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Computer Requirements

A letter is sent to incoming students at the end of summer detailing updated computer requirements. Here are our most recent specs: 

The computer will be an invaluable tool for you for the entirety of your career at Cal Poly. CAD and graphics applications in architecture require specific computer requirements, including a dedicated graphics card. While this does add to the initial expense, investing in a more powerful computer will help you in the duration of your education. In previous years, students have regretted the decision not to meet these requirements, as they have had to purchase another machine to match the needs of software in their 2nd or 3rd year. Please note that while a PC or MacBook Pro can work in your first year, industry standard applications that will be introduced later in your education are PC only.

Laptop

  • PC or MacBook Pro (if you choose a MacBook Pro, you will need to use Parallels to install Windows applications later in your education, and therefore we believe that a PC is ultimately the better choice at this point in time).
  • ITS at Cal Poly recommends a Dell [http://dell.com/calpoly]
  • 15” screen size recommended
  • Memory: 32‐GB RAM (64‐GB preferred)
  • Dedicated Graphics Card, such as NVIDIA, minimum 6gb (8gb recommended)
  • 500 SSD GB hard drive (min.)
  • i7 (9th gen or later) or AMD Ryzen Processor

Other Hardware

  • 2-button (min.) mouse with scrolling wheel
  • USB Flash Drive (4 GB min.)
  • External Hard Drive or cloud storage, (1 TB min.)
  • You may also need an adapter depending on laptop ports

Software

You do not need to have the software below installed before we start school—we can help you with that in the first week. However, you are welcome to get a head start and install the software, and even give it a try!

  • Adobe Creative Cloud available here: https://tech.calpoly.edu/services/adobe
  • Word Processing and Presentation (Microsoft Office or equivalent) - Office available here: https://tech.calpoly.edu/microsoft-office-office-365-cal-poly
  • Rhinoceros (Rhino) 8, available with a student discount at the Cal Poly Store: https://www.bkstr.com/calpolystore/product/rhino-8-education-version---esd-425237-1

Purchasing Rhino is required—the 30-day trial will only last...30 days.

 

Updated 07.24.25

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