Welcome new students,
Last Updated: May 12, 2023
Congratulations on your admission into the Computer Game Design program here at George Mason University. As the largest public research university in Virginia, Mason offers a myriad of benefits, and we hope your time here is rewarding! One of the benefits of admission to our program is access to computer labs with the necessary hardware and software for our current classes. Given that, we don’t require students to purchase new computers, though we do have a set of recommendations if you decide to buy a new computer:
- Windows 10 or Windows 11 (preference towards Windows 10)
- Intel Core i5 or better, AMD Ryzen 5 or better (Preference towards 6 core or more)
- 16GB of DDR-4 Memory or DDR-5 Memory
- DDR-3 memory is still perfectly acceptable, though it’s an older standard that is being quickly phased out. If you see a computer for sale with DDR-3 memory, be advised that it may be an older generation computer.
- Note that 8GB is still frequently offered. This will still meet the requirements for our software but will be slower at some tasks and likely require students to use lab equipment.
- Internal Graphics Card that is compatible with DX 11 and DX 12 (6GB VRAM minimum and Nvidia Preferred)
- Solid State Drive of at least 256GB in size
- An External hard drive or large (64GB and larger) flash drive.
- Note that flash drives are one of the most frequently lost items in our labs. I recommend marking any flash drives with labels or permanent markers to help ensure their return in case of loss.
In addition to the above recommendations, here are a few things that may be helpful to note:
- Microsoft Office is free of charge to all enrolled students. Please visit Office 365 for details.
- We have no specific brand preference and recommend shopping around to find the best deals.
- Mason has a computer store called Patriot Tech on the Fairfax campus. They offer computer deals, student discounts, and repair services if those may be of interest.
- Many manufacturers offer student discounts. I recommend checking on the website of any store or manufacturer you’re looking at to see if those discounts are available.
- It’s not necessary to buy a “gaming” computer for this program. If your current computer can play most current games, it’s probably sufficient to run most of our software. In this case, we recommend using your current machine and waiting to upgrade until our recommendations change to reflect new upcoming software.
I hope this recommendation sheet proves useful! If you have any inquiries reach out to Illia Stadnyk.