Kansas State University

Requirements for Portable Computers
(Updated June 2008)

Interior Design students entering the second year of study are required to have their own laptop computer that meets or exceeds required minimum specifications. Because the requirements are updated each year, students might want to delay purchase of their laptop until their second year in order to have the most current technology when it is required.

Dell has an agreement with Kansas State University and we've made arrangements with Dell to setup bundles especially made for ID students. Go to Dell's K-State Portal, click the recommended bundles, and Interior Design's bundles are on the bottom of the page.

For Apple computers, we recommend you take a look at the Union Computer Store. They have some good bundles on Apple hardware and good prices on academic licensed software for Mac and PC.

Minimum requirements:

K-State's recommendations for buying a new laptop apply with the following exceptions:

  • A PC or MacBook Pro with Windows XP or newer operating system is required to run applications
  • A dedicated video card with at least 256MB dedicated video RAM is needed to work in required applications with any speed. Intel embedded video will not cut it.  NVidia or ATI dedicated video only
  • External Mouse with 2-buttons and wheel, wired or wireless
  • 15" display
  • K-State Antivirus Software installed
  • Windows installed for dual booting on Apple's are supported, but only if it is booted into a legal purchase version of Windows without virtualization (No Fusion or Parallels). MacBook Pro's are also required because of the video requirement above

Required Applications:

  • Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint
  • Adobe Acrobat reader 7.0
  • Prior to 2nd year of program student should download the latest version of AutoCAD Architecture. Registration is required and the download is free. As system requirements change frequently students should confirm minimum system requirements prior to download.

Optional / recommendations:

  • Dual Core processor 2GHZ or greater
  • 2GB SDRAM
  • 2GB Flash drive
  • An external hard drive for backing up your computer
  • Second backup or bay battery
  • Wider screens are recommended for graphics, but not necessary
  • PDF writer (Adobe Acrobat or DocuDesk)
  • Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard, includes Acrobat, Photoshop, Indesign, and Illustrator

KSU Network Prerequisites and Antivirus Software:

To use the campus wireless or wired network, there are security procedures and programs that need to be installed and adhered to. Please follow the instructions found on the College's Personal and Student Computer Connection Policy.

You will need to protect your laptop by installing antivirus software. As a student, you must download and install this for free at antivirus.ksu.edu