F ALL Computer Purchase Guide

Transcription

1 COLLEGE OF ARTS + ARCHITECTURE F ALL Computer Purchase Guide WHO IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A LAPTOP? First year students (both undergraduate and graduate) are required to have a laptop in their first semester. These recommendations are meant to serve as a guide to aid in your purchasing decision. WHERE TO GO FOR HELP? If you have any questions, call or visit the NinerTech Computer Store (which is a great on-campus computing resource for UNC Charlotte students) located in the Student Union. NinerTech is your tech-savvy partner for life at UNC Charlotte. They are with you from choosing the right laptop for your major, to servicing malfunctions when you least expect them. Read more about why NinerTech is more than just the tech store. NinerTech carries everything that is recommended in this guide, customizes hardware and software bundles for students, and also offers sales and repair services for Apple, HP, and Dell computers. You may also contact Gary Hunter in the CoA+A IT Department or by at garyhunter@uncc.edu or call with any questions you may have. DECIDING WHICH SYSTEM: MAC OR WINDOWS? The School of Architecture (SoA) highly recommends purchasing the high-end 15 Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display for all first year students. While the MacBook Pro is not a requirement, the department recommends it because the overall quality is much higher than comparable non-apple laptops and they have proven to last longer. All (except one) of the computing labs in the Storrs building have Apple imacs and all SoA faculty use Apple computers. Many architecture students have chosen to go with the 15 Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display because you can run Mac and/or Windows on the same laptop. While the department recommends the 15 MacBook Pro with Retina Display, we recognize you should select a computer that works best for the individual student. If you choose to go with a different computer, you should try to match or exceed the specs for the machines listed in the charts. We have included a sample HP & Dell laptop option that could meet a student s needs (please note that the HP s & Dell s laptop lines change often and these are the current models as of April 2015). The NinerTech Computer Store can help you find a laptop that matches or exceeds the SoA recommended configuration. WARRANTIES & INSURANCE The School of Architecture highly recommends the purchase of a warranty and insurance for your student laptop. There are two different kinds of warranties to consider. The first is the extended manufacturer s warranty. This covers the machine if it fails for some reason due to the design or components. The second kind is accidental damage, which covers the machine regardless of what happens, including spills, drops, and acts of nature.

2 SOFTWARE FIRST Year Undergraduate and Graduate students will need the following software: Microsoft Office is available free of charge for all students. For more information see the MS Office 365 software download page. Adobe Creative Cloud ($239.88/year for student subscription). Find out more at your NinerTech store. Windows $129 and Parallels $39.99 (if purchased with the computer installed free of charge). FIRST Year Graduate students will need the additional software: SketchUp Pro ($49) In the same way a textbook purchase would be required for a class, additional software purchases may be requested by individual professors or desired by students. By waiting to purchase software until it is needed, you will be able to purchase the most up-to- date version and not carry the burden of upgrading software the student may not have used. The university provides some free software for students registered for classes in the current term such as MS Office, Antivirus software, and a few more. For more information see the ITS Services software downloads page. The following are applications available in the SoA computing labs and may be required by courses: Adobe Acrobat Pro Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Design Builder Apple iwork ARC GIS Nemetschek Vectorworks* SketchUp Pro AutoDesk 3DS Max* McNeel Rhino AutoDesk AutoCAD* Microsoft Office* AutoDesk Revit* Strand 7 *These applications are free to download for UNC Charlotte students. RECOMMENDED PORTABLE EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE Each Architecture student will be required to purchase a portable external hard drive (portable means no additional power supply, just a USB/Thunderbolt connection to the computer). These drives will be required for all courses that use the computing labs. It has two important functions: 1) to store files that are used in the computer labs, and 2) to be used as a back-up drive for their laptop. Manufacturers such as Western Digital, G-Technology and LaCie are recommended (minimum size should be 750 GB). Find out more at your NinerTech store.

3 LAPTOP SECURITY CABLE LOCK The Storrs building is a relatively secure location on campus. It is a well-lit, open space, which is typically populated 24 hours a day. However, it is very important that you understand the School of Architecture can make no guarantees for the security of your privately owned computing equipment and that you are ultimately responsible for the safety of your computer. To provide increased protection, the department recommends a high quality security cable lock for your laptop. Laptop lock products are great and can be found for under $80. OTHER RECOMMENDED ITEMS The following are not required but are useful External Optical Drive Bluetooth or USB Mouse Digital Camera Surge Protector/UPS Durable Laptop Carrying Case InkJet Printer Laptop Skin/Shell Ethernet Cable/Apple Adapter Use the charts on the following page to help you determine which computer system best suits your needs. Please note that the availability of items in the NinerTech store are subject to change. For more information regarding availability and options, please visit the NinerTech store or website. Representatives in the NinerTech store can help you find a suitable alternative if necessary. Everyone s situation is unique and choices vary widely. Inquire at the NinerTech about a financing option or regarding the best way for you and your family to acquire your computer. NinerTech Store Store Information: ninertech@uncc.edu 1st Floor, Student Union Monday - Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm Contact the store for extended summer hours!

4 Component Screen Size CPU RAM Graphics Card Hard Drive Warranty Notes Description Minimum Requirements Apple 15 MacBook Pro w/retina ($ ) Apple Options PC Options Recommended Solution Windows Solution Windows Solution Apple 15 MacBook Pro w/retina ($ ) Diagonal measurement At least Interprets & executes instructions in a computer. The brain of the computer that is key to its 2.0 GHz Intel 2.5 GHz Quad- Core Intel 2.5 GHz Quad- Core Intel performance. Quad- Core i7 Core i7 Core i7 The speed of which the computer can run multiple HP Zbook ($ ) 15.6 Anti- Glare LED Display 2.4 GHz Quad- Core Intel Core i7 4700MQ Dell Latitude E6540 ($ ) 15.6 Anti- Glare LED Display 2.7 GHz Quad- Core Intel Core i7 4800MQ processes simultaneously. 8GB DDR2 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3L 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3L 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 16GB DDR3L This card helps to render/draw the graphics Dedicated from imaging and 3D Graphics NVIDIA Quadro AMD Radeon HD applications. Card K110M with 2GB 8790M Graphics with A dedicated video card is w/512mb NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M dedicated GDDR5 2GB dedicated GDDR5 required. memory with 2GB GDDR5 memory with 2GB GDDR5 memory memory memory Space available on the computer for saving files. The bigger the better for storing graphics and image renderings. To protect your investment. 256GB 512GB PCIe- based flash storage This is the only Apple MacBook that has a dedicated video card. This laptop meets all the needs of an Architecture student and will run Mac and/or Windows. 512GB PCIe- based flash storage This is the only Apple MacBook that has a dedicated video card. This laptop meets all the needs of an Architecture student and will run Mac and/or Windows. 750GB 7200rpm w/32gb solid state drive This computer runs Windows and not Mac OSX 1TB 5400rpm w/8gb solid state drive This computer runs Windows and not Mac OSX

5 Additional Estimated NinerTech Cost* ($129) MS Office 365 (Win & Mac) University ($129) MS Office 365 (Win & Mac) University MS Office 365 University ADOBE Creative Cloud Student Yearly Toshiba Canvio Slim External Hard Drive MS Office 365 University ADOBE Creative Cloud Student Yearly Toshiba Canvio Slim External Hard Drive Parallels Desktop for Mac ($39.99) ADOBE Creative Cloud Student Yearly Toshiba Canvio Slim External Hard Drive MacLocks MacBook Air & Retina Locking System ($79.99) Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter ($29.00) Prices based on product availability excluding tax and shipping if applicable. $ $ $ $