I’m going for interior design, does anyone know of any laptops or computers they can recommend that will work well with all the interior design programs?
I don’t know about interior design, but I do have a whole list of things I wrote out (for someone else, in graphics) shortly after purchasing a new laptop, so maybe it will be helpful!
– Mac vs PC: A Mac is always good quality, PC’s range. Ultimately it’s personal preference. I have heard that Mac’s last longer than PCs, though, and that you should expect 3 - 4 years out of a laptop if you use it heavily (like for a full workweek).
– I don’t use heavy graphics very much since I’m in web, so I can get away with less RAM, but mine has 8GB and I think I read that for graphics 8 - 16 is good. You can buy extra ram, too…
– I wanted SSD and HD (you can get dual drive)
– A lot of laptops put the webcam in the bottom left corner instead of top and center. This won’t bother a lot of people and you can always get an external webcam, but I use my webcam a lot and didn’t care to have an external one, so I only looked at ones with a center webcam
– It helps to decide what screen size you want, because that limits the choices you’ll have
– I didn’t want to spend a ton of time researching, so I made a list of requirements, and then went to Amazon, put them all in (using filters on the side), and came out with very few options. I took the top ones from there and looked them up on pcworld.com and pcmag.com, read their reviews, read the Amazon reviews (if you look there will be a handful by people who actually know what they are talking about) and picked one.
You’ll also want to pay attention to what people say about the screen quality and color display.
You can also look at the posts in the form called Mac vs. PC. I also don’t know specifically for interior design, but would imagine it would be similar to the use of other graphic design programs in terms of computer choice.
I am copying a post that I had put there into this forum as well, see below:
So I am a Mac-only user, would never use a PC if given a choice. I have used both, specifically for design and other uses too, and I can tell you that once you get used to a Mac, it can’t compare to a PC in terms of usability, quality, interface, etc. In fact, most of my students that enroll in design courses have PCs since they are cheaper and more mainstream, and think they don’t like macs, and within a few months they are all buying macs and wouldn’t change. Like anything else, there are some that prefer one over another, mostly having to do with what you are used to, but like what Peninah said, you can’t really go wrong with a Mac. They are better computers and last longer, and I think definitely worth the higher price.
Regarding macs, there are three main choices, the Mac Mini, the Macbook Pro, and the imac. The Mac mini is the newest rage, compact and packed with power, but pricey. The Macbook Pro is preferred by many who like laptops, and if you need flexibility in terms of mobility, this is probably the way to go. I personally don’t like using laptops for graphics, primarily because of the monitor size and quality. So I am a fan of the more traditional iMac, which has great monitor quality and is also the most affordable of the mac options. You do have some choices within the iMacs, so you can price it out. You also can find some decent used or refurbished ones for much less, some may even include older verisons of the software already installed.
I find that the people at B and H Photo in New York are very helpful, and often you can get the best prices there. You can check out there website at bandhphoto.com, or chat or talk with someone there.
You can also check you this link for more info comparing the macs:
https://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/mac-buyer-s-guide-2015-1295725
Best Buy often has good deals as well.
I just checked my laptop. It’s a Samsung Book Pro, 15inch, high res screen. The high-res screen is really nice 
Also, side note, I find that my (PC) laptops slow down significantly and need to be replaced after about 3-4 years of heavy use.
If you have unlimited funds (or around $2000 min), I’ll repeat what I posted in the Mac vs PC forum - look at the newest 16" MacBook Pro. Nothing compares to its power now.
16" gives you lots of screen space, considering it’s a laptop. It’s Mac so you’re getting quality, reliability and stability, as well as a more secure computer from hacks. It’s got the most powerful system around, I think. It just came out a few weeks ago, and is aimed at Creatives who like to work wherever they are, and use heavy files.
I have the Dell XPS 15 and very happy with it.
I was recommended not to get the touchscreen version because its not good enough to use (like the Surface Book), but just makes it easier to break and more expensive to fix.
I bough an external Wacom tablet.
A tablet is an amazing addition. Be it Wacom (which I have and am happy with) or maybe even better - an iPad with an Apple pen.
Hi, i just bought an hp zbook corei7 8th gen and am so far really happy with it. I bought it for $900. Its really really fast, my adobe programs load in seconds! It also has a second graphic processor or something that the guy in the store told me about, and supposedly it makes ur computer run quicker since its like a second hard drive.
So all in all, if you want a high quality fast computer for graphics work yet dont want to pay for a pricey MAC I recommend it.
Thanks for the update!
you don’t need to feel pressured into shelling out for a Apple MacBook. Unless you’re specifically tailoring your skill set and portfolio toward UX / UI design, the differences between MacOS and Windows aren’t significant enough that you should strongly feel swayed toward one over the other.
My $1100 Dell laptop handles design programs just as well as —and often better than— my classmates’ ~$2k MBPs. Just make sure you do your research and buy a quality machine regardless of OS.
For interior design software such as AutoCAD and SketchUP Pro , you need good processor (i7 is good) and lots of RAM memory (8GB ~16 GB). max out the storage. I have 1TB HDD and a 256GB ssd aka the speediest available, and the battery life is immense.
If you use a particular 3D software, you should check out the graphics cards recommended by the software company. Each 3D software might have their own little quirks when running on non-recommended graphics card.
Next is a good monitor. Something you can calibrate, and is decently large. Portability might be a factor, so you’ll have to research to find portable monitors with good color fidelity.
Ideally you want to look for something with an IPS screen as a tn panel will not give you good colour accuracy which is useful when printing.
Here is a detailed article if you are interested: https://www.xp-pen.com/forum-1410.html
you don’t need to feel pressured into shelling out for a Apple MacBook. Unless you’re specifically tailoring your skill set and portfolio toward UX / UI design, the differences between MacOS and Windows aren’t significant enough that you should strongly feel swayed toward one over the other.
My $1100 Dell laptop handles design programs just as well as —and often better than— my classmates’ ~$2k MBPs. Just make sure you do your research and buy a quality machine regardless of OS.
For Adobe graphic design software such as photoshop and illustrator , you need good processor (i7 is good) and lots of RAM memory (8GB ~16 GB). max out the storage. I have 1TB HDD and a 256GB ssd aka the speediest available, and the battery life is immense.
If you use a particular 3D software, you should check out the graphics cards recommended by the software company. Each 3D software might have their own little quirks when running on non-recommended graphics card.
Next is a good monitor. Something you can calibrate, and is decently large. Portability might be a factor, so you’ll have to research to find portable monitors with good color fidelity.
Ideally you want to look for something with an IPS screen as a tn panel will not give you good colour accuracy which is useful when printing.
Here is a detailed article if you are interested: https://www.xp-pen.com/forum-1410.html
Hi! I know this thread was old, but I am potentially looking into a new computer-I’m really fine with the brand I have now (Lenovo IdeaPad flex), touch screen. I would either get the same one or similar, or a Mac. The only thing with the somewhat normal pricing macs are not touch screen (I think? Correct me if I am wrong), and I really do use the touch screen quite a bit like when I am typing Hebrew, I find it much faster for some reason. But maybe that’s not a good enough reason to stick with my same old brand…any thoughts? I could also wait a bit until end of November when there may be sales-which stores should I look into? Or just do amazon? What do people do?
Design Alive suggests contacting B&H Boruchb@bhphoto.com for a laptop or PC that will serve your needs. It really depends which course you’re taking and which programs you need. I got mine there and I’m really happy with it. I use CAD and Revit.
B & H or Costco
I hvae the asus zenbook and love it! very fast and quick with very sharp coloring.
I was looking into laptops, I was recommended these 2:
Does anyone have experience with these?
*Acer Concept D 3 Ezel
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1601307-REG/acer_nx_c5paa_001_concep_td_i7_10750h_16gb_1tb.html
or
*Dell Inspiron
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-7000-2-in-1-17-qhd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-nvidia-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-32gb-optane-silver/6432549.p?skuId=6432549
I have a Dell Inspiron 5502 which I believe is a cheaper version than the one you linked. however, you have to be careful with all the new versions of the Inspiron because by me the screen is a matt look and the colors are not very accurate or vibrant so I would not recommend it for someone working in design.
I just got the Dell XPS 15 7590, the OLED screen, and the colors are vibrant and super accurate, maybe worth looking into.
Just always check the reviews of any laptop to make sure the screen and colors will be vibrant enough for design, if it’s important to you…
How would I see in the specs that the coloring is good?