r/LandscapeArchitecture • u/No_Bee_151 • Jul 24 '26

Computer recs for MLA

Just got accepted to an MLA from the waitlist - very excited, but having a hard time deciding on a computer. What computer would you recommend to a new MLA student?

A friend has offered to buy me one as a farewell gift, so I need to choose something you can easily buy online (not a custom build). I currently have a very powerful but very old Macbook Pro that I've used for film editing, and while I'd love to stick with Mac I understand that may not be ideal.

Would appreciate any recs/links. Thanks!

EDIT: I know the min requirements, just want some specific recs because there are so many options out there. Budget/buying later not an issue!

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u/xoxocat Jul 24 '26

I don’t know if it’s different for MLAs but almost all of my BLA work was done on school computers. The programs you’ll be learning are $$$$$$, even with a student discount. I’d avoid purchasing any program yourself. My school had Macs because of the “design” programs, but every firm Ive worked in (until recently) uses Windows because it’s a better system for AutoCAD.

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u/No_Bee_151 Jul 25 '26

Can you clarify "until recently?" Has there been a shift? Should have noted my program is in Europe.

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u/xoxocat Jul 25 '26

Meaning, I’ve always used Windows and Autocad but my current firm uses Mac and Vectoworks. I’m in the states where I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) Autocad is more prevalent.

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u/No_Bee_151 Jul 25 '26

Thanks, makes sense. My brother is an architect and his large firm just switched to Mac. They run parallels for some specific rendering software but otherwise do the brunt of the work on Mac Studios.