If you are an architect or still studying to become one. and you are looking for a new computer, here you can see a comprehensive list of some of the cheapest value laptops for architecture students.
Most architects nowadays are tech savvy (to different levels) since a good part of their creative process and project management is based on different software like Autodesk AUTOCAD, SketchUp and 3d Studio Max. These software are quite heavy and choosing a laptop that can run all the tools that an architecture student needs can be a confusing task.
Let’s start with a list of things one should consider when buying a laptop if you are an architecture student:
- Processor: you will need a computer with a fast processor, the higher is its frequency and with the maximum number of cores possible, as it will be crucial to produce decent renders of your projects at reasonable speeds. Laptops with fast processors normally are oriented to gaming, and can be very expensive, so I will try to find some value laptops for architecture students that have processors which are fast enough, without hurting your budget or with unnecessary hardware.
- RAM: you will need a good amount of RAM to manage big projects on Autocad or software built for 3d projects. Even if more is better, if you can find something in the range of 8 to 12 GB you will be able to manage most of process with a fair smoothness, without lagging to load it, or freezing too often. Ideally, you should go for 16GB ram.
- Video card: a good video port will influence how fast you see objects and vertexes on your viewport, and that becomes extremely necessary when managing bigger projects. For 2016, if you have a NVIDIA with at least 2GB memory, it will be enough to handle a crowded viewport for architecture projects.
- Storage: Projects are big, and if you sum up with references, textures, rendered images and videos, being an architecture student will take a good chunk of your laptop storage. My recommendation in regards to this is a HDD of at least 1TB running at 5400 RPM.
- Screen size: Managing architecture projects requires a expansive dimensions, you can start off with a 15 inch laptop, which is acceptable, but, I would be looking for 17-inches screen to make sure you can see your projects from a wider perspective and it’s also easier to show them to prospective clients in the future if you have a screen with large dimensions.
Now that you had a brief introduction to what are the key points when searching for value laptops for architecture students, let’s take a look into this list of models available for sale on Amazon.com:
List of Value Laptops for Architecture Students 2016
HP Pavilion Newest Edition 17.3″ Flagship Premium High Performance Full HD 1920 X 1080 IPS Touchscreen Laptop
17.3 inch Full HD IPS Touchscreen (1920 x 1080), 10-finger multi-touch support, HDMI, 720p HD Webcam
Newest 6th Gen Skylake Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.60 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.50 GHz, Intel HD Graphics 530 with shared graphics memory
8GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM(1 DIMM), 1TB Hard Drive, Tray load DVD Drive (Reads and Writes to DVD/CD), 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0
Windows 10 Home 64, Gigabit 802.11AC WiFi, 1G LAN Ethernet, Bluetooth, Multi-format digital media card reader, B&O PLAY with 2 speakers
Includes $50 Windows Store gift card (must be redeemed by February 29, 2016 and spent within 90 days of redemption)
Click here to read more and buy this laptop from Amazon.com
Dell Inspiron 17.3″ Laptop, 6th Gen Intel Skylake Core i7-6500U
Newest 6th Generation Intel Skylake Core i7-6500U Processor (4MB Cache, up to 3.10 GHz, Dual Core), AMD Radeon R5 M335 Discrete Graphics with Dedicated 4GB DDR3 Video Memory
8GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM, 1TB 5400rpm Hard Drive, Multiformat DVD/CD-RW drive, 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0
17.3 inch LED Backlit Anti Glare Display with Truelife FHD resolution (1920 x 1080), HDMI, 720p HD Webcam
Newest 802.11 AC Gigabit Wifi, 1G LAN Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, Waves MaxxAudio, Media Card (SD, SDHC, SDXC) reader
Windows 7 Professional English 64bit (Includes Windows 10 Pro License), backlit keyboard, 40 WHr 4-Cell Battery
Click here to read more and buy this laptop from Amazon.com
ASUS X751LX-DB71 17.3-Inch IPS FHD Laptop
17.3-Inch IPS Full HD Wide-Angle Display (1920×1080). Webcam.
Intel Core i7-5500U 2.4 GHz Processor (Turbo up to 3 GHz).
NVIDIA GeForce GTX950M 2G DDR3 Discrete Graphics for Gaming Performance.
1 TB 7200 RPM Hard Drive. 8 GB RAM.
Wireless N for fast WiFi. DL DVD±RW/CD-RW.
3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet Port, 1x VGA, 1x Headphone/Mic Combo Jack.
SD-Card Reader slot to import/export all your photos and videos.
Click here to read more and buy this laptop from Amazon.com
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro Black Edition VN7-792G-79LX 17.3-inch Full HD Notebook B015XBKYB0
Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz (6MB Cache)
8GB DDR4 Dual-Channel Memory
1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive
17.3-inch Full HD Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM
Windows 10 Home, Up to 7-hour battery life
