NC State University | College of Design | Industrial Design Computer Requirements

(Updated July 2009)

The Department of Industrial Design requires purchase of computers by students depending on their individual curriculum. Students may use either Macintosh or Windows computers for their coursework. While the industrial design industry uses different platforms, our curriculum has chosen to use the Windows platform for certain software applications.

The NC State Office of Information Technology and the NCSU Bookstores have made arrangements with several computer vendors to offer special pricing to students. Students should compare these prices before making a final purchase, since these prices can offer a substantial savings. For more information see: Computer vendors with special pricing for NC State students or contact the NCSU Bookstores before making your final purchase.

The NCSU Bookstores provides an Online Store for students to use. This Online Store can provide significant discounts beyond the typical educational discounts many vendors provide. Please click here for the NCSU Bookstores Online Store. When using the Online Store, please type "College of Design" in the Order Options box on the checkout page. Order forms must be completed by July 1, 2009 to allow delivery by Tax Holiday weekend, August 7-9, 2009.

Software requirements are listed at the bottom of the chart below. Additional specialized software may be required in other courses, as determined by the instructor. Students are encouraged to consider the purchase of other software to support their particular goals and learning styles.

Each department in the College of Design has different computer requirements. Students should contact their departmental office if they have questions about specific hardware or software requirements.

For students purchasing new computers to bring to campus, we recommend that your computer meet or exceed the specifications below. Depending on your computing needs, a computer you purchase today may not meet your needs for your entire tenure at the College of Design. A computer with greater capability (processor speed, RAM, disk capacity) and expandability will be more likely to continue to run the software you require.

This chart, adapted from the NC State University Office of Information Technology website, provides minimum recommendations for students purchasing new computers. Clicking on "Tell Me More" will provide detailed information about a component.

Students in Industrial Design should pay particular attention to the AutoDesk AliasStudio qualified hardware list to find computers and hardware compatible with Alias StudioTools. In addition students are encouraged to select NVidia graphics cards for increased compatibility. Because of the intense software needs of Industrial Design students, higher-end computers are specified.

Note: The use of Apple Boot Camp allows Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista, as well as many Windows applications to run on an Apple Macintosh computer. The cost of Windows XP Professional or Windows Vista and Windows-compatible software will be in addition to Macintosh-compatible software. Other options for running Windows applications on a Macintosh, using virtualization are available as well. We consider the dual-boot method a good option for students wanting to use both Macintosh and Windows software. More of our students are choosing to go this way. Students interested in running Windows on a Macintosh computer are encouraged to speak with the College of Design Information Technology staff. Apple computers are not on the AutoDesk AliasStudio qualified hardware list, but models we have tested do work with AutoDesk AliasStudio. AutoDesk AliasStudio does not run in Mac OSX. Users would have to install Windows operating system.

Component	Windows Desktop	Windows Laptop	Macintosh Desktop	Macintosh Laptop
CPU (Processor)	Intel-compatible (Pentium, AMD): 3 GHz or faster	Intel-compatible (Pentium, AMD): 2.4 GHz or faster	MacPro, any current model	MacBook Pro, any current 15" (with dedicated video memory) or 17" model
System RAM Tell me more	4 GB minimum, more preferred	4 GB minimum, more preferred if capable	4 GB minimum, more preferred	4 GB minimum, more preferred if capable
CD/DVD Tell me more	CD-RW/DVD-ROM or CD-RW/DVD-R	CD-RW/DVD-ROM or CD-RW/DVD-R	SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)	SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Hard Disk Size Tell me more	320 GB minimum, more preferred	250 GB minimum, more preferred	320 GB minimum, more preferred	250 GB minimum, more preferred
Monitor Tell me more	18" or larger	14" or larger (second external monitor optional)	18" or larger	15" or 17"(second external monitor optional)
Video Adapter Tell me more	512 MB VRAM minimum (NVIDIA preferred)	512 MB VRAM minimum (NVIDIA preferred)	512 MB VRAM minimum (NVIDIA is standard)	512 MB VRAM minimum (NVIDIA is standard)
Operating System	Windows XP Pro or Vista Business	Windows XP Pro or Vista Business	Mac OS X version 10.5 or later	Mac OS X version 10.5 or later
Sound Card	100% Windows compliant sound card	100% Windows compliant sound card	Standard on Macintosh	Standard on Macintosh
Ethernet Adapter Tell me more	Built-in RJ-45	Built-in RJ-45 (802.11g compatible wireless ethernet card optional, but needed for wireless network access)	Standard on Macintosh	Standard on Macintosh (Wireless Airport Extreme card also standard)
External Hard Drive for Back-ups	An external drive at least as large as your computer's internal drive for backing up your computer.
Warranty Service	minimum 3-year onsite parts and labor	minimum 3-year onsite parts and labor	3-year AppleCare Protection Plan	3-year AppleCare Protection Plan
Software (Be sure to check for educational discounts through the College of Design or NCSU Bookstores.)	• Microsoft Office 2007 or later • Adobe Photoshop CS4 or later • Adobe Illustrator CS4 or later • Adobe Flash CS4 Professional and Dreamweaver CS4 (optional) (Consider Adobe Creative Suite 4, which is now available in several different bundles. "Creative Suite 4 Design Premium" is a good fit for most Industrial Design students. It includes InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop Extended, Flash Professional and Dreamweaver. Other bundles are available.) • AutoDesk AliasStudio (Optional for sophomore year) • Students wishing to pursue work in Animation and Game Development should consider purchasing Autodesk 3ds Max		• Microsoft Office 2008 or later • Adobe Photoshop CS4 or later • Adobe Illustrator CS4 or later • Adobe Flash CS4 Professional and Dreamweaver CS4 (optional) (Consider Adobe Creative Suite 4, which is now available in several different bundles. "Creative Suite 4 Design Premium" is a good fit for most Industrial Design students. It includes InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop Extended, Flash Professional and Dreamweaver. Other bundles are available.) If you want to run both Mac OS X and Windows on a Mac, you will also need: • Microsoft Windows XP Professional (in addition to Mac OS X) and Windows compatible software of your choosing. (You do not need to have the same software applications for both operating systems.) • AutoDesk AliasStudio (Optional for sophomore year) • Students wishing to pursue work in Animation and Game Development should consider purchasing Autodesk 3ds Max. These listed AutoDesk products do not run in Mac OS X. Users will have to install Windows operating system.