Multiple USB ports, card reader, optical drive, and Audio input/output jacks are placed on the front face for easy accessibility. Users searching for business class AutoCAD desktop computer to handle all of their professional tasks can choose this PC without any hesitation. I am pretty sure this monster-powered PC won’t disappoints you. Like it or not, for today’s architects and architectural students one of the most important tools you require (aside from possibly a drawing tablet) is a PC, laptop and/or a Mac.It’s almost impossible to successfully study the subject or run and manage a company without one.

Regular vs decaf. Ford vs Chevy. Mac vs Pc. Everyone has their bias and at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. The same way roads are not specific to one car brand, each user should be able to choose an operating system that they prefer (for one reason or another) to get their work done.

Prior to 2007, I was a Windows guy. I built PC’s, ran out to buy Vista when it was released, and used Windows Media Center to run my entire home entertainment system. Then, at the end of 2007, I bought a white Macbook on clearance from a reseller store. I suddenly found myself carrying a 17” Sony Vaio to work in CAD and a 13” white Macbook to do everything else on. At the time, Mac OS X seemed more intuitive, more straight forward and had so many “little things” it just sort of won me over. Since that time, I became quite the “Apple Fanboy.” iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs. I even worked for Apple Retail for a number of years as a Genius. I was fortunate enough to be an Apple employee for the release of 2 products that were very special to me: the first iPad and AutoCAD for Mac.

Even if I migrated from Windows guy to Apple fanboy, I was always an AutoCAD junkie. AutoCAD was my chosen profession, my passion. When AutoCAD for Mac was released in the fall of 2010 I was both overjoyed and slightly saddened. As overjoyed as I was that I was now able to run AutoCAD natively on my Mac, I was saddened by the feature set. Realistically, I understood that Autodesk had re-written AutoCAD from the ground up for Mac OS X, instead of some port or emulator. This process took time, and not every feature AutoCAD had built up in 20-some years would be easily re-coded for a completely different operating system. As much as I understood the logistics, I wanted more.

Here we are 5 years later and much has changed. With each passing year there has been a new release of AutoCAD for Mac, and with each passing release the gap between the two versions of AutoCAD has grown smaller. With AutoCAD for Mac 2013 I was able to all but switch completely to Mac for my CAD usage. 2014 brought with it support for Retina displays. 2015 added Dynamic Block creation. Now, AutoCAD for Mac 2016 is here and it brings a myriad of requested features to the table.

Among other things, AutoCAD for Mac 2016 adds support for Xref path mapping, a number of Express Tools, a customizable Properties Pallete and some great PDF improvements. XRef path mapping helps support those who work in mixed use environments where drawings are opened in Mac OS X and Windows interchangeably. Now we can map a Windows network path to a Mac OS X one, so we no longer need to look for our reference locations every time we open a file. And that is just the start. Take a look at Autodesk’s website to see a rundown of all the new features, and when you are ready to learn how to really use them, head over to lynda.com and take a look at my new course on AutoCAD for Mac 2016 New Features. I've embedded a video below from the course where I go over the new DIM tool.

At the end of the day, Mac vs Pc really isn’t the issue. Each user should have the choice to use the operating system they prefer to get their work done. Whatever environment you prefer, whatever hardware you favor. In the long run, it shouldn’t be Mac VS Pc. It’s Mac OR Pc.

Free Autocad Software For Mac

First developed in the 1980s, AutoCAD is one of the most ubiquitous computer programs used for commercial design and drafting. This year, 2019, marks the ninth consecutive AutoCAD release for Mac. Chances are that if you’re an architect, project manager, engineer, graphic designer, or city planner, you’ve likely used AutoCAD for your work.

Truth is your Mac needs to be in top shape to be able to run AutoCAD at its optimal performance. Without your computer being able to function well, AutoCAD may run slow, commands may take a long time to process, and you may need to force quit or restart your computer if it freezes. To speed up a slow running AutoCAD, you can manually make some changes on your Mac to fix the performance issues so you can get back to creating new worlds.

3 Ways To Speed up AutoCAD

AutoCAD may be causing your computer to lag or freeze when your Mac powers other applications in the background. If you have too many programs running at the same time, for example, having Google Docs and YouTube videos active, you’re not leaving a lot of processing power needed for AutoCAD. Without enough memory on your computer, the program will run slower than usual. See the tips below to help you speed up your drafting experience if your AutoCAD is running slow.

1. Clear browser cache files

You may notice the AutoCAD slow loading if the program is not running its latest update. If you’re looking to fix AutoCAD slow opening files, you can resolve the problem by downloading the latest version from the AutoCAD menu. In addition, you might benefit from a reset to default settings:

1. In the AutoCAD menu, click Preferences.
2. Select the Application tab.
3. Choose Reset Application Options.
4. Click Reset AutoCAD.

Open the program and do some work in a new blank drawing to test if AutoCAD is functioning better.

2. Clear browser cache files

If you’re using AutoCAD often and have noticed it slowing down lately, you should try clearing your cache. Your browser saves certain bits of information each time you visit a new webpage. Eventually that cache will slow down your computer’s performance.

To clear cache in Google Chrome (other browsers work similarly):

Autocad Software For Pc

1. Go to the triple-dot menu button ➙ More Tools ➙ Clear browsing data…
2. Select the time range you want to delete the data from.
3. Check the box next to “Cached Images and Files”.
4. Click Clear Browsing Data.

3. Monitor RAM usage

Are you still dealing with AutoCAD 2017 slow startup? It may have something to do with the other applications you have taking up memory at the same time that you’re running the program. AutoCAD requires at least 2 GB of RAM when working with 2D drawings and at least 4 GB for working with 3D models.

Mac Or Pc For Quickbooks

With the Activity Monitor on your Mac, you can check how much RAM is being used for apps that run in the background. Once you know which applications take up all the memory, you’ll be able to quit non-essentials to free up memory for AutoCAD.

Monitor memory usage by launching Activity Monitor from Applications and following these steps:

1. Switch tabs to Memory and make note of the apps at the top of the list.
2. Quit all the apps you don’t currently need by selecting them and clicking on. the X button at the top-left corner of the window.

If you quit hung applications that are using up memory and it still doesn’t do anything to help AutoCAD run better, try restarting your Mac to reset RAM usage.

4. Clear out heavy-duty system junk

Autocad Software For Mac

Going through the options above will help you with AutoCAD slow performance, but it certainly takes some extra time to go through each step. A faster and easier way to keep your Mac optimized is by using an automatic software like CleanMyMac X.

What you need to do here to dig even deeper is to remove user and system cache files, logs, language settings, and broken login items to counter AutoCAD slow opening files:

1. Download CleanMyMac X here (trial is free).
2. Navigate to System Junk and Scan.
3. Review Details when the scan is done and click Clean.

In just a few seconds, I could get rid of 11 GB of useless data. That’s why CleanMyMac X was voted #1 Product of the Month by Product Hunt — using it is no more difficult that click a single button. If you want more, feel free to explore other scans like Optimization or Maintenance for some specific tweaks.

Once your Mac is optimized for best performance, you’re ready for a good AutoCAD session without the frustration of having to quit or restart your computer. For help with AutoCAD running slow, try using the steps outlined above to optimize your Mac semi-regularly. And of course the quickest solution is CleanMyMac X’s automatic scans.