Mac or pc for new industrial design student.

Question

I just got accepted into the ID program at SFSU and the requirements are an i7 core with 16GB RAM. It also states that a windows laptop is preferred but the option to bootcamp my Mac is available. My MacBook has an i9 core with a 16GB RAM. I’ve been research in and have seen people complain about glitches or crashing on solidworks and rhino. I’ve also seen many of the same people say use what you are comfortable with. Given the facts that I have been using Mac for over 10 years what would be easier.. dealing with the glitching on bootcamp or and relearn windows and just operate from there for work keep my Mac for personal use?

Answer 1

Hi! I recently graduated from ID at GT and experienced the same uncertainty about tech requirements.

If cost is a concern, I would keep your Mac for a few more years until you know if you will be a big CAD user or not. Its capabilities may serve your needs! At GT I had a Macbook Pro for the first 2 years or so, and I rarely used Solidworks anyways. it was fine, especially if you have a nice mouse or a secondary monitor in your setup. My struggle--which ultimately led me to get a Dell XPS 15--was only having 8GB RAM, which Apple made to be not upgradeable. By the way, I would recommend you do any CAD rendering (using Keyshot, for example) on a virtual renderfarm which your school may offer. Regardless of how good your computer is, virtual rendering is more powerful.

If cost is a not a concern, I would recommend switching to a Windows computer, even though I am a Mac lover for its usability, file organization, and UI. Windows will be more flexible for more software programs. It is more well-rounded than Mac, and it can do Solidworks. Using a virtual desktop or alternative method to get Solidworks on a Mac was sometimes glitchy for me, too. If CAD is not your main focus, the UI route on Windows works, too, for things like Figma, Adobe XD, etc. The updateability is huge for Windows, too. If you end up needing more RAM or storage in the future, Windows can typically upgrade more easily.

Incoming students may not know which path of design they will focus on (UI vs. physical product design), but if you start with the Mac you already have, hopefully it will get you far enough in your education that you will have decided if you are more of a UX/UI person (sticking with the MAC you have should be fine), or more of a CAD person (necessitating a Windows laptop).

tl;dr:

Mac is more usable, a little better for UI, worse for CAD, not upgradeable; stick with it in case you don't CAD much

Windows is better for CAD, fine for UI, is upgradeable; better overall choice