Revised– August 2023 

Starting fall 2021, all DS students will need a laptop that can run the software required by their classes.

• Interior Architecture (IA) students cannot use any Mac product because Revit is not compatible with the MacOS operating system. IA students are required to purchase a Windows laptop with a video card (RTX 3060 minimum, RTX 4060 or better recommended), and a minimum of 16GB RAM.

• Textiles & Fashion Design (TFD) students may use a Mac or Windows laptop. A Windows laptop must have a video card, a newer Macbook with an M1 processor is recommended.

• The School of Human Ecology may provide need-based financial assistance to purchase school supplies for students who can demonstrate need. Email Assistant Dean, Patrick Jackson, Patrick.Jackson@wisc.edu for additional information and requests.

Choosing a computer that works with IA software:

• If you are enrolled in the IA program you must choose a Windows laptop, because you will not be able to run Revit on any Mac computer which is required for your courses.
• You will also need to make sure you choose a Windows laptop with a sufficiently powerful video card (also known as a GPU). While there are budget-oriented options for GPUs, more expensive/powerful GPUs will perform better and render faster in our IA applications.
• We are recommending students get laptops with at least RTX 3050 GPUs or better, however a RTX 4060 GPU would be my recommend pick. Starting in 2023, students will also need at least 16GB of RAM as well.
• If you are unsure if your computer has the proper GPU, feel free to send us an email bits@sohe.wisc.edu

Laptop Recommendations for IA

These are four Windows laptop recommendations for Interior Architecture (IA) at different price points that will work, the prices may fluctuate:

• MSI Bravo 15 (Current Price: $899, MSRP: $999)
  • Ryzen 5-7535HS
  • RTX 4050 GPU
  • 512GB SSD/16GB RAM
• ASUS TUF 15.6” (Current Price/MSRP: $1099)
  • Intel i7-12700H
  • RTX 4060 GPU
  • 512GB SSD/16GB RAM
• Lenovo Slim 5 16” (MSRP: $1349)
  • AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU
  • RTX 4060 GPU
  • 512GB SSD/16GB RAM
  • This is the most powerful laptop on the list, currently it’s on sale for a great deal, but prices may vary. If you can find another laptop with a RTX 4060 and 16GB RAM at around this price point, it would also be a great option.
• ASUS Vivobook 15.6” (Current Price/MSRP: $1399)
  • AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS
  • RTX 4060 GPU
  • 1TBSSD/32GB RAM
  • This laptop is slightly more powerful than the other options, and is in a smaller form factor. It also has other models that have more powerful GPUs if you are interested.

Choosing a computer that works with TFD software:

Either a Macbook or Windows laptop will work if you are enrolled in the TFD program. If you prefer a Windows laptop then you must make sure it has a graphics card from Nvidia or Radeon (AMD). If choosing a Macbook, it is highly recommended that it’s a newer model with the M1 or M2 processor. If you want to use an older Macbook with an Intel processor you must make sure it has a graphics card from AMD, also often called Radeon. I would recommend the following Macs:

• Recommended: Macbook Air 13 (TFD Only) - Starts at $1199 (Educational pricing)

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-air/with-m2-chip

• Also available: Macbok Air 13 (with M1 chip) – starts at $899 education pricing

https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-air/with-m1-chip

Either of these computers should be great – the newer Macbook Airs have an updated design and faster CPU (M2 chip), but the Air’s with M1 are still fantastic computers if you are looking for a more affordable option. The Macbook Pros are also worth exploring, but they cost more and the additional computer power is not necessary for any of our programs. Any of the Windows machines from the IA list should be fine as well.

Ask us if you have any questions about computer hardware or vetting for specific laptops! Contact: BITS@sohe.wisc.edu