4 Things Architects Should Consider When Picking a PC

Architects cannot shop for a PC like the average user since they don’t conduct average tasks or run average programs on their machines. Architects work with very sophisticated software that uses all a computer's resources and they automatically have to start at the mid-end to high-end category when looking at PCs. They also need to look for the right specs to power the multiple applications they will be using sometimes simultaneously. Let's take a look at some of the things architects should consider when picking a PC.

Should You Get a Desktop or a Laptop?

Unless you absolutely need to do design work on the go, you're not obligated to get a laptop for architecture. You could get a powerful desktop for much cheaper than a comparable laptop and use it as your sole machine. Or you could get a second budget laptop to do some basic tasks on the go.

The Graphics Card

There are different kinds of graphics cards on the market, and you need to be very careful when looking at these since architecture programs tend to be very graphics intensive. You can go for an integrated graphics card, a workstation graphics card, or a gaming graphics card. You can scratch integrated cards off the list as none of them will be powerful enough for the type of programs you'll need to run. Workstation cards, on the other hand, tend to struggle with 3D imaging. But gaming cards were made to perform the same 3D rendering tasks many architecture programs perform.

Here, you should go as high as you can possibly afford. Any machine with an RTX card or an RX 6000 card should be sufficient.

The CPU

You will also need a very powerful processor to run programs as most of them are very taxing on the CPU. While the GPU will be responsible for showing images on the screen, the CPU is what will be doing all the work in the background and a slow CPU will make it hard for you to multitask. Here we suggest that you go for at least an i9 processor or a Ryzen processor.

If you’re looking for a perfect desktop for architecture, then we suggest you look for a Lenovo PC for Architects as they have machines with high-grade graphics cards and Ryzen processors for well under 500.

RAM and Storage

RAM is also something you have to think about when looking for a PC as an architect. The RAM, like the CPU, will make a big difference in your ability to multitask and it will affect how smooth any animations are on the screen. Here, you should go with anything under 32 GB.

When it comes to storage, you need enough to store the very big files you’ll have to work with. We wouldn't recommend that you go under 1 TB here, but you can never go too big.

These are all things you’ll have to look closely at when choosing PCs for architecture. Don’t hesitate to ask other architects about their machines and what you should be on the lookout for when picking a computer.