Difference between revisions of "IAM Recommended Computers"
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==Computer Recommendations== | ==Computer Recommendations== | ||
| − | + | In general it is up to the student on whether they find a laptop or desktop to be more appropriate, but there are some helpful guidelines that will apply to either form factor. | |
#Buy as much as you can! Technology is rapidly changing and buying a computer that meets the needs of todays software will only cause your system to become outdated and unable to run software that may come out a couple years down the road or even a few months in some cases! | #Buy as much as you can! Technology is rapidly changing and buying a computer that meets the needs of todays software will only cause your system to become outdated and unable to run software that may come out a couple years down the road or even a few months in some cases! | ||
#RAM: this is what will allow students to run multiple applications at once or higher performance applications more smoothly. In general we recommend nothing less than 8GB but again buy more if you can. Especially with systems like Mac Book Pros that do not allow you to upgrade this after purchase since the memory is soldered to the logic board. | #RAM: this is what will allow students to run multiple applications at once or higher performance applications more smoothly. In general we recommend nothing less than 8GB but again buy more if you can. Especially with systems like Mac Book Pros that do not allow you to upgrade this after purchase since the memory is soldered to the logic board. | ||
#Graphics: In IAM we use both NVIDIA and AMD and the best advice we can give you is to by a discrete graphics card from one of these manufactures. We have AMD FirePro and NVIDIA Quadro and GTX cards. Any of these would work fine and if you are looking at a Mac AMD Radeon R9 series will do as well. Again the more the better but ideally you'd want to try and get no less than 2GB of dedicated video memory if possible. | #Graphics: In IAM we use both NVIDIA and AMD and the best advice we can give you is to by a discrete graphics card from one of these manufactures. We have AMD FirePro and NVIDIA Quadro and GTX cards. Any of these would work fine and if you are looking at a Mac AMD Radeon R9 series will do as well. Again the more the better but ideally you'd want to try and get no less than 2GB of dedicated video memory if possible. | ||
Revision as of 15:16, 1 August 2016
Main
In general you will find our labs to be available for most students to use while taking courses in IAM but some students do find a need for purchasing their own computers. In IAM you will find a wide range of machines both Mac and PC to run our wide range of computer applications. Most of the software that we use in the IAM department is cross platform so it is up to your preference whether to use Mac or PC. There are a few Windows specific software exceptions noted below.
For Windows, Windows 10 64-bt Professional is recommended.
Alternatively, you can use Bootcamp Assistant on an Intel Mac to install Windows as a second Operating System, allowing you to pick which OS you want to use when you start your computer. You will need to have a copy of Windows to do this, but you can get a free copy through the Dreamspark Program once you are enrolled in IAM classes. Again, you will need an Intel Mac to do this, G5's or anything older cannot run Bootcamp.
Platform Specific software
Windows
- Visual Studio 2015 (IAM Major/Game Design Major Intro to Programming)
- MS MSQL Managment Studio (IAM Major Data Design)
- AutoDesk 3ds Max 2016
- AutoDesk MotionBuilder 2016
OS X
- Xcode IDE
Software
You can see a list of all the software currently installed in the labs on the IAM Computer Labs page.
Students and Faculty get hardware discounts from Apple and Dell.
Students and Faculty also receive discounts on software. Columbia College Discounts
Additional Adobe software is available at discounted rates: JourneyEd
The IAM department is a member of Microsoft's Dreamspark program so students and faculty can get free Microsoft products. See the Dreamspark Page for more details.
Computer Recommendations
In general it is up to the student on whether they find a laptop or desktop to be more appropriate, but there are some helpful guidelines that will apply to either form factor.
- Buy as much as you can! Technology is rapidly changing and buying a computer that meets the needs of todays software will only cause your system to become outdated and unable to run software that may come out a couple years down the road or even a few months in some cases!
- RAM: this is what will allow students to run multiple applications at once or higher performance applications more smoothly. In general we recommend nothing less than 8GB but again buy more if you can. Especially with systems like Mac Book Pros that do not allow you to upgrade this after purchase since the memory is soldered to the logic board.
- Graphics: In IAM we use both NVIDIA and AMD and the best advice we can give you is to by a discrete graphics card from one of these manufactures. We have AMD FirePro and NVIDIA Quadro and GTX cards. Any of these would work fine and if you are looking at a Mac AMD Radeon R9 series will do as well. Again the more the better but ideally you'd want to try and get no less than 2GB of dedicated video memory if possible.
