Computer Recommendations
Computers are an essential tool for an Engineering and Computer Science education, just as they are in the workplace. They are used extensively for studying course materials, programming, modeling and design, as well as for writing papers and assignments. Course resources are often distributed through websites and assignments are often submitted electronically.
- Every student should have a laptop. If you are planning to purchase a new laptop, some recommended specifications are listed below.
- Internet access is used for course registration, submitting assignments, checking marks, and email with instructors and peers. The UVic WiFi network which is freely available to students, covers most of the campus.
- The University requires a way to communicate with students through email and provides students with an email account. While it is recommended that students use this account for communications with the University, students may choose to designate an alternate preferred email account. This account should be checked regularly as this address will be used for course and program related communications as well as for communications during an emergency.
- For more computing related information (printing, websites, access cards, labs, etc.), please consult the Engineering IT services catalog.
Recommended Laptop Specifications for 2023/24
Engineering and Science applications need plenty of memory, graphics horsepower, and an appropriately large screen size that is still light enough to comfortably carry around campus daily. Recommended minimum specifications:
- 12th Generation Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processor
- Dedicated graphics processor
- 512 GB or larger SSD disk drive
- 16GB or more RAM
- A 13” or larger screen
Note: While a Chrome Book, Ipad, or Microsoft Surface may function for note taking or web reference, these devices will not be able to run the software some courses require. Most specialized course software is available in the computing labs. Information on the computing labs including room schedules, computer availability, hardware specifications, and installed software is available online here.
Recommended Operating System
- Microsoft Windows 11
- Current up to date Anti-Virus software.
- Microsoft offers UVIC students 1 copy of Office 365 free of charge.
- Online versions of Office 365 are available free from Microsoft with a @uvic.ca email address.
- Many other Microsoft software packages are available for free through the Engineering subscription to the Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching program.
- The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science has made MATLAB available free for students.
- Other services and software packages that are available are outlined in the Engineering IT services catalog.
Note: Some courses require running software that is only available for the Windows platform. Most of these software packages are also available in the Engineering and Computer Science computing labs.