Welcome to the forums!

Yes you need a licensed copy of Windows. I'm guessing that a MacBook Pro would be nice in your field, but I don't know since that's not what I do for a living

Just an idea...I've had great success with eBay. You could possibly find a good deal on a slightly used MacBook Pro that came bundled with Windows. Many times these auctions come with Apple Care included (Apple's extended warranty) and you can literally save hundreds. Or, you could look at a refurbished model as they too come with a one-year warranty to help save costs. Also, as a student you can get the educational discount on new macs/software through your school. Good luck. I find few people who actually are disappointed making the switch to Mac.

The newest MacBook Penryn will run 32 bit Autocad...just. I have other drawing programs including Autocad reader on my MacBook. Here are the requirements.

For 32-bit AutoCAD 2009:

• Intel® Pentium® 4 processor or AMD Athlon®, 2.2 GHz or greater
  or
  Intel or AMD Dual Core processor, 1.6 GHz or greater
• Microsoft® Windows Vista™, Windows® XP SP2 operating systems

For Microsoft Windows XP SP2:

• 1 GB RAM
• 750 MB free disk space for installation
• 1024x768 VGA with true color
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0 (SP1 or higher)

XP SP2 is 32 bit. You should ask around about getting a copy of XP even though Microsoft does not offer it for sale to consumers any more. I run XP on my MB and it runs fine. You'll probably want an external monitor.

We run Autocad in our construction business on a PC desktop (C2D 2.4GHz 4MB RAM Nvidia GeForce 8600GT 256MB GDDR3 dual monitor video card). I don't actually know if Autocad will run well on a MacBook Pro so I'll leave that post to someone who is actually running it. I'd bet the MBP graphics card would do you (Apple doesn't say if it is GDDR2 or GDDR3) but the screen size will make you want an external monitor. HTH

The only reason to put autocad (Revit Architecture or Maya from Autodesk) on a Macbook or Macbook Pro is if you absolutely must have a portable computer. I carry two MBs with Maya in a briefcase for personal learning. For the price of a Macbook you can have a really stout PC desktop with a large screen to run autocad. I use Maya on a Macbook to design holes in the ground. You would be amazed to find out how much time it takes to design a hole in the ground and how much money it takes to dig a hole these days. I'm learning how to use the software,

The Macbook screen is not that good. Ports are limited especially no express card. The Macbook Pro would be better for class. Speaking of class, you should ask the teacher or other students for recommendations not this forum.

There are many ways to pirate XP. I don't recommend it. Find a copy for sale and buy it or use Vista. Then download the free Revit from Autodesk.

Edit: You should learn the work process of running Autocad. You will be making lots of sample templates like trusses, corners, joints, electric, plumbing, stairs and such. Those need to be saved so storage is a big factor. You need ports like the Express card or Firewire to run external disks for storage. You need a good screen to see details. The external monitor is better for this. If you must go portable then a high end workstation portable is needed. While I run Maya and Rivet on a Macbook in learning construction, I would not recommend the Macbook for architecture class.

Message was edited by: rickcarl

Since I have an account at Autodesk, I downloaded the free Rivet Architecture to my Macbook. It's a big program and took a while to download and unpack. Fortunately I had to rebuild my front porch so I could work while the Macbook loaded.

The free version does not have all the features of the full program - and none of the cost. While it definitely will load and run on the Macbook, the Macbook just does not have the screen space nor the hard drive space for effective use. An external monitor will be a very good idea and an external hard drive a valuable need. While the Macbook Pro has a better screen suitable for class use, I would say the same thing - external monitor and additional hard drive for best use.

Your school will probably offer a deal on a PC or MBP with XP pre-loaded. Check with the school.

One important consideration is that many departments have discount programs, or even free software available to students, and it can be hard to track them down before you get there.

For example, the College of Engineering here has a MSDNAA agreement with Microsoft that allows students to download copies of windows, office, visual studio, etc., for at no charge through the college's website. The College of Business also has one, but the applications available are slightly different (Project 2008, instead of 2003, etc). The College of Design (where Architecture falls under here) has a slightly different program (I think it's to encourage design students to use Microsoft), which allows them to buy install cd's of windows, office, pretty much whatever they want except office for mac, directly from microsoft, for $5 each.

I'm not sure how the student pricing runs on AutoCad, but again, it's worth checking what your department uses, and if they have anything available for students to install on their own machines. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and spend a little time in the lab too .

you can try a windows emulator