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Graphic Design Degree Technology Recommendations

The following hardware and tools will be required for use while pursuing a graphic design degree from Huntington University. Note that system requirements may change without notice. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they meet the minimum system requirements for this program.

External SSD HD

REQUIRED: Portable External Hard Drive — Due to the nature of the program, every student is required to purchase an external hard drive. Below is what we would consider the minimum required specifications:

  • 1 or 2TB external hard drive

  • USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 drives are not acceptable.)

  • Note: Thunderbolt drives are not supported in animation labs.

REQUIRED: Cloud storage such as OneDrive (provided), or Google Drive, DropBox, or other accessible services.

Laptop Recommendations (MAC)

The Graphic Design Department recommends a Mac computer.

Low Tier Recommendation:

  • 15” MacBook Air (M1 Chip)
  • 8GB of RAM
  • 512GB SSD Storage

Mid-Tier Recommendation:

  • 14” MacBookPro (M2 Chip)
  • 16GB of RAM
  • 1TB SSD Storage

Top Tier Recommendation:

  • 16” MacBook Pro (M3 Chip)
  • 48GB of RAM
  • 4TB SSD Storage
Desktop PC Recommendations (Windows)

The Animation Department recommends a Windows 10 Desktop PC Tower + Monitor rather than a Laptop, especially if budget is a concern. The PC Desktop will be more limited in mobility (taking it to and from college etc.), but they typically offer more computing power for less money.

**Note, most Desktop Towers do not come with a Monitor (sold separately)

Low-Tier Recommendation:

  • 8GB RAM (Memory)
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD RX 580 (Graphics Card)
  • 256GB SSD + 1 TB HDD for Storage (Hard drive)
  • AMD Ryzen 5 Series or Intel i5 Series (CPU)

Mid-Tier Recommendation:

  • 16GB RAM (Memory)
  • Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Graphics Card)
  • 1TB SSD (Harddrive)
  • AMD Ryzen 7 Series or Intel i7 Series (CPU)

High-Tier Recommendation:

  • 32GB RAM (Memory)
  • Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (Graphics Card)
  • 1TB SSD (Harddrive)
  • AMD Ryzen 9 Series or Intel i9 Series (CPU)
Pen Displays and Drawing Tablets

In order to animate/draw/paint/sculpt digitally on your personal computer, you will need either a Pen Display or a Drawing Tablet. See some of our recommendations listed below.

Pen Displays (Monitor that can be Drawn on)

  • Huion KAMVAS PRO 22 Drawing Monitor
  • Huion KAMVAS GT-191 V2 Drawing Tablet
  • Wacom DTK2200 Cintiq 22HD
  • Wacom Cintiq 22 Drawing Tablet
  • Wacom Cintiq 16 (Will also need a separate monitor)
  • Wacom One (Small and inexpensive, but will need separate monitor as well)

Drawing Tablets (Not a Monitor)

Stand Alone Tablets

  • Ipad Pro 11 inch (requires apple pencil bought separately)
  • Ipad Pro 12.9 inch (requires apple pencil bought separately)
  • Apple Pencil 2nd Gen
Headphones/Microphone

OPTIONAL: Professional Stereo Headphones — All DMA students are required to have their own professional stereo headphones that enclose the ear. Earbuds and hobbyist headphones are unacceptable for critical tutorials and audio editing in classes. Here are some recommendations:

Wacom Grip Pen 2

REQUIRED: Wacom Pro Pen 2 (the Stylus will be compatible with the Wacom Cintiq Pro, Wacom Cintiq and Wacom Intuos Pro models. Email hudma@huntington.edu for specific questions.)