Art + Design | design.ncsu.edu

WINDOWS

Components	Windows Desktop	Windows Laptop
CPU (Processor)	Intel-compatible (Pentium, AMD): 2 GHz or faster
System RAM Tell me more	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
Hard Disk Size Tell me more	320 GB minimum, more preferred	250 GB minimum, more preferred
Monitor Tell me more	18" or larger	14" or larger (second external monitor optional)
Video Adapter Tell me more	256 MB VRAM or more
Operating System	Windows XP Pro or Vista Business
Sound Card	100% Windows compliant sound card
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)
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
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 or later (Consider Adobe Creative Suite 4, which is now available in several different bundles. "Creative Suite 4 Design Premium" is a good fit for most Art and Design students. It includes InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop Extended, Flash Professional and Dreamweaver. Other bundles are available.) • Adobe After Effects CS4 or later

MACINTOSH

Components	Macintosh Desktop	Macintosh Laptop
CPU (Processor)	iMac or MacPro, any current model	MacBook Pro, any current model
System RAM Tell me more	4 GB minimum, more preferred	4 GB minimum, more preferred if capable
CD/DVD Tell me more	SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Hard Disk Size Tell me more	320 GB minimum, more preferred	250 GB minimum, more preferred
Monitor Tell me more	18" or larger	15" or 17"(second external monitor optional)
Video Adapter Tell me more	256 MB VRAM or more
Operating System	Mac OS X version 10.5 or later
Sound Card	Standard on Macintosh
Ethernet Adapter Tell me more	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	3-year AppleCare Protection Plan
Software (Be sure to check for educational discounts through the College of Design or NCSU Bookstores)	• Microsoft Office 2008 or later • Adobe Photoshop CS4 or later • Adobe Illustrator CS4 or later • Adobe Flash CS4 Professional or later (Consider Adobe Creative Suite 4, which is now available in several different bundles. "Creative Suite 4 Design Premium" is a good fit for most Art and Design students. It includes InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop Extended, Flash Professional and Dreamweaver. Other bundles are available.) • Adobe After Effects CS4 or later 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.)

Questions?

For additional assistance, please contact the Department of Art and Design office at 919.515.8315 or send email to: design_help@ncsu.edu.

Go back to the College's Student Computing Requirements and Information page for general information.

For technical assistance or if you would like us to look over your purchase selection before you spend money, feel free to contact the College's Information Technology staff by sending an email to: design_help@ncsu.edu.