Computer Requirements and Recommendations

All College of Engineering students are required to have a laptop computer. Both undergraduate and graduate students will need laptops for personal access to software packages.

The College of Engineering provides access to Engineering software through the COE Virtual Lab (VLAB). A laptop that meets the minimum specifications listed below is sufficient for VLAB access. Processing power, memory, and graphics rendering are handled on our servers for VLAB sessions, so your laptop is used only as a terminal. The client software provided for students to access VLAB is compatible with most operating systems, including Windows 10 / 11, Mac OS, and many distributions of Linux.

Minimum Laptop Requirements (to access VLAB)

Keyboard
Mouse (for SolidWorks)
Wireless network card which supports 802.11ac or better
13″ screen or larger recommended

The very minimal requirements mentioned above will decrease the cost of a laptop for students; however, most Engineering students will prefer a laptop with significant processing and graphics power. Many Engineering students prefer to run Engineering software locally on their computer if licensing permits and if their computer can handle it. Many Engineering packages only run on Windows platforms and/or have enhanced hardware requirements, so please keep that in mind when choosing your laptop.

Recommended laptop specifications

To run the software locally on your computer (without reliance on internet access), meeting or exceeding the RECOMMENDED specification in each component category is highly encouraged to improve software performance. The MINIMUM specification provided will allow the software to run, but performance may be significantly reduced.

Component	Minimum	Recommended
Processor Series	11th or 12th Generation i7 / AMD equivalent	13th Generation i7 / AMD equivalent or higher
Processor Specs	8 cores, 3 GHZ or higher	12 cores, 4 GHZ or higher
RAM	16 GB	32 GB
Video	Integrated graphics with high-end CPU	NVIDIA RTX 2/3xxx series, Quadro series, or Ampere series (at least 4 GB GDDR5), or equivalent AMD discrete graphics card
Storage Drive	512 GB Solid State	1 TB or greater Solid State
Technical Support / Warranty	1-year Warranty + Accidental Damage	4 years ProSupport+ Warranty (includes Accidental Damage Coverage)
Operating System	Windows 11, Mac OS 14 or later/above, current Linux distributions	Windows 11

Purchasing — UPDATED for Academic Year 2025/2026

As a Northeastern student, you have access to exclusive educational discounts for new Apple and Dell computers. Use the following links to claim your Dell discount(s) and Dell models that meet minimum and recommended specifications.

To shop Dell laptops, click HERE.

To claim your Dell discount(s), click HERE.

Make sure to review your order after clicking “Add to Cart” to select your warranty and support options (for some models, warranty options can be found at the bottom of the configuration page instead). We strongly recommend getting some level of coverage that covers accidental damage.

Engineering Builds

Dell Pro 16 – Exceeds Minimum Specifications

For students with more interest in Engineering, but want a more well-rounded heavy-duty laptop with improved graphics performance.

You will have to click the “Customize now” button at the bottom-right of the page to select the specifications.

Specifications to Select

Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 265U vPro® (12 TOPS NPU, 12 cores, up to 5.3 GHz)

Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

Graphics: Integrated Intel® graphics for Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 265U vPro® processor

Memory: 32 GB: 1 x 32 GB, DDR5, 5600 MT/s (5200 MT/s with Intel® Core™ processors)

Display: 16″, Non-Touch, FHD+, IPS, Anti-Glare, 300 nits, 45% NTSC, FHD IR Cam

Storage: 1 TB, SSD

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Dell Pro Max 16 – Recommended Specifications

For students committed to Engineering who want a laptop with maximum graphics performance dedicated to Engineering Software.

You will have to click the “Customize now” button at the bottom-right of the page to select the specifications.

Specifications to Select

Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H, vPro® Enterprise (24MB, 16 cores, 16 threads, up to 5.40 GHz Turbo, 45W)

Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

Display: 16″, Non-Touch, FHD+, LCD, 300 nits, FHD HDR RGB Cam, mic, WLAN

Graphics: NVIDIA RTX PRO 1000 Blackwell 8GB GDDR7

Memory: 32GB: 2x16GB, DDR5, 6400 MT/s, CSoDIMM, Dual Channel, non-ECC

Storage: 1TB Performance SSD Gen4, SED Ready

Primary Battery: 6 cell, 96Whr, ExpressCharge™ Capable, standard battery

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General Builds

Dell 16 Premium – Minimum Specification Build

For students who are possibly interested in Engineering, but are currently focused in other areas, may not require a heavy-duty laptop.

You will have to click the “Customize now” button at the bottom-right of the page to select the specifications.

Specifications to Select

Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 255H (16 Cores, up to 5.1GHz Turbo)

Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

Graphics: Intel® Arc™ 140T GPU

Memory: 16GB, LPDDR5X, 7467MT/s, integrated, dual channel

Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

Display: 16.3″, Non-Touch, 2K, 30-120Hz, 500 nits

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Dell 16 Premium -Higher Specification Build

For students who are possibly interested in Engineering, but are currently focused in other areas and want something heavy duty. It is not as powerful as the Dell Pro Max 16, but it is more powerful than the Dell Pro16.

You will have to click the “Customize now” button at the bottom-right of the page to select the specifications.

Specifications to Select

Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 285H (16 Cores, up to 5.4GHz Turbo)

Operating System: Windows 11 Pro

Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060, 8GB GDDR7, 45W

Memory: 32GB, LPDDR5X, 7467MT/s, integrated, dual channel

Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

Display: 16.3″, Non-Touch, 2K, 30-120Hz, 500 nits

Service for computers purchased through the above website is available on campus via Connect to Tech.

For access to educational discounts on Apple products, see the University’s webstore.

Operating System

Most Engineering classes use Windows 11. However, Mac owners can seamlessly transfer files between systems. Many engineering applications run natively only on Windows; Mac users can use our VLAB for those programs. Linux is available in the VLAB and by remote login for classes that require it.

Software

The major software packages used during the first year in COE are Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, MATLAB, and SolidWorks. All of these are available in the COE VLAB and other lab areas. See Engineering Software for more information.

Some software is available free or at a discount through the myNortheastern portal (see Software Downloads and Tech Marketplace under the Services & Links tab).

Engineering students have access to free software through Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching and other vendor programs. See Engineering Software for more information.

Calculator

The Mathematics Department recommends that students have a graphing calculator as an example models TI-83 – TI-86 from Texas Instruments. Certain calculators may not be used in some cases, so it is always best to check with a course instructor.