Is a MacBook Pro suitable for architecture studies?

It is difficult for me to understand why some are saying a Mac will be suitable and in some cases will out perform a Windows computer. We do not know the program/app requirements for your course of study. All we know is you will be studying Architecture at the university level. Consult with your university/professors to determine what will best meet the needs of your course of study and what is best supported by the professors, other students, and tech support. For example, we do not know if you will be using any of these Windows-only programs:

• Autodesk Revit (including Revit LT, Architecture, MEP, and Structure toolsets): This is the industry-standard Building Information Modeling (***) software in the US and Asia and is only available for Windows.
• Lumion: A popular real-time rendering software that is exclusively available on the Windows platform.
• 3ds Max: A powerful program for 3D modeling, animation, and rendering, part of the Autodesk suite and only offered for Windows.
• AutoCAD Architecture: While a basic version of AutoCAD is available for Mac, the specialized "Architecture" toolset and other products in the Specialized Toolset are only compatible with Windows.
• Chief Architect Premier: This professional home design software runs on Windows.
• Punch! Home & Landscape Design Architectural Series and Virtual Architect products are also generally Windows-focused home design options.

The above are only examples of programs you may be required to use. At the university level you must be 100% compatible with the course of study, the professors, other students, and tech support.

Performance wise, Mac hardware and macOS itself is more than capable of CAD and related tasks.

The general selection process, however, usually starts with learning the details of the tasks, and then the available apps for those tasks, and then the platforms expected by the apps. The hardware is usually best one of the last choices in the usual selection sequence.

For scholastic projects, your instructors will determine what is and is not appropriate. They can provide good choices and good recommendations and good information (or bad), or some or your instructors can be fond of some arcane or problematic apps and problematic advice, or they or the school can potentially be reaping rewards for using some mediocre apps. Put differently, your instructors are people too and with all the usual strengths and weaknesses that entails, and you’ll be focusing on making them happy with your work for the next few years.

Once you’re in a position to direct more of your own work, then you can make your own selections and pick your own tools.

Your school or department or college or whatever the organizational unit will usually have a list of recommended hardware for arriving students. Usually best to follow those recommendations. You can certainly go your own different way here and away from the school’s recommendations too, but that will usually add effort and stress to what can already be an intensive and stressful time.

Or maybe the school recommendations include a Mac, and then you can investigate that choice of tooling.

2 things to consider:

1. Find out what applications you will be using. If they are Windows only, the Mac won't be very useful. You want to be able to maintain accessibility between yourself and whatever the courses are using.
2. There's currently no M5 MacBook Air. The current MacBook Air's 13" and 15" use the M4 CPU.

With that said, a 15" M4 MacBook Air, with 24GB of RAM and whatever storage you can get, should be fine as long as you can run whatever applications they are going to be using.

Get an external drive for extra storage at less cost.

The Mac is in general a great choice for MANY architectural uses, but not all. Certain packages have never been made available on a Mac.

Be certain you check with your Advisor or equivalent Department Spokesperson. Some programs love Macs, some don't care, and others are openly hostile to Macs.

Although many programs will provide lab computers for those do not have strong enough computers or the wrong kinds, there may not be enough time available on those lab machines, or you may have to sign up at inconvenient times.

You may not want a computer that can not run major software required to get your course work done.

Samusalaazar wrote:

1. Should I buy the Macbook Pro for architecture? I’m about to start uni and I’m thinking of buying a Macbook pro for architecture studies. My options are:

M5 Macbook Pro with 16gb of memory and 512 SSD.

2. Macbook Pro with the M4 pro chip. It’s 24gb of memory and 512gb SSD.

3. (another option that I have is the M5 macbook air with 512gb of memory)

I have heard that for architecture, specially for rendering purposes windows laptops are better, but I really want a mac, specially for portability since is very important to me and also the whole apple ecosystem. I know that one of the reasons why MacOS is not recommended for architecture is because of the lack of compatibility with some softwares like revit, but, taking the compatibility issues out of the equation, performance wise, would these Macbook pro options be good for rendering and my architecture projects and studies in general?

I know that there’s some windows options that are about the same price or even cheaper and that offer very good specs for architecture, but I still prefer to buy a Mac. I’m not sure what to do.

You should be in contact with your Architecture Dept at your "uni" for guidance on this matter, independent of your desired preference.

Samusalaazar wrote:

Thank you for your response. I will contact my instructors to see what type of hardware is appropriate. But for now, so that I have an idea of the different options I can buy (either Mac or windows), hardware wise, is the Macbook pro in those configurations that I mentioned capable of performing well in the rendering of 3D architectural models? I know that it can run the programs without any problem but i’m worried about when it’s time to do more heavy work like rendering complex models.

Yes, it should have no issue rendering complex models whatsoever, Obviously the M5 MacBook Pro will Render faster than an M4 MacBook Air and will not likely get throttled as much since it has active cooling when high demands are placed upon it.

The passively cooled MacBook Air will likely throttle performance once it's tasked enough and get's warm enough to require it.

The only thing I want to know is if in the case that I decide to go for Macbook pro (in the configs that I mentioned), would it perform without any problem in all of the work and tasks that I may need to do in all of my university career.

Yes. MacBook Pros are supremely powerful these days, much more than equivalent PCs. There's no reason to think they'll have issues the PC's won't.

Before you spend any hard earned money on a Mac, check with the university and the instructors of the courses you expect to attend. They can tell you just which platform is best for the completion of your studies. In some instances a Mac will be best, but a PC may be the better option in others.

We here can only guess.

Samusalaazar wrote:

The only thing I want to know is if in the case that I decide to go for Macbook pro (in the configs that I mentioned), would it perform without any problem in all of the work and tasks that I may need to do in all of my university career.

You've been provided very good advice, contact the university and your professors and ask them what computer would be best for your course of study and your "university career".

"Is a MacBook Pro suitable for architecture studies?: Should I buy the Macbook Pro for architecture? I’m about to start uni and I’m thinking of buying a Macbook pro for architecture studies. My options are:[...]"

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Investigating this:

Way back off oh so when, no one was required to have a Mac onhand(nor a smartphone, for that matter). On idea what'd it would be like nowadays. But, make sure compatibility is spot on, and look at the syllabus.

Samusalaazar wrote:

Thank you for your response. I will contact my instructors to see what type of hardware is appropriate. But for now, so that I have an idea of the different options I can buy (either Mac or windows), hardware wise, is the Macbook pro in those configurations that I mentioned capable of performing well in the rendering of 3D architectural models? I know that it can run the programs without any problem but i’m worried about when it’s time to do more heavy work like rendering complex models.

The only thing I want to know is if in the case that I decide to go for Macbook pro (in the configs that I mentioned), would it perform without any problem in all of the work and tasks that I may need to do in all of my university career.

Anyway, your response was very helpful, thank you very much for helping me.

Please stop trying to put the cart before the horse.

The specific tasks select the apps, and apps and their recommended configurations then select the computer.

If the computer can’t run the necessary apps, the fastest computer in the world has little value.