IT: Laptop Recommendations

laptop icon

Hardware Specifications

Most software that you will be using while a student at Cooper Union can run on either Mac or Windows Operating Systems. Choosing a laptop is a personal choice that depends on a number of factors:  affordability, lifespan, and aesthetics.  Our recommended specifications take into account the software you will likely be using in your program of study, with cost and longevity factored in as well.  If you are looking for a configuration that will likely last through your four or five years at Cooper, we recommend purchasing a laptop that exceeds the minimums.

  • School of Architecture students generally prefer to work with Windows OS laptops because Rhino 6 for Windows has far wider plugin support than Rhino 6 for Mac. However, Windows 10 can be run on Apple laptops with the right specifications and plenty of architecture students work on Apple laptops.
  • School of Art students who are comfortable in either Mac OS or Windows will be able to work with the primary software suite for the School of Art: the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of apps. While many faculty and staff in the School of Art prefer Apple products, a Windows PC will meet art students' needs as well
  • School of Engineering students generally prefer to work with Windows OS laptops because certain software, like SOLIDWORKS, only run in Windows. Windows 10 can be run on Apple laptops with the right specifications and some Engineering faculty and students work on Apple laptops.

 

Click here for deals on recommended Dell laptops for Cooper Students.

*Recommended configurations come with top of the line 3-year Prosupport Plus, that includes Accidental Damage

 

WINDOWS LAPTOP SPECIFICATIONS
  Minimum Specifications Recommended Specifications

Operating System

 Microsoft Windows 10  Microsoft Windows 10 or later

Processor

 Intel 11th Gen Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5000 series  Intel 12th Gen Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 6000 series

Memory

 8 GB of RAM

16 or 32+ GB RAM

GPU

 2GB of GPU VRAM 4+ GB of GPU VRAM

Storage

 512 GB SSD

512GB or more
Monitor Resolution

 

 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080 or greater

 

APPLE LAPTOP SPECIFICATIONS
  Minimum Specifications Recommended Specifications

Operating System

 macOS v10.13 or later Mac OS v11.x (Catalina) or Mac OS v11.x (Big Sur) or Mac OS v12.x (Monterey)

Processor

 Intel Core i5 CPU Apple M1, M1 Pro or M1 Max or Intel Core i7 or i9 CPU

Memory

 8 GB of RAM

16 or 32+ GB RAM

GPU

 2GB of GPU VRAM 4GB of GPU VRAM (Intel)

Storage

 512 GB SSD 1TB SSD

Monitor

Resolution

 

 1280 x 800 Apple Retina Display (3072 x 1920)

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.