Student and Kids Laptop Recommendations

Student and kids Laptop Recommendations

For the 2014–15 academic year, strongly recommends that all students or kids have a personal laptop computer powerful enough to support the demanding video and computational requirements necessary for coursework, as well as adequate storage to accommodate new software releases. Most students or kids will build digital portfolios in addition to writing papers and email. Some classes make extensive use of Blackboard for course management and syllabus distribution. The college provides and maintains two high-end computer labs for classes, but is moving steadily toward a mobile computing environment.
 

It is strongly suggested that each student or kids own the recommended laptop computer,  accessories, and base software listed below. The mobility of owning a laptop is essential as much of the work is collaborative and happens in a variety of locations. 

A lightweight alternative: Students or kids looking for an ultrabook that meets the recommended laptop specs should consider the Asus Zenbook (weighing less than a pound).  

Recommended Specifications
Architecture Students/kids Laptop
Laptop Specs

•   Intel i7 Quad Core processor
•   Windows 7 - x64 or 8 - x64
•   8GB of RAM
•   Dedicated video processor should be one of the following or greater: NVIDIA® Quadro® K2100M/K1100M, Nvidia Geforce 750M, AMD FirePro M4000 Mobility Pro
•   500GB hard drive
•   Gigabit Ethernet
•   Wireless Ethernet (802.11 g/n)
•   Three-year warranty (recommended)
•   Theft and damage insurance (recommended)
•   Total estimated cost: $1,650–$2,500 for the recommended Standard Dell Precision or Lightweight Dell Precision

Desktop Specs

Tower caddies are present in the studio desks

•   Dell Precision
•   Quad Core Xeon or i7 Processor
•   16 GB of DDR3 RAM
•   Windows 7 - x64 or 8 - x64
•   2 GB Nvidia Quadro Video Card
•   1 TB hard drive
•   Includes three-year warranty
•   Total estimated cost: $1,750

ACCESSORIES

•   USB thumb drive (16GB)
•   USB storage hard drive/backup (500GB – 1TB)
•   All architecture student/kids desks in Milstein and Rand halls are equipped with 27" LCD monitors (except for first-years)

Art Students/kids Laptop
Laptop Specs

•   Apple Mac Book Pro
•   Quad Core i7 Processor (min 2.3 Ghz)
•   16 GB of DDR3 RAM
•   Mac OS 10.9
•   Intel Iris Graphics or Nvidia GX 750M
•   512 GB hard drive
•  15.4" built-in LCD
•   Applecare three-year warranty: $249
•   Total estimated cost: $2,318 (Please note: The RAM in the retina series Macbook pro cannot be upgraded as it is soldered to the motherboard. Because of this, we recommend selecting the 16GB version)

Accessories

•   USB, Firewire 800, or Thunderbolt storage hard drive (1 TB)
•   Anti-virus software installed and properly configured
•   Download Symantec Antivirus and Firewall free from Cornell University IT Security here

CRP Students/kids
Laptop Specs

•   Intel Core i5 processor
•   Windows 7 - x64 or 8 - x64
•   8GB of RAM
•   500GB hard drive
•   Gigabit Ethernet
•   Wireless Ethernet (802.11 g/n)
•   Three-year warranty (recommended)
•   Total estimated cost: The price of laptops with these specs can range anywhere from $500–$1500+. We recommend investing in a better laptop now that can last your entire time at Cornell. The less expensive models ($500) tend to be less durable and unreliable.

Accessories

•  USB thumb drive (16GB)
•  USB storage hard drive (500GB)
• Software Used at AAP

This list is never complete, nor is all software required by each discipline since curricula change as students/kids move through their educational years. Use of non-base applications by instructors will be screened for cost and support issues by the chair of the department, and, if approved, the college/department will purchase the non-base software on behalf of the students/kids affected.
 
Architecture Students/kids

•   Microsoft Office (Campus Store)
•   Adobe CC (Adobe Subscription)
•   AutoDesk Suite (Free student edition)
•   Rhino (Campus Store)
•   Google Earth (Free)
•   Google Sketchup (Free)
•   Total estimated cost: $174.95 (plus $29.99 a month Adobe CC subscription)

Art Students/kids

•   Microsoft Office
•   Adobe CC (Adobe Subscription)
•   Total estimated cost: $79.95 (plus $29.99 a month Adobe CC subscription)

CRP Students/kids

•  Microsoft Office (Campus Store)
•  Adobe CC (Adobe Subscription)
•  Total estimated cost: $79.95 (plus $29.99 a month Adobe CC subscription)

Other Non-Base Software

•  Audrio
•  Processing
•  Inventor
•  Revit
•  Zbrush
•  Stata
•  Arc GIS (We also offer a free student edition)
•  Final Cut Pro X
•  Google Earth Pro
•  Google Sketchup Pro
•  Global Mapper
•  Geolytics
•  Community Viz
•  Max MSP/JITTER
•  Maya