Computer Requirements

Computer Purchase Recommendations

It is important for engineering students to have a laptop computer that meets or exceeds the specifications provided below. Many courses require students to use their computers both on and off campus and run the required software anywhere and anytime. Students will want to have a capable machine that will allow for mobility, flexibility and collaboration.

Students are advised to purchase computers listed under "Small Business" or "Business" categories rather than from "Consumer" product lines.

Computer discounts are available to Drexel students. Visit the Drexel Buying Guide for links to the manufacturers that offer education discounts.

Operating Systems

The reality is that in the world of engineering software, access to a Windows environment is often necessary. However, this doesn't mean that a Mac or run Linux is not an option. All of the Drexel Engineering academic programs have access to Windows virtual desktops loaded with the software necessary to complete coursework and assignments.

For some licensed software, physical or virtual computer labs are the only way the software licenses allow us to make it available. For many other software packages, student licenses are available to run on your computer. If you want to be able to run the software directly on your computer, then Windows will be the easiest way to do this. If you're running MacOS or Linux, you'll have to run Windows virtually to accomplish this task.

Hardware

Intel Core i5 or i7 or AMD Ryzen 5 or better

RAM

8GB of RAM, but 16GB (or more) is recommended.

The software solutions like CAD, finite-element analysis and other computationally intensive engineering applications, may require extra memory and will make a difference in the system's responsiveness.

Storage

We recommend at least a 250GB SSD. If you're planning on running macOS or Linux and will need to run Windows virtually, you should opt for at least 500GB.

GPU

Most engineering software will benefit from having a dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU). This will usually be listed as NVIDIA GTX/RTX or AMD Radeon GPU in the laptop specs. For new laptops, even integrated Intel UHD graphics are likely enough to run most graphically-intensive software acceptably.

For more detailed information visit Drexel IT or Drexel Engineering IT