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Laptop Recommendation

While the Landscape Architecture department at Rutgers provides two fully equipped computing labs, it is suggested that students have a personal laptop computer for at least the last 5 semesters of the Landscape Architecture BSLA or MLA programs. As professional programs, the use of a personal computer is increasingly necessary to facilitate the computer-intensive work that we require. Landscape Architects today work at a desk that is both a drafting table and a computer work station. This multi-modal approach to work is an important part of the creative process and central to how many universities teach design studios.

Recognizing that every student’s resources and needs are different, we do not require a specific type or brand of computer, however some software used in courses requires specific hardware and operating systems. Guidelines can be found below.

Recommendations

Windows 10 and 11 operating system supports all course software. The core curriculum studios, Geomatics, and Visualization courses use Windows 11 OS and Windows-based software, consistent with our two computer labs. 

Note to Mac users:
Mac versions are available for some course software, however it can vary from the Windows version and you may run into compatibility issues in classes and/or when working on group projects. Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or other virtualization software can be used to run Windows software on top of the OSX operating system however, it may hinder processor intensive Windows software programs students will use.

Hardware Specifics

  • Laptop users will need a computer mouse, nothing special to start, but you will need one.
  • A 64-bit Intel or AMD processor with 8 GB’s of RAM is the minimum needed for heavy graphical work. 64 GB’s of RAM may be useful at times, but is not essential.
  • Though much of your work as a student will be stored in cloud storage, a 512 GB or larger solid state drive (SSD) will ensure you have the space needed for software and large projects.  
  • An powerful video card can be useful to help off-load graphics work from the computer’s processor and RAM. To be able to render 3-d models to create life-like images you will need a minimum of a 4GB OpenGL 4.5 capable video card.
  • A larger [14-17” wide] laptop screen is highly recommended. You may want to get a 24” – 32″ external monitor and external keyboard for home use. We recommend Full HD (1920 x 1080) or higher for both the laptop screen and any external monitors.

More detailed specifications can be found on on the software developer websites for software used in our courses and computer labs.

Software

Rutgers offers free access to several software packages for current faculty, staff and students. Read more about software.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS