Arts and Design Computer Requirements
High Point University > David R. Hayworth School of Arts and Design > Arts and Design Computer Requirements

Graphic Design—Minimum Computing Requirements

Hardware:
The Required Computer System: The Apple Macintosh remains the industry standard computer in the print design, publishing, and multimedia design industries. We require the MacBook Pro Laptop with Apple M4 Pro with 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 48GB unified memory, 1TB SSD storage for all Graphic Design majors. The system we recommend is based on the newest technology, and the software that we require for our courses follows industry standards.

Software:
Graphic Design students should purchase the current version of Adobe Creative Cloud which should include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Adobe XD, Adobe Lightroom, and Adobe Acrobat.

Operating System – Mac® OS X® 10.13.6 “High Sierra” or higher

  1. Processor – Apple M4 Pro with 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
  2. Memory – 48GB unified memory / RAM, **Recommended: 64GB unified Memory / RAM
  3. Disk Space – Minimum: 1T SSD storage
  4. Video Display – Liquid Retina XDR display
  5. Ports – Three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
  6. Connectivity – Wired and Wireless LAN (802.11). Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services

Recommended:

  1. Tablet- Recommended: iPad Pro with Apple Pencil or Wacom Intuos Drawing Tablet
  2. Camera – Recommended: Access to a high-quality camera (Nikon DSLR) or high-quality smart phone camera.

These requirements are for the 2025-2026 academic year.

BFA, Graphic Design – Required by Sophomore year.
BA, Design Studies  – Required by Junior year

All Interior Design Majors will be required to purchase a PC laptop by the beginning of their sophomore year. Specifications will be updated and listed for devices every spring, due to the pace at which technology changes. It is recommended that all Visual Merchandising Design minors buy an equivalent laptop, please verify with instructors before purchasing. Macintosh laptop computers will not meet the minimum requirements. Fashion Merchandising majors may need a similar laptop, please verify with your instructors before purchasing. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact Brandon Jones, Technical Coordinator at [email protected]

System requirements for PC laptop – 2025/2026

  • Operating System– Microsoft® Windows® 11 PRO or higher is required.
  • Processor– Multi-core processor (16 or more Cores are Required), i7 or i9- Series or higher or AMD equivalent is required. It is recommended that you purchase the highest and most affordable CPU speed available.
  • Memory– 64GB is required (must be able to upgrade to at least 64GB or more)
  • Disk Space–1TB or higher Solid-State Drive is required. 2TB recommended, 30 or more GB of free disk space for each software installation is required,
  • Video Display– Ultra-High-Definition Monitor at least 1680 x 1050 with true color or equivalent – (this is an approximation, monitors with similar specs will work as well.)
  • Web Cam– An onboard or attached camera with HD or UD audio and visual controls is required.
  • Graphics Card– A NVIDIA RTX Graphic card with GPU 8GB GDDR6 or higher is required. Minimally a DirectX® 11 capable graphics card with Shader Model 5 or higher is required. This is required for Adobe® / Autodesk® / Enscape® products to work at maximum output capabilities.
  • Web Browser– The latest version of Chrome® and/or equivalent is required.
  • Internet Connectivity– The latest version and fastest speed of a Wired and Wireless LAN (802.11) is required. Internet connection and registration are necessary for software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to other Online services.
  • Bluetooth Compatible Connectivity is Required
  • Pointer device– 3 button, Microsoft -compliant, mouse with scroll wheel required. An ergonomic mouse is highly recommended.
  • Portable Solid-State Hard Drive– 1 TB or higher Samsung SSD or equivalent is required, more than one may be purchased if necessary.
  • A set of reliable WIRED headphones for the labs but wireless/Bluetooth are fine for use with the laptop.

NOTE:

Autodesk® provides free, student-version software. HPU has previously provided a free license for Adobe® CC and Microsoft® software. Both are also available for purchase at a discounted price for students. A pro version of SketchUp® and Enscape® software is provided for students at a discounted price and must be purchased if students want to use the software on personal laptops all software is provided free only in the computer labs in Norton Hall.. Instructions for all required software will be provided at the beginning of the sophomore year. A 3-button, Microsoft® -compliant, mouse is required to operate software on all laptops. 2 IN 1 laptops/tablets, will probably not meet all the above specifications, so please verify with the instructor/professor before purchasing, as they may not be upgradeable and/or generally cost more than traditional laptops.