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University of Nebraska Lincoln
Art and Art History Department
Computer Laptop Requirement specifications
Required for students entering UNL Fall 2011 – Spring 2012
Studio Art majors, including Graphic Design and New Genres, are required to own a laptop computer that meets or exceeds the requirements below.
Art History majors
For students majoring in Art History, there is no computer requirement for hardware or software. If you are interested in purchasing a computer, consider the specifications below for “Studio Art (except Graphic Design/New Genres)” as a starting point.
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Operating System
You may select a computer running either Microsoft Windows 7 or Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. Students are successful with both. We make no specific recommendation. Note: All university computers used in Art Department classrooms are Apple Mac products.
Use of Existing Laptops
You may use your existing computer equipment as long as it meets the required specifications. Foe questions contact the Hixson-Lied College’s Information Technology Services office at 402-472-5831 or cfpahelp@unl.edu.
Where to Buy
You may purchase a computer from any vendor or store. The UNL Computer Store can advise you on appropriate models that will meet the specifications below. They also offer excellent academic pricing on software, including $20 for Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). The UNL Computer Store has 2 locations, in the Nebraska Union lower level, and in the 501 Building on Stadium Drive. Contact: 402-472-5785 or http://marketplace.unl.edu/computershop
Specifications
Intensive use of graphic design and digital arts software places high demands on computer hardware. For this reason, the requirement is divided between medium-level specifications for most Studio Art students, and high-level specifications for Graphic Design and New Genres students.
Studio Art (except Graphic Design/New Genres - see below)
Hardware Specification for Mac/Windows
CPU
RAM- 4 GB minimum
Video Card
Optical Drive- DVD +/- R/RW
Wireless card- 802.11n
Studio Art: Graphic Design/New Genres
Hardware Specification for Mac/Windows
CPU- Intel Core i5 or i7 (dual or quad), or AMD X4; 2.0 GHz or faster
Display- 15 in., 1440 x 900 pixels, minimum
RAM- 4 GB minimum; more is better
Video Card- A discrete video card with dedicated RAM (256MB min.) Examples:
Optical Drive- DVD +/- R/RW
Wireless card- 802.11n
Software for All Studio Art majors
All software listed is available from multiple vendors. The UNL Computer Store carries each at substantial academic discounts, at http://sales.unl.edu/catalog/#tab0 .
The standards of software may change during your time at UNL and additional software may be required for certain courses. The Department of Art understands that additional expenses can be a burden for students and makes all efforts to minimize additional costs. No software, other than what is listed below, will be needed for courses required for graduation, only for studio electives.
Software by Area of Study
Graphic Design/New Genres students- Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection
All other Studio Art areas- Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard
Software for All Students
Image library and editing- Adobe Lightroom
Writing/Presentation- Microsoft Office 2010 (Win) or 2011 (Mac). Available through UNL’s Microsoft campus agreement for $20 at the UNL Computer Store
Antivirus- Sophos Antivirus, provided free by UNL. Download at http://antivirus.unl.edu or take a blank CD to the UNL Computer Help Center in Rm 128, 501 Building, City Campus
Additions to consider
(Last Updated June 9, 2011)
University of Nebraska Lincoln
Art and Art History Department
Computer Laptop Requirement specifications
Required for students entering UNL Fall 2011 – Spring 2012
Studio Art majors, including Graphic Design and New Genres, are required to own a laptop computer that meets or exceeds the requirements below.
Art History majors
For students majoring in Art History, there is no computer requirement for hardware or software. If you are interested in purchasing a computer, consider the specifications below for “Studio Art (except Graphic Design/New Genres)” as a starting point.
__________________________________________________________________________
Operating System
You may select a computer running either Microsoft Windows 7 or Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 or higher. Students are successful with both. We make no specific recommendation. Note: All university computers used in Art Department classrooms are Apple Mac products.
Use of Existing Laptops
You may use your existing computer equipment as long as it meets the required specifications. Foe questions contact the Hixson-Lied College’s Information Technology Services office at 402-472-5831 or cfpahelp@unl.edu.
Where to Buy
You may purchase a computer from any vendor or store. The UNL Computer Store can advise you on appropriate models that will meet the specifications below. They also offer excellent academic pricing on software, including $20 for Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). The UNL Computer Store has 2 locations, in the Nebraska Union lower level, and in the 501 Building on Stadium Drive. Contact: 402-472-5785 or http://marketplace.unl.edu/computershop
Specifications
Intensive use of graphic design and digital arts software places high demands on computer hardware. For this reason, the requirement is divided between medium-level specifications for most Studio Art students, and high-level specifications for Graphic Design and New Genres students.
Studio Art (except Graphic Design/New Genres - see below)
Hardware Specification for Mac/Windows
CPU
- Good- Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD X2 2.4 GHz or faster
- Better- Intel Core i3, i5, i7 or AMD X4 2.0 GHz or faster
RAM- 4 GB minimum
Video Card
- Good- built-in video with shared RAM in most models will be adequate
- Better- built-in Intel HD 3000 included with new Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs
- Best- A discrete video card with dedicated RAM is best for video and 3D work.
Examples:
-AMD Radeon HD 38xx or higher (43xx, 58xx, 64xx, etc.)
-NVidia GeForce GT, GTS, or GTX series
Optical Drive- DVD +/- R/RW
Wireless card- 802.11n
Studio Art: Graphic Design/New Genres
Hardware Specification for Mac/Windows
CPU- Intel Core i5 or i7 (dual or quad), or AMD X4; 2.0 GHz or faster
Display- 15 in., 1440 x 900 pixels, minimum
RAM- 4 GB minimum; more is better
Video Card- A discrete video card with dedicated RAM (256MB min.) Examples:
- AMD Radeon HD 38xx or higher (43xx, 58xx, 64xx, etc.)
- NVidia GeForce GT, GTS, or GTX series
Optical Drive- DVD +/- R/RW
Wireless card- 802.11n
Software for All Studio Art majors
All software listed is available from multiple vendors. The UNL Computer Store carries each at substantial academic discounts, at http://sales.unl.edu/catalog/#tab0 .
The standards of software may change during your time at UNL and additional software may be required for certain courses. The Department of Art understands that additional expenses can be a burden for students and makes all efforts to minimize additional costs. No software, other than what is listed below, will be needed for courses required for graduation, only for studio electives.
Software by Area of Study
Graphic Design/New Genres students- Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection
All other Studio Art areas- Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard
Software for All Students
Image library and editing- Adobe Lightroom
Writing/Presentation- Microsoft Office 2010 (Win) or 2011 (Mac). Available through UNL’s Microsoft campus agreement for $20 at the UNL Computer Store
Antivirus- Sophos Antivirus, provided free by UNL. Download at http://antivirus.unl.edu or take a blank CD to the UNL Computer Help Center in Rm 128, 501 Building, City Campus
Additions to consider
- Extended Warranty, 3 years
- Data backup: An external hard drive or/and a subscription to an online backup service. Some students choose both options for further security. Your computer’s hard drive will fail at some point. It’s essential to maintain an up-to-date backup of your data.
External Hard drive: create a backup using the backup software bundled with your computer: Time Machine (Mac) or Windows Backup and Restore (Windows 7) The size of the external hard drive should be 2-3 times the capacity of the computer’s internal hard drive. Cost: $85-125.
Online Backup Service: commercial web-based services begin at $5 per month. - File transfer: a USB Flash drive, 2GB-4GB. Cost: $9-14
- Macintosh computers can run both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows operating systems. To run Windows-only software on a Mac: purchase a version of Windows 7 for $17 at the UNL Computer Store. Windows can be installed by the student for no additional cost, using Apple’s free Boot Camp software. For an additional fee, the UNL Computer Help Center will install Windows. The UNL Computer Store can advise you on available options at (402) 472-5787
(Last Updated June 9, 2011)
