Laptop requirements for Westphal students
Last Updated: July 27, 2021
Notes:
- This laptop guide is for students enrolled in Westphal College. For other colleges, see the Drexel University Information
Technology Computer Buying Guide.
- Our laptop requirements have been updated for Academic Year 2021-2022.
- Most manufacturers are currently experiencing longer than usual lead times due to component shortages.
We know there are a lot of great options when it comes to purchasing a new laptop and narrowing it down can be
overwhelming. We're here to help you choose a laptop with the right technology to empower your productivity, fuel
your creativity, and bring your ideas to life.
Since 1983, Drexel University policy has required each student to have access to a personal computer. Our laptop
requirements build on the University's policy and recommendations to provide personalized guidance for new design,
media, creative enterprise management, and performing arts students. The requirements on this page are thoughtfully
developed to help guide your purchase and find the right laptop that fits your needs.
Choose the device that's right for you
We've partnered with our faculty to determine the academic and industry standards to support your creative
process and help you achieve success in your academic program.
Laptop requirements and software availability vary, so it's important to choose a laptop with the right
capabilities for your area of study—whether you're curating an exhibit, editing a film, or rendering a
virtual world, our device specifications make it easy to find the best laptop that will meet your needs.
Animation & Visual Effects
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core
or AMD equivalent |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core or greater
or AMD equivalent |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
1TB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or greater |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for
Animation & Visual Effects students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Architecture
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Dedicated with 4GB graphics memory |
Dedicated with 6GB graphics memory or higher |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for
Architecture students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Art History
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Art
History students. Art History students also receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Arts Administration & Museum Leadership
Our online Arts Administration & Museum Leadership program also recommends a headset with microphone.
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Arts
Administration & Museum Leadership students. Arts Administration & Museum Leadership students
also receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Dance and Performing Arts
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
Dance and Performing Arts students receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Design & Merchandising
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Design
& Merchandising students. Design & Merchandising students also receive educational discounts
from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Design Research
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
1TB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Dedicated with 6GB graphics memory
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Design
Research students. Design Research students also receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core
or AMD equivalent |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core or greater
or AMD equivalent |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
1TB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or greater |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Digital
Media (MS) students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Entertainment & Arts Management
Students in the Entertainment & Arts Management program choose an area of concentration no later than the end of spring term in your first academic year. If you have a laptop, we advise that you wait to purchase a new laptop until you've selected
your concentration. If you do not have a laptop, we suggest purchasing a low cost, entry-level laptop, and
to purchase a laptop that meets your concentration’s minimum requirements after you’ve selected your
concentration. If you switch concentrations, you may need to purchase a different laptop that meets the
minimum requirements of your new concentration.
Cinema and Television
Students choosing the concentration in Cinema and Television should purchase a laptop that meets or
exceeds the requirements for our Film & Television program.
Laptop
requirements for Film & Television
Dance, Performing Arts, or Theatre
Students choosing a concentration in Dance, Performing Arts, or Theatre should purchase a laptop that
meets or exceeds the requirements for our Dance and Performing Arts programs.
Laptop
requirements for Dance and Performing Arts
Visual Arts Management
Students choosing the concentration in Visual Arts Management should purchase a laptop that meets or
exceeds the requirements for our Art History program.
Laptop requirements
for Art History
Fashion Design and Fashion Design (MS)
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA with 4GB graphics memory |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Fashion
Design and Fashion Design (MS) students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Film & Television
Our Film & Television program recommends a Mac laptop, but the use of a Windows laptop that meets or
exceeds our requirements is acceptable and compatible with your industry standard software.
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core
or Apple M1 chip |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
Dedicated with 4GB graphics memory or higher
or Apple M1 chip |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Operating system |
PC: Windows 10 Pro |
PC: Windows 10 Pro |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Game Design & Production
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core
or AMD equivalent |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core or greater
or AMD equivalent |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
1TB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or greater |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Game
Design & Production students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Graphic Design
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro laptop
|
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
AMD Radeon Pro with 4GB graphics memory or higher |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
Graphic Design students receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Interior Architecture & Design
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Dedicated with 4GB graphics memory |
Dedicated with 6GB graphics memory or higher |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Display |
Anti-glare or matte display (recommended) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Interior
Architecture & Design students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Interior Design
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Dedicated with 4GB graphics memory |
Dedicated with 6GB graphics memory or higher |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Interior
Design students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Music Industry
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro laptop
|
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
AMD Radeon Pro with 4GB graphics memory or higher |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
Music Industry students receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Photography
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
Photography students receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Product Design
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Dedicated with 4GB graphics memory or higher |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Product
Design students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Retail & Merchandising
Our online Retail & Merchandising program also recommends a headset with microphone.
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Retail
& Merchandising students. Retail & Merchandising students also receive educational discounts
from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Screenwriting & Playwriting
Our Screenwriting & Playwriting program recommends a Mac laptop, but the use of a Windows laptop that
meets or exceeds our requirements is acceptable and compatible with your industry standard software.
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core
or Apple M1 chip |
Intel Core i7 6-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
Dedicated with 4GB graphics memory or higher
or Apple M1 chip |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Operating system |
PC: Windows 10 Pro |
PC: Windows 10 Pro |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
Screenwriting & Playwriting students receive educational discounts from Apple, Dell, and Lenovo.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Television & Media Management
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for
Television & Media Management students. Television & Media Management students also receive
educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Urban Strategy
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Integrated Intel graphics
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Urban
Strategy students. Urban Strategy students also receive educational discounts from Apple.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
User Experience & Interaction Design
|
Minimum Requirement |
| Device type |
Apple laptop or
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i5 Quad-core or greater
or Apple M1 chip |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
Dedicated with 2GB graphics memory or higher
or Apple M1 chip |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
User Experience & Interaction Design students receive educational discounts from Apple, Dell, and Lenovo.
Shop Apple
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Virtual Reality & Immersive Media
|
Minimum Requirement |
Recommended |
| Device type |
Windows laptop |
Windows laptop |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core
or AMD equivalent |
Intel Core i7 Quad-core or greater
or AMD equivalent |
| Memory (RAM) |
16GB |
32GB or higher |
| Storage |
512GB SSD |
1TB SSD or larger |
| Graphics |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or greater |
| Camera |
720p HD webcam |
720p HD webcam |
| Wireless |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/n (dual-band) |
| Warranty & service |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
3-year or 4-year extended support
Accidental damage protection |
Save with our valued partners
We've partnered with Dell and Lenovo to offer preconfigured laptops with exclusive discounts for Virtual
Reality & Immersive Media students.
Shop Dell
Shop Lenovo
Undeclared Design & Media
Students in the Undeclared Design & Media program choose a major no later than the end of spring term in your first academic year. If you have a laptop, we advise that you wait to purchase a new laptop until you've chosen your major. If you do not have a laptop, we suggest purchasing a low cost, entry-level laptop, and to purchase a laptop that meets your major’s minimum requirements after you’ve selected your major. If you switch majors, you may need to purchase a different laptop that meets the minimum requirements of your new major.
Keep your device up and running
You may have the option to purchase extended protection and accidental damage coverage for your device. We
recommend you make sure you're covered if something goes wrong.
Work worry-free and minimize out-of-pocket repair costs with an extended warranty for hardware
coverage. Get covered for things like spills, drops, and cracked screens with accidental damage protection.
Keep your files safe
Losing data because of malware or a computer problem is discouraging and can set back your academic progress. You
might lose months of writing, planning, creating, designing, and innovating. However, a little prevention can go
a long way to avoiding this ordeal.
To help save you lots of time and aggravation, we recommend that you use a secure cloud service,
such as Backblaze or Carbonite, to back up your data. Keep your files safe
from malware, human error, theft, and hardware failure—if something happens to your device, you don't have
to worry about losing your files.
We recommend these accessories
Make the most of your device with these recommended accessories.
- USB-C multiport adapter
- Headset with microphone
- Bag or sleeve
- Additional power supply
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