Note!
This computer is your most important tool during your studies. If you save a few bucks now, it can cost you a lot of frustration later when your computer lags, and things don’t work the way you had liked. While your time is limited, please keep that in mind.
For applicants to the Bachelor’s in Game Technology and Bachelor's in AI, you may manage your studies with computers that are slightly less powerful than the minimum requirements listed below. However, due to the study program’s increasing focus on XR and its use in Unreal Engine in both coding, projects and AI, it is recommended that all students acquire powerful computers.
Specifications for LAPTOPS:
CPU:
Minimum: Intel i7 / Core Ultra 7, or AMD Ryzen 7 (modern laptop generation).
Recommended: Intel i7/i9 / Core Ultra 7/9, or AMD Ryzen 7/9, preferably 8 cores or more.
RAM:
Minimum: 16 GB
Recommended: 32 GB (especially for students planning to choose Digital Arts / 3D heavy workflows)
High workload recommendation: 64 GB for advanced Unreal projects, large scenes, heavy simulation/render tasks.
GPU:
Minimum: NVIDIA GeForce RTX laptop GPU with a minimum of 8 GB VRAM.
Recommended minimum level : RTX 4060 / RTX 5060 (or newer equivalent) or better.
Recommended: RTX 4070 / RTX 5070 (or newer equivalent) or better.
High-end: RTX Ti / 80s / 90s class for advanced XR and heavy real-time rendering and Unreal development.
Please Note:
Laptop GPU performance varies widely even within the same RTX model, depending on cooling and GPU power limits (TGP). Choose a laptop with good cooling and sustained performance (not only “thin and light” design).
Graphic cards (GPU) from ATI/AMD may work, but the Game School primarily tests and supports NVIDIA-based systems due to our software pipeline and previous experience with fewer issues in key tools and drivers. If you choose AMD, you are expected to handle more troubleshooting independently.
Laptops with integrated graphics only (Intel/AMD iGPU) will not work and should not be considered.
Disk / Storage:
Required: NVMe (M.2) SSD system disk.
Minimum: 1 TB NVMe SSD
Recommended: 1 TB NVMe SSD + additional internal SSD 1–2 TB, or single 2 TB NVMe SSD.
The minimum recommended free disk space on the system disk at all times is 30 GB for optimal operating system (OS) performance. The reason we recommend this much storage space is that the software used in these study programs can easily use 100-200 GB alone. With additional private software and project work files, the total could easily exceed 250 GB.
Screen:
We recommend 15–17” with Full HD resolution or more (1920 x 1080+). Higher resolution is beneficial for Digital Arts but may reduce battery life and increase heat.
Network card:
Wi-Fi (preferably Wi-Fi 6/6E or better) and/or Gigabit Ethernet (adapter is acceptable).
Connections:
USB-A and USB-C recommended. Thunderbolt / USB4 is a plus. Most modern flash drives and PC hubs now use High-speed USB-C.
OS:
Windows 11, 64-bit is the recommended standard.
Digital Drawing Tablet (optional but recommended for Bachelor's in Game Art and Animation): Wacom or XP-Pen recommended, size M or larger.
Use of Macs in the program:
We don’t recommend using a Mac in our programs. Most of our teaching, software setup, and support routines are based on Windows. A MacBook Pro may still handle parts of the workload coding, 2D work, and some 3D/motion graphics), but there are important limitations studentsmust be aware of before choosing a Mac as their primary study machine.
Even though a MacBook Pro can handle parts of the workload, the following should be considered before buying a Mac to use in this program:
- Software and toolchain support: While much software is available for Mac, many tools,plugins, drivers, and workflows are typically released, updated, and supported forWindows first. This can lead to differences in features, stability, or setup complexity.
- Compatibility: Some course-specific software, middleware, or third-party tools may have limited support on macOS or require workarounds. In such cases, the student is responsible for troubleshooting and finding alternatives.
- Sustained performance: Performance can vary significantly depending on thermal design (heat) during sustained workloads (large projects, long builds, heavy rendering/simulation). This may reduce performance more than expected compared to the system specifications.
Upgrades and cost:
There are a few options to upgrade hardware on modern Macs, and upgrades are expensive. Plan your memory and storage needs at the time of purchase. A MacBook Pro can run Unreal Engine and handle many development tasks, but there are some limitations compared to a Windows laptop: Epic’s macOS requirements are stricter and tied to specific macOS/Xcode versions (and they recommend 32 GB memory or more for Unreal work), some UE5 rendering features are more limited on macOS (for example, hardware-accelerated ray tracing is not currently supported on macOS, so Lumen relies on software ray tracing), and certain features such as Nanite have had more limited/partial support on Apple Silicon (availability can depend on the exact chip generation). In addition, some Marketplace/third party plugins may not be fully compatible on macOS unless they ship correctly for Mac architectures (universal binaries), which can occasionally lead to extra setup and troubleshooting compared to the Windows-first workflow.
If you still choose Mac
We recommend the MacBook Pro only, with high memory and storage (32 GB or more memory recommended, and 1 TB or more storage). You must accept that you may encounter more compatibility issues and will be expected to handle more troubleshooting independently.
All system requirements listed above are recommendations based on previous years’experience and current software pipelines. They are not strict requirements for attending the Game School’s programs, but all students are responsible for ensuring their hardware/software are up to date and can handle the workload. Computer problems due to insufficient specifications are not a valid excuse for an assignment extension.