Computer Requirements for Interior Design Coursework
Students entering the sophomore level are required to have their own laptop with appropriate hardware specifications. Below are recommendations that will help you with your computer requirements.
| Hardware & OS | Minimum | Recommended (we encourage to exceed these for lasting performance) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System: | Windows 10, Windows 11 (64-bit) | Windows 10, Windows 11 (64-bit) |
| Processor: | Intel Core i5 (2.0Ghz or faster), AMD Ryzen 5 | Intel Core i7, AMD Ryzen 7 (or better) |
| Memory: | 16GB RAM | 32GB RAM |
| Hard Drive: | 500GB SSD | 1TB SSD |
| GPU (Video Graphics): | Discrete Graphics Card (NVIDIA or AMD) 4GB vRAM* | Discrete Graphics Card (NVIDIA or AMD) 8GB vRAM* |
| Display: | 1920 x 1080 resolution | 1920 x 1080 resolution or higher |
| Wireless: | 802.11ac | Wi-Fi 6 |
* A "discrete graphics" card is required for best performance. Discrete graphics come with dedicated memory that typically range from 4GB - 8GB on laptops. We encourage using a discrete graphics card with at least 4GB of vRAM, the more the better. Examples of laptop discrete graphics are below:
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
- NVIDIA Quadro K500M
- AMD Radeon HD 7970M
- NVIDIA RTX A1000/A2000
The cards listed above are only a few examples of discrete graphic cards found in laptops. For a more complete list, visit the Autodesk Certified Graphics Hardware website to see all graphics card models certified by Autodesk.
We encourage students to get as close to or match the recommended specifications. If not all recommended specifications can be purchased, we recommend priority be given to a computer with a discrete graphics card over the other listed specifications.
Mac and Chromebooks
Mac and Chromebook laptops should not be considered for the Interior Design program for the following reasons:
- Almost all Interior Design software used in this program is Windows-based.
- Using a virtualization software such as Parallels to run Windows on Mac will not provide the performance or stability which is required by interior design software.