rendering is almost exclusively a CPU affair, supported by a good amount of RAM. A rendering PC should be cheap, as u dont need strong display card or mboard or fast harddisk. In fact, i still use my 2011 PC for rendering, watching movies and general web browsing.

Dedicated PCs are fine. But u dont need to fork out more than RM1.5k for it. Just max out on the CPU with a bunch of RAM.

Alternatively, if u use revit, they have cloud rendering where u can send data online, and autodesk will render it for u. They'll send an email with 2-3 hours (depending on traffic and load). U get several credits free for hires renderings. When that is finished, u can buy more.

So thats a viable option.