Hardware and Software Requirements

Updated 5/27/2021

School of Architecture Requirements: Called Architecture Laptops at the Georgia Tech Store

Minimum Recommended Hardware

Processor: Intel Core i7 3.5 Ghz or higher; ; or Intel Xeon-W 2.8Ghz or higher

Memory:  16GB or higher 

Graphics Card: 6GB or 8GB discrete graphics card or higher 

Primary Storage:  500 GB solid state drive or higher 

Backup: External hard drive or cloud service 

Networking: Dual-Band (2.4GHz/5GHz) Wireless 802.11n 

Recovery option: Highly recommended  

I/O devices Physical: Keyboard and mouse (trackpad not sufficient) 

Extended Warranty: Highly recommended 

Optional accessories: Ethernet cable, webcam and microphone, headphones 

Recommended: Kensington laptop lock  

 

See also SCO.gatech.edu

 

Examples: 

ThinkPad P15 Intel (15") - Mobile Workstation 

Dell Precision 5550 Workstation 

We don’t recommend Apple laptops. 

Laptop Recommendations

*The specifications listed in the recommendations below should serve as minimum requirements.

Option One: Dell Mobile Precision 5530

8th gen Intel Core i5-8400H (quad-core 2.5GHz, 4.2GHz Turbo, 8M cache)

Windows 10 Pro 64bit

15.6" UltraSharp FHD (1920x1080) IGZO4 anti-glare Premium Panel Display

NVIDIA Quadro P1000 (4GB GDDR5)

16GB DDR4-2666MHz memory

500GB PCIe M.2 NVMe class 40 Solid-state drive

6-cell (97Whr) Lithium-Ion Battery

Dell Wireless WiFi 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5.0

4 Year ProSupport with Next Business Day Limited Onsite Service

4 Year CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection

GT Technology Store [5/31/2019]: $2012.79

Option Two: Lenovo P51

7th gen Intel Core i7-7820HQ (8M cache, up to 3.90GHz)

Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS display

NVIDIA Quadro M1200M 4GB

16GB RAM (DDR4-2400MHz SODIMM)

512GB PCIe solid-state drive

720p Webcam

Backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader

6-Cell Li-Ion Battery

Intel dual-band WiFi 802.11ac with Bluetooth 4.1

4-Year on-site warranty + Accidental Damage Protection

GT Technology Store [5/31/2019]: $2160.40

Required Software

SOFTWARE below is required to be installed on student laptops 

Operating System  

Windows 10...free 

Adobe  

Creative Cloud...US$19.99/mo 

*Students should be able to access Adobe CC through the VLabs. If you are off campus you will need to connect to the network using the VPN. Once connected, you can reach VLabs through https://mycloud.gatech.edu and via multiple labs on campus. The most commonly used labs are Arch West 358 & 359. Once you've logged in, you can use you @gatech.edu email credentials to access Adobe CC and any of the apps you need to use.  

Autodesk  

Download Free Software 

3ds Max...free 

AutoCAD...free 

A 360...free 

Inventor Professional...free 

Maya...free 

Revit...free 

Robot Structural Analysis Professional...free 

Stingray...free 

FormIt Pro...free 

and more...free 

McNeal  

Rhinoceros 7...US$195  

Grasshopper 

Windows Version...free 

175+ Plugins for Grasshopper...free 

OIT 

Download Software Here 

EndNoteX8...free 

Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus...free 

Additional Software

Chaosgroup 

VRay...US$103.00/year 

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