Personal Computing at the School of Architecture and Planning

Architecture Requirements General Recommendations

These computing requirements apply to students enrolled in the Master of Architecture program at the School of Architecture and Planning.

Computing Hardware Minimum Requirements

Students are required to have their own personal laptop computer. We recommend

  • Intel Core i7 2.5- 2.9 GHz CPU or faster
  • Windows 10 or above - MacOS is not supported
  • 16 GB RAM minimum (32 GB RAM or more strongly recommended)
  • Discrete graphics card with 4 GB or more of memory (NVIDIA graphics card with 4 GB or more of video RAM recommended)
  • 512 GB or larger SSD hard drive storage
  • 4 year/extended warranty/multi-year service agreement 
  • Web Cam/microphone
  • A USB-enabled mouse with scroll wheel (Bluetooth wireless or corded.)

We do not support Apple sysems since Mac OS will not run many required software packages and they generally cause printing problems. Chromebooks will not run required architecture software. Additionally, it is recommended that you purchase a laptop cable lock to secure your laptop when using it on campus.

While we recommend the use of UBbox, the university’s cloud storage system, it is also recommended that you purchase a portable external hard drive and/or flash drives.

You can find special discounted pricing on Dell laptops. 

Software Requirements

Install the latest versions of the following software onto your laptops before arriving at orientation.

More information about UB provided software and ways to access it.

Please contact the School of Architecture and Planning IT services (ap-itservices@buffalo.edu) with any questions with regard to Computing Hardware and Software.