Laptop Requirement

All GSD students must bring a laptop.

Mac VS. PC: What to Choose?

Choosing between a Mac and a PC should be made based on your personal comfort and preferences and the specific software requirements for your program. Most software applications used at the GSD are now available for both Mac and Windows computers. This includes the Adobe suite, AutoCAD, and Rhino. However, some still require Windows.

Some Rhino/Grasshopper plugins	ArcGIS Pro
Autodesk Revit	MasterCAM

Apple users do have the option to run Windows as a virtual machine on their Mac computers via the virtualization software Parallels, and Harvard does offer a discount for Parallels on their discount page linked below. However, this setup is not usually recommended for any sort of intensive CAD Work as running Windows in this way does not take full advantage of the computer’s hardware, and not all applications are compatible with Windows running in Parallels.

Harvard offers student discounts through:

• Preferred vendors: Dell and Apple
• B&H partnership: Lenovo, MSI, Razer, ASUS
  
  NOTE: However, students are not required to purchase a computer from a preferred vendor.

Recommended Equipment

In addition to a laptop, consider:

• A mouse (essential for CAD work)
• A desktop workstation for extra computing power
• A large external monitor

Windows Recommended Specifications:

CAD applications require the same types of hardware as gaming systems, so when shopping for a Windows laptop, typically you would look for the brand’s ‘gaming’ or ‘high performance’ workstations. Examples of these for Dell would be their XPS, Precision, or Alienware series (Image Below), whereas their Latitude or Inspiron lines may not be sufficient.

• Intel 12th generation or higher Core i7 CPU with built-in Intel DirectX 12.1 or higher GPU or AMD Ryzen 7000 equivalent or higher (Core i9)
  • Recently, Intel has retired their traditional ‘i’ series which has been replaced with their new AI-integrated ‘Ultra’ line.
• Discrete GPU instead of integrated GPU
  • Discrete GPU’s would typically be listed as nVidia or AMD video cards whereas integrated GPU’s would be listed as Intel
  • If the only video card listed is Intel, then the machine does not have a dedicated video card and may not be sufficient for intensive CAD work or rendering
• 32 GB dual channel DDR5 RAM
• 1 TB NVMe Hard Drive

Apple Recommended Specifications:

• Apple M2 Chip or higher with 12-Core CPU and 19-Core GPU
• 32GB unified memory
• 1 TB SSD storage