What equipment will I need?
We would suggest you use an MS Windows 11 (or newer) system for ease of access to our commonly used systems, and to use some of the specialist engineering software for your studies. Devices based on ARM processors (such as some newer Snapdragon-based Windows laptops) may not support all required engineering software or hardware interfaces, so a standard Intel or AMD system remains the most reliable option. We would also suggest your device should have a microphone and webcam to interact with staff and students during online support sessions and tutorials.
You do not need to purchase any software; Microsoft 365 (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.) is available free of charge to all students for the duration of their studies and specialist engineering software is available at any time and from anywhere via our Engineering Virtual Desktop or provided under license to run on your own device. While the Virtual Desktop is suitable for most software use, it requires a stable and reasonably fast internet connection and is not suitable for all hardware-based activities.
There are computer rooms available on campus and a laptop loan service but both are offered on a first come first served basis. Whilst you will have access to suitable computing facilities to support your learning, having your own device will allow you to better manage your time and your studies. Any students (home, EU, and International) who might struggle with financing IT equipment can apply for support via the Hardship Fund.
This page will help guide you through the requirements that your laptop needs to meet. We can only recommend things to you; we cannot tell you what to buy. That's up to you so please read the following carefully.
How we use computers in the teaching of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
From first year onwards you'll learn how to code in C and C++. You will learn how to develop applications for traditional computers, single board computers and microcontrollers. Some hardware platforms require connecting to a host computer or laptop so that you can develop and upload your application on to the specific platform. We therefore rely on the host computer being compatible with this process and the most predictable and reliable platform for this remains a Windows 11 based computer running on Intel or AMD hardware.
Throughout the course we will support our teaching using several industry standard software packages which will all be compatible with computers running Windows, but not all will be compatible with MacOS or Linux based operating systems.
Purchasing a device with a pen-enabled touch screen might seem like an additional expense. However, over the course of your three or four years of study, it can be a useful way to take notes and annotate material digitally, potentially reducing the need for printed notes. However, this is optional and many students successfully use traditional note-taking methods.
Should I buy a Windows PC or a Mac?
Whilst a Mac is a great platform, it is not quite suited to everything we do, especially interfacing to external hardware and will more than likely result in a fair amount of frustration whilst attempting to get things working. Also, not all the applications you will need on the Electrical and Electronic course run on mac OS. For this reason, we recommend you buy a windows-based PC. If you already have a Mac or you “just have to get one”, it's okay. There are options for you:
Modern Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3 and newer) cannot run Windows natively using Boot Camp. Instead, they rely on virtualisation software, which may not fully support all specialist engineering applications or external hardware connections.
You can use virtual computers, which we will provide for you. As good as the virtual computers are it will mean you will always need Wi-Fi whenever you want to work, and it will make your workflow a little less smooth. In addition, virtual environments are not suitable for activities requiring direct connection to external hardware such as microcontrollers or development boards.
Recommended specification of Windows PC
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Operating System - Windows 11
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Processor - Intel Core i5, (13th Gen or newer), AMD Ryzen 5 (7000 series or newer)
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RAM - Minimum 16GB (8GB only for basic use; 16GB recommended for multitasking and future-proofing)
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Storage: 512GB SSD or higher is recommended; 256GB is increasingly restrictive unless you rely heavily on cloud storage
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Display: 14" or larger Full HD (1920x1080) or higher resolution
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Battery Life: At least 8 hours real-world usage (manufacturer rated >10 hours)
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Ports: At least one reliable USB port for direct connection to devices is strongly recommended; some USB hubs and adapters can cause issues with development boards.
- Webcam: Integrated 1080p webcam or better
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 or later
- Touch & Pen Input: Pen-enabled touchscreen (optional, for handwritten notes or annotation)
- You may also wish to consider overall build quality, battery longevity, and warranty options, as your device will be used regularly over several years. Though I would not suggest paying for expensive extended warranties at time of purchase without carefully considering whether the cover is appropriate (does it cover accidental damage for example) or whether your device(s) may already be covered through home insurance policies .
You may have a laptop that meets all the specs above but does not have a pen enabled screen. In this case, there are other options open to you so please read the last section of this page.
Alternatively, you might already have a laptop that doesn't quite meet the above specifications, or you might not want to spend the cost on a PC that meets all of these.
In EEE a lot of the applications are fairly lightweight in their computational demands and so performance isn’t a big issue, but the ability to interface to external hardware is important. So, what are the key things you need to consider when buying your computer?
Ram is probably the most important specification you meet. Ram allows you to work with large files and and/or have multiple applications open at the same time. 16 gigabytes should now be considered the practical starting point, and 32 gigabytes is generally unnecessary for this course.
Processor has a big impact on the speed of things, and i5 will usually suffice. Though if you need something more powerful, we tend to provide virtual computers for you that are well beyond the specification you could afford. So, although nice, a faster processor like an i7 or i9 is not as important.
Storage on a hard drive allows you to have more software installed and still be able to save your files directly on the PC. You can go a lot bigger than 256 gigabytes, but it's not recommend to go any smaller, as you might not get all the software you want on the machine. SSD solid state drives are quicker, smaller, and more reliable than their predecessors. Although SSD is not critical it will keep your laptop current for longer. You will have access to a significant amount of cloud-based storage as well which should always be used to back up everything you do. You should ensure your work is regularly backed up using university-provided cloud storage such as OneDrive.
Screen size. You will be spending a lot of your time on your laptop and screen size makes everything much easier and quicker. You may at a later date decide you want a second monitor to give you more screen real-estate as this really improves productivity. It's easy to think but the biggest screen is the best option but remember “portability”. A large screen means a large laptop and you will have to carry this into university each day.
Battery life gives you added convenience. Although there will be lots of places in university to plug your laptop in sometimes it's easy to forget to do this. Battery life as it is shown in specifications may not actually be what's achieved when you use your laptop. The applications you will be using use the processor heavily, which will drain the battery quickly. An alternative to a large battery could be to have a spare battery.
Ports. You sometimes need to connect to external displays or other devices and so you will require a USB-C port or a HDMI port for displays and USB-C or USB-A for external peripherals. Where possible, a direct USB connection is preferred over adapters for reliability when working with hardware.
Webcams come built into most laptops now. But if the model you are thinking of getting doesn't include one, this is something you will need to purchase as it is quite likely that you will need to have video-based meetings during your time on the course.
I hope you have found the above information useful in helping you navigate the slightly tricky issue of choosing which devices to buy for your studies at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and if you still have questions, please feel free to get in touch by emailing EZ-EEEng@nottingham.ac.uk