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Computing

A personal computer is an essential tool for learning and professional work at Taubman College and the college strongly recommends that you have a computer to bring with you for your course and studio work.

Hardware Recommendations

The college does not mandate the purchase of a specific type or model of computer but recommends capabilities listed below. Taubman College uses both Windows and Macintosh computers. Laptops are recommended for portability and security. There is wireless b/g networking throughout the building; an upgrade to provide a/b/g/n wireless is scheduled for completion mid-September '09..

The expected useful life of a computer is three years. Architecture is a compute and graphics intensive program; recommended configurations are at the higher end with faster processors, more memory, and a discreet graphics card. Urban planning students will not need the higher end configurations as their software profile differs; a mid-range laptop will work well. Pre-architecture students will also not need the higher end configurations; pre-architecture work is not as graphically demanding and any machine purchased now will be two years old by the time of admittance to the program. Again, a mid-range laptop is fine. Sites like Passmark provide ways to compare the performance of the CPUs and graphics cards listed in vendor configurations and it's useful to shop the vendor sites (Dell, HP, Apple, Lenovo) as well as the university's Computer Showcase and other third-party resellers. Avoid including Office bundles, high-end Vista versions, or anti-virus software-- those are all much less expensive at the Computer Showcase. While much of the college software is Windows based, many students have purchased Mac laptops and used Apple's Bootcamp or third-party virtualization software (VMWare's Fusion or Parallels) to run Windows applications. A few students have also chosen to combine a Windows desktop with a less expensive/lighter laptop.

Software Recommendations

Taubman College recommends the purchase of an Office suite and the Adobe Creative Suite CS4 Standard or Premium (includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat) -- these products are available at substantial savings at the university's Computer Showcase. Architecture students must also purchase Rhino; the college's Media Center has pricing substantially cheaper than educational online vendors. The university provides a downloadable "Blue Disc" bundle of software at no charge that includes McAfee VirusScan; all machines, real or virtual (Fusion, Parallels), running Windows should have anti-virus software installed. The Blue Disc also provides the Cisco VPN software for access from off-campus.

AutoDesk products are not required, but many student versions, including AutoCAD 2010, are available for free download from AutoDesk as part of the university's AutoDesk licensing relationship. Other online (JourneyEd.com, Campustech.com) and local companies (Ulrich's Electronics) offer educational pricing on many products.

Many students purchase Macs and use either Apple's Bootcamp or third-party products from VMWare (Fusion) or Parallels to run Windows applications. While both Fusion and Parallels continue releasing new versions, we have had more success running Fusion (available at the Showcase). Both approaches -- BootCamp and Fusion or Parallels-- require a Windows operating system. Microsoft Vista Ultimate is available at the Showcase at a very reasonable price; XP Professional is also available but the price has risen substantially in accordance with Microsoft's licensing terms. Some students have found that the Windows 7 Release Candidate, available free for download until August 20 here, has worked fine. The Release Candidate will begin shutting down in March 2010 and stop working in June 2010;; Windows 7 will be officially released October 22, 2009 and will be available at the Showcase sometime this Fall..

Student Comments

"The Adobe Suite, as well as most 3D programs, are all VERY ram intensive, and since there's often a need to have Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Autocad, and Rhino all open at the same time, get as much as humanly possible. Buy the minimum possible and upgrade it yourself - go to crucial.com. Graphics card - obviously this doesn't apply to many, having a workstation level (graphics) card (nvidia quadro, ati firegl) has been a really nice perk on my (laptop)." -- C.B., Architecture student

"I have found having my Compaq laptop very useful at Taubman College. It's now three years old, and tending to run slow with all the software I've installed on it this year--Adobe products, Rhino, AutoCAD. So more memory/speed is better. Having a big screen size is good for all the modeling we do." -- K.D., Architecture student

"I have a 12" Mac Powerbook and I've been very happy with it. It's not too heavy to carry around and I haven't had a problem with the small screen size (although I don't do much graphic-intensive stuff with it). I would say, for urban planning anyway, there's no reason not to get a Mac if you like them." -- C.L., Urban Planning student

"I have a Mac, and I am always pleased with how it performs while some PC-students have difficulties. However, this is a PC-based school. It is Rhino-based, and despite glitches with PCs, I would recommend a PC-laptop. Buy it before you come. You won't have time later. 14" screen seems small. Make sure you have Rhino, Adobe Suite (the latest), a usb drive, and a portable hard drive. Yes, more memory and high speed definitely make a difference." -- R.R., Architecture 3G

"My digital camera was also one of the best investments that I made. Assignments often require photographing, and it's also useful for quickly documenting your work." -- D.K., Architecture student