Engineering Computer & Calculator Requirements
Laptops
All engineering students must have a laptop computer and reliable internet access.
| Component | Minimum | Better (Recommended) | Top Level (Best for computationally-intensive software) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 13 inches | 15-16 inches | 17+ inches |
| Processor Speed | 2.6 GHz or faster (Typical: AMD Ryzen 7, Intel i7-9750) | 5.1 GHz or faster (Typical: AMD Ryzen 9, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX) | 5.1 GHz or faster (Typical: Intel i9) |
| RAM | 8 GB or more (should be upgradable, not soldered on) | 16 GB or more | 32 GB or more |
| Hard Drive | 512 GB SSD or more | 1 TB SSD or more | 2 TB SSD or more |
Typical Built-In Graphics Card (See below) | NVIDIA GTX 4050 or 4060, 8GB VRAM | NVIDIA RTX 4090, 16GB VRAM | NVIDIA RTX 5080, 16GB VRAM |
Operating System (See below) | Windows | Windows | Windows |
Graphics Cards
Laptops with "integrated graphics" run the display from the CPU and are not sufficient to run required CAD software. You should select a computer with a dedicated graphics card (GPU), with its own separate, dedicated memory (VRAM).
Operating System
Students must use Windows; Mac computers are not recommended for Maritime College engineering students. Many of the required applications are not available on MacOS, and Maritime College faculty and staff are unable to provide technical support for MacOS.
- In instances where the software is available on MacOS, the interface may look very different from that of the Windows version, and instructional materials are only provided for Windows.
- Students who prefer a Mac must select one with at least 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB hard drive. You can run Windows on a Mac in one of two ways:
IMPORTANT NOTE: The newest Macs currently run the Apple Silicon M4 chip. Though they will run Windows in Boot Camp, often they will not run Windows CAD graphics applications such as Rhino. This is because the Apple Silicon M4 chip is an ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) chip, which is not supported by this software for graphics through Boot Camp. Again, Macs are NOT recommended. (Apple has scheduled the release of the M5 chip for their latest computers in fall 2025.)
Example Laptops - May 2025
Below are some examples of suitable laptop computers; these are suggestions only, there are many others. Note that specifications, availability, and pricing change constantly.
Minimum
- Acer Nitro V ANV15-41-R2Y3 Gaming Laptop (CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS: GPU: GeForce RTX 40504 6 GB; 512GB SSD, about $790)
- Lenovo LOQ 15.6" FHD 144Hz Gaming Notebook (CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS; GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB; 512 GB HDD Win10; 15 Gig RAM, about $1,100)
Better (Recommended)
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 16" OLED QHD 240Hz Gaming Laptop (CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 ; GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 12 GB; 1TB SSD. RAM: 16GB, about $1,800)
- Acer Predator Triton Neo 16 Gaming Creator Laptop (CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H; 32 GB RAM, 1TB SSD; GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070 12 GB, about $1,900)
Top Level
- MSI Vector 16 HX AI 16” 240Hz QHD+ Gaming Laptop (CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX; GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16 GB; RAM: 32GB; 2TB NVMe SSDV, about $2,900)
- Alienware m15 R5 15.6" (CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX; GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16 GB; RAM: 32GB; 1TB PCIe SSD, about $3,100)
Calculators
Basic Scientific Calculators
Only the models listed below are allowed for many lower-division math and science courses. Students may not use a programmable graphing calculator for these classes.
- Texas Instruments: all TI-30X and TI-36X models (any Texas Instruments calculator must have "TI-30X" or "TI-36X" in its model name)
- Hewlett Packard: HP 33s or HP 35s models, no others
- Casio: fx-115 or fx-991 models (any Casio calculator must have "fx-115" or "fx-991" in its model name)
Programmable Graphing Calculators
Upper-division engineering courses allow students to use any of the following graphing calculators.
- Texas Instruments: TI-83 Plus or TI-84 Plus
- Hewlett Packard: HP-50g Graphing Calculator