The University of Auckland has a competitive purchase agreement with PB Tech and Cyclone Computers.

PB Tech provides an up-to-date list of machines matching the highly recommended, recommended and minimum specifications outlined below. The PB Tech team will be pleased to help you sort through any questions you may have.

There is a PB Tech store at our City Campus if you require face to face support. View the PB Tech products for University of Auckland Design students

Cyclone computers also provide an up to date list of machines relevant to Design’s BYOD recommendations and usually offer a 3 year extended warranty. View their offerings through the Cyclone BYOD portal under the ‘Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries’ tab.

We encourage you to refer to the specifications outlined below when deciding on a laptop, but be aware that some configurations are better suited for different purposes so it’s a good idea to think about what you will be using it for and specializing in. As a rule of thumb, for every instance a good base machine is needed, this is a fast CPU, and the more RAM (memory) and fast storage (SSD, solid-state hard drive) the better. Additionally, depending on requirements a good graphics card is needed, for gaming or real-time rendering a powerful graphics card is needed, generally newer is better but it’s best to compare specifications to get an idea of capabilities. You will also need HDMI video output for presenting. This can be built-in or you will need to get an adaptor for your computer. It is also a good idea to have a USB thumb drive for transferring files.

There are plenty of good review websites that are just a google away. Here is a brief summary of recommended specs for different types of design as of 2021.

Graphics design (Photoshop, Illustrator etc):
This category can use the Recommended specs or the Highly recommended specs below.

A good, large screen is important for any graphical work, at least 15″ FHD (full HD, 1080p) is good, QHD (4K ) would be better. A new generation quad-core, 64bit CPU (intel i7, AMD Ryzen 7 or Apple M1) with at least 16GB of RAM, and at least a 512GB SSD to keep things snappy. Also, at least a discrete (not integrated into the CPU) graphics card (GPU) with 2GB of dedicated memory (Geforce GTX or Apple M1 etc)

Video editing, effects, and 3D digital content creation (Cinema 4D) :
This category is best suited for the Highly recommended specs below

A good large screen at least 15″ QHD (4K ) is important, at least 32GB of RAM to allow easy opening of big files, an 8-core 64-bit CPU (intel i9, AMD Ryzen 9 or Apple M1) to keep processing fast, a 1TB SSD hard drive for storing large and lots of files quickly, and a discrete graphics card (GPU) with at least 4GB of dedicated memory (Geforce RTX, AMD Radeon Pro or Apple M1) for all the rendering and graphical calculations.

Game Development:
Highly recommended specs are below.

Really you need a good everything with the best graphics card your can get. A good large screen at least 15″ FHD (1080p ), at least 32GB of RAM, at least a 6-core 64-bit CPU (intel i7, AMD Ryzen 7 or Apple M1), a 1TB SSD hard drive, and a discrete graphics card (GPU) with 6GB of dedicated memory (Geforce RTX, AMD Radeon Pro or Apple M1)

We also recommend you arrange personal insurance to cover damage and loss of your device and a warranty that will cover the duration of your study.

There is a lot to take in when choosing a computer and it can be a bit overwhelming. If you are unsure about what specifications are relevant to your interest you can always contact us; the Design Technicians, who will try and help you out.

Highly recommended specifications

This specification will enable you to complete every aspect of your Design coursework, including high-performance prototyping and development applications such as Autodesk Maya for graphical production and Unity for dynamic interactive (gaming) projects.

For this option, these are the specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 10, Mac OS 10.14 (or higher)
• Processor: Intel i7 8-core Processor (Latest gen), AMD equivalent, or Apple M1
• Memory: 32GB RAM
• Hard drive: 1TB SSD
• Graphics card: Nvidia RTX 3050 or higher
• Screen: 15 inches
• Connectivity: WIFI and LAN
• Ports: Two USB 3.0 ports (one USB-A or USB-A adaptor)
• Battery life: 6-8 hours from one charge
• Mouse (maybe wireless)
• Preferably light and robust
• A protective carrying case

Recommended specifications

This specification will enable you to perform video editing, such as graphical and motion development. Many designers present their ideas and prototypes using visuals, documents and videos. This computer will allow you to do that. However, increasingly, designers are expected to be familiar with more complex production environments such as virtual and gaming environments. If you want to learn how to do this kind of work, this computer may limit your options.

For this option, these are the specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 10, Mac OS 10.14 (or higher)
• Processor: Intel i7 quad-core Processor (10th gen or newer), AMD equivalent, or Apple M1
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Hard drive: 512GB SSD
• Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 1660 or RTX or better
• Screen: 15 inches
• Connectivity: WIFI and LAN
• Ports: Two USB 3.0 port (one USB-A or USB-A adaptor)
• Battery life: 6-8 hours from one charge
• Mouse (maybe wireless)
• Preferably light and robust
• A protective carrying case

Minimum specifications

This specification will enable you to use simple graphics apps such as some basic Adobe products but will limit your ability to contribute comprehensively to your courses. Designers who have a ‘minimum specification’ laptop to carry around will normally have a desktop computer in their studio with components matching the more recommended machines listed above, to do their more complex design and development work. Desktop computers are often more reasonably priced and dollar for dollar normally have higher capabilities than laptops.

For this option, these are the specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 10, Mac OS 10.14 (or higher)
• Processor: Intel i5 Processor, AMD equivalent
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Hard drive: 256GB SSD
• Graphics card: Dedicated graphics
• Screen: 13 inches
• Connectivity: WIFI
• Ports: one USB 3.0 port (USB-A type or adaptor)
• Battery life: 6-8 hours from one charge
• Mouse (maybe wireless)
• Preferably light and robust
• A protective carrying case

As a Design student, you will need graphical design software such as the Adobe Creative Cloud suite apps or free alternatives, Microsoft Office 365 and up-to-date antivirus software installed on your laptop.

Some free alternatives and descriptions can be found on the technicians’ website here.

Our IT staff will be in the Design studios during the first two weeks of classes to help you get your laptop set up with the right software.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud is recommended but not necessary for your courses. It includes the main set of apps used by designers around the world consisting of a suite of 20+ Adobe Creative Cloud apps which is available at a special price for University of Auckland students, on either a monthly or annual subscription basis. To access the discounted subscription, you will need your University of Auckland student email address. Your email address will be provided to you once you have enrolled in your courses.

Antivirus software

We highly recommend you install modern up-to-date antivirus software on your laptops, such as Norton, McAfee, AVG or Kaspersky.

Microsoft Office 365

You will be able to install Microsoft Office 365 for free with your University email, through the University network when you begin your classes from here.

Optional software

There are other software apps that may be useful during your studies such as Unity, Blender, Fusion 360, Rhino 7 and Steam. Most of these apps are free to download. Our IT and Design staff will talk more about optional apps during the first few weeks of classes.

A list of free alternative software can be found on our Software page. More information on University supplied or discounted software can be found here.