Computer Specifications

This page contains recommended computer specifications (specs) for students pursuing a major in Computer Game Design & Development, Computer Science, Information Technology or Software Engineering.

We have a Dell premier buying program that allows discounts and provides recommended specs.

Remember that computing components tend to evolve rapidly, and buying a computer with more power, RAM and space will typically last you for a longer period.

General Baseline Recommended Specifications

Windows-based machines are generally recommended, however Apple/iOS/Linux machines are also a possibility. Many classes are set up assuming you have a Windows-based machine and so will use software built for Windows, but there may be alternative similar software for iOS and Linux Distro machines.

  • Intel i7 (preferred) or i5 processor
  • 16-32 GB (or more) of RAM
  • 500+ GB of storage (HDD or SSD)

Major-Specific Information

  • Major
    Recommendation
  • Computer Science
    General baseline recommendations are sufficient, however if you are interested in high powered computing, multi-threading or doing research, a higher powered CPU (at least i7 most recent generation) and as much RAM as possible is recommended. Research interests may also go into GPUs (so you will likely want a discrete graphics card).
  • Software Engineering
    General baseline recommendations are sufficient, however if you are interested in high powered computing, multi-threading or doing research, a higher powered CPU (at least i7 most recent generation) and as much RAM as possible is recommended. Research interests may also go into GPUs (so you will likely want a discrete graphics card).
  • Computer Game Design & Development

    Alienware towers or laptops are recommended or any general Windows-based machine.

    i7 CPU

    32+ GB of RAM

    500 GB - 1 TB of storage (depending on whether you like to game or store additional things on the system you intend to use. Art, videos, game engines and images can take up quite a bit of space when working with assets for game development)

    Separate graphics card/GPU or non-integrated graphics memory is recommended for performance - NVIDIA cards are typically recommended.

    Note: if you just want to play video games, i5 processors are sufficient for most games on the market right now, however performance and experience may be lower quality.

  • Information Technology

    Windows-based is preferred, however iOS and Linux are also viable options. 

    i5 CPU

    As much RAM as you can get (or have the capability to expand)

    256-500GB of storage, however if you have hobbies that include art, video-editing, photography, etc you may want more storage. External hard drives can also do in a pinch.

 

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