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
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.
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.
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.